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Thank you very much for your nice words

Hi, sorry for the long delay. Unfortunately a very close relative has died in a car accident last week, and our US trip has been placed on stand-by for the time being. I apologize for not being able to go through with this reservation at the moment. I hope this will change soon. In that case I will come back for your help again. Thank you very much for your time and sorry again for not being able to reward the board with a much deserved commission.

I sure will. We are going to take a final decision within a few days. Thanks! Don't worry about this. They are going to pay, but I am the one who's going to make the actual purchase and I will use your links like I have always done in the past.

We have decided to add a stop that was not originally planned, so we are rearranging our itinerary to make room for it. We are most probably going to be in Vegas for three nights starting on August 25th. It's still not 100% sure but I'd say it's 95%. I'll take that into consideration when checking the rates for the new dates of our stay. We are definitely going to stay at an MGM property, though, since the benefit to park at any MGM owned casino for a "flat" daily fee is very useful for us. The Mirage at $55 is also very tempting. Still, I am not the one who's paying for this stay therefore I can only give suggestions, but in the end I'll have to have my in-laws take the final decision on this. I will keep you posted. Thanks a lot for your patience and help.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that the offer above was for the dates of 8/25 to 8/28. This could be a different option in our trip, so I was checking the offers on those dates too. The property above was listed at EUR 50/nt (sorry but Priceline only shows prices in Euros to me), and no resort fee was calculated/mentioned during checkout (which happens instead when simulating checkout at any other property), that's why I asked. Not my first time in Vegas (it will be my sixth, the third for my wife and the second for my in-laws), and I probably forgot to mention we live in Italy. Check these screenshots: https://ibb.co/Z1vVmC5 https://ibb.co/DgXncG7 Could this be a new property? Edit: it's probably the Mirage, since resort fees are not shown when buying rooms at the Mirage either: https://ibb.co/m53gh5v BTW, I've found out that guests at MGM properties can park at any MGM property for free (you only pay the daily parking fee at the hotel you are staying at): From the MGM website: "Registered Hotel Guests: Your 24 hour parking fee provides you with in-out privileges within the same parking type (self or valet) across all MGM Resorts Las Vegas destinations within the same 24 hour period (subject to availability)" Therefore we might go for the Luxor or the Excalibur (which are pretty inexpensive but still decent) and then use our car in Vegas to go to the center of the Strip by parking for free at the Mirage or the Park MGM...

We are driving from LA, then we will move on to Salt Lake City. We will plan a strategy for the use of the car and parking in Vegas and based on that we'll decide where to stay. One question: does priceline always list the resort fee on the checkout page? I've just stumbled across this property: 4.5-Star Casino Hotel The Strip - Northwest Area 4.5-Star Casino Hotel The Strip - Northwest Area Bed Choice Available Pets Allowed Outdoor Swimming Pool Airport Shuttle Fitness Center Handicapped Rooms/Facilities Casino Spa Restaurant Swimming Pool And when I tried the checkout there were no resort fees listed in the total... What property do you think it is? Could it be they don't charge any resort fees? Rates are very interesting if the total is what's listed!

Oh, I didn't see that when I looked earlier. $126 + resort fee might be a little too high for our intended budget. I mean: if we book the Stratosphere with free parking at half that price, we might drive and leave the car at any other Casino in the middle of the strip and even if we had to pay for parking we would still save money... I'll discuss this with my family and take a decision soon. Thank you very much for your time and help, I really appreciate and will show it by booking through your links when we decide what to do.

Thank you so much for all this valuable information. Based on what you told me and the fact that we are going to Vegas with my in-laws who have limited walking resistance, I think it would be best for us to stay somewhere in the middle of the strip. Treasures Island could be a great option (what do you think?) as it is more or less in the middle of everything and it even offers free parking for guests. Even though it costs a little more we could take it into consideration for its location. I've seen good rates on Hotwire for the TI (the amenities and the TripAdvisor rating/number of reviews suggest the offer is for this property). Harrah's could be an option too. I don't see any offer for it, though as the only 3.5* that shows up at $69/nt, looks like the Stratosphere (amenities: Free parking, Free internet, Resort, Casino, Smoke-free rooms, Fitness center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Internet access, Golf nearby, Accessible for visually impaired, Accessible for hearing impaired, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Accessible parking, Roll-in shower) which, after your considerations, we are not considering a viable option anymore. Although I have no experience with these properties (I have stayed at the Mirage, the Luxor and the MGM Grand before) they seem like acceptable options considering we have no big necessities: all we need is a clean nice room in a comfortable position so that my in-laws can enjoy their stay without getting too tired. We don't gamble (of course we will, just for fun, but it's not the goal of our trip, as Vegas is just a stop on our way from LA to Yellowstone NP) therefore we don't care about how the gambling halls look like or anything.

