zzdocxx

Hey thanks TUA for the subtle hint about the amenities. I have finally figured out how to possibly know what hotel is being offered based on that. Not only that but the hotel list here even shows the amenities, I was just starting to go through the "packages" section of Hotwire to get the info I needed. Looks like that $93/nite is for the Drake or the Omni Ambassador East. Is a pretty good deal, or ??? Guess I will check the internet rate for those properties. Meanwhile, still wondering how to approach the Priceline thing, before I jump in and start wasting bids.

Duh, sorry about posting both places, thanks for merging me!

Hi thereuare, thanks for responding to my post! My dates are Oct 12 through 19, 2006. I have also put a post up on the BB Priceline forum, though my preference is to stay at McCormick Place, I realize I need to be flexible to get a good deal. Here are the amenities as listed by Hotwire, (they also cite tripadvisor reviews): =============================== This upscale establishment offers thoughtful features, quality rooms and a high level of service Hotel Amenities Restaurant(s) Property offers at least one restaurant on the premises; hours and days of operation may vary. Fitness Center Guests have access to exercise equipment; an additional charge may apply. High-speed Internet Access Guestrooms are equipped with high-speed Internet access; an extra charge may apply. Business Center Business Center Guests have access to business equipment and services; an additional charge may apply. Customer Reviews TripAdvisor Traveler Rating3.5 out of 5(3.5 out of 5) Based on: 20+ customer reviews Last Reviewed: September 2005 ==============================

Dear BB members: I am going to a big meeting at McCormick Place, October 12 - 19, 2006. Before I start bidding, etc., I wanted to seek some counsel. My preference would be to stay at the Hyatt McCormick for convenience. I think this is the only 4* hotel in the Priceline "Greater Chicago" area. I am open to the other downtown areas, there will probably be shuttle busses available. My strategy for Priceline would be to go with "Greater Chicago", then add "Skokie/Evanston", and then add "Midway Airport", as neither of those two areas have 4* properties PER THE PRICELINE WEBSITE today. The recent wins at the Hyatt McCormick go from the $50 - 100 range, so I am not sure where to start. Meanwhile, Hotwire has a 4* "North Michigan Ave - Water Tower Place - Gold Coast" hotel available for $93/nite. That might work for me as an alternative, I looked at the hotel list here on BB. But I can't count on that price to be available at a later date, right? Just trying to figure out an optimal strategy. Suggestions? Start bidding early, vs. grab the $93/nite from Hotwire, vs. consider 3* hotel? What price to start my bidding? Thanks everyone for your help! :) (PS I also posted about this in the Hotwire forum.)

I haven't used Hotwire before, just Priceline. I am going to a big convention in October 2006 at McCormick Place. I just want to double check about how it works, I will try Priceline as well. Entering my info into Hotwire, it shows, for $93/nite, "4-star hotel in North Michigan Avenue - Water Tower - Gold Coast (Downtown Areas)" If I look on the list of Hotwire hotels in that area of Downtown, it shows several, eg. Sofitel Water Tower, Drake, Loew's House of Blues, etc. They all sound pretty nice. It seems like good deal, though my top choice would be to stay at the Hyatt Regency McCormick, since that is right at the Convention Center. (That seems to be one of the Priceline hotels.) Could anyone give me any input, tips, etc., on this subject? I am assuming that taking a taxi daily to the McCormick Center from anywhere in downtown would not be prohibitively expensive, though I do like the convenience of an on-site hotel (eg Hyatt Regency McCormick). Thanks everyone, this website really helped me for the '05 meeting in Atlanta! (4* Omni CNN, $58/nite, Priceline)

Dear April May Thanks so much for your advice. I was wondering about which building to try for. Since my meeting is at the adjacent GWCC, and I am flying in from California, I won't even need (or want!) to have a car. I will look for those coupons. BTW when I said the thread ought to be pinned, I was referring to the thread for getting optimal service when checking into the hotel, here is the link to that thread: dang, now I can't find it, it was where TUA suggested joining the hotel's "Affinity" program. The thread was entitled After Bidding Instructions--I got it using the search function, still can't locate it by browsing, but here is the link. After Bidding Instructions

Thanks for the advice on this, TUA. I signed up for the Omni's program and sent them an email from the website. I am a little concerned about getting bumped. Our annual meeting is moved there from N.O., I pricelined it Friday as soon as I found out, the organization doesn't even have the deal finalized yet, but when they do, I am sure the hotel will become fully booked immediately. Almost 30,000 professionals attend our annual meeting. That is why I am concerned about being "bumped". Also, I guess they can tell when it was booked through PL just by looking at the rate, or ??? I would be interested in any further input you might have on this. BTW I am coming into Atlanta 2 days early just to get oriented, etc., hoping this will increase my chances for a good room and not getting bumped. This thread almost deserved to be pinned IMHO.

