Romelle

It looks like your dates have a tiny bit of flexibility. Consider checking rates for individual days via Hot.wire or PRICELINE EXPRESS. Rates can vary a lot with weekend/week days, holidays, and events. Sometimes just shifting a day or so one way or the other can save quite a bit. Romelle

You also might look at the CalendarofWins up in the header. You will see some other member reported results there. Do check out both Price.line and Hot.wire. Oddly enough, two of my Hotwire deals happen to fall in your general date area. My solution might not be right for you. My grandson is 15 and we both are train buffs so having a place to stay out a ways wasn't a problem. But my report and other bidder's reports might generate some ideas. For the record, I'm just a member rather than a board official. But I travel quite a bit and had just fought the battle of Seattle prices. I knew as long as I had some hotel with airport shuttle service I could get us to/from the airport and then we could train to/from downtown. Romelle

The blog list for going straight down said (or should have said) ...add REBID zone 1, if rejected add REBID zone 2, etc. The rebid zones were checked out first as per the process description up in the FAQs. The numbers weren't the same numbers as the ones on the Priceline list of possible bidding zones. If you aren't sure of the process, but think you have it, you can post what you believe are the rebid zones here, and somebody will double check them for you. The concept is tricky, but you do have the general idea right already. What you are still needing is to understand exactly how to determine those rebid zones. Click here for detailed instructions. But post back if you have further questions. Romelle

I kind of like the Gare du Nord etc. zone for bidding. The only reported hotel here is a 3* Holiday Inn Express. It is right across from the train station so one could get everywhere from there. The area is .. ah .. a little gritty?, but interesting. Felt safe. Of course the HIE isn't necessarily the hotel you'd get, but it gives you the general idea of the possibilities. After you get your "educated guess" as to the three hotels you mentioned, of the ones you like you could use the low rate as a cap on your bidding. Regarding changing topic titles, you can't. When you are finished, if you've successfully bid or gotten a PLE or HW deal the administrators change the title to reflect that. This is a little out of date, so needs checked, but it is a list of 7 public bus routes that take one by all sorts of the typical tourist places: ClICK HERE And this is a good explanation of Paris public transport: ClICK HERE I have to add though, that the silly paper tickets sometimes lose their magnetism or something and simply won't work. However one can take them to a window in the station and they will just take them and hand over new ones that will work. Romelle

In your new thread ... did Price.line offer you the option of extending your stay? I'd guess for all three nights it would be at a much higher rate, but maybe you could sneak just one more out at the good rate you got with your bid. After exploring this, up in the center of the page is Bidding.Helper. That will initially take you to Price.line Bidding, but also will let you take a look at both Priceline.Express and Hot.wire current offers. It will give you a good idea as to your possibilities - other zones, other star levels. The PE and HW offers are always good to know before you start bidding, so you don't bid beyond them. Romelle

There is a MTW 4* at $200 at the moment. Romelle

Definitely sneak up on that offer. Depending upon the amount of time you have for doing this, use smaller or larger increments. There is something available somewhere between your $120 and the $166 suggestion. Some people swear by mid-point plus $1, or $144. But success has been reported at only $1 or a few dollars over the last bid. If you've already tried the $130 and it didn't work, maybe increase by $5 every two hours. Or even switch to $3 increments after you get to $140. Good luck. Romelle

Just one thread per stay. People often research both before ultimately going with either HW or PL. When you are finished, the moderators will move the thread to which ever one worked for you. Hot.wire lets one search for one-person rooms. There are also lots of links to specific hotels and more general resources on the Support.Page up in the header. Romelle

This one is a 2.5* on Priceline. A perfect example of Hotwire being more generous with stars than PL. I'll review it on this site after I stay there. But also will review it on Hotwire, since they claim their star rating takes into consideration reviews with them. Romelle

The local buses are an incredible bargain, IMO. 1.5 Euro will get you to many of the surrounding delightful small towns. The local trains are a tiny bit more expensive, but also a steal. Easy to buy tickets the same day from machines at the station. Right in Nice my personal favorite was of course the Old Town market. Romelle

As part of your research, you might enjoy the Hotel Reviews at the very end of this web site. The perspective is from members receiving bargain rates, so sometimes a little different from the more general review web sites. Romelle

Oops - I was speaking based on general US hotel experience and exactly one trip to Las Vegas. Ignore me and listen to thereuare on this one. But I really did the kid friendly stuff there with a granddaughter. Romelle

Harry, Its been a while, but I stayed with my granddaughter at the MGM Grand. It is a 4* hotel. She lived in the pool most of the day. Loved it. Particularly in Las Vegas, 4* hotels are very nice, and the pools wonderful. Perhaps comparable to some 4.5* and 5* European hotels. There also are lots of things fun for kids to do. The Bellagio Fountains, the evening Fremont Street Light show, Ethyl M. candy factory tour (nearby Henderson), the M&M store, the Big Apple Roller Coaster at New York New York, etc. Wander though the Luxor for a peak at things Egyptian, or the Venetian for things Italian. Search on "Las Vegas kid friendly" to find some more. The various free transportation options can be fun for kids too - trolley, monorail, tram, etc. Especially if it is hot outside and you've already walked enough. To feed those teenagers, there are grocery stores close to the strip. Search on "las vegas grocery store near the strip". Even if the hotel you get doesn't have a kitchenette, it will most likely have a refrigerator and a coffee maker. Might even have a microwave. Romelle

FYI: The MAX light rail Red Line is the easiest way to travel to and from the airport. The trip between the airport and downtown Portland takes about 38 minutes. An adult ticket costs $2.50 (Youth $1.25, *Honored Citizen $1). MAX ticket machines return change in coins, so small bills are recommended. You can roll your luggage on board. The first train of the day arrives at PDX at 4:45 a.m. The last train departs PDX at 11:50 p.m. The MAX station and ticket machines are located on the lower level, next to the south baggage claim area (turn right at the base of the escalator). For complete schedules and more information, visit www.trimet.org/schedules/maxredline.htm. The Downtown Airport Express by Blue Star runs every 30 minutes and costs $14 one-way. Cabs run between 20 and 40 minutes and cost about $35 pre-tip. And my personal favorite Portland thing: http://voodoodoughnut.com Romelle *Honored Citizen translates to Senior.

