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Big thing is PRICELINE guarantees ONLY a room that will accommodate 2 people. HOTWIRE allows you to specify the # of people (3 will increase per/night price but no hotel will give you 1 king bed to accommodate 3 people so you're assured of 2 beds in a more upscale -- 4 or 5 stars -- hotel). Sometimes you can ask nicely, try the $20 trick or merely pay for the upgrade (often you will be asked if you want to upgrade for "X" dollars/night at check-in). But you're visitking over a popular weekend with Halloween and a national rodeo that will bring in lots of tourists. As far as getting cute with the price, you are playing with fire. Priceline's business model is to offer you the room at its cost, as long as it makes its money back plus additional fee, so once you hit the minimum pricepoint, you are accepted. So if you prefer to get a 5-star at $125/night and begin at $160/night with hopes of Venetian, that will only work if Venetian's cost to Priceline is under $160 -- and you could get the Trump for $150 just as you might've for $125. And when you get to the Trump, the front-desk person won't have any idea what you paid or that you bid extra in "hopes" of an upgrade -- because Priceline pocketed the overbidding monies. Again HOTWIRE may be preferable -- business model is different because it marks up its inventory by a set amount/percent (PL will well at cost because overbidders more than offset the at-cost winning bidders). Related to Hotwire, two identifiable Trump amenities are "non-smoking" and its lack of a "casino" icon. So if a Hotwire search shows a 5-star as a casino, it's going to be for sure the Palazzo, Venetian or Bellagio (Hotwire has the Bellagio more than Venetian from what I've observed)...and you won't be at the Trump. Finally, do your homework on the resopective hotels' websites, scour for promotional rates so that you don't overbid/overpay ona room type you could've had cheaper 9and with flexibility of canceling/changing up to 72 hours of arrival date). Good luck.

Like the FAQs direct, I would do some research on what the hotels' retail rates are. From the proprietary websites (harrahs.com, MGM hotels' linking site and Venetian/Palazzo and Trump websites). Make sure you click on the deals/specials/hot rates links as these may be pretty good rates vs the standard rates. I would also take a gander at Hotwire, as Priceline generally has similar inventory (you can bid/win cheaper on PL) and this should be somewhat of an indicator. The other factor you should consider is whether you can split your stay -- i.e. say you get a great rate for Wed-Thurs at Venetian/Trump, would you be alright moving to, say, the Mirage for Fri-Sat where the rates typically are sky-high for 4-5 stars (especially 5 stars ... often in the $300 range). Overall budget (preferred and max) should be considered as well. Hope this helps...I'm sure thereuare will have more specific insight, but you need to do some legwork to get an idea of what's out there and at what price before proceeding Especially when you don't want to "win" at what you think is a great rate and then find out that a direct rate was cheaper (recently a colleague blindly was successful for another city for $20/night more and then was vowing how horrible PL was and how she'd never use PL again). Good luck

Howdy, if you haven't been to Vegas before, the way to get the mentioned rates ($45-35-35) at Imperial Palace is going to harrahs.com and clicking on the hot DEALS link. The rates via that link will be a bit cheaper than the standard rates. In the meantime if you find a better deal, booking direct affords the opportunity to cancel without penalty (and with full 1st night deposit refunded) 3+ days before arrival (if trip canceled/changed). One tip when booking and when arriving -- ask for a higher floor and quieter room. You do NOT want a Strip View room as tempting as that may sound -- I know it's your 1st time in Vegas but Strip View rooms face Harrahs which has music going until 2-4 a.m. and IP's rooms aren't very soundproofed. Also, you do not want a room facing the exact back of hotel because there is a driveway where all the shuttles/tour buses go and apparently that is very noisy. Finally with a deluxe room being the main option for your dates, you will be in the tower -- if for some reason Capri rooms are mentioned, insist on the tower (Capri is motel-like structure behind the hotel) even if you end up with 2 double beds instead of a king. When I stayed there in April (solo trip with budget emphasis like yours'), staff at front desk was pleasant/accommodating and my room was fine (I had called Harrahs reservations and asked that my preferences be added to the res). PS If looking for a quick cheap bit to eat toward lunch-ish, Pizza Palace in the IP has really good homemade specials (pizza, pasta) at a great price (under $5)....rest of the restaurants inside weren't so appetizing-looking (do NOT eat at the buffet there-the coupon you get for Harrahs or Flamingo at checkin is well worth it). Good luck and have a nice trip

