mig211972

The area is very safe - I have stayed at the Shoreham several times over the past 25 years. The neighborhood is generally residential and just around the corner on Connecticut there are a few mediocre ethnic restaurants. Also on that corner is the Woodley Park-Zoo Metro station and there are plenty of taxis nearby. Murphy's Irish Pub is within sight of the hotel and is good for lunch or a pint. I have found the better restaurants in DC on 19th St between L and M. There are also several in Georgetown around Wisconsin and N but that neighborhood is quite touristy. Downtown and the Capitol Hill area have restaurants but I don't go there much - they are notably less safe and overly touristy. The Adams-Morgan neighborhood gets raves for their restaurants but I wasn't impressed with that area either. I usually find the best places are in the areas NOT raved about in the tourist papers because they won't be overrun with tourists and you won't suffer the accompanying decline in service and increase in price. The Shoreham is a great place with 4-Star service and accomodations. And unlike most hotels in DC they also have a large pool, which you will need to overcome DC's notorious humidity. Grab a towel, take a dip, pick a beach chair and order a daquri and you will think you are at the beach.

I fly from SYR now and then and have twice hit the Doubletree on Priceline. My most recent was January 6 for $57 + tax/fee = $72.91. The Doubletree is great mainly because they will let you leave your car in their huge lot and shuttle you over to the airport or back at any time of day. It is about a 15 minute ride. I think the parking rate at SYR now is around $12 per day so my stay at the Doubletree has always paid for itself and then some. The hotel itself isn't bad and does the job for a quick overnight. I certainly wouldn't honeymoon there. As far as strategy, there is also a Holiday Inn 3* in the Syracuse East Priceline bidding zone so there is no guarantee you will get the Doubletree. I will take a guess and assume the Holiday Inn will also let you park free and shuttle you to the airport. You can call them to find out for sure. Since there is only 1 of the 3 remaining bidding zones with a 3 star hotel (Syracuse University) you get 2 free rebids to up your price within a 24 hour period. So, I would start with 3* in the East Syracuse zone at $50 or so. If you don't hit, add Fairgrounds 3* and bid $60. If you don't hit, add Airport 3* and bid $70. If you don't hit try again 24 hours later for more. The Doubletree published rate for the 16th is $159 so I'd think you'd hit it fairly soon. Another word of experience: I've stayed at the Best Western on the airport grounds and you can walk to the terminal from there if you wish. You may be able to get this Best Western for the published rate at less than $90. The place is a pit though and the staff there are incredibly rude and stupid. They too have "free" parking but one time my traveling companion joined me there and they whacked her for $80 to "let" her park there also. The pukes working there acted like we were trying to scam them. Believe me, if I were scamming someone out of a parking spot I wouldn't do it at a dump like theirs. The Doubletree won't quibble with you like that and your stay will be much better.

Ok, if you are after comfort vs. ambiance then you are better off going for the 4*. There are some with both but you really pay... As I mentioned, the Hilton and the Meridian Montparnasse are very good quality and you get some decent rates on Priceline. A quick look here shows people hitting the Marriott Rive Gauche for between $93 (Feb) and $115 (May) but you may not do so well in June. Other 4*'s in that zone seem to be the Meridian Montparnasse (very nice) and Novotel Gare Montparnasse (never heard of it) so you are probably safe bidding in this zone and most others. The Eiffel Tower-Grenelle zone is where that Porte de Sevres hotel (now named Pullman Paris Rive Gauche) that everyone complains about. Mr. Michigan will likely come back with his bidding strategy or you can find the link here somewhere. The bidding strategies are quite useful and you will be served well by taking his advice. You have time to play so you can lock in a cancelable reservation and then work PL for a better deal. Don't get antsy and cave on a higher price early as time is on your side for now and most places aren't going to release their good rates this far out. Your observation about 2* and 3* in Italy are probably reasonably accurate for Paris. I've seen the 2-bed thing in Asia but not in Paris but believe me, the 2's and many of the 3's are pretty darn small. Hit back if you need more.

