Scorp

Don't know for sure, but I was interested in Galveston also - I see there are a couple of Wyndham hotels, a Hilton and a La Quinta that are all rated 3 or 3.5 * with Expedia. I would think the Wyndhams or the Hilton seem fairly likely to participate with Priceline, but I am just guessing. Hotwire might be a good choice, also. Have you looked at it, yet?

Yes, pretty surprising, isn't it? When I replied to their email, I mentioned how great I thought this was, and how I knew Priceline would never have done the same!

The hotel icons are exactly the same in my purchases summary (My Account still shows the Spa icon), but when I search for some later dates in the same zone, I do see a 4* that could be the Lodge, but without the Spa icon. So, yes, I believe they have changed it for future purchases.

I'm wondering if this might be the Ocean Dunes Resort and Villas???? Take a look at their web site and let me know what you think.... They definitely refer to themselves as oceanfront, and the amenities seem to match up fairly well. The thing that was throwing me off with this one is that some of the rooms have kitchenettes, but I don't think the basic hotel-style rooms do. Not sure about the 2.5* -- I will try and spend a few minutes on it later, though.

I thought you were looking for Charleston for the beginning of April. Are you now switching to Myrtle Beach for mid-March? Which property and dates were you looking at for this example?

So what did you bid and for what quality level?

You could just rent a car for a day. There is usually no one-way drop fee between these two cities, but confirm with the individual rental company. Rates can be very low for car rentals, and it may be a lot easier than shuttles. Can't remember if you can actually drop cars at Port of Miami, check with car rental companies.

Actually, I suspect your bid was right on the money! For your dates, I doubt that you could have got this for much less (if any). Hope you have a great stay!

I'm sure thereuare will follow up with you as well, but just wanted to mention that Westward Look has a special on its website. They have a 7-night Cactus League Spring Training special for $169/night. So, if you are bidding in this zone, that might help you set a max bidding amount.

Received an email from Hotwire today, stating that they have determined that the level of Spa services at this property is not sufficient for them to label it as such, and they have offered me the choice of a full refund and they will help us rebook, or a 50% ($186.48) HotDollars credit. I took the credit, as we don't really care about Spa services, anyway. We just wanted a big room or suite in this area or in Tucson North.

Priceline shows the Ihilani zone in its hotel section, and the Marriott Ihilani Resort does appear in its packages product, but I don't see the same zone on Hotwire.

The Hilton amenity icons do not match up to those that Hotwire uses exactly, but if you read the description of the property on the Hilton website, it also includes 'seasonal children's programs' and on-site or nearby golf and it has a restaurant on-site, as well. Hotwire's icons won't necessarily match those of any or every individual Web site.

If you are still interested in Hotwire and want a hotel closer to the beach, look for the beachfront or 'near beach' icons. You can then check the Packages area of Hotwire to see if you can try and narrow down the ID. For example, there is a 3* in the (Charleston) Folly Beach zone for your dates with: Beachfront, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Golf Nearby, Tennis Nearby It is $209 per night, though! But if you look at some packages for the same dates, it looks like it might be the Holiday Inn Charleston - On the Beach. I only took a quick look at this because I am doing a bunch of stuff this morning, but when I checked the HI website, I believe there is a rate of $156 for your dates. If you are interested in Hotwire's Double the Difference guarantee, you might be able to get this room for about $100. But don't trust my quick appraisal, make sure you do the research as well!

If you try the dates 8/3 to 8/7, there is another 4 * that shows up in the same zone with: Resort, Near Beach, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Spa Services, High-Speed Internet Access, Children's Activity Program, Golf Nearby, Tennis Nearby I think it might be the Wild Dunes Resort, but it is showing a rate of $206!!! Do you have any flexibility in your dates or would you be willing to drop to a lower quality level to get something closer to the beach?

I'm wondering if it is the Hilton Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina, which shows up in the Packages area as a 4* with the following amenities: Resort Restaurant(s) Pool(s) Fitness Center Children's Activity Program Golf Nearby Business Center Expedia rates it as a 3.5 * and it looks to me like it's in the East of Cooper zone based on the Expedia map -- what do others think?