Thank you for your help and the clarification on the parking situation. Considering we are going to be four people, will it be more convenient for us to drive to a specific Casino (maybe in the middle of the strip) and park there, or use the monorail? At $5 each, back and forth we would spend $40 for the monorail... How much are parking rates approximately? Regarding our stay, we are willing to raise our budget if that means getting a more convenient location and/or a higher level of accommodation. I'm starting to convince myself that I should try to bid and see if we manage to get a 4* property on the strip. In fact, we will also be in Vegas for another two nights stay on August 25th. I'm not sure if it would be convenient to start bidding so early. Maybe I can wait a couple of months and see if any rates decrease or maybe new offers show up. What do you think? BTW, are the SLS and the LinQ any good? They seem to have pretty low rates compared to the other properties. Thanks. Of course any future reservations/bidding for this stay will be done through your links.

Well, I currently have a cancellable reservation at the Stratosphere for $75/nt (taxes included, resort fees NOT included) so what I'm looking for is to upgrade this reservation with the same or similar budget. I used to bid with the NYOP system, but I checked the Express Deals as it looks the NYOP does not allow the savings it used to in the good ol' days. Off-strip is OK as long as it is a good deal. But I'd rather avoid downtown Vegas for the moment (I might change my mind if nothing "acceptable" comes out in the other zones). BTW: I remember self parking being free almost everywhere in Vegas. When did this change? I see most hotels now charge for parking.

Hello, I need to book two rooms in Vegas for 2 nights starting on 9/6 Maybe it's too soon? I don't know. Anyway I was checking the Express deals and got this offer for $72/nt for a 4* Casino Hotel West of the Strip: Amenities: Free Parking Outdoor Swimming Pool No Smoking Rooms/Facilities Fitness Center Handicapped Rooms/Facilities Casino Spa Restaurant Swimming Pool Resort fee is $36.28 ($145.12 for two rooms, two nights) The website suggests it might be the Rio. What do you think? Thanks

Wow, this one was pretty easy! Tried Champs Elysees + OQE + OQW up to $110 (adding the free rebid zones) but got rejected. Closed and restarted from scratch, bid a 4* in the Latin Quarter + Marais zones and got a room immediately (which means we probably might have started even lower, but I'm pretty happy with this deal anyway). Here is the summary: Paris Marriott Rive Gauche Hotel And Conference Center 4 star St. Germain - Latin Quarter - Montparnasse 17 Boulevard St Jacques, Paris, France Check-In: Mon, Apr 16, 2012 / After 03:00 PM Check-Out: Sun, Apr 22, 2012 / 12:00 PM Rooms: 1 room / 6 nights Offer Price: US$100.00 Rooms: 1 Nights: 6 Room Subtotal: US$600.00 Taxes & Fees: US$79.38 Total Charged to Card: US$679.38 That's about EUR 525 total, or 87,50 per night! Even less than any IBIS and any Campanile Hotels in all Paris... Lowest rate on the Marriott website is EUR 1172 total, or 195 per night, so we saved 55%. The hotel has good reviews on TripAdvisor, and it's located in a zone that I don't know much, which is good because I can discover a new Paris neighborhood, while still being able to go to the 'usual' touristy places with a short metro ride. All bids placed through the PRICELINE links on the board. Thanks again, and I'll report on the hotel when I come back. :)

Hi thereurare, thanks for the reply and for the wishes! Our acceptable zones are: Champs Elysees - Arc de Triomphe Opera East Opera West Saint Germain - Latin Quarter - Montparnasse Marais - Republique We'd actually rather avoid the Eiffel Tower - Porte de Versailles - Montparnasse zone at first, but we are willing to add it as a last resort should we fail to get anything in the preferred zones listed above. Our maximum bid price would be $160 (btw, if anyone is interested, it looks like Taxes, Commissions and other fees amount to 12,8% when bidding in Paris. That's at least what I found out submitting $150, $160 and $170 as a bid price and checking the subsequent 'summary page' that Priceline shows immediately before confirming and actually submitting the bid). If I'm not mistaken there are only two 'free' rebid zones with 3* or lower hotels: Batignolles - Clichy Montmartre - Sacre Coeur - Pigalle. Thanks!

Hi! Going to Paris for my 40th birthday in April. We are staying for six nights from April 16th to the 22nd. I have a cancellable backup at the IBIS Montmartre (3* for about EUR 116 / $150 per night) but would love to upgrade to a 4* Here are some rates for 4* hotels I've found on those dates (with the equivalent amount in USD) in the zones we are interested in: Champs Elysees - Arc De Triomphe Hilton Arc de Triomphe

I've been trying for some time, starting at $37 and going up. Yesterday I bid $45 and received counteroffer of $60 so I tried again today, raising my bid to $50 and it got accepted by the Courtyard. Not a huge deal but still good savings, considering the lowest rate published on Courtyard's site is $84. Here is the summary and -as usual- I've placed my bids through the PRICELINE links on the board. Check-In Date: Saturday, September 10, 2011 Check-Out Date: Sunday, September 11, 2011 Hotel Name: Courtyard By Marriott Modesto 1720 Sisk Road Modesto, California 95350 Summary of Charges Billing Date: July 4, 2011 Your Offer Price: $50.00 Number of Rooms: 2 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $100.00 Taxes and Fees: $18.86 Total Charges*: $118.86

