yellowdog

coasterphil, I looked at HOTWIRE for your dates and the selection is small for your dates. But inventory change all the time. So, what kind of hotel are looking for then? Could you use any information on the hotels you listed? Henrik.

sonata24, the Orlando Vista is the former Doubletree Club. they have downgraded from 3* for some reason. The location is perfect, just outside the Disney gate. You did good for the money. But you should also try the 3* next time since you're a planner. You could hit the Best Western in DTD or the Sheraton Safari in low $40's Have a great time with Mickey! Henrik.

Hello coasterphil, It's hard to say something about the value without knowing the date (s) for your stay. Could you please post your date (s). Are you going with kids? also, check HOTWIRE all the time. They change hotels all the time. And some hotels only appers for a short time. Crowne Plaza Resort- $90 This is a Priceline 3*. Price is nothing special, you can get good deals on this all the time. Looks like a very nice place with with lovely grounds. I have only heard good things about this place. I will check this out for myself when I'm going to Orlando end of this month. Orlando/Convention Center AmeriSuites- $110 This is a Priceline 2.5*. Price feels high to me. You might get the AmeriSuites cheap at PL if you want to go for 2.5* places. This AmeriSuites in now transforming into a Hyatt Place. So many of the suites are clean and crisp. Non smoking brand. I would go for the Hampton Inn's and Country Suites for this rating. Many don't have a restaurant but provides free breakfast. Rosen Centre- $114 I think this is a 3* hotel. It's close to 2 years since I stayed there. It was ok, nothing special. I would not return. There are better deals. Marriott Grande Vista - $120 Great place and fair price with good location. This is a timeshare place. I have not stayed in the villas but the rooms are great, very clean. Grounds are very nice with several pools. Many families stay here. I don't know the rating for this palce. If you don't want an upscale place like the Renaissance so go for this. This non smoking like all Marriott brands. Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld- $132 This is a Priceline 4*. There is an ongoing renovation at this place. I dont know how far they have come. If you want to go with this place so call the hotel and ask. I think they are doing the lobby/atrium area now. This is a bigger hotel if you like that, more business oriented (upscale) comparing to the Marriott Vista. But with a great location. But food and drinks are more expensive than the Marriott Vista. And you have to pay for parking. It's hard to say about the price since the had so many specials during the construction. But the price is good for rack rate. And this is far nicer and better than the Rosen Center for $114. I hope this information is usefull to you. Henrik.

casinoman, welcome to the board! Please post your date (s) for your stay so we can work this out. Henrik.

Thanx for the advice! Sure, I should try to get the more expensive night first. I have been thinking backwards. Well, you live and learn. I tried 105 - 110 - 115 -120 for 4/28-4/30 but no dice. There is a new player on field for the single nights so I never tried that system. There is an upgrade on HOTWIRE (I will post this later) that reviles the price for two 3* on Priceline, great for us. And this upgraded hotel are in most cases cheaper then the Sheratons. So I passed on the single night system. There is a new sub zone on HOTWIRE for Fort Lauderdale called Hollywood Beach. So I tried my luck for the PL Hollywood zone only today and got a FANTASTIC beachfornt hotel!! I knewed about this hotel and has allways included Hollywood in my bidding for the Fort lauderdale Beach Area. But I never thought I would hit it this cheap. I started my bidding with the boards SavingsBarn.com link History: $95, got an offer to add $22, went $101 but no dice and got it on next bid for $105 Westin Diplomat Resort And Spa (Hollywood) (Resort) 3555 South Ocean Drive Hollywood Beach, Florida 33019 954-602-6000 Check-In Date: Sat, Apr 28, 2007 Check-Out Date: Mon, Apr 30, 2007 Your Offer Price: $105.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $210.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $34.10 Total Charges*: $244.10 Best rack rate on the Sheraton site is $395/night :) . My friend stayed here with his US girlfriend over x-mas and said it was fabolus but very expensive with food and drinks. I can't wait to tell him what I got it for :) I'm verry happy to finally close this post and the outcome for this stay. Henrik.

