2pi

Hyatt Place Orlando Universal 2

It doesn't always work. Anyways it's a way of knowing what the price spread was (priceline's margin), and perhaps minimum acceptable bid. You can't do any changes to the reservation. Sometimes you may not access the rate online but at the property you may see the rate when checking in.

I used the "Add a Nite" link. Apparently the original rate ($29) was too low for the weekend and Priceline offered in return $37/night. Since by then I knew the location it seemed quite a good deal and accepted it. The calendar is awesome!!. I guess you parse the date from the topic fields. Will try to "standardize" the format next time. By the way, I did got into priceline using the link in savingsbarn. rgds.

I checked the confirmation numbers on the Hyatt's website. Just an interesting fact...Priceline paid $28/night for the first two nights and $33/night for the second two.

Began looking for 3* and above in the Disney Vicinity for high $37 for 11/21 thru 11/23. Added Int'l Drive area with no success. I decided to risk betting for a 2.5* at $29 and won this hotel. Added two nights at $37. I try not to bet at anything below 3* --- some chains at the 2.5* have terrible "quality standards" across the hotels. You may find some locations which aren't worth one star. However I was surprised to get a Hyatt at this level. Expedia has it as a 3* for $99 for the first two nights and $149 for the second two. Good reviews in Expedia: 4.8/5.0. Looking forward to this stay....hope they don't charge for parking..:-)

Offered $45 for a 3* in the WDW, got it in the first bid: Holiday Inn Maingate East Disney World Vicinity 5711 West Irlo Bronson Mem Hwy Kissimmee, Florida 34746 407-396-4222 Check-In Date: Sat, Oct 20, 2007 / After 04:00 PM Check-Out Date: Sun, Oct 21, 2007 / 12:00 PM Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $45.00 Subtotal: $45.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $13.20 Total Charges*: $58.20

Bidding in all three zones of Boca Raton. $31 for 2.5* unsuccesful. Lowered to 2* and $28. Homestead Studio Suites Boca Raton Boca Raton - North 501 Nw 77th Street Boca Raton, Florida 33487 561-994-2599

Got in the first bid. Chose Resort level in Disney World area. Check-In Date: Tue, Apr 13, 2004 Check-In Time: After 03:00 PM Check-Out Date: Wed, Apr 14, 2004 Check-Out Time: 11:00 AM Your Offer Price: $70.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $70.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $15.27 Total Charges: $85.27

I am still waiting for Priceline to answer me regarding a stay in November 2003 for which I was also billed by the hotel. Initially, PL's customer service was really good and fast to respond, however my last two communications with them have been probably some of my worst customer service experiences so far. Stupid, automated responses, that do not address the questions posed. PL says that the hotel issued a credit to my credit card and that the credit should be posted to my account within two billing cycles. I am counting the days for the second cycle to be complete. If I don't get anything from them by then, then I will be filing complaints with my credit card and the FTC. I never had a bad experience with PL before, but this has made much more reluctant to use them in the future. I am just so dissapointed with the response. At least I know next time I am going to use my Amex rather than a Visa. A couple of questions: 1.) Is this old statement of the two billing cycles still accurate? My experience with all my credit cards is that credits are usually posted within a few days. 2.) Which party should be ultimately responsible for answering my claim, PL or the hotel property? I believe both of them are responsible, but is there any "rule" or common practice in place? I'd appreciate your comments on this.

