lawgrl

Wyndham Houston Hotel & Suites Medical Center More than I hoped to pay, but not a bad deal- seems like that is an expensive time. I used the PRICELINE link from this site. Thanks for the tips!

I'm looking for a hotel in the houston medical center area, and I'm finding indications that the Medical Center Holiday Inn is now "Wyndam Houston Medical Center Hotel and Suites." Same hotel, different name. I wasn't sure where to post this to provide that info. I hope this is helpful!

Two questions: 1. I'm looking at priceline to find a hotel in Houston for next month. When I click "Reliant Park-Texas Medical Center-Greenway Plaza" area, and then look at the amenities in the 4* range it says "free internet." Does that mean that for that area,a 4* hotel must offer free wifi? I can't understand what else it could mean, really, but that surprises me. 2. Does priceline still offer the ability to add a day at the winning price? I may stay with friends for the first night I'm in town, but if the price is right I'd prefer to have my own space. The link on these boards that says it links to priceline's "add a night" policy just redirects to priceline. Thanks!

Westin oaks $55/ night Priceline (used the PRICELINE link from this site) November 17-20 Room total $165, total with fees $201.69. In retrospect I may have started bidding too high (this was my first bid), but I felt so nervous about adding other zones, zones I feel would have in some ways ruined the trip. THANK YOU!!!

This, from the Priceline sticky, is what I'm afraid of, and what I don't understand: I guess it's the second bullet point that I don't really understand. How can I determine definitively which zones only have 3* and below, so I can add them in my bid for 4* hotels, and thus be sure I won't end up somewhere where I don't want to be? Again, thank you very much. Sorry for so many rookie questions. EDIT: Oooooooooooooh! NOW I see. OK. I'm sorry.... slow today....

This is very very helpful. Thanks, and I'll keep you posted. Staying in one of the remote areas would wreck the trip for me, more than paying "too much" or staying in a less- luxurious hotel. I've read about the rebidding and adding zones, I guess I'm concerned that there may be additional hotels available in a zone I don't want, and thus I could end up in Katy or something. I apologize if I'm asking for too much hand-holding through the process. I am very vey appreciative of your help.

Well, the hotel Derek would be fine, I think, except for the additional charge for parking (and Internet, I think). Would the responses be different if I posted an almost identical post in the Priceline forum? I guess another question I have is more priceline related: given that I have some time before my travel, if I place low, but incrementally higher bids each day for a 4* hotel in those two areas until I get what I want, is there any way I could get burned? I mean, a pool would be nice, but I don't have to have one. I don't need a business center or fitness room. I don't need free breakfast or even a restaurant at all. So, as long as my bid total leaves some room for adding parking on top of the bid to stay near $250, is there any way I could wind up with a lousy hotel?

Thanks for the welcome and the response! November 17-20. As far as location, I figure any 4* in either of those areas would be fine. I'm not willing to stay downtown just because it's kind of a hassle. I'd like to be near-ish to Rice, but it's not a big deal; anywhere near the galleria is fine. I'm going to meet up with some friends, have some quiet R&R in my (hopefully fancy/swanky!) room, breakfast all alone in the Rice Village... Just low key and relaxed. I took a similar trip 2 years ago, and I booked through Expedia and stayed at the Icon downtown. It was lovely and everything I could have asked for, except staying downtown was kind of a pain. Just, getting around is kind of a chore. I lived in Houston for a few years, and feel pretty comfortable with the med center area and galleria area, but downtown baffles me a bit.

I'm new so still learning my way around. I'll be traveling to Houston in November 2011 for three nights, and would like to pay TOTAL of about $250 for three nights (including all taxes, etc.). Ideally this total would include free parking and free wifi. My travel is centered around Rice University, so I'd like to be in the med center or Galleria area. Basically, my question is: how can I improve my chances of getting the nicest hotel available for around that price? This is sort of a "mommy's escape" trip, so I'd like the hotel to be high on luxury and low on cost. I have looked around this site quite a bit, and I already feel like I've learned a lot, but if anyone is willing to give specific tips for these areas and these dates, I'd really appreciate it. One specific issue I'm unclear about: is there any way to know in advance whether a particular hotel charges for parking and wifi? Those two together could easilt add another $30/night; in my book, NOT an insignificant amount. Another question I have (though I realize maybe this question belongs in a different area?): is HOTWIRE or PRICELINE the best choice for this trip, given the information I gave above? Thank you!