flyingcupcake

Tried to get a hotel at 3.5 level, but didn't. Got this hotel at the 3* level at the first try. Used the betterbidding's [url=http://www.betterbidding.com/clicks/click.php?afsrc=1&id=40]PRICELINE[/url] link.

Needed a hotel in Burbank only, and saw what looked like this hotel on Hotwire for $64. I was originally hoping to get the Burbank Marriott for something in the $64 dollar range, since it's been reported on this board before in April, but hotels were going for way higher in May. Tried for three days at every star level (was rejected yesterday for $47 at 1 star) and finally got Ramada for $54 today. Seems like the best deal for this time, so I'm happy. Used the PRICELINE link on this site to book, as always.

Higher than I was hoping to pay, but looks like a good deal for a nice hotel so I'm happy. This was one of the hotels I was hoping to get. I used the PRICELINE links from this site. Thanks for your help, as always!

We just stayed one night at Courtyard by Marriott at Yale in New Haven. We were pleasantly surprised by the hotel -- for a three-star hotel, it was a pretty pleasant experience. I've stayed in other three-star hotels for work and they tend to be tired looking with depressing lobbies. Courtyard had recently redone their lobbies with lots of sitting areas and TVs -- you and your family could sit in a large booth with a flat-screen TV that's built into the booth. My boyfriend and I both thought those booths were cool. There were always folks in the lobby so it didn't feel depressing. We visited New Haven in December, so the lobby was decked out in holiday decorations. There was also a business center with computers you could use -- we looked up driving directions and printed them out for free. No room service since it's 3-star, but there's a 24-hour "marketplace" where you could get snacks or meals to bring back to the room. We ended up buying breakfast there (about $10 for a hot meal entree) and bringing it back to our rooms. There's a 24-hour fitness center which is super tiny but good enough for a quick workout. Check-in was quick -- they have complimentary hot chocolate in the lobby in the afternoon and free coffee in the mornings until 10am. They didn't mention priceline, and gave us a map and list of restaurants. The woman checking us in drew us directions to Frank Pepe's since we mentioned we were going there. She gave us a room on the 5th floor with two queen beds. We checked the beds for bugs (there were two bed bug reports for this hotel online), and it looked fine. But we're a couple, so I called back down and asked if we could switch to a room with 1 king bed. The woman explained that was the room for the rate we paid, but said if she could find a king room, that it'd be fine. She quickly had another employee send us new keys to a room down the hall on the 5th floor. We checked the new room and it didn't have bed bugs either -- it had a carpet beetle under the mattress though, and an unidentified tiny insect (not a bed bug). Meh. It wasn't enough for us to change the room again. We were rather impressed with the design of the king rooms at Courtyard. The room was slightly smaller than the 2 queen beds room, but it felt bigger because of the functional design. The king rooms actually have a small pullout couch and coffee table instead of the usual hotel design of a sitting chair awkwardly in the room. There's a wardrobe, a large desk where the swivel flat screen TV sits, s small area with a small fridge, coffee maker, and in-room safe, and another area with a vase and flowers. It felt like a mini-suite room instead of just another standard king room. Bed was super comfy, and the nightstands had outlets so you could charge your phone -- really nice functional design. Usually we're scrambling around a hotel room looking for an outlet. Bathroom was nice too, with nice shower pressure. I loved the Paul Mitchell toiletries, and the towels were nice and soft. We paid $55 plus taxes, and parking was $18. Overall a pretty good rate for an overnight stay in New Haven. Very impressed with this hotel, and would be happy to stay here again in New Haven.

Started bidding at 4* at $37 with free rebid zones, slowing added down to 3* and adding more zones. Won at $55 for this hotel. I'm a little worried after seeing two bed bug reports in June of this year, but we'll be cautious and meticulous and hopefully won't have to deal with that. I'll post a review after our stay. Used the BB's PRICELINE link to make our bids.

