Jeff F. In Louisiana

I started by bidding $35, which I knew was not going to happen. Then the bid was rejected, and I got a message telling me that if I want to bid again right away I'd have to add $7 to my bid. So lesson learned: Think of the price you'd really like to pay, then bid $7 less. Probably could have gotten it for $40, but close enough! This is the same hotel we stayed in last month for $55 (didn't bid aggressively. $55 seemed like a reasonable bid at the time). It's a very nice hotel. I asked for 2.5 star accommodations and was upgraded, just like last time. This is in the New Orleans arts district, where there's a nice art walk on the first Saturday of the month -- which is why we're going. And this time I remembered to come here and use the PRICELINE link!

Questions: Assuming you're back home now... How was the hotel? Did you incur any hidden charges? That seems to be typical in Italy.

We were in Newark this weekend when they announced that they needed volunteers to be bumped, and they offered an enticing $700 voucher to sweeten the deal. My wife and I had to get back to work, so we didn't volunteer, but it sure was tempting. Today someone told me that he'd seen news stories showing that the airlines give you a hard time when you try to redeem the vouchers. They're generous in handing them out, but they'll do anything to keep you from using them, he said. Anyone heard this, or have any experience with these vouchers?

Not sure why four stars was important to you. We paid $40 for a three star on a night with a Saints home game. If it's not your honeymoon, or if you don't need to impress anyone, you can save a bundle with lower star levels. I've stayed at the Hilton Riverside, and the hotel is very nice, but the room is like any other hotel room. No better than a newer Holiday Inn. The extra stars usually indicate a lot of ammenities that we don't use anyway. Lower starred hotels usually give you a free breakfast (which we can really use), while four star places almost never do. Yes, they have a concierge, and a masseuse, but I can live without them. Jeff

Also, if you're traveling with a pretty lady, it never hurts to have HER make the request. I have no macho delusions. I've learned that it's often better to have my wife do the talking. :)

Say what you will about New Orleans, I think it's one of the greatest cities around. I love Boston, but it can't compare in character and personality to our own Crescent City.. Those of us who live in Louisiana need to make more of an effort to visit more oten. It's a wonderful city, and I can't wait to go back. It's a 2.5 hour drive for me, so there's no excuse not to go, considering the good prices I've been getting. And yes, now that I'm a member of this messageboard, I will remember to use the affiliate link before bidding Another word about the affiliate thing. I'm a webmaster myself, and I can tell you that if you want good websites, support them by using their aff links. It costs you nothing, and it pays the bills for the website.

I stayed there a few years ago (Priceline), and it's a nice hotel at a great location. It's next door to the casino. I'm no gambler, but I know that's a plus for a lot of people. It's also on the streetcar line.

Have you tried different parts of town? As far as I know, the fesival isn't in the Quarter anyway. BTW: the Festival International in Lafayette is usually the same weekend as the Jazz Fest, and is an excellent fesival with great international talent. It's a smaller, safer city, and an really good experience overall.

I stayed there this weekend. Agree with previous statements, but the $4.95 fee gives you unlimited long distance calls for all of North America. We didn't make enough calls to justify the cost, but when we checked out we saw that they forgot to add it to the bill :). Yes, the walls are thin, and I now know WAY too much about the honeymooners in the room above us (though they were certainly impressive!). Valet parking is $20 per day. We looked around the immediate area and couldn't find any cheaper parking, so that was a good deal I guess. No breakfast is inlcuded, but there's a restaurant called Mothers on Poydras St., less than a block away. It's a New Orleans institution. Across from the hotel is the Piazza d'Italia, which is interesting. Short walk to the Quarter. Certainly worth the money you got it for, but not worth their full price. Last time we made this trip we got the Country Inn and Suites, about two blocks from the Ambassador. It was a much nicer place, and included breakfast. I don't inderstand how the Ambassador rates three stars, and Country Inn and Suites only gets 2.5. The latter had a pool, breakfast, an exercise room, and much nicer facilities.

You can try staying just outside the Quarter. It makes all the difference. I spent the weekend in New Orleans this past week, and it cost me $40 per night for a 3* hotel. We were just a few blocks from the French Quarter. This was a weekend with a Saints home game, which really surprized me. Choose the convention center district, and you'll be plenty close. I'm handicapped, and it was an easy walk for me.

Sorry. I booked the room before I was a member of this board. I just joined you guys today.

I was looking through the forum's Europe section, and it seems like nearly everybody here goes for the 4 or 5 star hotels. Is there a reason for this? When we travel in the US, we tend to get 2 or 2.5 star hotels, which are very nice, and only seem to lack the services we don't need anyway. Is there a problem with two star hotels in Europe? Are they unsuitable, or non-existent? We're going to Italy soon as part of a group package deal. We fully expect to fall in love with the place and return on our own, and hope we can do so very cheaply. To give you an example of cheap, we're staying a a very nice three-star hotel in New Orleans this weekend for $40 per night (Priceline), and did the same earlier this year. Last time was in a very impressive 2.5* hotel. Would that even be possible in Europe? No one here seems to do it.