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I have a trip planned to NYC for Dec 6-8 using an incredibly cheap ($150 r/t) fare from LAX-JFK and of course, I had to pick the one weekend when rates for NYC were the highest in December (outside of the holidays). Was going to use hotel points for both nights but have been monitoring the rates and noticed that this week they dropped for Dec. 7 (Sunday) from an avg of $400 to about $200 so I thought I'd try Priceline on a whim to see if I could get something decent and not waste my points. Used the PRICELINE link and because I wasn't too serious about it, started the bidding at $95 for the SoHo area selecting 4 Star hotel. Got rejected, then re-bid adding Upper East Side and upped the bid to $100. Got rejected, then re-bid adding MidTown East in the hopes of getting the Grand Hyatt. Lowered the bid to $98 and changed to 3.5 Star "Upscale". Extremely surprised when my bid was accepted at the Tudor House U.N. where I saw the lowest rate was $271 plus taxes. They even offered to let me add additional nights for this win so maybe the bookings aren't going the way they wanted with all the job cuts and all.

Just booked on Hotwire for this 3* Hotel in Waikiki Central with amenities showing as Near Beach, Laundry and Tennis Nearby. For dates of December 1 to December 2, 2006 showing price of $74. As I could not find it identified on this board, I went ahead and booked it and it came up as the Ohana Malia-----definitely not my preferred choice but since I'm getting in around 8pm and switching hotels the next day, okay for the price.

Thank you both for your help. After playing around on the Hotwire site a few times, I was finally able to confirm the 5* hotel as the Sutton Place at a rate of $101 per night (even better than the first quote!). I decided to go for the Sutton Place after reading the previous comments and the fact that it is supposed to be rated as one of Travel & Leisure's World's Best Hotels. Thanks again for the information. :)

Thank you for your help! Yes, the 4.5* does have a Restaurant icon-----I must have missed it when jotting down the information. Sorry about that.

Forgot to mention that I tried the suggestions posted above for bidding on Priceline several times over a 3-5 day period (waiting the appropriate time in between tries) and never got the price I wanted. I went as high as $82 (didn't want to go any higher because fees/taxes meant I could book it cheaper directly) and never got an acceptance.

Thanks for the information. Saturday night stays in general seem to be a problem for Chicago, even with Hotwire. I ended up booking directly with the Renaissance Hotel by O'Hare at $89 per night and taking the train into town. Actually was convenient as the El station is right outside and only took 25-30 minutes to the Loop. Only cheap alternative I could find!

Hello, I'm trying to book a hotel for Vancouver for Nov. 12/05 for one night. On Hotwire I get the following deals (which I'm interested in): $106: 5* Downtown Vancouver West, amenities include restaurant, pool, fitness ctr, spa services, golf nearby, business ctr $108: 4.5* Downtown Vancouver Entertainment District, amenities include pool, fitness ctr, high-speed internet access, business ctr While I prefer the entertainment district (I'm assuming it's closer to Robson St.) either hotel would be fine for me. Would anyone know which hotels these are? Thanks!

Hi. Tried using it just a few minutes ago using a completely new email address but their system recognized me as a previous customer (from my name/address, I'm guessing) and they would not allow the use of the discount.

Thanks for the quick reply. Tried the method but no luck----I will try again, especially closer to the date but thank you very much for your tips and assistance.

Thanks....for me price is more important since I know the area pretty well and being in the Loop instead of Mag Mile/River North is the tradeoff. I am knew to this as I've only used Priceline a couple of times in the past, primarily for rental cars so any help is appreciated! :)

Hello, I am traveling to Chicago in August and need a second night in the city for August 27, 2005. I prefer to stay in the River North/Mag. Mile area but the Loop is also an alternative. I'm trying to get a room at a 4-Star hotel for around $80 but is this impossible? I've checked and there are no big conventions scheduled for that week. Any insights, bidding tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.