kstrom

On Fri 3/24/06, I did the following: 4* Convention Center-Capital Hill) bid $74: rejected Added Alexandria (has no 4*) raised bid to $79: rejected Added Crystal City (has no 4*) raised bid to $84: accepted Grand Hyatt Washington Check-In Date: Thursday, April 13, 2006 Check-Out Date: Sunday, April 16, 2006 Convention Ctr - Capitol Hill Area 1000 H Street Nw Washington, District Of Columbia 20001 202-582-1234 The rate given on Priceline's non-opaque site for this period averages out at $155 per night. Thanks! Kstrom PS Used SavingsBarn

Are there any generalizations about the following with respect of Hotwire/Priceline hotels 1) When the *s for a particular hotel differ on HW & PL, does HW or PL usually give a higher * level? (Based on very limited experience, my impression is the HW usually has a higher * level, but I would love to hear from more experience users. ) Sometimes the HW ammenities + pinned list of HW hotels means one can ID a HW hotel with a fair degree of confidence. This leads me to my second question: 2) If a hotel is a HW and PL hotel, if the hotel is available on HW for a given date, does it also tend to be available on PL? 3) If a hotel does tend to be available through HW and PL, is there a relationship between the HW price for the hotel and a likely winning bid for PL? Thanks, KStrom

Thanks for the explanation. I learned two things from it. I hadn't noticed the regularity of Hotwire only displaying the cheapest hotel at a star rating for each area. Is there someway to defeat this (i.e., get Hotwire to list all of the 3.5*s in an area regardless of price)? For us, a 3.5* with a pool is better than a 3.5* hotel without a pool that costs a few dollars less, so it would be nice to be able to compare hotels' ammentities. I also didn't realize that Hotwire took seriously the number of people in the room if some were < 18 years old. A second good thing to know. Thank you! Kstrom

For the last couple of days, I have been tracking Washington DC Hotwire hotels for April 12-16, 2006 (plans aren't firm yet, so can't purchase). I have noticed that a 3.5* Whitehouse/Capital Hill hotel (restaurant, pool, fitness, computer, business -- probably Hyatt Regency Washington on Capital Hill) has been appearing and disappearing. Each time I see it, the price is the same ($92), so it really does seem like its the same hotel each time. The only regularity seems to be whether I put kids down or not (the hotel shows up when I put my two kids in, but not when I don't). It seems odd that a hotel would show up WITH kids, but not without. Has anyone heard of this happening? Thanks, KStrom

We stayed here on December 26th, 2005. What a terrific hotel ... a spotless room, great bed linens, towels & robes, and a very nice pool area. We got exactly the type of room we asked for (2 beds, nonsmoking) and were allowed to check in 3 or 4 hours early. And we got a high floor room with a view of the city and the water. The staff were very nice -- we never felt like 2nd class citizens because we booked via priceline. The location is terrific -- right off the Boston Common and a block away from the T subway. I spent 10 years in Boston between 1980 and 1990. The area is not nearly as seedy as it was back then. All in all, it was a perfect 4* experience! Kstrom

12/21/05: Initial Bid: 4* Philadelphia (Downtown) = $50 Rejected Was given the opportunity to get immediately if increased bid to $64. Declined 12/22/05 Added Cherry Hill Zone: 4* bid = $51 rejected Added City Line: 4* bid = $52 rejected Added Glouster: 4* bid = $53 ACCEPTED Hotel Name: Hyatt Regency Philadelphia At Penns Landing 201 S Columbus Boulevard Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106 215-928-1234 I was trying to find a blow-out present for my kids to celebrate the holidays and also my older's daughter's successful surgery at CHOP (children's hospital of philly) this past summer. (The visit also corresponds to what we hope will be the last post-op visit.) I thought of the terrific time we had at this hotel last summer (especially in the pool, which is in a glassed in area of the 6 or 7th floor overlooking for river. Last summer we got this hotel for $100 via hot Wire. We thought THAT was a fabulous deal. Priceline is AMAZING! -- Kstrom

