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Only had one chance to bid since it's for same day reservation. I went with $72, given the Express Deal was $80 for what is believed to be same place, and won the Holiday Inn. Better bidding was once again very helpful! thanks!

Express Deal price increased to $80 since yesterday.

Haven't used priceline in a long time, but this board was very helpful in the past. I want to stay in downtown Grand Rapids tomorrow night and am trying to quickly make sense of the strategy. While looking into bidding in the area it seems the only "name your own price" 3 star possibility is Holiday Inn. It is key for me that I am actually in the center of town, and not the eastern and northern edges of zone 1. I think Holiday is also the hotel indicated in Express Deals as "3 Star Hotel in Grand Rapids Area for $78/night", with the following: Guaranteed Amenities: Free Internet Indoor Pool Free Parking Pets Allowed Restaurant Business Center Fitness Center I am actually fine with that price for the Holiday Inn, versus trying to bid lower - my main concern is establishing the identity (or possibilities) of the hotel. Any input is greatly appreciated. (and I'll certainly use relevant links to book) thanks

I tried the above strategy Sat night with no luck up to $60. Sunday I modified the strategy and bid from 55-70 in one session, again with no luck. This was a little discouraging after the posted win of $60 I saw with some common dates, so I decided to try for a 3.5*. I won the Delta Chelsea with my first bid of $55. I guess I should have started lower and taken advantage of the numerous 3.5* rebids, but I'm fairly happy. The hotel gets mixed reviews on this site, but other travel sites like Orbitz have overall good reviews. With daily parking of $23 and free Wi-fi access in the hotel lobby, Signature Club, Monarchs Pub, Market Garden, and Elm Street lounge I think this hotel will suit my needs well. Of course I used the PRICELINE link from this site to book, and I'll post my impressions after the trip. Thanks slick_gd & thereuare for all the help!!

yep - I kind of worded it funny, but do realize that all 9 are 4 star rebids. Those two are the only two that are not 3.5 star rebids as well - right? Since my wife and I will be able to do separate bid sessions back-to-back, I was thinking of bidding up to $60 on 4* first, and increase my max to $65~70 the second time if necessary.

txs - I guess I'll keep this Hotwire info in mind, but I think I'll see how my luck is with saving money through Priceline. It's been a while since I've bid, so can you help with a bidding strategy? While I don't see any 3.5 star hotels listed in the priceline hotel list on this site, it seems to be an option. Should I stick to only trying for 4 star hotels? It looks like Don Valley, Brampton, Missasauga, OakVille, Toronto East, Toronto West and Vaughan are all rebid zones for 3.5 or 4 star. Markham and Scarborough are rebids for 4 star only. A little overwhelming - It's been a while since I've bid for any stay and have never bid on Toronto, so can you help with a bidding strategy? txs!

Please help in identifying Hotwire listing: $79/night Nov 3- 6th 3.5-star hotel in Downtown Toronto East This hotel features the following amenities: Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center High-speed Internet Access Children's Activity Program Looks like the Delta Chelsea EAST to me - any other thoughts?

Thanks for the help so far slick_gd! Now I've got another question - do you know of any good sites for checking free wi-fi availabilty in Toronto? My wife just got an iphone which we plan on using a lot on our trip, but with international data transmissions so expensive we'll be using wi-fi. This may be another reason to consider Hotwire, so I can select a hotel with free wi-fi...

Thanks for the public trans info - I hadn't gotten that far in my investigating. Sounds like I'm best just driving to the Science Center. I can't seem to find the reference I had for hotel parking rates, and now I question whether they were 24hr or just daytime... So you think I can plan on ~$20-25 a day for parking I'd be set for pretty much anywhere I got from HOTWIRE or PRICELINE downtown?

It looks like the Nov 3-6 will be the dates we are staying in Toronto. We are considering visiting the Ontario Science Center - I'm thinking public trans may work out better/cheaper than moving the car from a hotel lot and paying $8 at the Center. I've seen parking rates at hotels from ~18-28 per day - do you think there are good garage options for less during the week? I'll be spending more time this weekend looking over Hotwire's options compared to Priceline wins to see which may suit me better. (and I'll certainly use the links at this site to book!)

My wife and I plan on visiting Toronto for ~3 nights at the beginning of November. We don't have many specific plans, just visiting some museums and exploring the city by foot. It looks like priceline only has one area, "downtown," that would serve this purpose - other regions are too far correct? Also, since we will be driving into the city, is the cost of parking at most hotels comparable? txs

The 3* appears to be the Holiday Inn at Mart Plaza The 4 * could be the Hilton Conrad, Hard Rock or Westin River North - they all meet those specs

I won the Club Quarters Wacker at Michigan. I didn't realize that there were two different Club Quarters in the loop area at first and was dissappointed that I thought I was staying at the one was staying at the other one on W. Adams. The Wacker location look like it will work out nicely for me - close enough to museums, shopping and NMA nightlife. Thanks again to all!!