You might also want to avoid the Sheraton Skyline for a Friday night, due to the Mumbai Night party thing... see here for more details. On the other hand, maybe some folks like a big party at their hotel. :)

Seems like a pretty good deal. $100 off their usual rate. Must book by March 4, 2005. See more at Travelzoo.

I think you are right to talk to your friends and clarify how you guys are going to organize your time. That will help make the hotel decisions, as well. If it's not too important to be really close, then yes, you will likely save money by booking with Priceline. But how will your friends feel if they have to drive across town to come pick you up/drop you off? :) OK, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but they might prefer that you be closer at hand...??? Check with them and let us know. I don't live in or near LA, and have spent much more time in other parts of California! I did spend 5 days in Santa Monica a couple of years ago and had a really wonderful time. I enjoyed walking along the boardwalks and the beaches and visiting the Pier and the shops. Nice selection of restaurants and cafes. LA has so many components, I don't know what to recommend. Depends on your interests, really.... Santa Monica was perfect for me, I had a lot of fun there, but it is a hard area to bid on Priceline and it is now combined with Marina Del Rey, which makes it harder to be sure of staying in a particular location. You would definitely get a cheaper hotel in the LAX zone. Let us know what you think after talking to your friends, and we can take it from there.

I checked the HI Express site and the Cahuenga location has rooms for $91, which includes a full breakfast. The reviews at TripAdvisor are, overall, very good. It is also within walking distance of Universal Studios. How much would you have to save to make it worthwhile to bid on Priceline or purchase on Hotwire, knowing that you could end up miles away or in an awkward neighborhood??? As for the airport zone, I don't think you'll have a problem winning a bid for a reasonable rate, but what is most important to you? Personally, I would rather stay in Santa Monica (where you don't need a car and still quite close to the airport) or at the same hotel as my friends. (Westin has a $99 advance purchase rate.) Again, how much would you have to save to make it worthwhile and what are your expectations of the hotel and its location?

It looks to me as though Hotwire's zone for Burbank and Universal City is drawn a bit differently and actually includes some of Cahuenga Blvd - I wonder if it would be a better choice than Priceline's???? I see there is a 2* for $69 for your dates with Airport Shuttle, Restaurant(s), Pool(s) as its amenities.

No, Universal City is in a separate Priceline zone which is called Burbank-Universal City-Glendale. Enter Burbank rather than LA when you do a hotel search on Priceline and then you will see that zone. It looks to me as though the HI Express that your friends are staying in is outside of the Priceline zones for that region. I believe they are staying north of the Hollywood zone and south of the Burbank-Universal City-Glendale zone. Also, you are going to be there over the Easter weekend - expect a LOT of traffic and possibly higher than normal hotel rates.

So, there you go! You are well on your way to figuring out how to make this work for you! If you have flexibility for your dates, you now know some of the things to check, you know how to narrow down the list of likely Priceline hotel wins, and you know how to determine if rates are higher than normal (which will impact on your chance of getting a hotel at a lower/higher bid or not at all). You also know a bit about how to avoid/obtain the hotel you would like and which hotels are best or worst-liked. There are no guarantees but you can narrow things down! We can help you work through a strategy for that weekend or the following one, but let us know what things you want most. By the way, I love Charleston - I have only been there a couple of times, but I would love to go back again. I used to stay at the Francis Marion (sp?) when it was a Starwood property.

I see there is the 28th Annual Cooper River Bridge Run/Walk on April 2 - I looked quickly and some of the hotel rates seem a bit high for that weekend - maybe because of that event????

Well, that is the only hotel in your desired zone that shows for your dates in the Packages area, but that doesn't absolutely mean you can't get one of the others. You should check the hotel rates at each of the properties to see if they are high/low. I would read the reviews at TripAdvisor for that property (as well as the other two that showed up for me above) and also for the Hilton (which I think might be the 3* in that zone) and see if there are any that you really do or don't want to get. You might decide to bid only at a certain quality level so you can have a bit more control. As for the price you saw, did you check the hotel rates directly? Else, if that was in the Packages section, it would have included some kind of airfare or something as well as the hotel stay itself, so it looked expensive. But the price there doesn't mean too much (although by checking different dates and comparing properties, you can get a bit of information about relative pricing between properties) - you are only going to be bidding on a hotel room. Thereuare, is there anything you wanted to add to this?