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Tried bidding Boston again with no luck. I will try it a couple of more times before I change zones. I am suprised that it takes more for Boston than it does for DC, Philly, and Niagara Falls. Here is my last set of bidding. I did the same bid for a 4* hotel and when that did not work I bid the same amount for a 3*. Bid............$91...........rejected rebid.........$92...........rejected rebid.........$93...........rejected Then I bid on a 2.5 hotel Bid...........$70...........rejected rebid........$75...........rejected Then I bid on a 2* hotel Bid..........$55............rejected rebid.......$60............rejected ANY HELP?

Thanks for the help.

Thanks.....all that is left is Boston, and I really need a strategy there.

seems like it. Thanks for the help.

My last city is Boston, and it seems that it is much more expensive than the wins I have gotten in Baltimore, Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York City (Newark), and Niagara Falls. I really would like to stay downtown because it is close to Fenway Park and the sights, but I may have to move to another zone. I have bid and rebid on 4 different occassions on 4 and 3 * hotels in the downtown area. 1st round with rebids......$77......rejected 2nd round with rebids.....$85......rejected 3rd round with rebids......$88......rejected 4th round with rebids......$90......rejected Not ready to change zones yet but If I do what zone would you suggest that would be the safest and most convienant to downtown Boston for the best value for my money? Any help would be much appreciated.

yes.....since I did not care which of the 3 zones I stayed in I would bid one zone, and rebid with the Springfield zone. If rejected I went to the next zone. I would go up in $2 or $3 increments while bidding on 3* hotels. Since the bid of $83 was rejected in the Convention Center-Capitol Hill zone my last round of bidding, the next round I bid $85 and it was rejected. I rebid the Springfield zone at $87 and it was accepted.

This is what I got on Priceline using the savingsbarn.com link- Hyatt Regency Washington D.C. On Capitol Hill 3* Check-In Date: Monday, July 17, 2006 Check-Out Date: Saturday, July 22, 2006 Convention Ctr - Capitol Hill Area 400 New Jersey Avenue Nw Washington, District Of Columbia 20001 202-737-1234 Your Offer Price: $87.00 Extend Your Stay Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 5 Subtotal: $435.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $72.45 Total Charges: $507.45 I probably spent more because I did not want to split my bid but that is okay. I wanted the 4 zones I bid on and felt that a 4* was out of my price range, but I bid on them anyway. Here is how I bid. 4* Hotel Convention Center- Capitol Hill bid and rebid up to $80......rejected bid and rebid up to $90......rejected bid and rebid up to $95......rejected Whitehouse-Downtown bid and rebid up to $80......rejected bid and rebid up to $90......rejected bid and rebid up to $95......rejected Dupont Circle-Woodley Park bid and rebid up to $80......rejected bid and rebid up to $90......rejected bid and rebid up to $95......rejected 3* Hotel Convention Center-Capitol Hill bid and rebid up to $73......rejected bid and rebid up to $78......rejected bid and rebid up to $83......rejected bid and rebid up to $87......accepted Whitehouse-Downtown bid and rebid up to $73......rejected bid and rebid up to $78......rejected bid and rebid up to $83......rejected Dupont Circle-Woodley Park bid and rebid up to $73......rejected bid and rebid up to $78......rejected bid and rebid up to $83......rejected Arlington bid and rebid up to $65......rejected bid and rebid up to $70......rejected I felt like I made a great score here. The average nightly rate that is showing for the 5 days I am staying is $273 a night!!! Thanks

Going through the savingsbarn.com link using priceline- Holiday Inn Philadelphia City Line 3* Check-In Date: Saturday, July 22, 2006 Check-Out Date: Tuesday, July 25, 2006 City Line 4100 Presidential Boulevard Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19131 215-477-0200 Your Offer Price: $61.00 Extend Your Stay Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $183.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $34.91 Total Charges: $217.91 Man did I ever screw up here and learn a lesson. I did not realize that if you bid for a 2.5* hotel, and rebid a zone that doesn't have a 2.5*, that they could and would upgrade you to a 3* hotel in that zone. City Line does not have a 2.5* hotel and when I used it to rebid for a 2.5* hotel downtown it gave me a 3* in the City Line Zone. Fortunately for me a bus runs in front of my hotel and can get me downtown without any problems. Here is how I bid and rebid- 4* Downtown Zone bid and rebid up to $77......rejected bid and rebid up to $83......rejected bid and rebid up to $86......rejected bid and rebid up to $89......rejected 3* Downtown Zone bid and rebid up to $70......rejected bid and rebid up to $77......rejected bid and rebid up to $82......rejected bid and rebid up to $86......rejected 2.5* Downtown Zone bid and rebid up to $50......rejected bid and rebid up to $55......rejected bid and rebid up to $60......rejected bid..........................$61......accepted in City Line Zone for 3* hotel Live and learn.....it should work out. Thanks