I've found that of all the above zones except OQE-Les Hales you tend to get wins further out from the city center. Most anywhere inside Bd Peripherique are decent neighborhoods with the ambiance of Paris but if your business/tourism is closer in then you will spend a notable amount of time in transit. My past experience with 4* is: Paris Hilton (Eiffel-Grenelle) $96, Meridian Montparnasse (St. Germain-LQ-Montparnasse) $112. These prices were a few years ago and are probably not realistic today. The above hotels were ok but they were sterile busines hotels and didn't have the European ambiance many people prefer. The Hilton wasn't that far out but there wasn't much in the neighborhood and the Metro was on an oddball line that required a lot of changing to get downtown. I have seen posts here where people get a 4* way out at Porte de Severes and spend half of their vacation on the metro. Other posts show people getting the Marriott Rive Gauche in St. Germain and while I've not been there it's relatively close in but seems to have that sterile business hotel atmosphere. Bottom line: - Anything other than OQE-Les Halles gives you the risk of being on the edge of the city. - A 4* for $120 may be a bit unrelistic anywhere, especially in June. My strategy lately is to stick with OQE-Les Halles because I like to be closer in, try for 4* but accept 3*. I've gotten some decent ones for good prices and they have ambiance and comfort. Depending on your needs, 2* hotels are acceptable but the rooms will likely be small and the bathrooms smaller. Some 3* hotels can also be small. Let me know if you need more detailed comment.

It's a short walk eastbound on Praed St - not bad but the sidewalks can be congested during the day and that can be a pain if you are hauling all your bags. I had a confrontation with a small gang of teen thugs harrassing people in front of the paddington Station around 11:30 PM one night. I'd take a cab. PS - Keep in mind that Eurostar is moving from Waterloo to St Pancras on 14 November.

The location is pretty good depending on what you are interested in. I've stayed at the nearby Millennium Gloucester three times and the neighborhood is quite calm yet accessable to the rest of the city. Gloucester tube station is right there and it is on the all-important Circle and District lines. There are convenience stores, pubs, and restaurants nearby. The Science Museum, V&A, and Albert Hall are walkable but most other sights will likely require a ride.

Bid July 17 for stay on Thursday August 23rd through Sunday August 26th. Trying for the Omni Shoreham. - Dupont Circle - Woodley Park $61 - Rejected. No counter offer. - Add Alexandria - Old Town Area. Free Rebid Zone $71 - Rejected. - Add Crystal City. Free Rebid Zone $76 - Accepted. Omni Shoreham Hotel Dupont Circle - Woodley Park 2500 Calvert Street Northwest Washington, District Of Columbia 20008 Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $76.00 Subtotal: $228.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $41.48 Total Charges*: $269.48 Quoted rate: $172 per night.

I stayed at this Marriott in November 2006 and it was nice. Since it is a bit further out it is larger and I think it had a pool. (Not my priority in November.) It's a 5 minute walk to the tube station and a quick ride into the heart of the city. I had no problems with the location. (Not the best pub by the tube station though...)

If you don't get your card at least print off your ID number and show it to them at check-in. That should be sufficient. And ask for an upgrade, you may get lucky. I got a great room and a minimum free juice and coffee delivered by room service in the morning. The Shoreham is a great hotel and you got a great price. I can't wait to get back there. You should enjoy it.

I've tried several times to bid for Phuket and never succeeded. My observations are: - Phuket zones are spread quite widely and you could end up far from the beach or populated areas. Or, if that's what you WANT, you could end up IN the populated areas or on the beach. - Like Bangkok, there is little savings, if any, from using Priceline. I've found the prices on sites like Travelocity and Orbitz are at Priceline "name your own price" levels. - Hotel quality varies DRAMATICALLY in Thailand and you need to be very very sure of what you are getting in advance. My strategy for Thailand: - Find a star quality in your price range in the place you want. - Research the property on hotel review websites like this one and TripAdvisor. - Book the lowest price via the hotel website or other search engine. Priceline is perfect for cities like London, Paris, New York, DC, etc. and I use it all the time with incredible savings and almost always great locations and quality. For the little or no savings, and the huge unknowns on Priceline, I have never seen Priceline worthwhile for Thailand.

I stayed there a couple years ago. - It's in a very good location, a couple blocks west of Columbus Circle. - If you are driving, the entrance is very hard to find. They don't have a sign on the building. If I hadn't checked their website to see what it looked like I would never have found it. - I didn't like it at all because the rooms were like shoeboxes and there was no space for people, let alone luggage. It was like a dormatory. - The reviews you see on places like Tripadvisor are accurate of the split views about the place: you either love it or hate it. I hated it. - The staff was friendly and helpful though and you are fairly close to everythig in midtown.

Jane: My strategy for when to bid is a function of what should be a winning price. Check winning bids on this forum and use then as a guide for your max bid and then you can start bidding at any time. Winning bids for Meridian Montparnasse seem to be pretty consistent at USD $100 to $110. So I'd start bidding now in that range or lower but don't panic early and increase your bid if you don't get it. I've bid for weeks in other cities with no luck and then suddenly hit (I'm sad to say probably too high) because they apparently released a bunch of rooms for that date.