3* Concord-Nashua, NH (Merrimack-Nashua) Merrimack Hotel & Conference Center for 12/24/05-12/26/05 Initial bid on 12/13/05: $34 for 3* Merrimack-Nashua: rejected Second bid on 12/17/05: $45 for 3* Merrimack-Nashua: accepted We stayed in this hotel over Thanksgiving. As I said in my priceline review, calling it a 3* is a bit generous, but it's the only PL hotel I know of in the Merrimack-Nashua, NH area that has an indoor pool and that is key for my kids. BTW, for Thanksgiving, I initially bid $40 and I was given the opportunity to get the hotel by upping my bid to $52, which being a newbie, I did. This time I was a bit smarter and figured $45 would probably work. The $45 price is a lot better than the published rates but it still kinda bugs me that I didn't do better, because I got a PL 4* in Boston MA (Hyatt-Financial) for 12/26 (The Merrimack Hotel clearly hasn't figured out how to optimized the money they get ... Over Thanksgiving, there were only about 10 rooms occupied. You would *think* that they would jump on any bid ..)

We stayed at the NH Merrimack Hotel & Conference Center from 11/22-11/26 (i.e., Thanksgiving weekend). Perhaps because the hotel caters to conferences and Thanksgiving is not a big conference time, the hotel was essentially empty and operating with a barebones staff. There were some pastries left over from a conference that were there the day we arrived (a Tuesday) and were still there the day we left (Saturday). The restaurant was closed the entire time we were there. On the positive side, they put out a free continental breakfast. The bathroom was clean, but the rugs were dirty and the blankets were filthy, and the sheets didn't fit the bed. On the other hand, the pool and hot tub were nice, and we didn't have to worry about our kids bothering other guests because the hotel was so empty. WRT how Priceline customers are treated, when I called to reserve a room (nonsmoking, two beds), I was told that Priceline people can't reserve a room and that the hotel was crowded. Hmm ... All in all, calling this a 3* hotel seems a bit of a stretch

First and only bid: 4* Downtown-Charlestown, for 12/26-12/27: ACCEPTED Thank you all for having posted your winning bids of $50 for this hotel. I would never have dared starting this low for a Boston 4*. (The extra $1 for for luck). -- Karin

Thought I posted this yesterday, but I don't see it. Apologies if this is a double post. Reconstrucing the post, this is the bidding history: 10/17: Bid $75 for 2.5*-4* in Copley, Boston for 11/4-11/6: Rejected 10/20: Bid $85 for 4* in Copley, Boston. Rejected 10/20: Bid $85 for 4* in Copley & Cambridge-Brookline: Rejected 10/20: Bid $85 for 3*-4* in Copley & Cambridge-Brookline: ACCEPTED 3* Marriott Cambridge for $85 for 11/4/-11/6

I chose 3* Nashua/Merrimack region for Nashua, NH for 11/22/05-11/26/05 (i.e., Thanksgiving weekend). My initial bid $40. I was given the opportunity to immediately rebid with the same features if I upped my bid by $12. I did and the bid was accepted. When I called the hotel directly and went online, the best rate I got was $99/night with the explanation that Thanksgiving is a busy time, so it seems like I got an ok deal. But was I a sucker to accept Priceline's offer to up my bid $12? Could I have done a lot better just by waiting a few days (didn't want to change regions as I had little time/location flexibility) -- Karin PS . The Merrimack Hotel & Conference Center is the same thing as what is listed in the current AAA guide as the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center

My husband and I are academics, so WRT vacations, we have a lot of flexibility but not that much money. We are looking to go someplace warm sometime during semester break (roughly speaking Dec 24-Jan 15th), but don't care exactly when or where, as long at it is cheap. Is there anyway on Priceline or Hotwire to search for general regions (e.g., Florida) or blocks of time? Thanks, Karin

I realized after reading responses to my post about getting a 3* in downtown Philly for $61 on 9/4 that I had said the wrong hotel. The correct hotel was Holiday Inn - Historic Distric *not* Sheraton- Historic District. Holiday Inn Phila-Histrc Dist (215) 923-8660 (800) 843-2355 (215) 829-1796 (Fax) (215) 923-4633 (Fax) 400 Arch St Philadelphia, PA 19106 BTW, when we checked in, the person at the desk asked if it was a priceline booking. I suspect the priceline booking may be responsible for us getting a room with no view (boxed in on 3 sides). But, on the positive side, our kids thought it was great to see the heating/AC system on the roof and the parking garage! Sorry for the mistake ... too many recent trips to Philly, I guess. Karin

