MJRBIM

(One -Night) Started out trying to bid two-nights 01/24 - 01/26.... 1st Bid - Ottawa 2.5* @ $40 = Declined 2nd Bid - Added Hull @ $45 = Declined Then started a new bid for just the first night (01/24)... 3rd Bid - Ottawa 2.5* @ $50 = Declined with $14 counter-offer. 4th Bid - Added Hull @ $55 = Declined accepted at Courtyard Marriott Ottawa Tried both "add a night" and a separate bid for the Tuesday night, but no luck...I'll try again after the 72 hour lock-out. =========== Check-In Date: Monday, January 23, 2006 Check-Out Date: Tuesday, January 24, 2006 Hotel Name: Courtyard By Marriott Ottawa 350 Dalhousie Street Ottawa, Ontario K1N 7E9 613-241-1000 Your Offer Price: $55.00 (US dollars) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $55.00 (US dollars) Taxes and Service Fees: $12.42 (US dollars) Total Charges: $67.42 (US dollars) =============== The best rate on the Hotel site is an internet prepaid rate at $149.00 (CDN) = $128.45 (USD) per night plus tax...so this is a more than 50% savings.

Both bids were $55 - I got sloppy with the cut-and-paste.....ooops....

(Two -Nights) Same-day, last-miute bid booked at 5:50 PM local time (10 minutes to cut-off).....yikes! 1st Bid - Cincinnati Downtown 4* @ $55 = Declined 2nd Bid - Added 3* @ $55 = Accepted at the 3* Hyatt Regency Cincinnati =========== Check-In Date: Wednesday, January 11, 2006 Check-Out Date: Friday, January 13, 2006 Hotel Name: Hyatt Regency Cincinnati 151 West Fifth Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 513-579-1234 Your Offer Price: $55.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $110.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $25.39 Total Charges: $135.39 =============== The best rate on the Hotel site is an internet rate at $169.00 (USD) per night plus tax...so this is a more than 65% savings. Great deal for a last-minute booking

New - May 5-7 is the closing weekend of the "hot Docs Documentary Film Festival" which is getting larger every year.There may also be other conferences/conventions that are in town. 2 rooms shouldn't be a problem in a 3*, but booking 4 months out is often too far ahead for hotels to have released capacity to PL or Hotwire. I'd suggest trying again in early February. If you have a car and aren't tied to the downtown zone...the 3* Crowne Plaza on the Don Valley is a pretty nice stay and often comes up in your price range. It's about a 15 minute drive to the DT core on the weekends... MJRBIM

At some point, JER owes me a beer....

I booked 108 hotel nights on PL in 2005 for a total cost of $6,164.35 (including taxes & fees). Average. per night cost was $57.08 US (including taxes & fees) for 2.5*, 3*, 4* and Resort hotels around North America in - Toronto, ON, Canada Ottawa, ON, Canada Winnipeg, MB, Canada Washington, DC Orlando, FL Key Largo, FL Columbus, OH My average savings were $63.00 US per night over best rate on the hotels website...so my savings for 2005 were $6,804.00 US.

They refunded the full amount of my 3* stay last week.... I suppose I could have asked them to let me out of my remaining 2.5* bids also, but I'm actually staying at the hotel tonight and the renovated room I have is the best so far. I'll ride out the rest of my stays here for January. That being said, still only sporadic housekeeping services - so I think it's now correctly rated as a 2* rather than a 3*.

(One -Night) 1st Bid - Toronto Downtown 4* @ $55 = Declined 2nd Bid - Added Brampton (FRB) @ $60 = Accepted at the 4* Sheraton Centre Toronto DT =========== Check-In Date: Friday, January 6, 2006 Check-Out Date: Saturday, January 7, 2006 Hotel Name: Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel 123 Queen Street West Toronto, Ontario M5H 2M9 416-361-1000 Your Offer Price: $60.00 (US dollars) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $60.00 (US dollars) Taxes and Service Fees: $12.85 (US dollars) Total Charges: $72.85 (US dollars) =============== The best rate on the Hotel site is an internet prepaid rate at $139.00 (CDN) = $119.47 (USD) per night plus tax...so this is a more than 50% savings. I will post a review since I haven't stayed at this hotel in a couple of years.

Downgraded to 2* Just got an email from PL confirming that this property has been Downgraded to 2* because they don't have daily housekeeping.

Downgraded to 2* Just got an email from PL confirming that this property has been Downgraded to 2* because they don't have daily housekeeping.

I have sent an e-mail to PriceLine to suggest they re-rate the star level of this property, based on the fact that they don't offer daily housekeeping without a surcharge - something that is required for a 3*.... I will post details here when I get a PL response.