OK once again I found my answer after posting a question, the reasons for using SavingsBarn are posted here, right? http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?act...T&f=174&t=1218&

AprilMay, I noticed you mentioned the SavingsBarn link in another post as well. I don't understand the significance of that. ??? Could you explain it to a newbie? Thanks!

Now how do I get the best room possible? Should I call beforehand and ask, or ??? Any suggestions from the experts out there?

That is very interesting. As I have posted, I was actually trying for the Marquis as I thought it was my best shot. I bid 45, then 50, then got nervous and just went to 58. I ended up at the Omni, which is actually much better for my purposes. (That was my very first time bidding on Priceline.)

OK I figured it out now. They sent me three identical emails, I took them to be rental car ads, but there is actually a link at the top of the page that sends me back to the confirmed res page, also the res info is below the rental car pitch in the emails.

OK, dumb newbie question: I printed out a copy of the page with my info. I had an email of my itinerary sent to my own email address. But I didn't get a seperate confirmation from Priceline via email. What happens next? Just keep my info and present it when I get to the hotel? Is there any possibility the hotel could not honor the paid reservation? Just wondering about the standard procedures here. Thanks.

ThereUare, did I tell you today that you are beautiful? :) ======================= Omni Hotel At Cnn Center 4-star Remote control TV w/ premium channels Telephone w/ voicemail Radio Alarm Clock Iron and ironing board Hairdryer Business services 24 hour front desk Restaurant Room service Bellman Concierge Fitness center access Check-In Date: Thursday, October 20, 2005 Check-Out Date: Thursday, October 27, 2005 Downtown Atlanta 100 Cnn Center Payment Information: Your Offer Price: $58.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 7 Subtotal: $406.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $69.78 Total Charges: $475.78 =================================== Using the handy strategy guide from this website, I first bid Downtown at $45, then added Union City at $50, then added Midtown at $58, which gave me the winning combo. I had expected to get the Marriott Marquis, but The Omni is adjacent to my meeting site, whereas the Marriott is 7 blocks away. So that was a pleasant surprise! I believe the two hotels are roughly comparable. ==================================

Thanks for the input. I don't want you to think I am a loser who doesn't follow up with the info! But I finally decided to book a room at the 4 star Majestic Grande in the Sukhumvit area. I used their website and got a rate of $70USD, which included all taxes and fees. I figured that after taxes and fees the JW Marriot at $82 would have run me around $100/night. Much as I would have liked to stay there, I was feeling I ought to economize a bit. OK, maybe next time I will have a chance to contribute something here, this is a great website!

Could someone help clarify something for me? I was about to put in my bid for 5* Sukhumvit, then I noticed that the taxes as estimated by Priceline come to around $16/nite. The reason this is significant for me is that my alternative is "Majestic Grande", a newer 4* hotel in the same area, which I can book for ~$70/nite, BUT that figure already includes taxes. So to really get an apt comparison, it seems like I should compare 1. MG @ $70/nite 2. JWM ~83 + 17 = ~$90/nite. Of course one property is 4* and the other 5* in terms of comparing the two. Am I making any sense? Sorry if it seems like a dumb question, but this is my first experience with Priceline! Thanks for your help!

Thanks, that is great info. I haven't bid yet, I am trying to get a little more information on some alternatives before taking the plunge, as I mentioned on my thread asking for bid strategy.

Hi everybody, thanks for all the helpful information. My friend Scandalous steered me to this website, this is my first ever post. OK, What I would like is a 5* hotel in Sukhumvit Sept 15th through 18th, and also Sept 20th. I checked the Priceline map as suggested, the other two areas in BKK also have 5* properties, so that strategy won't work, ie. changing locations on a subsequent bid. Just thought I would see if anyone had any other suggestions about how to proceed. Should I start at $55, or might that be a waste of time? It looks like recent winning bids have been around $82USD, but that is not in September. I hear there are some other decent places in that area which have reasonable rates on the net, if I could find some ratings on those properties then I would consider staying there. For example, I think someone mentioned to me Royal President Executive Serviced Apartments (rate $47 and up). Hope my first post here seems reasonable. I have tried to research the threads and yet I find it a bit overwhelming on my first go-round. Thanks! :)