Staid here for the MLK weekend. See the winning bid here. The hotel is adjacent to the now closed OMNI center. As I understand, the hotel used to be a Rennaissance and underwent a major renovation when it became a Radisson. The room was ok. Everything in good state, except for the bathroom that had only a "cosmetic" renovation, i.e., wallpaper and mirror. I got a room on the south side, with a very nice view of Miami's downtown even at a fourth floor. The room was very clean and the bathroom products of very good quality. On the bad side, the designer of this room forgot about functionality. The desk had sharp edges, making my 1-hour work at the laptop a painful experience. Also, there is no available plug within 6 or 7 feet. Thus, I had to run my laptop on batteries. A nice detail, the telephone is wireless. No hot tub or whirlpool. Only swimming pool. INTERNET: High-speed internet was available for $10.95 per day. Didn't try it. PARKING: $9 per day self-park or $19 per day valet-service (with in-out privileges). SURROUNDINGS: The hotel is not in downtown itself, the only place you could go walking is to the fast-foods across the street. However, the OMNI MetroMover station is around the corner, which takes you for free to anyplace in Downtown or Financial Center (Brickell Ave.). The Venetian Causeway begins right next to the hotel, providing a nice pictoresque way of getting to Miami Beach. BOTTOM-LINE: At $35 + $9 parking this hotel is a very good choice if you want to stay close to downtown or even close to South Beach. However, due to above-mentioned reasons I wouldn't stay here if I would need to do some work. ------------------------------------- PS: The Radisson web site had this hotel at $169 (pre-paid), which I think it's well over what it's worth. If paying full price, I believe ~$100 to be a fair price.

Got this hotel in one attempt for a 3* in Downtown Miami at $35 per night for two nights: Check-In Date: Sat, Jan 17, 2004 Check-Out Date: Mon, Jan 19, 2004 Your Offer Price: $35.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $70.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $16.04 Total Charges: $86.04 Regards, 2pi.

No need to call. You can do it online, though the link is buried somewhere in the help information. I suggest: Click on `HELP'. In `Search by Topic' pane, choose `Hotel Rooms' as product and enter some meaningful search condition (e.g., `add nights' ). The question in the help is `Can I add nights to my accepted hotel reservation?' There you will find a link to a page that will allow you to bid (at the same price) for additional nights. Enjoy.

EDITED: Disregard, number is different (very similar). Sorry for the confusion. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just got an email from PL telling me: "Since it has been at least three days since your last request, you can try your exact same hotel request again right now by clicking here." The request number mentioned in the email is a winning bid. Why would they send me an email as it would have been a not successful bid? I checked on `My trips' and there it is, marked as a winning stay. 2pi.

Today I got 2 emails from Expedia with coupons holidaybonus and hotelbonus (this one already mentioned above). However both emails have links that point to the same page.

Thereuare, I couldn't agree with you more. American Express is by FAR........ the best credit card out there. I had a couple of issues in the past with on line purchases and my experience with Amex has always been wonderful. They take a very aggresive and active stance against unscrupulous merchants. I only use other credit cards for specific offers or when I don't have enough credit available on Amex. Other credit cards might offer no-liability and the like, but they make you spend tremendous amounts of time and patience if something happens. Also, you forgot to mention that many, if not all, frequent-flyers/guests credit cards charge an annual fee of about $60. 2pi.

Based on other succesful bids in Savannah for this hotel in this board, I just went ahead and offered $25. Thanks thereuare for setting up this board and to all the collaborators for sharing their experiences. Fairdield Inn Savannah Midtown 2 Lee Blvd Savannah, Georgia 31405 912-353-7100 Web Site Check-In Date: Thu, Nov 27, 2003 Check-Out Date: Sat, Nov 29, 2003 Your Offer Price: $25.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $50.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $12.72

Emailed PL's customer service. Got a useless "answer" that had little connection with the question posed. Probably generated automatically by some entity (solid or flesh state :) ) using a few keywords and adding a random name. Nevermind, I'll just call the hotel.

I booked a couple of times Marriott brands with PL, but this is the only one that had this condition on the rate rules.

Tried many times, having friends bid for me and the like, and this is the best I could get. Interestingly, I lost 2* at $42. A bad thing of PL is that one gets used to pay so little, that even $50 feels outrageously expensive :). Still a good deal. This property has been recently renovated and it seems to be in a very good location. I'll tell you later. Marriott Ventura Beach 2055 Harbor Blvd Ventura, CA 93001. Confirmation :) I pulled-up the reservation from the Marriott system and it shows the following under Rate Rules: NON GTD RESV HELD TILL 1800 -WN 22739 I wonder what PL would do if I get to the hotel after 6pm and don't get a room. Would I be on my own, and later be refunded? I'll make sure to call the hotel.

