Romelle

I agree with you on the no windows. I did just look at bidding Priceline. It is possible to bid 4.5*s Downtown Charleston. No history of anyone reporting a winning bid at that level. The Planters Inn and the Market Pavilion are showing in the retail side, but of course there are no guarantees as to which hotel one might receive, if indeed a bid would be successful at that level. This was what a Priceline 4.5* $188 bid would cost: Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: US$ 188.00 Subtotal: US$ 564.00 Taxes and Service Fees: US$ 115.02 Total Charges*: US$ 679.02 Almost $100 less than HW on the Taxes and Fees. HW does seem seriously out of line. Romelle

I'm a member, not somebody official from the board. But I looked up your dates for Charleston, SC and found on Priceline Express a 4* with this: Price per night: $210 Rooms: 1 Nights: 3 Room Subtotal: $630.00 Taxes & Fees: $129.96 All prices are in U.S. Dollar. $759.96 Very close to your grand total, but the hotel gets more money and those taxes and fees are less. Might be a nicer hotel? It had an 8.0 recommendation, which is pretty reliable. I've seen these sorts of differences in other cities. No idea what causes them, but it never hurts to check all the sources. Hotwire can be a little more generous with stars than Priceline (maybe 1/2 a star), so the HW 4.5* might be roughly the same as a PL 4*. For that matter, you might consider bidding 4* via Priceline, at least up close to the level of the HW and PE deals (grand total number). Have you looked at the Hotel Lists to see which hotels other members have reported getting via HW, PL and PE? Romelle

One of the rebid zones in your example is not right. When on Priceline, if you select just one of the rebid zones in your example, you will see that it can currently be bid at the 5* level. That means it is possible to win a 5* hotel in that zone. Since you are getting pretty short on time - the problem one is CCS. If you select just CCN, it currently can't be bid at the 5* level so is safe as a rebid zone for that star level. Romelle

You are correct that there are no Dublin rebid zones at the 4* level. BUT, the ones you are suggesting using at the 5* level aren't the right ones for that level. I'm assuming your example bid numbers are hypothetical since the Priceline Express 5* CC for your first set of dates is currently $369? You can now bid every two hours, so even without rebid zones you may have time to bid successfully. You'd have to research carefully and start at a reasonable number, then use One way to stay in the same hotel for two different ranges of date would be to bid for the full range from Sep 29 through Oct 7, leaving your room empty those two nights while you are in London. Another is to bid for one of the date ranges, and then purchase directly from the hotel for the other date range. Neither is a great option. I'll be curious to read your response to thereuare's question. Romelle

If you bid on Price.line, you won't know what hotel until your bid is accepted. And bids are final. The list is those hotels members have reported as receiving. While it give a good general idea of your results, I've several times gotten a hotel not yet reported and therefore not on the list. I always enjoy being the first one to provide a new hotel for the lists. The only thing you know for sure is that if your bid is accepted, it will be a 4* (or higher, as Priceline can "upgrade") within the shaded area of the zone map. If there are amenities listed for bidding, they are general amenities that all hotels of a particular star level have. If you don't bid, but want to opt for one of the HOTWIRE or PRICELINE EXPRESS offers, the experts here can give you an "educated guess" ahead of time as to what hotel you might get. If you supply them with the relevant details like date, amount, and amenities. Still not absolutely for sure, but pretty sure. Bidding tends to be the least expensive, but sometimes it can be worth any extra money to have a good idea as to what hotel you'll receive. And sometimes people want/need to have specific amenities so opt for Hotwire or Priceline Express deals with those amenities. Romelle

You've got the theory right, although the word is "zone" rather than "zipcode". AT THE MOMENT, Portland is particularly easy to bid at the 4* level, because all the other zones only go up to 3.5*. BUT, you always need to check just before a bidding session, since things change regularly. And you know you check for star levels in the zones ON PRICELINE, not from anywhere else?? If you ever are in doubt about the star levels, you can post back here with a list you believe is correct, and somebody will double-check it for you. A relatively recent change on Priceline now lets one bid every 2 hours without changing criteria. You don't really need to know that for this situation, since Portland has so many free rebid zones right now. But just for future reference. Romelle PS - always a good idea to be super cautious with a "lowball" or super-low bid just for learning purposes. I did it many years ago for 9 nights in London. Oops. My super-low bid went through. I had to scramble to make sure I had the funds to cover the immediate charge to my credit card. I hadn't really planned on paying just then. PPS - Voodoo Doughnuts is my favorite tip for Portland. Closely followed by the easy light rail transportation to the airport.