Updated my review at - Hotel Review

Hotel has now changed hands (and brands) - it's an Extended Stay Deluxe... http://www.extendedstaydeluxe.com/minisite...l=1&hotelID=961 My December 2005 review is a little better than my review from a year ago - as the room I was given appeared to have been renovated and repainted recently. With that said, I'd still rate it more as a 2.5* hotel for PL purposes rather than a 3* - but I think the restaurant/room service is what PL uses to give it the higher rating. Queen Bed was a little hard and the bedding/pillows weren't as good as you get at other 3* hotels (eg. Sheraton or Crowne Plaza), but it was an OK stay - and I'll be happy to stay again a number of times over the next month or so. Wireless internet is $4.99 (CDN) and parking is $12.65 per night.

Hotel Name: ========== Extendedstay Deluxe Ottawa Downtown 141 Cooper Street Ottawa, Ontario K2P 0E8 613-236-7500 http://www.extendedstaydeluxe.com/minisite...l=1&hotelID=961 This appears to be a new PL hotel in the Ottawa DT zone. I stayed here on a Hotwire stay about a year ago when it was called the ARISTOCRAT SUITES. It's a couple of old apartment buildings that have been converted into a "suite" hotel, located off Elgin Street south of City Hall - about 10 minute walk to the Parliament buildings. My review from that old stay is here - Aristocrat Extended Stay Deluxe When I stayed in December 2004 it was still being renovated, so it will be interesting to see what it is like now - and at $38 or $40 US a night, I'm happy anyway. The four (4) winning bids are posted below - Bid #1 ===== Check-In Date: Monday, December 19, 2005 Check-Out Date: Tuesday, December 20, 2005 Your Offer Price: $40.00 (US dollars) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $40.00 (US dollars) Taxes and Service Fees: $10.85 (US dollars) Total Charges: $50.85 (US dollars) Bid #2 ===== Check-In Date: Wednesday, December 28, 2005 Check-Out Date: Thursday, December 29, 2005 Your Offer Price: $40.00 (US dollars) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $40.00 (US dollars) Taxes and Service Fees: $10.85 (US dollars) Total Charges: $50.85 (US dollars) Bid #3 ===== Check-In Date: Tuesday, January 10, 2006 Check-Out Date: Thursday, January 12, 2006 Your Offer Price: $38.00 (US dollars) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $76.00 (US dollars) Taxes and Service Fees: $14.60 (US dollars) Total Charges: $90.60 (US dollars) Bid #4 ===== Check-In Date: Monday, January 16, 2006 Check-Out Date: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 Your Offer Price: $38.00 (US dollars) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $38.00 (US dollars) Taxes and Service Fees: $10.65 (US dollars) Total Charges: $48.65 (US dollars) On bids #3 and #4 I tried lower bids for $35, $36 and $37 before getting this property at $38 - so that would appear to be the lowest available rate in December/January. I also tried bidding for 2.5* hotels (hoping to get the Courtyard or Les Suites), but the low rate on this property always gave me a bump to the 3* Extended Stay Deluxe. Best rate on the hotel site is $113.99 (CDN) / $98.31 (USD) per night - so it's a really good rate. I will post an updated review after my stay.

1.) High-Speed Internet 2.) Good Fitness Facility and Pool 3.) Room Service 4.) Convenient Parking

Posted a review - Hotel Review

This 4* rating is very much in the eye of the beholder. The hotel was built in the early 1900's and it has the style of a Grand Hotel of that era. Like many similar hotels in New York, Chicago or Europe - what makes it a 4* hotel is related more to the "Common Ammenities" of the hotel (eg. Restaurants, Ballrooms, Conceirge) rather than the actual rooms themselves. We were given a seventh floor room that was about 450 sq. ft. It was a room that told you a lot about the architecture of the hotel - huge 12 foot celings, but only one little window. The wallpaper was old, and their wasn't enough furniture to fill the space - a larger bed or a loveseat/coffee table would have made is feel less sparse. The 12 foot celings also meant that it took a long time to warm the room up. The Queen bed was old - and didn't really have 4* bedding. I know that may sound picky, but even the 3* Radisson's have tried to keep up with the whole Heavenly Bed, Sleep Advantage strategy that Westin and Crowne Plaza. The bathroom was pretty nice (all marble) and appeared newer than the rest of the room. Like all 4* hotels they ding you for everything - Local/1-800 calls = $1.50 CDN High-Speed Internet = $13.95 CDN Parking = $27.00 CDN (Valet Only) My personal room/bedding preferences lead me to choose the 4* Westin, Sheraton, and Intercontinental in the Toronto DT zone - but if you like a 4* hotel for the restaurants and bars then this place might work for you. If I had paid the $230.00 CDN rack rate for this room I would have been upset, but $60 USD on PriceLine still makes it a good deal since you couldn't get a Super-8 in the GTA burbs for $60 USD.