We had a quick check-in. No mention of hotwire, just an observation that the reservation was prepaid. There was free apple cider in the reception area for guests, as well as a coloring book for kids. Beautiful lobby areas, with lots of Christmas decorations everywhere. We ended up on the 9th floor, and the standard king room was comfortable and clean. Not a fan of the westin "dual showerhead" because it seems to just waste water and not make a difference in showering. I liked their toiletries, bath towels seemed a little scratchy but that's fine. Everything else in the room was clean and comfortable. The sheets in the heavenly bed were lovely, as well as the bed itself. On our last night, we ended up with a major plumbing problem. The toilet was an old style toilet with a weak flush, and ended up overflowing like crazy. We called guest services immediately and they sent up an engineer with a huge industrial vacuum in less than five minutes. The carpet was already getting soaked in the room, and the bathroom was flooded. The engineer told us to pack our things, and arranged for the front desk to get us into another room. In less than 10 minutes, we were in a new identical room down the hall watching TV. The new room was a "starwood preferred guest" room, but the only difference was that the toilet was newer, the robe was newer, and there was a complimentary bottle of water. But the Westin staff really went above and beyond to make sure this plumbing issue in the first room didn't affect our stay in the slightest. They also removed any incidental charges from my bill as a courtesy "for the trouble they caused us." Overall, this was a relaxing stay at the Westin, even with the plumbing problem/room change. They didn't have a pool, but they had a small but clean workout room with the nicest locker room I've ever seen. The locker rooms had marble floors and a sauna. I was also able to rent workout clothes and New Balance shoes as part of the Westin Workout program. The staff at Westin were pleasant and professional. The location was excellent. I'm really looking forward to staying at the Westin again when I visit Philly again.

My boyfriend and I just returned from two nights at the Raffaello Hotel in Chicago. We won the 4* hotel on Priceline for $140 on a busy weekend. Location was excellent -- it was directly across from the Hancock building. This is definitely a small, boutique hotel. Lobby is small but really clean and nicely decorated. Check-in was fast, and they gave us a room on the 16th floor with a view of the Hancock building. The room had a king bed, table and two chairs, desk, flat screen sony tv and a closet. Bed was comfortable with nice linens, duvet, and foam pillows. I love foam pillows, but not everyone does. There was also a vanity area and a wet bar with mini fridge and a microwave, plus two wine glasses and corkscrew. Keurig coffeemaker -- we called down for extra coffee one morning when my dad was visiting and they brought it up promptly. Bathroom was lovely -- the rain showerhead was huge and amazing. If you don't like rainshowerheads, there's an option to switch to a handheld shower. THe shower is walk-in, so water gets out a little bit but it didn't bother us. The toiletries were Guy/Girl brand, and they were just OK. Towels were nice and fluffy. Folks complained on tripadvisor about lack of counter space but I used the vanity right outside the bathroom for hair and makeup. Room had everything you needed -- robe, hair dryer, toiletries, tissues, shoe shine machine, wine glasses, coffee, etc. And anything that we needed was brought up promptly -- we forgot our razors and toothpaste, and they brought that up immediately. Free USA Today at our door daily, and free Wall Street Journal in the lobby. The smallest room on the floor was next door to us, and we peeked in when a maid was doing clean-up. It seemed like a decent size. Our room was the second smallest on the floor and we thought it was pretty spacious. There was lemon water in the lobby in the mornings, and a coffee shop in the mornings with coffee and donuts you can buy. Concierge was friendly and knowledgeable. Bellman lent us a nice big umbrella, and also checked our bags for us on our last day. THere's a roof deck on the 18th floor that you can visit, and Drumbar is open at night. We went on a weeknight to Drumbar and it was pretty empty. The elevators were small and slow, but we were fine with it. The fitness center was very clean and had fresh fruit and water available, and a set of headphones. No one at the Raffaello was ever overly friendly though service was always prompt. It's definitely a nice, small, well-priced full service boutique hotel in a great location. We'd be happy to stay again.

I went ahead and purchased the 4* at $88/night. It was the Westin Philadelphia! I'll post a review after our trip in November. Thanks so much!

Yes, the 4* has Fitness Center now that I double checked. Sorry, I must've accidentally deleted it when I copy/pasted. Bidded up to $89 on Priceline for 4* and stopped since I used all my rebid zones. Also I saw that there were other rates on Hotwire that were similar.

Hello, I searched using your Hotwire and PRICELINE links. Didn't get any luck bidding on Priceline the last two days. Do you have guesses on these hotels? I listed the full amenities below. Would this be a match for Sofitel? 4* Center City West / University City area hotel, $88 Smoke Free Rooms, Restaurant(s), Business Center, High-Speed Internet Access, Accessible for the deaf, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom Sheraton City Center? 3.5* Center City West / University City area hotel, $76 Fitness Center, Restaurant(s), High-Speed Internet Access, Accessible for the blind, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility 3* Center City East - Old City area hotel, $77 Smoke Free Rooms, Fitness Center, Restaurant(s), Business Center, Laundry Facilities (self-service), High-Speed Internet Access, Accessible for the blind, Accessible for the deaf, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Handicapped parking, Roll-in shower Thank you in advance for any insights given!