Well, I was probably a little aggressive and should have come back tomorrow, but I've got a room. (and used SavingsBarn PRICELINE link) 3* Club Quarters $85 ... 11/03/07-11/06/07 here was my session: 4* NMA $70 4* NMA+MID $75 ----- Boutique NMA $80 Boutique NMA+MID $85 ----- 3* NMA $75 ----- 4* Loop $80 4* Loop+MID $85 ----- 4* NMA+Loop $90 4* NMA+Loop+MID $95 ----- Boutique NMA+Loop $90 Boutique NMA+Loop+MID $95 ----- 3* Loop $80 -was offered a rebid if I increased by $22, I passed 3* NMA+Loop $85 -win I tried to extend my stay, but unfortunately the room was not available to extend my check-out 1 day. Not my ideal hotel or location, but the price works for me - through Hotels.com the Club Quarters is $159 for my dates. Txs for all the help!!

Would it not be better to try bidding on the 3rd-7th to start? ...and if unsuccessful, then try 3rd-6th with an add-on?

Bidding strategy needed please for NMA or loop... I'd like to spend under $90 on a 3*, or up to $120 on a 4* for 3 or 4 nights between 11/3 - 11/8. From searches through multiple sites it seems that the 3rd-6th are the cheapest and most available, with hotwire offering the Holiday Inn at Mart for $116. Hotels.com has many options for ~$150-165 for mostly 3* places. I'd like to start kind of low-balling it, since both my wife and I can alternate bidding sessions and change dates. Although quite optimistic, ideally I'd like a great hotel for ~400 for 4 nights and am willing to keep trying this week.

I need a bidding strategy soon, but have another question first. I'd like to stay 4 nights from 11/3-11/7 if I win a cheap enough bid, but may decide to only stay 3 nights from 11/3-11/6 if I think it will be be too much. Will I be able to switch from my first set of dates to the second during the same priceline session, using the same areas and bids?

Txs everyone - I appreciate the input, I'm always looking for new destinations!

I'm still trying to decide on a cancellable back-up before bidding on priceline, but have a couple quick questions about Chicago bidding. 1) For 4* hotels it looks like both Skokie and Midway used to be free re-bids - now only Midway is? 2) No free re-bid zones for 3*? btw- txs AaronJB for all the help so far!

3* Mag Mile 11/3-11/6 $107 Fitness Center, Restaurant, Laundry, Pool, Business Center, High-speed internet access Looks like the Holiday Inn Mart Plaza to me - any other thoughts?

I'm assuming you refer to O'hare here - what about Midway? From what I've gathered in other posts the Midway area is closer to a half hour. Is this correct? Are there any recommendations on hotels that would be near bars/restaurants in the Midway/SW burbs? What are anyone's thoughts on transportation to & from this area and destinations of N. Mich Ave, Lincoln Park Zoo, and Field Museum? (I won't have a car) I think I'm leaning towards spending trying to land a room for ~$50 more a night in an area close to my destinations rather than trying to save outside of downtown and commute every day...

The dates are flexible, but I'm probably looking at 4 nights between the 3rd & 11th. However, my question is actually more general in nature. I'm just wondering if these dates are a particularily good time of year to get a bargain in certain markets. I learned a couple years ago that this really wasn't the best time to visit NYC (although I loved the trip!). So is the beginning of November actually 'off-season' anywhere or will most metro areas run higher than usual this time of year?

My birthday and my wife's birthday both fall in the first week of November, so we always go on vacation then. Most of the time we go camping, but occasionly mix it up and go to a big city. I've learned that for New York and Chicago this is a very expensive time for hotels. So my question is - Are there any cities that are actually a good bargain the first half of November? As in <$100/ night to stay in a nice hotel in a happening metro... all thoughts are appreciated!

My wife and I will be spending 3 or 4 nights in Chicago during the beginning of November. Although we have visited many times before for shopping & museum visits, they have been day visits and we overnighted in the suburbs (1+ hr drive). This time we still plan on visiting some museums and going shopping, but would we'd like to stay in an area with an active nightlife - not necessarily theaters and big venues, just cool bars & restaurants. Cost is a factor and I see the airport areas are much cheaper, but involve a rather long commute to attractions. Are there cheaper areas with an active nightlife or should I plan to spend more and stay somewhere like the N. river area? All suggestions are appreciated!! :)

Booking now versus later has no guarentees. You should have a back-up (preferably a cancellable one with low or no fees) and determine your budget for your nights. Often the going rate might help determine tihs more than what 'you would like to spend". Each hotwire reference you meniton can probably be determined if you provide the full list of ameneties for the nights given, along with the star rating and location. Please use any relevant links for your bookings, as they help to support this service....