Ryche

Follow Up Review after stay: My trip (an overnighter - solo traveler) to MainStay in Frederick is kind of a mixed bag of good and bad. I didn't have a pet or check the pool/fitness center/business center, or spend enough time in the room to watch TV. The good: Location - Easy access from the main highway (270) and road, but far enough from the road that traffic noise isn't an issue. Options - It is walking distance (about 1/3 of a mile) to a strip mall with food, movies, and various shopping. The staff I encountered were very pleasant and friendly Spacious room/studio (no wall separation) Free Wifi - good signal reception. Price - Got the hotel as a special "no bid" Hotwire rate. The Meh: Room Condition - The room was clean and most things looked good. However at least for my room, the dresser was (1) Missing one drawer totally, and (2) had another damaged drawer that could not be put back on its track. Also, the lining paper (or whatever they line the outside of cabinets with) was peeling in the bathroom, so you could see the exposed corkboard underneath. The shower - more the size. It is fine if you are about 5'9 or less.. but much taller and you'll need to duck in order to use the shower and avoid banging your head on the top. The decor - coloring and carpet design looked straight out of the 70's or early 80's. Towels - Typical hotel "barely fit around your waist" towels. The Blah: The bed - uncomfortable and hard as a rock. In the end I ended up sleeping on the sleeper sofa (folded up - so more like a regular sofa) instead of the bed. Closet door - very noisy and stiff Large Gap between bottom of door and floor - allowed a lot of hallway light (full power, even at 1am) to come in the room. I ended up taking the comforter from the bed and blocking the bottom crack to block the light. Breakfast - Odd tasting OJ, some cereals, apples, and danish/sweet rolls - oh, and bread for toasting. Even as far as continental breakfasts go, this was sparse. I wanted to like the hotel more than I did. Had the room had proper upkeep, I'd probably give the place 3 stars. Ok for a short stay, but I wouldn't want to spend extended time here unless I had my own memory foam topper to make the bed semi-comfy.

Amenities at the Frederick, MD Mainstay include: Free breakfast, Pet friendly, Indoor pool(s), Fitness center, Pool(s), Self-service laundry, Kitchenette Accessibility Amenities: Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Accessible parking, Roll-in shower

Thanks to the Hotwire Easy View and the Full Amenity list, I was 99% sure this was the hotel I'd get. My last bid on Priceline (where this is a 2* property) was $63, and they tried to bump me to $80. My last 3* bid on PL was $70, again with a jump to $80. So I went with a sure thing on the price, and fairly convenient to what I'll be doing (Reliving the 80's with a club concert by Vixen) - Mainstay's Website, HW and PL list at $89 - so about 30% off the base rate. Purchased through the Hotwire link at the top of the page. Thank you all for the help and thoughts! I appreciate it!

Still no luck yet. 3* Priceline in Frederick - Bid is up to 67. PL is trying to get me to $80. Does that mean $80 is their current floor, or if I come closer (say the low to mid $70 range) might that have a shot? 2.5* Bid is up to $60, but that is flat out rejected. The HW 3* is out of the question now.. $111 on the HW special. They do have a few 2.5* in the mid 60s I think I've identified. But I'll hold off on those until my PL 2.5* hits $65.

There - your second guess was correct - once my Priceline bids get higher than the Hotwire non-bid rate, I would strongly consider using the HW rate at that point. Bids are up to $57 (3*) and $47 (2.5*) and still being rejected, so I've got a few more bids to make prior to that point. The 40% approval doesn't matter for one night. If I were on an extended trip, or bringing company, I'd be concerned.. for myself though, not a huge deal.Though when I check the hotels that come up after the Easy View, (and selecting amenities, etc), none of them show an approval rate that low.

Yellowdog and Romelle - Thank you for the hints and advice. I've also started looking at Hotwire (separate question up on the MD-HW thread) - it looks like they have a few specials in the low-mid 60 range, so I may up my bids to that area and see how it goes.. I'm pretty sure which properties I'll get from Priceline... not quite as sure with HW - but that is what the thread there is about... Thanks again!

Please Help ID Frederick 2.5* All Suites Hotel Free breakfast Fitness center Indoor pool(s) Kitchenette Pet friendly Pool(s) Self-service laundry Hotwire Special $63 (Base Rate 139) I'm thinking Mainstay Suites or Holiday Inn (Hagerstown) based on the amenities - But leaning towards Mainstay since that is in Frederick (and per the "Show" option on the details page, that is where the hotel will be... Thanks in advance!

Nothing for the day so far..but there is always tomorrow... 3* Bids - 60% Threshold $46.00 - Rejected Bids $40, $42, $48, $51. 2.5* Bids - 60% Threshold $42.00 - Rejected Bids $38, $41 (added in the 2.5 because the ones listed as 2.5 are also near where i want to be, without running the risk of the 2 star locations.....) The 60% Threshold is calculated by seeing the hotel on express deals, multiplying the ED rate by the sum of the % savings plus 100% (Ex - a 15% savings would be multiplied by 1.15) to determine the base rate, and then multiplying by . 4 to get 40% (or 60% off) the base rate. As an example, Say there is a PRICELINE EXPRESS Deal for $80, and they advertise it is a 20% savings. Multiply 80 by 1.2 for a base hotel rate of $96. Then take 40% of (or 60% off of) 96, which is 38.4, or about $39... I don't know if 60% is a magic number, but they do say save up to 60%, so that is where I start my bidding...

Thank you both! I am using the Priceline link to go in and make my bid... (so far rejected, but I'm starting a little low).. And thank you for all the advice, thoughts, and checking. I know there are three 3*s in Frederick (per Priceline's "normal price" list), all of which are in the area I want to be, so hoping to get one of 'em at a good value. But if I have to open it up to the 2.5's, so be it.. Will let y'all know once I finally succeed!

Many thanks for the 2 hour update.. Last I knew it was 24, (shows how long it has been since I've bid on Priceline... lol). Dates are arrive August 8, leave August 9. I'll definitely check out the BiddingHelper.com once work leaves me alone and lets me concentrate on planning this weekends trip. :)

Hi, I'm looking to bid on a hotel in Frederick MD. What I'm trying to figure out is how best to rebid if my initial bid fails. There are two zones in the area - Frederick and Hagerstown. Both have the same star level hotels (1, 2, 2.5, 3). I'm ideally aiming for one of the 3 stars in Frederick. I can't add Hagerstown to the mix as that would bring those 3 stars into play, and staying in Hagerstown is not an option based on plans and schedule. If I need to rebid with one zone, what would the best option be - Thanks!

Normal cost $88.00, Priceline Express Deal Cost $47.00 First Bid 01/14/14 - $40.00 - Rejected Second Bid 01/15/14 - $44.00 - Accepted (58.79 with all taxes) Thanks to the board for helping me figure out the hotel prior to bidding (though with Hillsborough, it wasn't too hard - only one 2.5 star hotel there.. ) Couldn't find Hillsborough, NC or Raleigh/Durham (Hillsborough) on the location list... And fouled up the dates.. should be 1/17-1/18... but not going to put up a duplicate post.. :)