Bill, Nope. There isn't any necessary connection between PRICELINE EXPRESS deals and the results of NYOP Price.line bidding. That Marriott would still be a possible bid result, even if it wasn't what was offered on the PE deal. There usually is only one PRICELINE EXPRESS deal per star level and zone. But there can be multiple possible hotels in the Price.line hotel per star level and zone. Romelle

I'm a member, but your question is a frequent one. If you bid 4* for a particular zone, you can receive ANY 4* or higher within the shaded area of the zone map. I haven't done any mapping, but if that Marriott is in the zone and at least a 4* it is indeed a possible outcome. There is both a 4* Marriott, and a 3.5* Marriott Suites in the zone. If you were bidding 4*, you of course wouldn't get any 3.5*. Romelle

You can bid 5* (as well as 4.5*, 4*, etc.) on Price.line, but you need to understand that you could get ANY 5* hotel within the Priceline zone map. With Hot.wire, the experts here can give you an educated guess as to what hotel you are likely to get. Also, Priceline and Hotwire zones are not the same. If you want to bid Price.line, you need to take a good look at the particular Priceline zone map and be sure you are OK with the full shaded area of the zone. Hot.wire offers can come and go. Unfortunately you don't have a lot of time left to watch and wait. Have you looked at the PRICELINE EXPRESS offers? They are similar to Hotwire offers, in that the price is fixed and amenities are listed. At the bottom of this thread you can see "Priceline Hotel List Canada / Hotwire Hotel List Canada". If you click on that, you can see lists of hotels member have reported receiving through both Priceline and Hotwire. While it is always possible to get a hotel as yet unreported, or one which recently has had its star level changed, the lists will still give you a good idea as to what is possible. Romelle

You might look at the very end of this web site for the Hotel Reviews area. Hopefully some members have been kind enough to provide reviews. The reviews on this site have the added perspective of someone receiving a bargain rate. The reviews are organized alphabetically by state (and foreign city), with the very first thread letting you jump to the "F" area for Florida and any foreign city beginning with an F (Florence, Italy is the only one that comes to mind right now). For a more general look, www.tripadvisor.com is also very useful. Anybody can report there. You can go to Orlando hotels, and then either scroll down until you find the ones in which you are interested, or search by name. Romelle

All successful reported Priceline bids, Priceline Express offers and Hotwire offers are immediately posted to the Hotel Lists and the Calendar of Wins (both above in the header). While some other member currently on line might respond as to a prior report, or you might nudge somebody into reporting a successful deal they haven't yet reported, your quickest and most thorough way to get your information is a search. Various ways: Follow the prompts in "Need Help?" up in the right corner. Or, starting from the Canada-Priceline reports area (where this thread is) do a search in the white "Search" box just below that (using 'coal harbor' as the search). Or for just a list of reported hotels by zone, click on Hotel Lists and follow that on in to Priceline-Canada, Vancouver and the zone. Or for specific date reporting you can use the Calendar of Wins. Romelle

The Bonus Money Opportunities are in the second section - Tips and Tricks for Hotwire and Priceline. Right at the bottom of that section. They aren't as frequent as they used to be. Anybody can post ones they happen upon. Usually new deals will also start appearing in the Moderating team signatures. Regarding your question as to the difference between PRICELINE EXPRESS, and bidding - one never really knows. When demand is high, hotels don't have to put rooms in the bidding inventory. So the difference can be very small - $10? Or even no difference. When demand is low, there tends to be more difference. The technique is to carefully research your best opportunity via Priceline Express, think about what savings you need to forgo the added information of PE (amenities and an educated guess as to the hotel), then start your bidding somewhat less than that and step up until you'd rather have the PE offer. If other members have been kind enough to post their bidding results, you can get a clearer idea from the Calendar of Wins (up in the header) for your dates. Romelle

