I can't thank you enough for all of your help. I will definitely use what you taught me to bid on hotels in the future (using the BetterBidding PRICELINE link of course). I ended up bidding $146 for a 4-star or above (knowing I might end up with the Westin), but my bid was still rejected. Ultimately I decided it wasn't worth the risk of going much higher and then having another $90 tacked on for resort fees if we got the Westin. We ended up confirming a very nice apt in the Historic District (with bikes to ride to town and beach gear for Tybee Island) for $200 a night, inclusive of taxes, fees, cleaning, etc. The owner gave me a discount since the rental is in just a couple of weeks. That worked best for us this time given the current hotel rates in the historic district and risk of the Westin, but normally we are more content in hotels. So we will apply your great advice for our next trip. Thank you again--much appreciated.