Began with Mission Valley, 2.5*, and $33. Added Mira Mesa, SD Coastal, and Coronado. Decreased level to 2*. Won when increased bid to $35. Ramada Inn and Conference Center Qualcomm Stadium (listed in PL as Ramada Inn San Diego North) Mission Valley 5550 Kearny Mesa Road San Diego, California 92111 858 278 0800 Web Site Check-In Date: Fri, Dec 26, 2003 Check-Out Date: Mon, Dec 29, 2003 Your Offer Price: $35.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $105.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $19.01 Total Charges: $124.01 ------------

Tried again, $60 for USW unsuccesful, added USE and got it. Check-In Date: Fri, Dec 19, 2003 Check-Out Date: Sun, Dec 21, 2003 Your Offer Price: $60.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $120.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $23.15 Total Charges: $143.15 Union Square East - Embarcadero 165 Steuart Street San Francisco, California 94105 415-882-1300 http://www.harborcourthotel.com/ --

After many unsuccesful bids in San Francisco USE, USW, and SOMA for less than $60 for a 3*, I added the airport and got it in the first bid for $31. Minimum published "guaranteed " rate is $99 (Sheraton web site). Sheraton San Francisco Airport Check-In Date: Thursday, December 18, 2003 Check-Out Date: Friday, December 19, 2003 Subtotal: $31.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $10.20 Total Charges: $41.20 San Francisco Airport (SFO) 600 Airport Blvd Burlingame, California 94010 650-340-8500 Website PS: I notice that PL sometimes gives you an answer right away while other times it will take a while (same for either positive or negative answers). Can we use this as an indicative that we've been bidding right on the edge?

Room First impression, a renovation has long been due on this hotel. The TV's and furniture are very old and the room has a strong humidity smell, though it didn't smell to tobacco (PL booked me a smoking room). The jacuzzi wasn't working and the last day the a/c in the room began doing a strange noise. However, I was gladly surprised by the size of the room--it's even larger than my 2-bedroom apartment :) :)! The `living room' has a small round table with four chairs, a TV, and a sofa-bed (probably queen size), making this room comfortable enough for 6 people. The room also had a coffe-maker, a microwave, and a refrigerator. The first one was microscopic while the last two were generous in size. The lights in the room were extremely dim and a desk was missing, which make this room not apt for a business trip. Location NE corner of the airport. Nothing interesting around it. Not even a fast-food. Manager's Reception Not much food (pop-corn and some salty snacks) but lots of drinks: soda, juices, beer (draft, 4 kinds), whisky, etc. Served everyday from 5:30pm until 7:30pm, in a corner of the loby with two big-screen TV's. Breakfast Very good with many varieties of every item. Fruits (citrics, mellons, and bananas), cereals, donuts and bagels, yogurts, and the usual hot and cold beverages. Hots: bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, french-toast, potatoes, and an omelette station. Overall, the quality is very good. Internet Access The entire hotel has wireless access for $10 per day. Didn't try it. There's a small business center in the lobby which charges per minute ($0.10), but the computers use a disgusting shell on top of windows. The staff were friendly but the guys at the front-desk were overwhelmed with work, which maked the check-in/-out not very smooth. One of the guys by mistake gave me the bill showing how much PL paid for the room ($37 per night). The idea of this hotel seems very interesting. Never stayed before in an Embassy Suites. I liked very much the large room and having something to do during the early evening. However, this property needs a serious renovation.

Some of the lower star chain hotels (Days Inn on 13 st, Super 8, etc.) in Gainesville are really, really crappy. By bidding in 1-2 stars you might end up in one of these things. The Fairfield Inn is fine. The La Quinta has a nice location but never stayed there. The nicest thing in Gainesville is the Hilton Univ. of Florida. Never stayed at the Baymont but it looks like a pretty new hotel. After checking some rates at Travelocity, I agree with thereuare that here you might consider booking it directly. Good luck, 2pi.

Priceline booked me a smoking room! :) The hotel was full and didn't have a non-smoking room available. Luckily, the room didn't stink to smoke and it was ok. :) An interesting fact: I was given by mistake a hotel bill showing the rate that PL paid for the room: $37 per night (about $41 with taxes). So they incurred in a net loss in this reservation unless they were compensated by the closing of the Doubletree. I'll soon post a review of this hotel.