Howdy, I have a pretty good idea that this 3-star Near Strip South is the Doubletree Club and would appreciate any validation/insight from those familiar with Vegas. I just need a fairly inexpensive but not nasty, lol, hotel room for Sat 8/30 and prefer to be within reasonable distance of the Strip. Hotwire is the only option regarding the Doubletree because Priceline's similar zone also includes the Courtyard Henderson which is 5+ miles to the east and farther away from LV Blvd. Plus both properties can be gotten for a retail rate under $100 (often Marriott inventory goes at a greater discount than other chains' inventory). There are also some Hampton Inns, Residence Inns that could possibly be in PL's similar zone (Res Inn will have a "suite" and/or "kitchenette" icon). Normally I can do a Hotwire Package search and match up the icons but even with alt dates the Doubletree does not appear on Packages results. Here is what I'm looking at: $55/night (Doubletree prepaid rate is $69 right now so a good sign) with 6 amenities Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center Golf Nearby Tennis Nearby Traveler Rating(4.0 out of 5) -- Doubletree TA rating is 4+ Based on: 40+ customer reviews -- Doubletree TA 47 total reviews Last Reviewed:July 2008 -- last Doubletree TA review 7/15 Address: address search puts Doubletree just inside northernmost boundary of Near Strip South (Courtyard is clearly in Henderson zone and the Dean Martin Dr Marriott propreties are clearly geographically in Near Strip West zone) Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I nprmally would bid on PRICELINE but for this area HOTWIRE is the only alternative and i want to make sure that my thought process is pretty close to a sure thing. Thank you!

Just an educated guess but it is probably the Trump Hotel Las Vegas. The Venetian is very rare on Hotwire for some reason and the Bellagio has been more common on Hotwire (the history has been vice versa on Priceline). Reason I am guessing The Trump is that it is entirely non-smoking and Trip Advisor reviews have mentioned a kitchenette (or enough, i.e. microwave, to be considered), as well as The Trump being very aggressive price-pointwise on the opaque hotel sites like Hotwire and Priceline. Also you should be aware that there apparently is a $14/day valet parking charge (no self-parking from my research) that would be an extra cost; if you don't have a vehicle be aware of the hotel's location (a good distance from LV Blvd behind Fashion Show Mall). Hope this helps and good luck.

Most likely it is the Red Rock Casino & Resort, a newer upscale casino hotel in NW Vegas. Be aware that this property may charge an additional $20/night resort fee. That said it is very well regarded, from a customer-service standpoint and ammenities standpoint. You will need a car as it is not near the Strip and has limited transportation options (i.e. $40-50 cab ride to Strip) and not next to a cluster of restaurants/shopping (some are nearby but via car). One other possibility for the location is the J.W. Marriott which doesn't usually come up on Hotwire -- Red Rocks does especially for Sun-->Thurs nights. If you haven't been to Vegas before, FYI that Strip West and Near Strip West are two totally different areas. NSW is the area just west of the Strip with 4-star properties including the Rio and Palms. I would also suggest looking at Harrah's hot Deals rates (there is a link through this website, I believe) as you may get close to or beat HOTWIRE rates. They can fluctuate quite a bit so check back every day -- right now pretty much in the $150/night range for most properties including Caesars. Good luck.

In case this is helpful, I've stayed the Springs in two of the zones (South and Airport) and highly recommend the South zone. You wont go wrong with the Crowne Plaza (newly renovated) or the somewhat older Doubletree a both are near a lot of shops/restaurants as well as I-25. Airport likely is Radisson, pretty isolated away from stuff (unless you're flying out the next day or coming back from a flight) although comfy beds. North zone is several miles to the north so a bit closer if Denver/Castle Rock is your aim (to or from).

