Hermionegio

Just wanted to inform that this thread can closed, as we had to cancel this trip for personal reasons. Thank you!

Ok thereuare, I will close the thread when I will know for sure how we will book our accodomation. Thank you!

I just wanted to inform that we no longer booked this hotel and we are still searching for a hotel in Boston. This thread can be closed, thank you.

Thank you for your reply, thereuare. Don't get me wrong, I am well aware that it's a very good deal, I acknowledged it myself. I was just curious to know whether I could still be eligible for SPG benefits, but of course the answer won't affect my final decision. To answer your question yes, my plans are firm, I already have flight tickets. I started looking for hotels and found this deal by chance and I think I'll go thorough. I will update this thread as soon as I proceed with either Priceline or Hotwire.

Thank you Aaron. I thought the first option could be the Sheraton too, but I wanted to double check. Considering overall Boston's prices, I believe it's a very good deal. I recently subscribed to the SPG program of Starwood Hotels, though I never had the chance to use it. In case I'll proceed with either Hotwire or Priceline Express, do you think I could "submit" my reservation to the SPG's account, once I receive confirmation that is actually the Sheraton? I know I'm just nitpicking but, for instance, since apparently the Sheraton doesn't have in-room free WiFi which SPG basic memberships allows, it's a little amenity I'll love to enjoy, if I can.

I apologize for not closing my previous thread, I posted a follow-up. Thanks a lot!

We decided to go on to the hotel we already booked. Thank you very much.

EDIT: My mistake: the price for option #2 is actually $ 180. Thanks.

Hello everyone, can you please help me ID the following 4* hotels options in Boston from 08/13-08/17? We are 2 adults. Option #1 Zone: Copley Square - Back Bay 4* $ 108 FULL AMENITIES: Pet friendly, Indoor pool(s), Smoke-free rooms, Fitness center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business center, Internet access, Spa services, Accessible for visually impaired, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Accessible parking, Roll-in shower Option #2 Zone: Copley Square - Back Bay 4* $ 201 FULL AMENITIES: Pet friendly, Boutique hotel, Smoke-free rooms, Fitness center, Restaurant(s), Internet access, Golf nearby Thank you very much!

Hi AaronJB! I added a post to that thread, which I honestly thought it was closed, sorry!

thereuare, sorry for not posting any further reply to this thread, but I genuinely thought it was closed and did not see your last post. My bad! We ended up booking another hotel in the end because a few friends decided to join us in that trip. Thank you very much and, again, my apologies!

Hi everyone, I'll be in Istanbul for New Year's Eve and, even though I already booked a refundable hotel as a back-up plan, I'd like to try to find some interesting deal on Hot.wire or Price.line. Using the BidderHelper I found a few very good deals for 5* hotels on Hotwire, can someone please help me to ID them? TAKSIM SQUARE - ISTIKLAL AVENUE - GALATASARAY LISESI $ 107 - Full amenities: Free Internet, Pet friendly, Restaurant(s), Business center, Internet access, Spa services BEYOGLU SOUTH - GALATA TOWER - KARAKOY PORT 1st hotel: $ 88, Full amenities: Free breakfast, Free Internet, Fitness center, Restaurant(s), Internet access 2nd hotel: $ 110, Full Amenities: Free Internet, Boutique hotel, Indoor pool(s), Fitness center, Pool(s), Business center, Internet access, Spa services DOLMABAHCE PALACE - ORKATOY MOSQUE - VODAFONE ARENA - BESIKTAS 1st: $ 174, Full amenities: Pet friendly, Indoor pool(s), Fitness center, Pool(s), Business center, Internet access, Tennis nearby, Accessible for visually impaired, Accessible for hearing impaired, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Accessible parking, Roll-in shower 2nd: $ 170, Full amenities: Free parking, Free Internet, Boutique hotel, Indoor pool(s), Fitness center, Pool(s), Business center, Internet access, Spa services, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Accessible parking, Roll-in shower Thank you very much in advance!

Unfortunately they removed that offer and added today a new one at $ 490, which is far beyond my budget. Oh well, thanks a lot anyway!

Ahaha, great news then! Thank you! I will update this thread as soon as I book the hotel.

Hi, I searched with BetterBidding for 4 and 5 stars hotels in Bruges, Belgium, from 12/30/14 to 01/02/15. I found an interesting offer for a 5*, i.e. $ 282 with the following amenities: Free Internet, Indoor pool(s), Smoke-free rooms, Fitness center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business center, Internet access, Spa services, Accessible parking, Roll-in shower Hotwire site says that the last person got the Hotel Dukes Palace (which, according to TripAdvisor, could actually fit the description) but I wanted to double check with you guys. Thank you in advance!