Using the link through savingsbarn.com Radisson Hotel And Suites Fallview 3* Check-In Date: Tuesday, August 1, 2006 Check-Out Date: Wednesday, August 2, 2006 Niagara Falls 6733 Fallsview Blvd Niagara Falls, Ontario L2G3W6 905-356-1944 Your Offer Price: $88.00 (US dollars) Extend Your Stay Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $88.00 (US dollars) Taxes & Service Fees: $15.84 (US dollars) Total Charges: $103.84 (US dollars) The Radisson website said that the room I am getting (cityview) goes for $123 a night US. I am happy with what I got, but with patience I may have done better closer to my time of travel. I started my bidding and rebids for a 4* hotel at $65 and added $5 each time. I bid up to $90 and stopped. I started my bidding and rebids for a 3* hotel at $60 and added $4 each time until it was accepted at $88. Thanks

Thanks I will give it a try. After I look at the availability of public transportation to other zones I may expand my search area. Plenty of time to play this game of hotel hunting.

Sorry about any confusion I may have caused. $88 is the maximum amount I would like to bid, but it is not absolutely set in stone. I would prefer to have value for my money. I think that we would only use the hotel to sleep, and may not take advantage of the ammenities that the hotel has to offer.

Any suggestions on a bidding strategy? I guess every 72 hours I can make my bid, and add $3 for all my rebids until I reach my limit, change zones, or get a room. Thanks in advance for your help.

I will be arriving by train from New York at 1pm on July 29th. I wanted to stay downtown because of our 2 games at Fenway Park as well as most of the sites are in and around downtown. I have received in the mail info concerning public in Boston and will check Cambridge out. Not being familiar with the cities we are travelling to I don't want to get caught in an area I do not want to be. Thanks for the info about the Entertainment Book. I had checked the hotel section titled " Guarenteed Best Rate", but found it was giving the same price as Hotels.com, Orbitz, etc. so I for got about it. There are 3 $$$$ hotels listed for Boston. I will check out their locations and see if they will work for me. Thanks for the idea. I have plenty of time so would you have any ideas on how I should proceed? I would like to see if I could stay under my budget, and 50% off a $$$$ rack room may be over what I want to spend. I will check the hotels out to see iwhat rack rates are. Thanks again

Approximately $85. I have budgeted $2000 for the 20 nights worth of hotel rooms that I need. So far I have booked 6 nights and am $101 under budget so I could go higher if need be, and pick up some savings somewhere else.

I need 1 room for 1 night for August 1st. I would prefer to be only in the Niagara Falls zone, preferably on the Canadian side, but would take the U.S. side. I would love a 4* hotel, but realisticly can only afford a 3* hotel. I would like to stay under $100 a night after taxes and fees. If I was to bid on a 4* hotel I would have the Niagara Falls zone and 1 rebid. I would have the same 1 rebid for a 3* hotel. This is how I have bid on Priceline so far using the savingsbarn link- 4* Hotel Niagara Falls................................$65...............................rejected Add Welland.................................$70..............................rejected 3* Hotel Niagara Falls................................$60.................................rejected Add Welland................................$64.................................rejected Any help in strategies would be much appreciated.

I need 1 room for 3 nights in the Downtown Zone of Philadelphia. Would like a 4* hotel, but realisticly can only afford a 3* hotel. I would like to stay under $100 a night (after fees and taxes). If I was to bid on a 4* hotel I could bid the downtown zone, and I would have 6 rebids. If I was to bid on a 3* hotel I would have 2 rebids. Past history has shown that the 4* hotel is the Hyatt Regency Penn Landing. It has awarded bids for right around $77. The 3* hotel that comes up the most is the Marriott, Wyndham Franklin, and Hilton Garden Inn. They seem to be the winning bids between $46 anf $55. Any of these hotels would work for me because of access to public transportation, location, and the price paid for them. Any suggestions or strategies on how this might be accomplished. Thank you.