If you like thrift stores and you're heading into Lincoln Park, go visit McShane's Exchange at 815 W. Armitage. It's off the Armitage stop on the Brown and Purple lines. I think it's the best thrift store ever -- they sell a lot of cheap stuff but also have good prices on designer consignment items. There's also a lot of boutique stores nearby in the rest of the neighborhood too.

Just got back from a very pleasant two-night stay at this Marriott property near Camden Yards in Baltimore. Won the bid for $65/night, which was a great deal. Check-in was fast and they gave us s'mores in the lobby while we were waiting. They also have fruit-flavored water in the lobby every day (cucumber, lemon, or pineapple -- our fave!) This hotel isn't on the harbor, but about a nice 10-minute walk from the inner harbor. This is an immaculately clean, gorgeous hotel with very friendly staff. No mention of priceline at check-in, though she did ask if I wanted "a full or double beds." I don't know if PL customers don't get king or queen, but we opted for the full bed. We were placed on the top floor (10th) with a nice view of the city, so we were happy. The very comfortable bed was a full-size though -- this did not bother us since we sleep well together, but I can see how this might suck for other folks who want a king or at least a queen-sized bed. Nice-sized bathroom with shower (no tub), and hairdryer, iron, and one robe in the closet. The full-bed rooms did seem like it would have been given only to solo travelers if they paid full price, seeing as the amenities were allotted for one person. The maid did seem to take note that we were two people and gave us more glasses, tea, coffee on our second day. Overall, a really comfy room with a single-serve coffeemaker, extremely comfortable bed, pillows, and duvet, nice blackout curtains, nice toiletries (from Bath and Body works), etc. The TV had HBO and cable channels, but for some reason it was an analog signal. AC worked well, too. Free newspapers in the lobby and on your floor on weekdays. Internet cost extra, but I used the free wifi in the lobby. There's a fitness center (no pool) and a guest laundry on the 2nd floor. Ice machines were only on certain floors, and my boyfriend got weird looks from a couple of older gentlemen in suits when he had to go down in his pajamas to the 8th floor to refill our ice bucket. Concierge was really helpful and everyone was super friendly at the hotel. We didn't eat at the hotel, and room service ended at 11pm. 24 hours room service would be nice, since we never got back to the hotel before 1am and you have to place your breakfast order on the door before midnight. The bellman checked our luggage for free after we checked out so we could explore the city for a few more hours before our bus departed. Automatic checkout was convenient -- they slip a receipt under your door the night before so you only have to visit the front desk if you had incidental charges. Pros: Really clean rooms, loved being placed on the top floor, nice location, amazing bed, fluffy towels, nice toiletries friendly and knowledgeable staff, nice attention to detail Cons: Analog tv, room service ended at 11pm, no free wifi, sad we had to leave Would definitely be happy if we won this hotel again on priceline!

Glad to help! The subway is your friend if you want to do NYC cheaply. Taxis are expensive, plus you'll need to get lucky to find a cab driver who'll take you from the city to NJ, Brooklyn, or Queens. (They are SUPPOSED to, but they don't like to. So if you absolutely must take a cab out of Manhattan, get in FIRST before telling them where you're going, or they might drive off.) NJ Transit is NJ's bus system. The PATH is NJ's train system -- their version of a subway. Whether one takes longer than the other to get to the city depends on where your hotel is. But the PATH is easier to use if you're from out of town. I'd stay away from NJ Transit buses or MTA buses if you're visiting. There's nothing wrong with the buses, but they are just confusing to navigate if you're only here for a few days. Also, as a visitor, it's going to be super easy to miss your bus stop especially late at night coming back tipsy from a bar/club/party. The train stops are super obvious though. Don't bother with the buses, trust me on this one. Your friend who's advising you against NJ is doing you a favor because going home at 1am or 2am is considered EARLY in NYC. And the PATH train runs less late at night, though it's 24 hours like the NYC subway. But I don't see anything wrong with staying in a NICE hotel in a NICE neighborhood in NJ if you're saving money as long as you're near a PATH station -- the PATH train connects to subways at World Trade Center, 9th Street in the West Village, 23rd st/6th ave, 34th St Herald Square. It's cheap and easy to navigate. You can google the known hotels in that Priceline NJ zone and see if it's next to a PATH station. Staying near a subway in BK or LIC or a PATH in NJ is the most affordable and simplest. You'll be able to stay out late, and spend your money on drinks instead of cabs. Best of luck!

