Kali M

Hey All, Have read for about 2 months on this site. Gotten LOTS of great info. I'm ready to bid on a hotel for 11/14-11/19 in downtown LA but wanted opinions or suggestions first. I REALLY would prefer a 4* which doesn't delegate priceline bidders to rooms that are damaged/old "smoking" rooms/etc, and which has internet access. What I'd prefer is the Hilton Checkers. I almost never see it come up for priceline. I've done some sleuthing and seen what probably is the HC come up for around $110-140 (can't remember now which it was) on Hotwire. I know I can easily get a downtown 4* for $55-60/night + taxes by bidding. Don't know what I'll get though (and most likely will NOT be the HC). I can get the HC at government rate (legally!) which would be $106.00 + taxes, though the cost will be out-of-pocket (not covered by my employer). I need to save money, but also would be stressed if we got a bad room somewhere and had a bad experience. Just FYI, I bid on airline tickets and was rejected all the way up to paying $192.00 per ticket. I wasn't willing to give up all my "rights" (choosing the airline, seats, times, layover lengths, etc) for only $50 savings per ticket. Dumped PL at that point and bought them directly from the airline (plus got the points). But, unfortunately, we've saved no money on the airline tickets. Any thoughts from those of you who've been to the area or bid on these hotels? Thanks! Kali

JS - thanks for the link! We'll be there then and may be able to check it out. It's spectacular. I see from the website you won't be able to take cameras in. We were allowed to take photos in Cairo and I have a beautiful photo of the funerary mask. You'll love the exhibit. Enjoy.

D, Your interpretation of your wife's preferences into "man" language appears to be fine-tuned. lol. (Can you train MY husband to interpret that well?) I'm curious if you've won a hotel or made a bid. I was originally looking at Downtown hotels, then found that my docs office is closer to Bev Hills (and my hubby is interested in the clubs down that way - since he's a musician), but can't get a 4* there for the money we have to spend. Thinking of simply keeping with the downtown bid and just catching a bus/metro/cab/whatever when I need to have appointments. I'd LOVE to stay at the beach - would be relaxing - but don't know if I want to pay for the fare from there to the doc (though - I don't know - it may be about the same milage). I just REALLY want to enjoy staying at a nice hotel. I don't need any stress on this trip. Please update when you can. Would like to know your thoughts - especially if you've been researching the areas at all. (I bought a Frommer's and Top 10 to try to help).

JS, My hubby and I will be in LA close to the same week (but for medical care). I haven't had time to look at things to do - just have been trying to figure out where to stay and how all the bidding works. Do you know how long the Tut exhibit will be there? We were in Egypt about 2 years ago and went to the National Museum in Cairo. It was FANTASTIC. Would love to see the Tut exhibit again if it's in LA for a while. Thanks and hope you all have a wonderful trip. Kali

Thereuare, I just wanted to add a hotel for Portugal here: the Sheraton in the Algarve Providence. Sheraton Algarve Hotel Praia Da Falesia Apartado P.O. Box 644, Albufeira, 8200 Portugal I did not get hotel rooms through PL or HW, but through a travel agent while living in Spain. We happened to find a weekend during the off-season and got rooms for $50. Normally they are $250-350. This is one of the most beautiful hotels I've ever been in. I cannot say enough great things about it. WONDERFUL staff; beautiful tile walls; gorgeous grounds. The photos on the website ARE what it looks like. And from the grounds of this hotel, I have the best sunset photo I've ever taken in my life. The beach is pretty. The beds were the most comfortable I've ever slept in. It has a FANTASTIC Moroccan restaurant (we went for Valentine's day). I was stuffed and couldn't eat desert - asked for it to go; they took the assortment of delicates they had brought for dessert and then returned with not only those original ones, but a box full of them. We ate them for days! YUM. We happened to get upgraded from the room we paid for (which certainly was already worth more than the $50 we paid) to a "garden room" with a "lower level" step-down sitting room and a "balacony" on the gardens (though it was first floor). Delightful! If anyone wants to go to Portugal and can get this hotel for a good price through PL or HW, you WILL have a fantastic time!

Thereuare, Thanks so much for pointing that out to me! Kali

Hi, Can anyone tell me how seats are assigned on winning domestic tickets for most airlines? We are planning to travel RDU to LAX roundtrip 11/14-11/19 and probably will end up putting in a bid rather than buying direct, because the prices keep going up. I am not picky about the airline, or a reasonable layover, but I just don't want the very last seats in the plane. Actually bought a seat from an airline a few years ago and got the very back corner seat. It was HORRIBLE. And I'm only 5'3"! Now I have chronic low back pain and I just can't deal with that on a long flight. Any thoughts? Thanks! Kali

Hi Thereuare, Thanks so much for your reply. I may have quoted the wrong hotel as well. I believe it was the Wilshire that's been getting the not-so-great rap. But, then again, it's a 4 star and I'm bidding low - can it really be THAT bad? (I'm NOT picky; and my husband is even less so). We stayed in a 3 star in Rome (which would have been more like a 2 star here) and loved it. We'll be in LA 11/14-11/19. I plan to bid in the next few days. (Will also be bidding on airfare, and want to do that more quickly as prices are on the rise - d/t oil issues probably). I haven't looked at the airline hints, but will. We certainly could stay in a different area, but I really don't want to have to rent a car and SERIOUSLY really don't want to have to drive in LA traffic! Yikes. We'd have to take taxi's to the doc and the hospital should I need tests. Again, not completely out of the picture as an option. I've seen some posts on the LA Hotels pages where folks have mentioned counteroffers. Is this common on PL that they return with a counteroffer? If so, how long do you have to make up your mind and accept? Once again, THANKS! Kali

Hi, I'm new but have been reading posts here for the past week. I'm planning to bid on a downtown LA hotel. Will try for a 4* with an opening bid of approx $55 (I don't want to have to wait too long - in case I have to rebid - though we won't be traveling until November). Is there any way of increasing the chances of getting one hotel over another on Priceline? Latest bids seem to have won the Omni (which would be great). Reviews of the Millenium Biltmore have not been impressive (and prices for that one have usually been higher). Hilton Checkers has gotten great reviews, but is that one only offered through Hotwire? I haven't seen any bid info here on that one lately (and did a search that didn't find anything). I would prefer to be around the middle of downtown as I'm going for medical reasons and the physician is close to that locale. Also, it seems bids on the Miyako (3* in Little Tokyo) have won some folks rooms in one of the two unrennovated floors (with stains on the floor, etc.). Does it seem to be a trend or a rule that many hotels assign Priceline bidders the worst rooms due to the low price? Thanks for all the other info on this site. It's going to be very helpful once I bid (as long as I don't confuse things and make a big mess). :) Kali