Great win -- still a great price for a high-demand weekend and an awesome hotel (its restaurant is considered not officially part of the hotel so it's considered 2.5-star even though it's overall better than many 3 stars and on the 16th Street Mall killer location). One word of caution regarding Denver and 2.5-star bidding -- be very very cautious as Priceline has recently extended the Downtown Denver zone to the north to accommodate the Holiday Inn Central (industrial area, not that well-regarded to be minimally kind) and some other so-so properties that are nowhere near downtown (zone goes to I-25 and 60th Ave and HI is at Bannock between 58th/59th). TOBB showed a win at the HI recently and I (I live in Denver) was a bit shocked. From what I can tell a 3-star bid's only drawback (if upgraded from 2.5 star) for those wanting downtown/non-isolated areas is the Red Lion (isolated next to Invesco Field) but it's unlikely to come up if there's a Broncos home game the day after/day of (Burnsley is in a residential area very close to DT, typically comes up higher $$$ than 2.5-star properties and would be other non-DT 3 star though usually not likely to be an upgrade). Just thought I'd throw this out there....in case anyone is modeling future bids after this one. Be aware of the changes to PL's Downtown Denver zone -- and make sure you are OK with the Holiday Inn Central (check TripAdvisor) and Red Lion before bidding. PS thereuare, one other related Downtown denver change: Holiday Inn Downtown (it's actually downtown on Court Place) has been upgraded from 2.5-star to 3.0-star as Crowne Plaza. It wasn't on the original PL Denver list as it rarely came up as a HI.

Howdy, Just thought I'd chime in with a few general observations/tips that may be helpful. I'm somewhat experienced at PL's nuances and have been studying San Diego for a future trip. I wouldn't be able to give you a specific bidding strategy per se (not gigantically knowledgeable about every SD zone) #1, make sure that every time you rebid, the zones' star categories are the same as when you bid the previous day (i.e. a zone that shows at a max 2.5-star could have a Holiday Inn renovated to a Crowne Plaza tomorrow and thus become 3-star overnight)...so you need to double-check each individual zone before doing any rebid strategy (I just saw an online posting of someone who added what he thought was a free a SD PL rebid zone and he got burned with a 30+ mile commute from Carlsbad to his intended area). This website's FAQs address this and the how-to's. #2, along the lines of star expectations, please keep in mind that PL can always upgrade you to a higher-class property -- i.e. you bid 2.5 stars and there's a 3-star in PL's inventory for the same acceptable zone, yes you can be awarded the Doubletree Golf Resort that you're trying to avoid. I live in Denver and we have a horrific "downtown" Denver 3-star (Red Lion) that is by a stadium in a non-residential area two miles from downtown, and folks who've bid 2.5 stars (the former Holiday Inn and also the Courtyard by Marriott in the heart of dt) were "upgraded" to this property. Same goes, especially with gas prices and many folks wanting better-mileage cars, with bidding on a compact/midsize and being upgraded to fullsize on car bids etc. Also, 4-star hotels can be upgraded to a Resort #3, Given the size of your family and your hope for two rooms to accommodate all 8 of you (6 kids plus you and your other half), are you prepared to receive an accepted PL bid and then find out that you received two rooms, each with one queen bed? That's PL's obligation -- for every hotel room that is awarded via winning bid, PL's rules state only that each hotel room is promised to accommodate up to 2 people total. I've personally, depending on hotel occupancy, had luck in getting a room to my desires (i.e. 2 double beds or 1 king, etc) but you're at the whim/business needs of a hotel that released certain unsold rooms to PL to sell on its behalf. Especially during the beginning of vacation season (kids out of school etc so lots of families needing rooms with two beds in touristy places) in a desirable tourist destination, this is a great risk; sometimes the hotel will offer to upgrade you at no charge, other times anything different than the Pl room type will be an extra set amount/night (i.e. $20, $30, $40 etc) and could be substantial based on 2 rooms for 8-9 days. As such, I would highly recommend that you consider Hotwire because you can specify the number of adults and number of children in your original search, and the pricing will be based on accommodating that number of people with sufficient bedding etc. Hotwire may even tip you on which property is available, based on the icons for the properties showing. I apologize if these thoughts/ideas mess up your strategy at all, I would just hate for you to get the one ornery hotel that gives you a hard time at checkin and ruins what sounds like a very exciting vacation. Perhaps thereuare would have additional insight/ideas. Either way good luck and have an awesome trip!

