Romelle

And now your airport hotel for 4/22? They are highish for that night, but nowheres near the $300-400 of downtown. You might look at Hotwire and Priceline Express first to get a general idea of what to expect. Usually one can do a little better via Priceline bidding, but then one forgoes being able to select for amenities (shuttle, free breakfast, parking, pool, ??) and even getting an educated guess from here as to what hotel might be received. You are coming in late enough that the hotel shuttles might not be running. You'll want to start a new thread for this operation, as the board wants to keep each specific trip stay in a separate thread. Romelle

Nicely done. :D You are a pro now. Romelle PS - You might find this useful. Go into MAPS and HOTELS.com (up in the Tool Box) and search on a 1 mile radius on "san francisco union square west". On the left side, click on The Prescott. Then when a little box pops up on the map, click on "SEE NEARBY RESTAURANTS...". A wonderful map of nearby good stuff appears. Zoom in on it to get your bearings and figure out where you'll have coffee, shop, bank, etc.

So, by definition, you can see your "free re-bid zones" for 4* bidding are the ones that do not have bidding available at 4* or higher. I see six in your list which is the correct current count. I double-checked your list on the Priceline site just to be sure. But if you don't start bidding until some time tomorrow, do just run though a quick check to make sure nothing has changed. Good luck! Romelle

Yes, that is essentially it. Using the technique from the link I posted! But to be extra careful, maybe you could post the six zones you think are the right ones. Somebody here will double check them before you proceed. And it is vital to check before each bidding session. Things change regularly. Romelle

Those "re-bid zones" aren't the three you want, but rather six other Priceline zones that don't have 4* or higher bidding (as determined while on the Priceline site). A detailed discussion of how to determine them is HERE. Please post back if you are still unsure about the technique. It is a little tricky, and vital to get it absolutely clear before you start bidding. Romelle

With a late arrival like that and the high rate downtown, you might consider an airport hotel for the first night. It does depend upon your subsequent plans, but worth a thought. Romelle

"Double" means two people. For four people you would want "quadruple". Although they are rare in the US, "single" would be for one person. Romelle

Did you look at the reviews on www.tripadvisor.com? They are pretty positive. More so on the Sura Hagia Sophia, but generally still quite positive on the Sura Design. Romelle

Hot.wire has a $163 Crystal City 4* on your dates. 95% recommended. The Crystal City area is small enough one couldn't get more than a mile from the Metro stop near the center. A possibility ? Romelle

Park Hyatt Saigon Pool(s), Fitness center, Business center and more ... Caravelle Hotel Pool(s), Fitness center, Business center and more ... InterContinental Asiana Saigon Internet access, Pool(s), Fitness center, Business center and more ... Sheraton Saigon Hotel And Towers Internet access, Pool(s), Fitness center, Business center and more ... Hotel Nikko Saigon Internet access, Pool(s), Fitness center, Business center and more ... Tajmasago Castle Pool(s), Fitness center, Business center and more ... I hadn't used your dates before. When I did, a 6th turned up. All from Hotwire "Standard Rate Hotels". Some might be further out than you want. The areas/zones/districts are rarely the same between the different venues. Romelle

I'm a member, not a board official, but when bidding I've several times gotten hotels not yet reported. If I look at the Standard Rate hotels on Hotwire, I see five 5* hotels with very similar amenity lists in Ho Chi Minh City. On Priceline on the "List View", or regular retail, I see 15. And there can be hotels available via PL bidding that are not available via retail Priceline, Priceline Express or Hotwire. All you can really count on with Priceline bidding is that you will receive a hotel within the map boundaries at the star level you are bidding (or higher, but of course that doesn't apply when bidding 5*). Sometimes when bidding there is a short list of amenities all the hotels in that category will have. With Hotwire and Priceline Express, the pros here can offer an educated guess as to what you might get, but it in never 100%. For common US travel cities with lots of reporting, the odds are very good. With a single report in a very large foreign city, the odds are less good. If you bid and get a different hotel than other bidders have received, think of it as fun to get to be the very first to add a new one to the lists. Bidding via Priceline can be the least expensive, but can have the most surprises. Hotwire Secret Rate and Priceline Express can be a little more expensive but it is possible to make the educated guesses. The only absolute sure way is the direct retail purchase and that is usually the most expensive. Romelle

Generally, one can do a little better via Price.line bidding than via PRICELINE EXPRESS and Hotwire. So checking those out with your dates is a good way of seeing what might be possible. Two caveats: 1 - Look at the grand total, rather than the per day amount. From time to time the fees and taxes added can be different in the different methods. In Florida that Resort Fee is always a consideration and needs added in. Hot.wire more consistently lists the actual rate, but it is a factor on the Price.line hotels also. 2 - Hot.wire tends to be a little more generous with stars than Price.line. Maybe a 1/2 star. So a 4* on Hotwire might be a 3.5* on Priceline. Not always, but something to consider. Bidding is free, assuming you don't count the cost of your time. Regarding the South Beach-Central zone, you can see on the zone map that it includes quite a bit of non-beach front property. You might take a look at the Hotel List (up in the header) as see if you'd be happy receiving any of those hotels located back from the beach a bit. And maybe even look at the Hotel Reviews at the very end of this site. Romelle