It is just 2 hours now. You might also take a look at the Hot.wire offers. Especially if you have any stronger preference for certain amenities. Romelle

Ramada Tukwila SeaTac Airport Hotel 15901 West Valley Highway, Tukwila, WA 98188 I booked this for two post-cruise nights. It has airport shuttle and free breakfast. A bit of a distance and shuffle, but the downtown and immediate airport hotels were MUCH more expensive. I'm traveling with my 15-year-old grandson. In order to make sure of two beds, I entered three adults in Hotwire. This hotel is a short walk from the Tukwila Amtrak station. I'm thinking we can do a day trip somewhere from there. Lots of interesting possibilities. The amenities were: Free parking, Free breakfast, Free Internet, Airport shuttle, Fitness center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business center, Self-service laundry, Internet access, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Wheelchair accessible, Accessible bathroom, Accessible parking Romelle

Best Western Plus Evergreen Inn & Suites 32124 25th Ave South Federal Way, WA, 98003 I booked this for a pre-cruise night. It has airport shuttle and free breakfast. A bit of a distance and shuffle, but the downtown and immediate airport hotels were MUCH more expensive. I'm traveling with my 15-year-old grandson. In order to make sure of two beds, I entered three adults in Hotwire. The amenities were: Shuttle, Restaurant, Pool, Indoor Pool, Fitness, Complimentary Breakfast, Smoke Free, Free Internet, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Laundry, Free Parking, Travel Accessible, Room Accessible, Bathroom Accessible, Wheelchair Accessible, Handicapped Parking, Roll-in Shower, Pet Friendly Romelle

If the Board Administrators know of any, they will appear as red in their signature lines. Sometimes codes are sent to you from HW/PL. Sometimes they show up in your profile on Priceline under My Rewards. Sometimes other kind souls (members) will post ones they've found in the Bonus Money Opportunities area HERE on Betterbidding. They used to be much more common. They are fairly rare now. When they've been emailed to me or showed up in my My Rewards, usually I have been bidding unsuccessfully for a while. They tend to be complimentary things like a break on auto rental when I've been bidding for a hotel. Romelle

You need to post rate in US dollars, and star level, so the experts on this board can replicate your finding and then provide their educated guesses as to what the hotel(s) might be. Also, I'm guessing your Hotwire request was for 2 adults and 1 child? It is better to provide that in the specific request rather than leaving it out so the person researching has to go back and read all your prior posts to determine it. Romelle PS - I'm a member, not a board official, but thought I'd mention this so you can provide it and get back in line more quickly than if you waited for a board official to ask.

If you scroll clear to the end of this site, you will find Hotel Reviews. The reviews are organized by state, so your first step would be to click the "C" for California in the top post. While all the hotels you are considering might not be there, there should be a reasonable sample. Many members have been considerate enough to take the time to post them after their trips. I've personally gotten many Priceline and Hotwire hotels over many years, and never had problems. My experience has varied from "Oh, this will be fine" (C+) to "Wow, did I score"(A+). Romelle

If you post back here with the amenities, the rate, and the date, the experts can give you an educated guess as to what you might get for the 2.5* Priceline Express deal. Romelle

The 2.5*s other bidders have reported for SFO are the LaQuinta, Best Western and Holiday Inn Express (from the Hotel Lists above). Right now PRICELINE EXPRESS has a 2.5* offer for $131 for your date. So your 3* bidding is probably close. Romelle

I'm guessing SFO airport, but there are a couple others in the general area that are possibilities? If Free Breakfast is an important amenity for you, it is more common with the lower star level hotels. Free Shuttle Service usually has some sort of cut-off time and a midnight arrival is likely to be beyond it. Even if it is listed as an amenity, don't count on it. Romelle

As to where to start ... check rates for your dates with lots of different sources. The Maps and Hotels yellowdog mentions is up in the header in the Tool Box is an excellent start. But also check the web sites of the hotels themselves. There are links to a number of them on the Support Page. I once managed to get a Las Vegas hotel via bidding, only to learn that I could have gotten it for $5 less right on the hotel's web site. Take a look at the Hotel lists. It shows what other members have reporting receiving via Priceline, Priceline Express and Hotwire. You might find some zones and star levels that don't include any of the hotels you'd like to avoid. Of course there is always the chance that a hotel will have its star level changed or a zone will have its boundary changed. With Priceline bidding, you have to be prepared to accept any hotel of the star level you are bidding (or higher) within the zone map. Double occupancy means two people. People sometimes think "double" means 2x2 or 4. Rates are quite reasonable for your dates. But do factor into your budget the "resort fee" payable at the desk. It is common in Las Vegas. Hotwire will almost always show it. Priceline is starting to, but don't assume there isn't one if it isn't listed. Romelle

You might consider splitting your stay. If I look at your 1st 5 nights, on Priceline Express there is a 3.5* for $140. Then for the last 2 nights there is a 4* for $139 and a 3.5* for $122. It is possible similar results might be obtained via bidding. One problem with bidding a longer span of nights is that some hotel has to have given Priceline inventory for every single one of those nights in order for your bid to be successful. Romelle