szrc

Bid $110 through $160 for MTE 1/29/07 - 1/31/07, all rejected. Willingness to bid higher on this area versus MTW, etc. is due partly to the fact that, historically, the Grand Hyatt is a likely outcome. (No, I am not relying on this in a big way, but it would be ideal for its location.) Though $160 is higher than other recent winning bids for MTE, Grand Hyatt web rates are also higher for the dates in question -- $319 versus a more typical $249 or $289. Any thoughts on whether bidding higher in MTE is still likely to result in the Grand Hyatt? I'm worried that they simply aren't offering priceline rooms on those dates and I'll end up paying a premium for another hotel. The alternative would be to cut my losses, so to speak, and start bidding on other areas. TIA

Thought I'd share my results w/ everyone. Was looking for 4* in NMA/Loop zones with little preference between the two. Based on tone363's experience, I was relatively confident that I'd get something <= $110. Came up with the following strategy: NMA: $66 Loop: $70 NMA+S: $74 Loop+S: $78 NMA+M: $82 Loop+M: $86 NMA+S+M: $90 Loop+S+M: $94 NMA+Loop: $98 NMA+Loop+S: $102 NMA+Loop+M: $106 NMA+Loop+S+M: $110 Got flat-out rejected through $90; got counteroffers of +$22 at $94, $98, and $102; finally won the Swissotel at $106. Pretty happy overall; the Swissotel sounds nice. (Any experiences?) I'll be checking in relatively late on a Saturday, so hopefully room availability isn't an issue...

Bid at $65 rejected; added Skokie and bid $70 with success. Thanks!