If you search on a one "el" or "l" Tukwila, you can see other bidder results. From Wikipedia - "The name "Tukwila" is believed to have come from the Chinook Jargon word for "nut" or "hazelnut", referring to the hazelnut trees that grew in the area, although some say it was named after the Indian word T’awedIc, for river duck." I'd have never know the above, but recently stayed there so one of my grandsons and I could do all sorts of Seattle things - a Mariner's game, Hot Pot doughnuts, Space Needle, etc. The hotel I got via Hotwire offered free shuttle service to the nearest light rail point, and then it was an easy ride into Seattle. Tukwila was much more affordable than downtown Seattle. And quite convenient. Also, right at the moment there is a coupon code for a discount I posted in the Bonus Money Opportunities you might find useful. Romelle

I posted a Hotwire coupon code in Bonus Money Opportunities that could help a little. Romelle

I posted a Hotwire coupon code in the Bonus Money Opportunities area. It would help a little. Romelle

I just posted a Hotwire coupon code in the Bonus Money Opportunities area. Not huge, but might help. Romelle

I like to consider splitting my bid as an opportunity to stay in a couple different areas of a city. Maybe you could reconsider your decision? If you look on Priceline with 4 and 3 day stays at the beginning and end of your trip, perhaps some of those ones you might have taken will be available for the shorter lengths of time. If there is an exact match on the amenities for one previously researched, it is highly probable it is the same hotel. Also, you could bid via Priceline. Priceline bidding tends to be a little less expensive than Priceline Express and Hotwire. You wouldn't have the guess as to what the hotel might be, but you haven't indicated any specific requirements for which hotel identification is really necessary. By bidding all the zones which would work for you up to your budget, you stand the best chance of shaking something out of the system at a reasonable rate. You could try first for the full seven days, but if not successful within your budget, you could then try a four day/three day split. The 3/4 split is of course also possible, but the 4/3 gets those weekend days all in one of the stays. You could also totally explore the 4* level up to your budget, before having to move down to the 3.5* and 3* levels. I think of bidding as just getting a really nice surprise. My results have always been in the range of "Wow, did I score this time" to "Well, this will work". I've never been disappointed with something unworkable. For the record, I'm just a member, not a board official. But I've booked a lot of hotels a lot of places over the years. Some are more challenging than others. NYC can be a particular challenge. Good luck. Romelle

Are you driving in or flying in? Last year my granddaughter and I took a Princess cruise from Galveston, and had a similar problem. We were flying into Bush airport. I bid on a hotel at the airport. Next morning we took the airport shuttle back to the airport and then the purchased cruise shuttle from there. I think the cruise shuttle was $24 per person. It worked quite well. Romelle

Matt, I recently rented a car via Priceline. Continually got their message suggesting I go higher. I ignored it and persevered, inching up $1 or $2 at a time. As I got higher, the suggested bid actually increased. I continued to ignore it. Eventually had a successful bid which is posted HERE in the Auto area - Akron, Ohio. I've rented several cars this way. It works. Do though take a look at what Hot.wire has to say. Sometimes their offers are better. I do get the $11 a day insurance. Didn't used to, but found I drive more relaxed knowing I have that coverage. Be prepared for a big "upsale" at the counter. Seems all the car companies do it now. Lots of offers "for only a few $$ more...". Just keep saying "no, thanks". They will give up eventually and give you your car. Finally, my choice is always to tell them I'll bring the car back filled with gas. Their other choices just don't work out. Romelle

