toledo

Began bidding yesterday at $48 and got the "If you're willing to raise your bid to $68....", but I didn't fall for it. I used the only free re-bid zone, Rochester North, and raised my bid to $53. It was rejected. Today I noticed that a 3* express deal for $57, so decided to bid $52 and then $57. First bid of $52 was accepted, so probably could have gone lower. With taxes and fees, it came to $66.71. I'm happy, as Springhill web site's "last minute" deal was $99 on this property. I called hotel to request two double beds and they sounded like it wouldn't be a problem.

They call themselves "Days Hotel", not Days Inn, but I think they are part of the chain. Ameneties included indoor pool, free parking, breakfast, internet, shuttle, fitness center, restaurant, business center, and high speed internet. I liked the fact that they had an 85% approval rating, but that translates into a 7/16 hotels on tripadvisor so not such a ringing endorsement. Also taxes were an additional $8.45 and fees were an additional $7.50, bringing the total to $76.95. If I booked directly with the hotel, the rate was $92.82.

Thanks for explaining. Now it makes perfect sense.

The last two wins in this zone that were 3 star were Marriott Courtyard for $55 and Hilton Garden Inn for $56. Both were back in December. If you'd have gotten either of those properties, you'd have been pretty upset.

OMG! You are soooo lucky. I never would have made that bid, as look at the other properties you could have won. Am I right, moderators? (I am bidding this zone shortly.)

Thanks for pointing this out, urbiman. It would have surprised me too. If bidding, I would have expected to at least have paid the same rate as the express deal.

Good deal! Unfortuantely it's showing $212 for my date of 3/29: (

I have a related question, as, what I think is this property, also came up for my stay. I put in 4 people, as I always thought HOTWIRE guarantees bedding for 4 people. Someone on another web site tells me I'm wrong and that HOTWIRE will not guarantee bedding for 4, just like PRICELINE. Is this true? EDIT TO ADD: Never mind. I found my answer under the random HOTWIRE questions. I see that Hotwire does guarantee bedding, so the person who told me otherwise must have a vested interest in PRICELINE to lie about it.

I won on 12/21, but it looks like it's still available for $100/night. Amenities are fitness center, business center, pool(s), high-speed internet, and restaurant(s), and recommended by 95%. An alternative to hotel parking is a lot on Ohio, accross the street from the hotel, for $30 per night (per the hotel).

I bid up to $80 and then gave up a week ago. I ended up using Hotwire to book a deal because there were three people. I'll post my Hotwire win.

Thanks Aaron. I have been bidding every day on Priceline.

The key here is it has a self-service laundry. I think it may be the Holiday Inn Mart Plaza. Amenities listed are indoor pool, restaurant, high speed internet access, accessible path, handicapped parking, fitness ctr., business ctr., accessible to the blind, in-room accessible, roll-in shower, pools (listed twice), and laundry facilities (self-service). It's $130 on New Years Eve. You don't have to search my record, as I'm up to date on all my reporting. Thanks.

Even though it gave you the option to bid, it didn't necessarily mean it gave you the option to stay another night at that rate. I've tried to add extra nights, with no success. I tried bidding $75 for the 31st and was rejected.

You need to change the zone, as you can bid Worthington or Dublin. Priceline does not have a "North" zone. I really wanted to stay on the southeast side of Columbus, but bid up to $55 on 3 stars and was rejected. I've stayed at this Worthington Sheraton Suites before and knew it was nice and saw that people were winning it. I began bidding at $44, but received a counteroffer for $8 more. I ignored the $8, but knew I was close. I rebid, using the university area (no 3.5 star), and won at $46. With taxes and fees, the nightly rate was $61.06. Husband's Worthington Industries discounted rate was $88, so we saved some money.

For $100/night, you can stay at University Center, which is 2 blocks from Grant Park. While it is a dorm, with a shared bath for 2 rooms, it does include one meal.

I was only able to get one night when I bid last year. That was only a few days beforehand, so make sure you have a back-up. If you're a young guy, going for Lollapalooza, you may want to check out http://chicagosummerhousing.com/ or http://www.luc.edu/conference/baumhartlodging.shtml

Get out your crying bucket for this one. It's not the "Suites" Intercontinental. Secondly, it's not great savings as I am paying $89 plus $22.19 in taxes and fees, for a total of $111.19. Regular rate is $139/night. I started bidding at $52 on 4* and bid every single area of Cleveland. Would have preferred to stay downtown, but oh well...Next, when looking at their web site, I see European twin beds. Who the ^&*() has European twin beds?? It happened to me one other time in Toronto and I've used Priceline dozens of times. It sounds like they're willing to give us a rollaway, as we've got three people in our room. And the final problem is parking. They only offer valet parking at $24/night. This isn't Chicago. When I called the hotel, they admitted there are $10 overnight lots in the surrounding area, run by the Cleveland Clinic. This will be interesting! I always write reviews on tripadvisor after my stay, in case anyone is interested.

OP said they started bidding 4* NMA at $118 and was rejected. They must have meant on another day or maybe the Conrad just became available between their first and second time bidding.

So let me see if I'm understanding your bidding!? You bid a 4* at $118 immediately before bidding and winning the 3.5*? Did you have the NMA-River North checked? If so, then the Conrad has been downgraded to a 3.5* just recently? Moderators, what do you think? DOBDABOMB, try bidding the Franklin Park area alone, to make sure a 3.5* does not come up as a choice. That's how I make sure it's safe to use as a free bid

I just stayed there last week and loved it. I think it's rated 4*, not 3 1/2*. Even though you bid 3 1/2*, I think you should change your title to 4*. Have fun!

Boutique is a fancy way of saying the rooms are small.

I don't think the Sofitel would be considered a boutique hotel, would it?

OP reported winning the Hotel Felix.

Call the hotel right now and request two beds. It looks like they don't always honor this request, according to tripadvisor. Your chances are better if you call ahead.

Finally! I was getting a little worried and so were my friends who are going with us. I started bidding 10 days ago, bidding every day, and bid 4* NMA beginning at $80. I avoided Metro Area, MP (because I believe some of the hotels are too far out) and the airport areas (because they have 4*) . I used all the other areas as free rebids, so was able to bid up to $115 each day. $100 won it today (no "If you are willing to raise your bid" messages), so the total was $400 for the two rooms for two nights and $74.84 in taxes and fees. The nightly room rate, with taxes and fees, is about $119. The odd thing is that I actually have a reservation at this hotel as a back-up, but my back-up would have cost me $220/night with my AAA discount, so I'm thrilled. I won this same hotel on Priceline several years ago and really liked it. We've continued to visit it's rooftop bar whenever we're in the area.