Certainly not surprising as many folks from there have come over to this site. Wouldnt be suprised if that's how theyre getting stuff done these days, between all the bickering (3 more experienced members there and/or moderators were in the midst of chastizing the newbies for not fully/completely posting winning bids properly for Vegas -- it was pretty pathetic). TOBB's big "problem" is that this website comes up via Google searches pretty darn easily, lol.

I'd suggest that you research existing rates for Saturday night. Especially doublecheck for esaver/weekend kind of rates that may have just been released to fill inventory (for Marriott promo code "MEB" sometimes works). The thing is, sometimes you can get decent retail rates depending on hotel occupancy/inventory. (This website has very convenient links to most hotel chains, travel sites.) Once you determine the current 4-star rates for Saturday, then you also know your bidding maximum -- i.e. if Marriott has a $99 weekend rate, you wouldn't want to go much above a $90 bid given PL's built-in fees. You'd be surprised -- often folks get into the bidding excitement (ala eBay) where there is the potential to pay more than the current rate (that's why you need to do some research using the hotel's own website et al). Before bidding, also take a gander at this board's winning bid list -- sometime you can get some excellent strategic info as far as pricepoint, most likely hotels, etc (I just did this for a successful Montreal bid). Good luck,,,hope this helps.

First of all, I wanted to say a big thank you to Sputter1234 and this board in general on my successful bids. I've been dilligently bidding on Montreal for Memorial Day weekend for several months, with a back-up Holiday Inn Select $99/night reservation and knowing that the 4-star rate can wildly vary and the 3-star zone has the Doubletree danger. Have mostly bid at 4-stars, going as high as $85...started in the $50s with 3-stars and had to rebid every day or so (no free rebid zones). When I saw Sputter1234's success for the Hyatt Regency -- regarded by many as a 4-star -- I began in the $60s (60, 63, 66 and then 68) for only the weekend days (Fri May 23-Mon May 26). This is because many hotels offer PL different inventory for weekend nights than weekday nights. Reinforcing my mindset/strategy was that the Hyatt shows a $244/night retail rate and the Doubletree (shudder) was hovering at around $150/night. The details of my bids: Accepted @ $68/night for May 23, 24, 25 Rejected for same rate for Mon May 26 on the "add a night" feature -- counteroffered $77 for the same hotel Accepted @ $77 for May 26 This saved about $135-140 over my existing back-up hotel, even with the extra costs for the last night ($9 more for the room, plus PL's hidden $8-9 fee in the "taxes and fees") and knowing that some rates (incl PL inventory) may go down a bit in the next month. The peace of mind in knowing I'll be staying at a top centrally located hotel makes it all worth it. I couldn't have succeeded on this calculated bid without this board and Sputter1234's info!

Based on this person's previous post (Doubletree Plaza) for nearby dates, my hunch is that this winning bid was for Montreal. The Hyatt and Doubletree (there are not alot of Doubletree Plazas as well -- another indentifier) are 3-star properties on the downtown Montreal zone.

Based on my own experience, I would highly recommend adhering to the rules on the HOTWIRE offer page that's tied to the coupon. When I attempted some bids last fall (with the 2008 coupon), I noticed that some rates adjusted when searched from the HOTWIRE link vs. from www.hotwire.com. The other thing is that multiple books' hotel deals may not be honored (there may be a one/customer/address kind of requirement). And finally regarding the other features, you have to dig in the fine print for the details -- i.e. package discount does not apply to hotel/car package. What I recommend using the HOTWIRE $10 hotel coupon for a one-night, lower-cost stay at an identifiable and desirable Hotwire hotel. For example, I used mine on a hotel that's normally bunched in a Priceline 2-star zone that's near a ski resort -- it's a Laquinta that is amazingly rated 3-stars by Hotwire and in an area with not-so-nice 2-PL stars-- and was $59/night. Along those lines, maybe an airport hotel before/after/at end of a stay when you have an early/late flight and need to be close to the airport zone where most 3-stars can often be getable at a moderate price. But I can't see using the $10 on HOTWIRE for anything more expensive, unless there's a Priceline zone with a totally undesirable property (say, the Strat/Sahara in Vegas North Zone when you see one of the Harrahs' properties on Hotwire). FYI...just from my experiences. Ron