Egads ... we were at the HOLIDAY INN - Historic Distric, *not* the Sheraton - Historic District. I guess with all of our trips to Philly for medical reasons, the hotels are just blurring together. (This trip was for pleasure!) Here's the correct info on the hotel: 3* Philadelphia Downtown on 9/4. Accepted bid: $61 Holiday Inn Phila-Histrc Dist (215) 923-8660 (800) 843-2355 (215) 829-1796 (Fax) (215) 923-4633 (Fax) 400 Arch St Philadelphia, PA 19106 Sorry for the error, Karin

We decided on the spur of the moment to take a trip to Philly and placed bids on 9/4/05 for a room for that night. At about 9:30 AM on 9/4, I put in a bid for a $75 bid for 4* hotel in downtown Philly which was rejected. I immediately put in a $61 bid for a 3* hotel in downtown Philly. This bid was accepted. It was the Sheraton - Historic District. Although certainly not luxurious, the room was clean, the pillows were excellent, and the linens & furniture were good shape. As befits the name, the hotel was right in the middle of Philly's historic sights. Here's a general question: are last minute low bids more or less likely to be accepted than other bids? -- Karin

I have a newbie question: does deleting or adding days allow one to immediately rebid? If so, do people find that doing so never, sometimes, or usually results in accepted bids? I am particularly interested in results for Philly during August. - Karin Sorry if this is covered already ... I didn't see it in the FAQ.

Just an update on my attempts to get a hotel near CHOP for Aug 10-12. My bids of $71, $76, and $81 on the 3* hotel in the University Area of Philly (probably the Sheraton University) have been refused. I will try raising my bid a couple more times, and then am considering adding the 2* hotel (probably Penn Towers). Penn Towers gets pretty scathing reviews, but it is very close to CHOP and with a child having surgery, we probably won't be in the room enough to notice/care if the rooms are dirty and the services minimal. If I *do* decide to add a 2*, at what level do you suggest I start bidding? Thanks, Karin S PS My back-up is a $130/night CHOP-rate at the Sheraton University (normal internet rate $199/night).

You folks are truly amazing . Thank you so much for your fabulous suggestions (and for the good wishes for my daughter). Here's an update on the my quest to find a hotel within walking distance of CHOP (we really want a place nearby so we can come and go with our 6 year old while the 8 year old is in the hospital). 1. Hotwire agreed to refund my money for the Wyndham reservation. The person I spoke with admitted that on some computers it is impossible to tell Hotwire's boundary of East/West Philly. He says Hotwire is working on it. 2. I talked to CHOP about affiliated hotels and the possibility of CHOP-related discounts. The person I talked to said that the 2 star hotel might be "Penn Towers". She said, off the record, it was pretty awful for the price ($110+). The same person said that sometimes the Sheraton has ~$100 rates for parents of inpatients. 3. The person I talked to at Sheraton University City didn't know about CHOP-discounts and told me to call again tomorrow. If we can get the discount, we may do it. 4. If we can't get the discount (or I feel lucky), I am going to do a priceline bid on the 3* University Area hotel and hope it is Sheraton University or the Hilton. What is your advise about my initial bid? Best -- Karin S. (kstrom)

I'm new to the group and need advice on getting a hotel room within walking distance of Children's Hospital of Philly for Aug 10-12, 2005. I booked a room through Hotwire, but unbeknownst to me (and not apparent from Hotwire's detailed map as displayed on my computer), Hotwire's West Philly designation includes a chunk of Philly east of the Schuylkill river. Now I am stuck with a $65/night room at the Wyndham Franklin Plaza in East Philly. I checked Priceline, and they have a "University Area" which seems to include just the area around UPenn/Hospitals. The AAA guide shows only 2 hotels in the University area: the Hilton Inn at Penn (AAA-rated 4 diamonds, range $140-260) and the Sheraton University City (AAA-rated 3 diamonds, range $110-300). However, Priceline lists 2 hotels in the University Area: a 3 star (suggested retail $215) and a 2 star (suggested retail $149). My questions are 1) Is the PL map of University Area of Philly accurate (i.e., east boundary = Schuylkill River, north boundary = Baring St, west boundary = 38th street 2) Does anyone have a guess as to what the 2 Priceline hotels in university area are? 3) What bidding strategy should I use, given that I have no flexibility as to date or location? (I'll have 2 kids with me, 1 of whom is having surgery.) I'd really appreciate any advice as I have already blown the money I had budgeted for hotels for the surgery. -- Karin S (aka kstrom) PS For my daughter's pre-op visit (July 16-18), I used Hotwire and got Hyatt at Penns Landing for $100/night.