goingtonyc1sttime, there is a match for the 3.5* as the Royal Plaza hotel. So that would be a good *guess* The 3* is more difficult. I have searched after this hotel before but never found a match for it. But a guess would be the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort. This is a guess only. The hotel has never been reported to the board as a HOTWIRE hotel. But there is some things that speaks for this place as the Sunpree Resort. But I can be way out on this. Maybe thereuare can crack this one. If you decide to go for any of the places so please use the boards HOTWIRE link Good luck! Henrik.

johnboy3258, sorry for the "strange" question how you did the search. My english is limited and sometimes I don't see the faults myself. Ok, I did a search for your stay and I support you in the ID's for the hotels. The Royal Plaza is not seen very often on HOTWIRE but I belive it's a good bang for the money. It just got upgraded from 3* to 3.5*. The Best Western is a more frequent hotel on HOTWIRE. I'm leaving for Orlando soon and I have 4 nights booked there from a Priceline win. I phoned the hotel yesterday since I'm a smoker would like a room for that. I spooked with the reservation dept. for a bit and they had no problem to upgrade me to a nicer room with a Disney view if they have any when we arrive. So you can work with them for a better room. I have been to the hotel before and looked around. The grounds are very nice and inside the hotel is also good. I think this is good value for the money and a 3*. I have to be honest and say that your choice is going to be limited in this area and the quality don't get so much better for a 3* or 3.5*. But it all comes down to taste. Good luck. Henrik.

jedimindtric - Welcome to the board! You need to post your date (s) for your stay. Have a nice trip. Henrik.

johnboy3258, when you did the search on HOTWIRE, how many adults and children did you search for (per room) ?? The selection of hotels in that area is often the same. Look at the boards list for reported hotels. Some are rareley seen and some shows very frequent. also, sometimes are you not favored to hit the hotels early in Orlando. But I have also seen great deals far in advance on HOTWIRE What is your maximum for each room on this stay? I money or quality most important for you? Is this the only zone you want to stay in? To get a more objective view at the hotels please read the reviews on priceline, not only on TA. There are no "really" bad 3* hotels in the Downtown area. Henrik.

msldh, wellcome to the board. You can take it easy, noting is going to happen. Priceline just "locks" you out for 24 hours if you use the same zone and date (s) within the 24 hour rule. I would suggest that you read the boards FAQ and get all the basics for bidding on Priceline. If you have any further questions so feel free to ask. Good luck! Henrik.

Sure, I prefer not to change hotel Yes, I have been using Miramar and Hollywood zones. So you can use both. If I get Hollywood is that a bonus. I could gamble for $100 and change hotel. And $120 for stay at the same hotel. Henrik.

forgamez, wellcome to the board! There is really no way to tell in advance about a win or not for a room. There is many things that's matter around this. also, Anaheim is a bussy convention area. But I would say the odds is with you for this. But you can't compare wins/rates from January or March if you're going end of August. It's not that easy, even if I wish it would! You are going just before the Labour Day weekend and it's the end of summer holidays. So I would say that you're favored to bid early on your stay. But don't rush into things. You have time to try your chances. also check the board frequent for new wins in your area. It's also a good thing to read the boards FAQ for Priceline if you never used it before you seal the deal. Pleae post your outcome on the board and good luck. Henrik.

To change hotel.

tiger-fan, you need to post the dates for your stay. Henrik.

I allready have an open post for my Fort Lauderdale leg. But I would still like to know WillTravel's experience with " add a night" Henrik.