Funny thing is I've been to Vegas alot and been by the Westin alot -- never stayed there based on logistics (travel dates, cost, other travel offers, rejected bids, et al) but would've been quite happy with it -- and can't understand why folks avoid this property. Yes, it is not precisely on the Strip, but it is wayyy closer to Center Strip (i.e. Bellagio, Caesars, lots of the other main casinos) than, say, the Luxor (which looks pretty on the outside but...) or Excalibur (which seems like it'd have been Ok if you had little kids and it was the 1980s). It's maybe a good half-block to a block from the back-side entrances of the Flamingo or Ballys (side Ballys entrance leads to Monorail). And being smaller than most casinos and a 100% non-smoking facility, you don't have to walk a mile through a smoke-filled casino just to get to the guest elevators. Also being Westin, that means the way upgraded Starwood Westin bedding. As such, I'm a bit perplexed and thought I'd throw my two cents in. I'd love to get the Westin on my next PL bid.

Just a friendly observation -- you cant narrow down your hoped-for hotels too much as there are a lot of other variables. For example, if you bid for a 3-star in the South Strip zone and PL has extra Westin inventory, you can be complimentarily upgraded to the Westin. Or just maybe, even though it hasn't come up in quite some time, the Trop could somehow possibly show up. Plus Luxor and Planet Hollywood are both 4-star properties in the South zone -- just because their rates may be slightly higher than the published rates for the other hotels doesn't mean the others are more likely to be PL winning bids. If you want an almost-guarantee of the hotel before having your credit-card billed, HOTWIRE would be a much better alternative than PRICELINE (if you can ID the hotel based on amenities beforehand). (Make sure you use the links via this website.) FYI for whatever it is worth, just trying to be helpful as a frequent Vegas traveler -- I hope you get a hotel you are happy with and have a great trip. Good luck!

Another guess is that it might be the Opus Hotel Montreal. I'm searching Montreal for other dates and the Hotwire rate plus the savings amount comes to exactly what Expedia is showing for this property. The only discrepancy is that TripAdvisor has much fewer reviews (80+) and much higher rating (4.8?) than the HOTWIRE listing shows, plus thisproperty is a boutique-style hotel. But the price matches verbatim, to the penny, the nightly rate -- which matches the only room type that is available (1 king bed). FYI

Pretty methodical bid, i.e. adding free rebid zones as was hoping to stick toward $75/night but wanted to finalize plans. Tried bidding a few different days, to ensure that additional inventory didnt open up. Considered dropping to 3-star as Holiday Inn appeared to be in inventory (based on HOTWIRE results) but we kinda wanted to be in the city center for this trip. Fri 2/22 - Mon 2/25 $90/night Used savingsbarn PRICELINE link a couple days ago (on 1/26). P.S. If anyone else ends up at the Sheraton or the Hilton across the street and needs a car rental for part of his/her trip, FYI that Alamo often offers decent one-way rentals (pick up downtown, drop at airport...just hafta take the city bus from airport to town upon arrival). Saved 2 days rental and parking that way. In case this is an helpful option....

FYI that, while searching on PL vacations and regular hotel searches, the Circus Circus came up as a 2.5 star property (with options for the manor rooms or tower rooms). I know this doesnt absolutely mean that PL bidding with be the same, but it is pretty likely. As Circus Circus, Sahara and Strat are major PL impediments to 3-star bidding (especially if Harrahs, Flamingo etc are alright), thought I'd pass this along -- as Circus is easily the most of the 3 North Strip evils. I apologize if this has been posted or discussed before, but I just noticed it tonight and thought I'd pass it along. ron