If you use Maps.Hotels in the Tool Box above and search on your dates and the Coralville Marriott address, you will see several other hotels within 3 or 4 blocks starting at $44. Maybe walking, or even a short taxi ride, might be an option? Romelle

Have you found the Hotel Reviews at the very end of this site? And then there is www.tripadvisor.com. There are 461 NYC hotels reviewed there. The Omni and the Hyatt are in the 60s, and the Westin is currently 154th. Published reviews are always a good start, but one has to then sort out just what is personally important .... location, ambiance, free breakfast, price, view, service, quiet, soft (or firm) mattress, etc., etc.. I'd really recommend you read the reviews and consider the features which are more important to you. (I generally avoid any hotel where reviewers have noted how much they like the hotel's firm mattress. ) Romelle

This is a long shot, but depending upon the specifics of your visit, maybe staying at the Cascade Station area could work? If you search MAPS and HOTELS.com mentioned above, using "cascade station, portland" and a 1 mile radius, you will see several hotels under $150. Including the well-rated Aloft. From Cascade Station to downtown Portland is about a 20 minute ride on the light rail. Romelle

The "last person ...." thing is best simply ignored. When you say "...the sign not there", are you referring to the "last person ...." thing or that the offer is gone? If the offer is gone, continue to watch. Offers can change pretty regularly. When one comes along that has everything you want, don't hesitate too long. I've watched a number of cities over longer periods of time. Sometimes the offers come and go very quickly and sometimes they stay around for a while. I've never figured out any pattern or logic though, other than in one very small town the single offer seemed to increase a dollar or two each weekend, and then go back down during the following week. Romelle

That area is wonderfully central to major sights, and well covered with tram lines. Walkable too. Even if the hotel doesn't include free breakfast there are great bakeries all around. I don't know for sure, but the airport shuttle may be paid rather than free. However, a combination of tram and train will get one to the airport at a very reasonably cost. Romelle

You are close, since on PRICELINE EXPRESS there is a $169 in The City area. As long as you check those rebid zones each time just before a bidding session, and keep bidding regularly, that is all you can do with that. If you'd consider any more zones that might help. Have you investigated a back-up cancelable reservation? With that, you can keep bidding until the very last. Romelle

No. There is a 4* Mansion Hill Inn on Kayak. Kayak also carries the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace as a 4* from Priceline (although it reverts to a 3.5* when I click through to Priceline - might be a case of a hotel having rooms in different star levels ?). I didn't spend time mapping the 3.5 and 3* ones from Kayak to the Priceline Madison Downtown zone, but it does look like there might be some more that are beyond your list. And I suppose there could be hotels Kayak doesn't have that are available via Priceline bidding. If you are bidding, you always have to be prepared to accept any hotel within the bounds of the zone map at the star level (or higher) you are bidding. I've a couple times caught as-yet-unreported hotels on the very furthest out point of a zone map - Fort Lauderdale and Budapest. Romelle

I'm a member, not a board representative. But I know the hotels available in Priceline bidding are not necessarily the same as the hotels in either Priceline Express or the direct purchase "List View". At the moment, on Priceline bidding, all of the zones other than Downtown do not have 4* or higher bidding available so they are possible rebid zones. But you need to determine this from checking on the bidding page as explained in the FAQs. Just seeing 4* hotels only in the Downtown area in the "List View" isn't the safe way to determine rebid zones. Any of those 3.5*s reported in the Hotel Lists could have had a recent increase in their star rating. Or there may be a 4* out there that just hasn't been reported yet. Or... Or... You might want to post back with the amenity list, date and rate and have the experts give you their educated guess as to which hotel the Express Deal likely is. Romelle

I'd suggest not mulling too long now that you have educated guesses on the appealing offers. HW/PLE offers can come and go rather rapidly. On the other hand, if one you particularly like has already vanished, try just waiting a bit. They can and do pop back. If you are looking in currency different from CAD, the rates may seem to change from day to day as the exchange rates shift. Romelle

AaronJB's educated guess has a solid basis, but you always have to be prepared to accept any 4* or higher within the area map. As near as I can tell, the Airport Fairmont address is within the PRICELINE EXPRESS Newport-Huntington Beach area map. And there may be other 4*s also beyond the Marriott or Hyatt. Romelle

In the Hotel Lists (up above in the header) are lists of hotels betterbidding members have received and reported. From both Priceline and Hotwire. Right now there are 5 MTE 4.5*s reported: The Benjamin Hyatt 48 Lex New York Palace Omni Berkshire Place Waldorf Astoria New York But it is always possible to receive a different hotel that hasn't been reported yet. Romelle

You have 12 re-bid zones. Amazing. But do re-check just before bidding, as things can change. Romelle

You might also try posting your request for destination ideas in FLYER TALK. People there can be surprisingly helpful. Well, yes, there are plenty of flamers, but if you come in slow and easy you should be safe :) . Mention a little about yourselves and the things you like to do. You've probably have to register first before being able to post. The area is beautiful though, if you can find a little spot not so over-populated and over-developed. Romelle