I recently ran into a great deal at the Albus hotel, 4* around $ 165 per night for a Superior Room and free cancelation and booked it. I searched (using your links) both PRICELINE and HOTWIRE till the very end but everything considered, I'm quite satisfied. I can't really express how much grateful I am for your help, I'll probably ask for your advice quite soon because I'd love to win a PRICELINE bid. :) Thanks!

Thank you so much, that's what I thought about the airport distance. My last attempt with Priceline was 2 days ago, for the 5*. To be honest, I'd could keep trying but as I mentioned, I realized I did non calculate correctly my maximum bid because I did't consider taxes and fees. So now it should be $ 165: even harder, don't you think?

Yesterday night Hotwire proposed a 5* hotel in the City Centre (which I guessed was the Grand Hotel Amrath) at $ 157; I didn't even have the time to click on "Book now" that it was already gone and in 10/15 minutes prices for the areas I selected changed something like 6/7 times. Wow, now I perfectly know what you mean, thereuare! :D Timing is essential, but I won't give up and I'll keep monitoring. Some further questions: 1) When I try to ID a hotel in Hotwire, can I rely on the distance from the airport or should I only consider the amenities? A little example: I'm monitoring a hotel in Canal Belt West Jordan area. Amenties are quite common (in full, thanks to BiddingHelper, are: Free Internet, Smoke Free Rooms, Business Center, Internet access) but I can also see that TA gives it 4 out of 5 and, most of all, it's supposed to be 6,8 mi. far from Schipol Airport. If I try to check all those info at Hotels.com and on TA, the only hotel matching these data is the Dikker and Thijs Fenice hotel. However, I'm also monitoring a hotel in City Centre Dam square, whose full amenities are Free Internet, Fitness Center, Restaurant(s), Business Center, Wheelchair accessible, far from Schipol Airport 7,1 mi and TA gives it only 3.5/5 (even though Hotwire says that's reccomended by 95% of customers). Checking the same sites, there are only two hotels that are far from Schipol 7,1 mi. (i.e. the Ambassade and the Notting Hill) but both have 4.5/5 on TA and amenties do not quite match. At another check at TA, it seems more the NH Barbizon, which has 3.5/5 and same amenities, but is far from Schipol 7.9 mi and not 7.1. mi. 2) In case I'd want to give Priceline another shot, what strategy should I follow for a 4* hotel (considering there's just one zone for free re-bid)? Also, I realized my maximum amount for 5* not only was too much (as I did not consider the additional fees and taxes at the beginning, so I should decrease the amount to $ 165) but it's clearly too low to win a bid, at least at the moment. 3) Is it true that I should stop trying to bid at Priceline for a couple of weeks and then try again? I apologize for my numerous questions, but you're all so kind that I dared to ask more! :) Thanks!

Thank you very much, thereuare, I'm more relaxed now! :) Priceline I'm afraid is unsuccessful for me, for the budget I have. I'll probably go on with Hotwire, but it seems hotels change all the time, that's why I can still figure out what should I pick: is it possible that the Hotwire hotel posted previously did already change?

Sorry for the double post, but apparently I am no longer able to edit my last one. I'm a bit worried now because I ran into several very bad reviews about Hotwire: awful customer care, people who arrived at their hotel and found out their reservation was canceled without their knowledge, refunds refused in case of wrong star rating and so on. Now, I apologize if this is not the right section of the forum to discuss this but obviously, before proceeding with any reservation whatsoever, I want at least to be sure that the service I'm using is reliable. In fact, I found out that whereas Priceline has a 4 out of 5 stars rating on TrustPilot, Hotwire has only 1 out of 5. Am I worrying too much?

Thank you so much for your help. Can I also ask what should my strategy be in case I'd try to win a 4* with Priceline (considering there is just one zone for free re-bids, in this case)? Also, apart from the hotel list, is there any suggestion in trying to ID some possible hotels beforehand? Again, thanks!

Thank you so much yellowdog, for all your answers! If the City Centre is really the Swissotel, it would be really interesting, even though it is now at $161 instead of $157. Does Hotwire increase prices a bit during the weekend? Is that the reason? In your experience, how reliable Hotwire's messages are or, at least how much can we consider them a reference? I'm asking because the two Canal Belt hotels have apparently changed now, after a new search: CANAL BELT JORDAAN 4* ($ 142): FULL AMENITIES: Free Internet, Smoke Free Rooms, Business Center, Internet access (according to Hotwire, the last person got the Dikker And Thijs Fenice this time, last time it was The Albus) CANAL BELT PLANTAGE 4* ($ 100): FULL AMENITIES: Free Internet, Smoke Free Rooms, Restaurant(s), Business Center, Self service laundry, Internet access, Accessible for the blind, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Wheelchair accessible, Accessible bathroom, Roll-in shower (and last person got the NH Caransa) The amenities of the second one have completely changed, hence I guess it is not the same hotel I posted previously about. But maybe I'm wrong. On a side note, I read an article with some tips about Priceline's bidding. One of them states that in order to bid, we should check the Express Deal rate for the same area and hotel rating we chose to bid for and, if it's still too high (compared to the maximum amount we are willing to bid), we should wait for the Express Deal to decrease: is that true? Again, thanks a lot!