Since I was not able to get a 4* hotel for under $86 in the zones I wanted (Whitehoue, Convention Center, and Dupont Circle) I have decided to try for a 3* hotel to keep it under my $100 a night budget (after fees and taxes). I would consider the Atlington zone at the 3* level but would prefer not to. This is how I bid on Priceline using the savingsbarn link for a 3* hotel- Whitehouse-Downtown.....................$68................................rejected Add Springfield...................................$73................................rejected Then I tried- Con. Center-Capitol Hill.....................$68.................................rejected Add Springfield..................................$73.................................rejected Then I tried- Dupont Circle....................................$68..................................rejected Add Springfield.................................$73..................................rejected Then I tried- Arlington..........................................$60..................................rejected Add Springfield.................................$65..................................rejected I realize that the length of stay might be a problem, but for the time being I do not want to split my bid. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

Need 3 nights in Boston in the Downtown-Charleston zone only. It doesn't matter if it is a 4* or a 3* hotel. I may have to consider a 2* as well if need be.I would have the original bid as well as 2 rebids in each hotel * class. This is how I have bid thus far using the savingsbarn link to PRICELINE- 4* Hotel- Starting bid.......................$70...........................rejected Add Medford.....................$73............................rejected Add South Boston.............$76............................rejected 3* Hotel- Starting Bid.......................$60............................rejected Add Medford......................$65............................rejected Add South Boston.............$68............................rejected I would like to stay under $100 (after fees and taxes). Any help would be appreciated.

Using the PRICELINE link through savingsbarn.com..... July 25th through July 29th 2006 Your Offer Price: $80.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 4 Subtotal: $320.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $58.07 Total Charges: $378.07 The Marriott's website on this property is $239 a night so for $80 a night for 4 straight nights without rebidding I could not be happier. Hopefully public transportation is easily accessible. My strategy (or lack of it) was such.... Bidding for a 3* hotel... Bid Jersey City............................$65.................rejected Add Elizabeth..............................$70.................rejected Add Secausus-N. Bergen.............$75.................rejected Add Newark-Newark Airport........$80.................accepted I probably could have played this better, but in looking at the NYC area I would be well above my budget for a 3* hotel. I was trying for Jersey City for easy access to NYC, but this should work. Thanks for your website, and so there is no question in my mind I HAVE to link through savingsbarn to get to priceline.

Wow.....sorry I should have previewed my post first. It looked so nice when I typed it. For the Hilton the 1st price is booking directly with priceline. The 2nd price is an internet non refundable price for the Hilton. The third is the basic rate for the Hilton. The 4th price is the basic rate for the Westin.

Thanks for the replies. To answer a couple of questions, I bid for a 4* hotel using the White House zone as my first bid. Then I added Convention Center next and Dupoint Circle third. I just went 1 zone than added another until the last zone was Georgetown. I did not want Georgetown, but found in past history that there was no winning bids ever for Georgetown for the price I was bidding. I realize that I could pick the 1 zone I wanted and gone through the rebids, but since I had no preference I did it that way. I will try it the other way in a couple of days when I can rebid. I went to the support page and linked up to the Westin and Hilton websites. I checked out individual prices for the dates I wanted. Here is the breakdown. Date Hilton Westin Priceline Direct Non refund Basic rate Basic Rate 7-17 $259 $313 $379 $420 7-18 $259 $313 $379 $420 7-19 $259 $313 $379 $420 7-20 $259 $296 $329 $420 7-21 $259 $135 $159 $149 These prices are taken from the lowest cost available from their webistes regardless of bed selections with 2 adults. Westin did not have a non refundable internet special that I could find. The priceline cost if I took the hotel and bought it through priceline without bidding. The Westin did not show up on Priceline's list of hotels that you could book directly from their site. Thanks for the list of hotels with their star ratings. In my research I did conclude that the Westin Embassy Row and the Capitol Hilton won the majority of the 4* bids between $75 and $85. I will bid again on a 4* hotel. This time I will take 1 of the 3 zones I want and do all of my rebidding in that zone only. Thanks for any suggestions you might have.