Bid history: 4* @ LAX: offered $75, received counteroffer of $95. Closed and started again. 4* @ LAX + Culver City: offered $80, received counteroffer of $100. Closed and started again. 4* @ LAX + Lawndale: offered $83, accepted by the Renaissance. Pretty good, considering the lowest rate I could find at the Renaissance was $199! Here's the summary: Check-In Date: Thursday, September 15, 2011 Check-Out Date: Friday, September 16, 2011 Hotel Name: Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel 9620 Airport Blvd Los Angeles, California 90045 310-337-2800 Summary of Charges Your Offer Price: $83.00 Number of Rooms: 2 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $166.00 Taxes and Fees: $32.56 Total Charges*: $198.56 All bids placed through the PRICELINE links on this board.

The only problem is that $137+tax equals $164, which is a little over our budget. Considering parking is extra, it would mean about $200 per night at least... :)

I've noticed this increase in prices in NYC also. Sure it's good that hotels are having a good season, otherwise they would all close and it wouldn't be good. But Priceline-wise speaking, it's getting more difficult to get a good deal in the big cities, and this is somehow disappointing for those of us who have been using Priceline for more than a decade, when you could get the Hilton in NYC for less than $80/night :-) Anyway, we don't care about nightlife, since my in-laws are not people who get out at night much. We really only need a clean and decent place to sleep. Also we are going by car, so a cheap parking would be a plus. I've stayed in JapanTown more than 15 years ago and I remember it as a quiet neighbourhood, very different from the "usual" San Francisco, but still interesting. If it remained so during the years, I think we wouldn't mind staying there. Still, I'll try for 3* or lower in FW, and see what happens. FW would definitely be a better place to stay considering it's the first time for my in-laws in SF. I'll report when I get back. I'm leaving for Venice (Italy, not California) tonight, so I won't be able to bid. :) I'd like to thank everyone for all the insights and the continuous help we get from this board.

I'm not here to crush your hopes (on the contrary!!) but I've tried up to $120 for a 3.5* in FW area (my dates are almost exactly the same as yours) with no luck. :) I definitely hope you succeed, because if you do, I'll jump in and try the same bid immediately. :) Good luck!

Thanks for your insight. I've already taken a look at lastminutetravel.com but really did not see anything really interesting, although I must have missed the Griffon. I'll check again and see. If we can't find anything good, we'll stay at the Tomo. It's pretty weird, but it has good reviews on TripAdvisor, and we are going to be out most of the day anyway, so if the bed is comfy, we have most of what we need. I've used PL many times before, for friends, relatives and so on, and booked in big cities throughout the year. I've got to say that it looks to me that Priceline rates have gone way higher than they were a few years back! Regarding the apartment/suite, we thought of that but my wife would rather have two separate rooms. I thought best than investigating why. :)

Sorry, did not realize I did not mention it anywhere. We need two rooms. Thanks!

I'm resuming this thread because we are still looking for a hotel for our stay. Thanks to an offer from a local travel agency, we have booked a cancellable backup reservation at the Hotel Tomo (2* in JapanTown) for which we have spent 594

I've been trying many times up to $75 with no success. Tried bidding $85 yesterday, and received counteroffer (add $25). Tried again today, bidding $90 and got counteroffer again (still add $25). Added 2* and bid $95 and got it. Check-In Date: Sunday, September 4, 2011 Check-Out Date: Monday, September 5, 2011 Hotel Name: Best Western Ruby's Inn 26 South Main Street Bryce Canyon, Utah 84764 435-834-5341 Summary of Charges Billing Date: June 13, 2011 Your Offer Price: $95.00 Number of Rooms: 2 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $190.00 Taxes and Fees: $33.80 Total Charges*: $223.80 Lowest rate for these dates was $127 (taxes included) per room, so we only saved about $15 per room. Still it pays for breakfast. :) Bids placed through the PRICELINE links on this board.

Hi! Tried yesterday, bidding $60. Rejected but received counter offer of $75. Tried again today, bidding $65, Accepted. Check-In Date: Monday, August 29, 2011 Check-Out Date: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Hotel Name: Holiday Inn Williams 950 North Grand Canyon Boulevard Williams, Arizona 86046 928-635-4114 Summary of Charges Your Offer Price: $65.00 Number of Rooms: 2 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $130.00 Taxes and Fees: $24.94 Total Charges*: $154.94 Bid placed through PRICELINE links on this board.

How is JapanTown served by the public transport? There are a few hotels with very good rates there. I've stayed there like 15 years ago, but I only remember going aroung by taxi (I was richer at the time and could afford spending a fortune in taxi fares! :) ).