Any help, please?

That's a very good question. I guess I could wait a little while to see what happens with Priceline, I'm just afraid I could lose other options. To be honest Amsterdam is really giving me a hard time with hotels; from what I read on TA it's really rare to find a 4* hotel that's really a 4*, I read lots of very bad reviews for most of them, that's why with Priceline I opted for a 5*. If I decide to go in a 4* I have to be sure to know in advance the name of the hotel and I perfectly know that Priceline isn't the right choice, in this case. Hotwire, on the other hand, gives you the chance to try to ID the hotel it has deals for and if I'm unsuccessful as well, I'd still have AirBnb. So, in the end, I think I'll proceed with Hotwire at the moment. Just a question: if I use BiddingHelper, I still use BB's link for Hotwire, right? I just want to be sure to use your links. I made a new search in Hotwire, this time I added other zones, the closest ones to the City Centre and Central Canal Jordaan. The overall results, currently, are: CITY CENTRE, DAM SQUARE AREA 4* ($ 157) FULL AMENITIES: Smoke Free Rooms, Fitness Center, Restaurant(s), Business Center, Self service laundry, Internet access Tripadvisor reviews: 4 out of 5 Far from Schipol Airport 7,1 mi. Hotwire customer reviews: 75% ok (Hotwire's message: the last person got NH Barbizon Palace) CANAL BELT JORDAAN 4* ($ 138) FULL AMENITIES: Free Internet, Smoke Free Rooms, Business Center, Internet access Tripadvisor reviews: 4 out of 5 Far from Schipol Aiport 6,8 mi. (Hotwire's message: the last person got The Albus Hotel) CANAL BELT EAST PLANTAGE 4* ($ 133) FULL AMENITIES: Free Internet, Restaurant(s), Business Center, Internet access Far from Schipol Aiport 7,48 mi. Hotwire customer reviews: 75% ok (Hotwire's message: the last person got NH Schiller) MUSEUM QUARTER VONDELPARK 4* ($ 137) FULL AMENITIES: Pet friendly, Boutique Hotel, Smoke Free Rooms, Restaurant(s), Business Center, Self service laundry, Internet access, Spa Services, Accessible bathroom Tripadvisor reviews: 4 out of 5 Far from Schipol Aiport 5,6 mi. Hotwire customer reviews: 90% ok (Hotwire's message: the last person got NH Amsterdam Centre) APOLLOLAAN RAI AMSTEL CANAL 4* ($ 123) FULL AMENITIES: Free Internet, Smoke Free Rooms, Fitness Center, Restaurant(s), Business Center, Self service laundry, Internet access, Spa Services Tripadvisor reviews: 3,5 out of 5 Far from Schipol Aiport 6,1 mi. Hotwire customer reviews: 85% ok APOLLOLAAN RAI AMSTEL CANAL 5* ($ 145) FULL AMENITIES: Free Internet, Indoor pool(s), Smoke Free Rooms, Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business Center, Self service laundry, Internet access, Spa Services, Accessible path of travel, Accessible bathroom Tripadvisor reviews: 4,5 out of 5 Far from Schipol Aiport 6,1 mi. Hotwire customer reviews: 95% ok (Hotwire's message: the last person got Hotel Okura Amsterdam) Apparently, prices decreased a little bit.

Thank you very much for your help, thereuare! You were right, the bid has been unsuccessful. Do you think I should wait a little while and try again in the future, hoping that the rates get low a little bid? I read the FAQ and I know that time doesn't really affect the bidding (meaning that sometimes it can help and sometimes not), I was just wondering. Meanwhile I guess I should probably try to find out about HOTWIRE deals: do you think is it possible to find out what hotels are they? I checked at Hotwire whether or not those hotels are still available, they are and now BiddingHelper.com is showing some more amenities for the City Center one (yesterday it didn't). So, to sum up: CITY CENTRE, DAM SQUARE AREA ($ 161) FULL AMENITIES: Smoke Free Rooms, Fitness Center, Restaurant(s), Business Center, Self service laundry, Internet access Tripadvisor reviews: 4 out of 5 Far from Schipol Airport 7,1 mi. Hotwire customer reviews: 75% ok CANAL CENTRAL BELT JORDAAN ($ 140) FULL AMENITIES: Free Internet, Smoke Free Rooms, Business Center, Internet access Tripadvisor reviews: 4 out of 5 Far from Schipol Aiport 6,8 mi. (Hotwire's message: the last person got The Albus Hotel) I forgot to mention that I'm searching for 1 double room. Thank you!!