The Orleans is my cancellable back-up reservation (it's already sold out for Sat night the 2nd), which I've had since May 2007. As far as I can see, the Gold Coast (on Flamingo, offstrip and next to the Rio, which has 6 very regular shuttles to all the Harrahs properties) is available. My aim was to bid for hopefully a LVStrip 4-star at about the same cost as my Orleans reservation and, if not, then stick with the Orleans res. Keep on getting $139/night counteroffers (my stay is 3 nights 2/1-4 so I'm guessing this rate is less than what you will get because you're not staying Sunday). Have gone as high as $105, which is pretty much my ceiling (would be a net of $40 more than my Orleans reservation and that's already a decent buffet/person, lol). As far as the actual bidding, it is quite tricky, with the rebidding in the zones that don't have 4 stars and in hybrid combinations. For the latter, one wrong checkbox could mean disaster. I do include StripWest because I'd be thrilled with Palms/Rio. With the 72 hour cancel policy taking effect Tuesday, I'm probably going to stick with the Orleans after a couple more bids (probably unsuccessful lol) tonight. Good luck...

Lol, the SAME thing has apparently happened to my company's ENTIRE servers (several locations, 7k+ employees).

Howdy if it helps, I'm working on the same thing. Already have the Orleans booked at a $315 total cost (with taxes, fees and "resort fee"). Been bidding, rebidding last few days...$139 is counteroffer (a few days ago it was $169). Also keep in mind that the Luxor has some soprt of email special at $150 for the 3 days ($450 + tax) and that's probably the lowest 4-star published rate (it's immediately payable and nonrefundable/adjustable) Have gradually bid from $65-70ish up to $95 as I'm trying to stay at about the same cost as my existing Orleans res. So if bidding I would start around $80-90, use rebidding zones and the hybrids. Of course this could change as other stuff is cancelled (I have to do something by Sunday as my Orleans res must be cancled by late Mon/early Tues if I am, successful). Been using the SavingsBarn PRICELINE link. FYI in case this is helpful. ron

Textbook bid with obviously plenty of time to spare -- but wanted to nail down a 3-star and be done with it Had noticed that Hotwire was showing the Crowne Plaza (formerly the Sheraton) for $49 or $52 (depending on the day) and the ammenities matched up to Hotwire Packages for a 3-star South property. Over a few days, began at $37, $41 (with free rebid),...then in $1 increments until $46 was accepted. At $42, I received a $12 counteroffer (if I up my bid by $12, I can rebid and the unnamed hotel will be accepted at $56) and ignored it -- my experience is that if you rebid 1/4th to 1/3rd of the counter-offer amount, that'll do it (1/3rd of $12 upped was my accepted $46 bid -- $42 + $4). For any others looking at this zone and 3-stars, be very careful to check Hotwire first -- Priceline's built-in fees tend to be more than Hotwire's so, say, a $49 Hotwire rate may be the same total cost as a Priceline $47 bid with the built-in fees. Used the SB link to initiate my bids.

Yup, the funny thing is how she apparently is the only person with access to hotel lists and thus TOBB's hasn't been updated in a good year (think of all the rezoning, nw properties and reclassifying that's gone on in big cities like Vegas, et al). If anyone were to place a PL bid with any degree of confidence, he/she would want to come to this website and use the SB link in appreciation. As far as being banned, I will attest that her absence has definitely made an impact. Twice in the last 6 months or so, I've posted polite but very direct comments about the need to be respectful to those who aren't as travel-savvy or Priceline-savvy when they don't dot an "I" or cross a "T" in providing info. The one moderator launched into a regular who'd posted via cellphone/tex message and thus had abbreviated some words -- while saving a poster with invaluable last-minute strategy that worked. No doubt if She was still active, my account would've been shut down. TOBB is an OK resource for winning bids et al, but this site has way more meat and potatoes. Way more accurate hotels/zone info. And is way more friendlier, hands-on (especially to the newbies, who you'd think you'd want to come back, right?). TOBB et al is all kinda amusing.

Thanks for the input. Unfortunately your guess is a bit off. I mentioned that no breakfast ammenity was noted, so it ruled out the type of budget-conscious properties that are normally 2.5-star that Hotwire rates as 3-star. No way would Extended Stay be a 3-star, and it wouldnt fit the description anyhow (i.e. no suites or condo designation and the other stuff like kitchenette). Just adding this info in case someone else is looking at Vegas hotels and comes across this thread. Would be interesting to see what property this is, though (though I aint willing to take a chance myself).