Hey, I didn't say it wasn't. I'm just vouching for Brooklyn and Queens since they were brought up first by the OP and folks are saying it's a dangerous and a huge zone. As someone who's lived in both Brooklyn and Queens, I figured I could shed some light on what the various zones meant if the OP wanted to save money AND stick near a subway. Basically, I wouldn't bid in any of the Queens zones (they are near subways, but it's a LONG ride to midtown), but the known Brooklyn locations look OK if you get a good deal. And I agree that zone in NJ is fine in terms of safety, but the locations in the Brooklyn zone are definitely near the subway and more convenient than taking the bus from NJ. Some locations are better than others, but you'll get to Manhattan easily. I know that the zones can seem large to out-of-towners, which is why I tried to break it down in my replies. But we can debate NJ vs. Brooklyn/Queens to the death -- I think they're both fine depending on what you're looking for. If it's a NJ hotel next to the PATH station, it'll also be convenient. My point was that Brooklyn and Queens are not super scary and dangerous if that's what's holding you back. We outer-borough residents aren't all thugs out to get tourists. Really. Anyway, best of luck to the OP on whatever you decide.

Also adding more advice for the known Priceline Brooklyn locations. NYC Airports (Brooklyn) 4* Sheraton Brooklyn (previously 3.5*) REVIEW --downtown, near lotsa subways 3.5* Marriott Brooklyn Bridge -- yup, def near subways 3* Aloft Brooklyn -- near subways, downtown 2.5* Best Western Plus Prospect Park Hotel -- ok this one is a little farther south, but it's near a subway 2.5* Condor Hotel Brooklyn -- in Bed Stuy, it's near walking distance of a subway. A little sketch of a neighborhood 2.5* Holiday Inn Express Brooklyn Downtown (279 Butler St) Comfort Inn Brooklyn Bridge REVIEW -- def near subywas 2.5* Holiday Inn Express (625 Union St) REVIEW -- nice location in Park Slope, Brooklyn, right off Union st subway 2* La Quinta Inn Brooklyn Downtown -- a little south in sunset park, but near subway 1* Days Inn (previously 2*) REVIEW -- a little south in sunset park, but near subway 1* Howard Johnson Brooklyn (previously 2*) REVIEW -- a little south in sunset park, but right off a subway All are near subways. Downtown Brooklyn isn't the prettiest neighborhood, but you'll be fine. There's tons of subways and you'll be in Manhattan within 30 minutes or less. The hotels that are a little South are in Sunset Park, which isn't a bad neighborhood. It's just not Times Square. You're definitely near subways, will be in Manhattan in about an hour.

Sorry I have to add my two cents now. I'm understand that out-of-towners might think it's "dangerous" to ride the subways past 11pm to Brooklyn or Queens (it's not), but I'm confused as to why people would think riding the bus or the PATH late at night would be safer or faster. There are parts of Manhattan and New Jersey that are sketchier than Queens and Brooklyn. That being said, you're going to have a long commute (like at least 1.5 hours, longer if late at night) to Manhattan for any of the zones for JFK, LGA, Elmhurst, and Flushing Whitestone. Flushing is off the 7 line, and is a populated safe area with amazing Chinese food, but if you don't get a hotel right off the subway stop, you'll have a long bus commute to the subway. The subway is SAFE to ride late at night but no one wants to ride the subway for 3 hours back to Queens at 3am. I personally think the LIC area in Queens is just fine. Yes, it's got that dirty industrial neighborhood thing, but it's got a bunch of subway stops, it's close to Manhattan, and will get you to Grand Central in 10 minutes. If you go the Jersey City/Hoboken route, the PATH train is an extra $2 and will take you to subway stations from 9th Street to 34th Street in the city. Just make sure your hotel is near a PATH train.

used the PRICELINE link here. Was my 2nd bid at the 3.5 star level.

I used your PRICELINE link, first time bidder using the tips on the forum. It seems to be an expensive weekend for Chicago hotels, but this falls within my budget and location. bidding history -- sorry if I didn't follow the tips to a T, i got a little confused during bidding 110 for Millennium Park, Loop & Grant Park Area, 4 stars 120 for North Michigan Ave - River North Area, Millennium Park, Loop & Grant Park Area 130 for North Michigan Ave - River North Area, Millennium Park, Loop & Grant Park Area 140 for North Michigan Ave - River North Area, Millennium Park, Loop & Grant Park Area