(One -Night) 1st Bid - Toronto Downtown 4* @ $50 = Declined 2nd Bid - Added Brampton (FRB) @ $55 = Declined 3rd Bid - Added Brampton (FRB) @ $60 = Accepted at the 4* Le Royal Meridien King Edward =========== Check-In Date: Thursday, November 24, 2005 Check-Out Date: Friday, November 25, 2005 Hotel Name: Le Royal Meridien King Edward 37 King St East Toronto, Ontario M5C 1E9 416-863-9700 Your Offer Price: $60.00 (US dollars) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $60.00 (US dollars) Taxes and Service Fees: $12.85 (US dollars) Total Charges: $72.85 (US dollars) =============== The best rate on the Hotel site is $229.00 (CDN) = $185.50 (USD) per night plus tax...so this is a fantastic deal. I know that people have had bad experiences with PL stays at this hotel - but I am hoping that with US Thanksgiving Weekend they will be pretty empty and we can get a real 4* room. I will post a review since I have stayed at this hotel since 1998 - and it has been renovated since then.

Not as nice as the 2.5* Marriott Courtyard hotels, but an OK hotel if all you need is a place to sleep and shower while visiting the parks.

Stayed here for 3-nights on a "regular rate" for a conference. Really nice hotel. $10 per day resort fee covers the highspeed internet and the in-room PC. I was at a conference, so I didn't get to use the pool or other facilities - but the rooms were good, staff were great and the restaurants were very good (but bring someone else's expense account if you can $$$).

(Three -Nights) 1st Bid - Ottawa Downtown 2.5* @ $45 = Counter-offer of add $13. 2nd Bid - Added Hull 2.5* @ $52 = Accepted with a bump to the 3* Radisson. =========== Check-In Date: Tuesday, December 13, 2005 Check-Out Date: Thursday, December 15, 2005 Hotel Name: Radisson Hotel Ottawa Parliament 402 Queen St Ottawa, Ontario K1R 5A7 613-236-1133 Your Offer Price: $52.00 (US dollars) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $104.00 (US dollars) Taxes and Service Fees: $17.52 (US dollars) Total Charges: $121.52 (US dollars) =============== The best rate on the Radisson site is $112.00 (CDN)/$94.12 (US) per night plus tax...Good Deal!

I was trying for 2.5* Downtown and Hull for around $40-45, but no luck...ended up getting bumped to a 3* with the following winning bids. Hotel Name: Radisson Hotel Ottawa Parliament 402 Queen St Ottawa, Ontario K1R 5A7 613-236-1133 =========== (One -Night) Check-In Date: Monday, November 21, 2005 Check-Out Date: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 Your Offer Price: $55.00 (US dollars) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $55.00 (US dollars) Taxes and Service Fees: $12.42 (US dollars) Total Charges: $67.42 (US dollars) =============== (One -Night) Check-In Date: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 Check-Out Date: Wednesday, November 23, 2005 Your Offer Price: $55.00 (US dollars) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $55.00 (US dollars) Taxes and Service Fees: $12.42 (US dollars) Total Charges: $67.42 (US dollars) =========== (Two -Nights) Check-In Date: Monday, November 28, 2005 Check-Out Date: Wednesday, November 30, 2005 Your Offer Price: $55.00 (US dollars) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $110.00 (US dollars) Taxes and Service Fees: $18.15 (US dollars) Total Charges: $128.15 (US dollars) ===========

Just noticed that PL has added new questions to it's hotel-stay survey... 7. Is the hotel family-friendly? 8. Is the hotel romantic? 9. Is the hotel good for business travelers? 10. For this trip, which best describes you as a traveler: 11. Would you recommend this hotel to other travelers like you? Since they are collecting the info - maybe they are planning to add more detail to their non-bid product listings. I can't see them letting me bid for a 3* ROMANTIC hotel...

...also got it - DELETED...

(One-Night) Booked for a friend... 1st Bid - 4* Toronto DT @ $50 = Declined 2nd Bid - 4* Added Brampton @ $55 = Declined 3rd Bid - 4* Added Don Valley @ $60 = Accepted at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Downtown =========== Check-In Date: Saturday, November 5, 2005 Check-Out Date: Sunday, November 6, 2005 Hotel Name: Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel 123 Queen Street West Toronto, Ontario M5H 2M9 416-361-1000 Your Offer Price: $60.00 (US dollars) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $60.00 (US dollars) Taxes and Service Fees: $12.85 (US dollars) Total Charges: $72.85 (US dollars) ================= Great deal since the best rate on the Sheraton site is $189.00 (CDN)/$159.83 (US) per night plus tax....saving $99 (US) per night!!