I've been there a couple times. A long time ago was a day-trip boat tour from Vienna, and the second several years ago was I was moving east to west tracking my bicycling son. I think the second time was boat in and bus out. Either day trip or overnight is quite doable. Bus is just over an hour. Boat a little more time, but if you take a boat do some research first. I picked the fastest one for the day trip, and saw almost nothing along the way since the water spray blocked the windows out. Slow is better for a boat. Maybe bus one way and slow boat the other? Assuming you don't have a car? www.rome2rio.com is always a good place to start looking for transportation options. There are nice historical tours there. Too long since I've done that, so can't give any current tour companies. But if you'd like a guided tour, I'm sure some quick searching would turn up some options. The canon ball stuck in the wall of the City Hall from the Napoleonic troupes is amazing. The Novy Most (new bridge) provides a spectacular view from the observation deck, and the bridge itself is interesting. The restaurant delightful. The castle was closed when I was last there, and I'm wanting to go back just to visit that. Try searching on "bratislava tourist attractions" and I'm guessing you will find all sorts of things that will particularly interest you. The city is quite clean with lots of greenery and flowers. I personally like to spend enough time at a place to get a feeling for it. Sit, watch, listen and "let it flow by me". Walk all over. On the other hand, lots of people like quick stops and just hit the top 2 or 3 standard tourist things. And then there is taking away from your time in Vienna - definitely difficult, as Vienna is pure magic in my opinion. You've a tough decision. Romelle PS - I'm a member here, not a board official. All opinions are strictly my own.

Alternatively, you could stay one night in each of the two offers and be the first to list two entirely new hotels here ! It is a delightful city. IMHO you are going to wish you had more time there. Romelle

I'm a member, not a board official, but thought I'd answer a couple of your questions. If you click "Hotel Lists" in the header, and then "Other Countries" on the Priceline (left) side ... "Paris", you can see all the hotels members have reported winning thus far. I did take a look at Opera Quadrant - West and there are a couple 5*, a bunch of 4*s and a couple 2*s, but no 3*s so far. If there is 3* bidding in that zone, then it is highly probable there are 3*s offered (some very obscure exceptions). It is just that nobody has reported a 3* win there. You could be the first! On the Hot.wire side, there are some 3 and 3.5*s reported in the zone with Opera as part of its name. Priceline and Hotwire zones are different. But it still might give you some general ideas as to possibilities. You can also use the Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins to see what bidders have reported for specific dates. Since there aren't any 3*s reported in the zone in which you are interested, all this might tell you is a bit about general rate levels for any other reported star levels. And finally, a search on your particular zone via either "Need help?" up above, or the white search box just under it will take you to specific reports for your zone. Regarding air-conditioning, I looked on the retail side of Price.line 3* Opera area hotels and checked the lowest priced three. They all listed air-conditioning. So you've certainly got a fighting chance of getting an air-conditioned room if you bid. Romelle

Your strategy is good though, working the two streams simultaneously. Even though you aren't getting the counter-offer on the 2.5, one never knows. Sometimes it works that way and then "bingo" the next bid works. And sometimes one gets counter-offers along the way. The sneaky thing is when the counter-offers start getting higher. That can suggest rates are rising, although I don't think it means anything. Good luck. Romelle

I agree with yellowdog on the probably outcome. You'll most likely do a little better than the Priceline Express and Hotwire numbers, but not a great deal. The best use of the PE and HW numbers is as a bidding ceiling, since you know you can always just switch over to them. Those %-off numbers have too much individual variation to be useful. When times are slow and occupancy low, I've seen bids of 1/3 the going rate accepted. On the other hand, when a hotel is expecting better occupancy, the savings can be as low as $5 to $10. I even once managed to "win" a bid in Las Vegas, and then learned that the hotel's web site price was $5 less! I hadn't done my homework. Ouch. Never happened again, but I felt an idiot. For the record, I'm a member, not a board official. But I've done a lot of bidding over time. R.

Via Bidding Helper for your date: Right now Hotwire has a 3* at $79, and two 2.5*s at $65 and $63. Priceline Express has a 3* for $97, a 2.5* for $85, and a 2* for $49. For comparison purposes, always important to remember that Hotwire can be more generous with its stars than Priceline - maybe 1/2 a star. So the Hotwire 3* might be a Priceline 2.5*?? It varies. I've seen examples of the same star rating, and others of a full star difference. But the tendency is about a 1/2*. You might get slightly different numbers when you pull up Bidding Helper. Things change. Also, click clear through to the totals with taxes and fees. Sometimes things change positions. If you haven't found them already, the Hotel Lists (up in the header) are all hotels members have reported as getting via Priceline bidding, Priceline Express and Hotwire. You might be able to get a rough guess as to the hotel you might get via PE and HW by comparing the reported amenities vs what you are seeing in the current offers. Romelle