Decided to give it a try so I brought up SavingsBarn, linked over to priceline hotels and bid. This is what I did... 4* Hotel White House zone...$65...rejected...rebid Convention Center..$68..rejected...rebid Dupont Circle.........$72...rejected...rebid Alexandria.............$75...rejected...rebid Crystal City............$78...rejected...rebid Arlington................$82...rejected...rebid Springfield.............$85...rejected...rebid Georgetown...........$86...rejected I added $1 for the Georgetown zone because past history has shown that a 4* hotel in the Georgetown zone never wins the bid, so I wanted to see if the $1 would win me the bid in the zone I wanted. Where do I go from here? I have reached the maximum I want to spend for a night ($100 after taxes and fees). I know that I can split my bid. Is it better to split 2/3 or 3/2? How can someone figure out how many 4* hotels are in each zone that wins priceline bids? Hotwire lists 1 per zone for 4* hotels listed for $217 (Dupont) and $218 (Whitehouse). Tripadvisor has several 4* hotels in each zone, but the bids seem to go to the Westin Embassy (Dupont) and Capitol Hilton (Whitehouse). Any ideas before I move to 3* hotels where I will really need help? Thanks in advance.

Since I do not have a preference in the 3 zones... all things being equal to sights, transportation, etc. I would like to get the lowest price available in either of the 3 zones. If I drop to a 3* than I would add the Arlington zone as well because in my research if I was to pay retail I was going to pay $75 a night for the Days Inn-Pentigon. That being said would I bid as Follows? 4* bidding only.... Whitehouse zone $65 Add Convention Center $68 Add Dupont Circle $72 Add Alexandria $75 Add Crystal City $78 Add Arlington $82 Add Springfield $85 If these were refused then I would have to decide if I wanted to go higher for a 4*, bid on a 3*, or consider splitting my bid. I really don't want to change hotels. Is it realistic in staying in the same hotel for 5 days and saving money? Any help or suggestions are much appreciated. Thank you.

Have not checked into 3* hotels yet.....As for the 4* hotels in looking at this site and trip advisor I would have no problem with any of the 4* hotels that have winning bids on priceline. The Westin seems to be the 4* hotel that has winning bids in the Dupont Circle Zone. The Capitol Hilton seems to be what is offered most in the White House zone. Both have winning bids that mostly fall in the $75-$85 range. None of them seem to be staying the 5 days that we will be. The Renaissance Mayflower was the winning bid for a 4 night stay from 3-16/3-20 for $84 I do not have a strategy, but I see that I would have 4 rebids for any of the zones with 4* hotels. As a tourist I have no problem with White House, Dupont Circle, or Convention Center. All have a better access to the public transportation than the Georgetown zone does, and are closer to the tourist activities. With the money I save in Baltimore I can go higher in my bidding, but I may need to save it for NYC. I have found that I can save $$$ by staying in New Jersey than NYC and transportation is very good. I think it puts me in the administrator's backyard area and yeild to their expertise when I get to NYC. Is there a formula in setting up your bids? Do you pick your maximum bid, figure in the rebid opportunities, and back the maximum bid back in equal increments? If there is a basic formula I could figure it out on my own, and yield to your experience after I come up with a strategy. As always any help is much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

We will be checking out of the Wyndham on the morning of July 17th. (Mon). In the research that I have done DC has a great subway system. If we stay in the 3 areas previously posted we can get by for an extended period of time. As in all the cities I can always rent a car (use my Entertainment Book) if need be. I had planned on taking the train from Baltimore to DC. Every city we will go has sent me a schedule for trains, light rail, buses, subways, water taxis, etc. Probably take a taxi if need be to the train station in Baltimore. The station is in downtown DC, and depending where I stay I can take a subway or taxi to the hotel. I have been doing the information hunting for a couple of months and get brochures in the mail almost everyday. I still need to map everything out once I get the hotels, airfare, etc. Before I was fortunate enough to find this website I planned on staying in Arlington at the Days Inn Pentagon. Like all the other cities I found if you do not stay in the city you save money. The room was to run $75 a night. It was 6 blocks from the subway, and access to most everything we wanted to see. After looking at the website here I found that you could get 4* hotels in the 3 zones mentioned before for between $75 and $90. It usually came up with the Westin or Capital Hilton. When taking either of the 3 zones it looks like I would have 4 rebids. Any suggestions? Should I be concerned about 5 nights in a row? I realize I can split my bid and have a better chance, but would hate to haul luggage around for the 4 hours between hotels. Need to check out the 3* hotels in that area. Like I mentioned before I planned on paying $75 a night in Arlington so what do I have to lose? I appreciate all the help, and apologize for my ignorance in how things work, and how things are done. I appreciate everyone's patience.