I tried $85 - $93 - $100 but no dice! Started with the boards savingsbarn.com link. The board has a reported win for $95 close to my date with the same rack rate. I was so sure that I should hit this for a good price. But I have been to big headed and cheap on this. I would really been favored to bid early for this leg. I need some advice here. The rack rate is $10 higher on the first night, saturday. The diffrence in price on HOTWIRE is $20 between the two nights. So I was thinking to try to hit it on sunday and then use the add a night. What do you think of that? I'm ready to gamble on this one. Thanx in advance. Henrik.

menelaus7, thereuare is not far away. I prefer that he guides you with the Re-bidding zones. I just wanted to save you some $$. Henrik.

menelaus7, is it The Hilton at Tamiami Trail North? Best rack rate is $199 on the Hilton site. Good luck! Henrik.

WillTravel, 1. Could you give an estimate how many times PL said no when you tried to extend your stay, 30%, 50%, 60% ?? 2. I'm trying to bag a hotel for two nights in Fort Lauderdale. The rack rate is $10 higher on the first night, saturday. The diffrence in price on HOTWIRE is $20 between the two nights. So I was thinking to try to hit it on sunday and then use the add a night. What do you think of that? I'm ready to gamble on this one. Thanx in advance. Henrik.

Great! You got a nice hotel for a nice price. If you don't have any plans for the night. Across the street from the Sheraton Clipper (sister hotel to Trader) is there a funky "Key West style" restaurant in a hotel called Bahia Cabana. Nice food and drinks for very decent money. It's very nice at night with a great view over the marina It's a short walk from your hotel. If you want some upscale restaurants go to Las Olas BLVD. Can you please add the amenities shown for the hotel before your purchase. You can still view them by going to HOTWIRE and clicking the MY ACCOUNT link near the top right of their home page. It will keep the hotels updated on the board. Henrik.

Hello ingale, a good *guess* would be one of the Sheraton's. Clipper or Trader, it's hard to tell since both hotels use the same amenities for the moment. But the hotel listed for your date has the 3.5 TA rating. And the Trader has allways been ranked higher than the Clipper. So I'm thinking the Trader. You should not rely on the TA rating but the Trader has been ranked higer for a long time. I have stayed at both hotels and they are solid 3*. Please use the boards HOTWIRE link if you decide to go for it. Let us know what you decide. Henrik.

Hello ocmelly444, Priceline only guarantee a room for 2 adults. If you're unlucky you get a room with a king and you might not be able to change this into 2 queens. And some hotels don't have twin rooms for Priceline wins. So if a twin is a must so go with Hotwire. I looked at HOTWIRE for your dates. There is a 4* at $149 in lake Buena Vista/Disney area. A good *guess* would be the Hyatt Regancy. But please ask for ID help if you decide to go for it. I'm pretty sure that you can't get 4* or better in the Universal area for your budget. Let us know what you decide. Henrik.

ScoBarTN, hey, it's Easter/spring break in Florida also :) Could you please post on the board after your stay if you got a restored room or an old room. Have nice time! Henrik.

ruadisneyfan2, all hotels that has been reported to the board are listed in the Hotwire Florida section. But in general is the Orlando Loews hotels rarley seen on on HW or PL. And the rack rates for the 3 Loews Universal hotles are selldom low. Universal is a boring zone when it comes to fancy places. And you can never really tell the amenities in advance since some hotels change them from time to time. And the star rating and zones can be changed. If you are unsure of any hotel so ask for ID help when your plans are firm. If you want a 4* or higer is your odds better to go with the SeaWorld/Convention Center zone. It's not far at all from Universal. 4* Peabody is often seen. And the Marriott Renaissance should be ready for your dates. Both are nice hotels. Good luck! Henrik.

Used boards link for Hotwire. Homewood Suites Near Universal 8745 International Drive Orlando, Florida 32819 Suite, Complimentary Breakfast, Fitness Center, Pool, Business Center, High-speed Internet Access, Kitchenette. TA rating showed 4.5 (march) To good deal to pass. Best rack rate is $179. I have tried on PL for sometime for the same amount without luck. Hotel is ranked among the 5 in Orlando. I guess it's great since the picky TA people don't like anything. If you go after this. Search for 3 adults, it wont show for 2 adults (on my date) Henrik.