Scorp

The Priceline Packages are inclusive of airfare and hotel, but I'm not suggesting you buy anything more than a hotel - I'm just showing you a way to get an idea of what hotels you might win when you bid. If Priceline has a hotel in the Packages area, it very well might also have it in the regular bidding area, BUT in the Packages area you can see the hotel names!!! To see them, just click on Packages and fill in a departure city and dates and use Charleston as the destination. On Expedia, I see there is a Hilton in that area, also. It may be the 3* property, as Hilton hotels seem to participate quite a bit in Priceline. I am sure thereuare can give you a bidding strategy, if you like. You should check the rates at some of the hotels that seem likely to see if they are higher than normal for your dates, etc.

Looking at some events calendars, I see there is an All-State Band and Orchestra event in Savannah for March 3-5. Is this a busy event, do you know? It might be impacting on Priceline availability (people staying the extra weekend day, maybe?). Are you only interested in bidding at the 3* level?

I haven't stayed there on a Priceline bid, but I can give you some suggestions. The Isle of Palms/Mt. Pleasant area looks quite large on the Priceline map. Priceline includes 1*, 2*, 2.5* and 3* bidding in this zone. If you look in the Packages area of Priceline with Charleston as your destination, you will see some of the hotels that participate with Priceline (at least for Packages). Use several different dates to see if additional properties will be displayed. I found the following on my first search: 2 * Holiday Inn Express And Suites Isle Of Palms - Isle Of Palms, South Carolina 2.5 * Residence Inn Charleston Mount Pleasant - Mount Pleasant, South Carolina 2.5* Mount Pleasant Holiday Inn - Mount Pleasant, South Carolina You might have to check some maps to see which properties are clearly in the zone you are interested in. I listed the ones that seem most likely to be located there. You can also check Hotwire and Expedia. There could always be others that don't show up on the Packages results and you can't know for sure which ones would participate with Priceline and which won't. If you need more help, give us an idea of what quality level you are interested in and what your dates are....

You can go in and manually delete the Hotwire cookie. Search for the Cookies folder on your hard drive (usually below Documents and Settings directory on a Windows machine), or just search for the term 'hotwire' in a file and folder search. The Hotwire cookie will contain the name Hotwire. You can delete it and leave the others (it's just a small text file).

Aha, taking another look, I see why thereuare might think it's the Westin, not the Hyatt. The price differences plus the laundry thing.... hmmm, certainly makes sense!

There's the Executive Center zone, but based on reviews I have seen, you would only want to try for the 3*, not the 2*, and that might end up costing almost as much as booking something directly. Also, you would have to pay for shuttle or taxi and that would add at least $30 on to your overnight stay. The Pacific Marina does have a special rate on its website of $79, and you could call them and make sure that is cancellable, if you want to try and keep bidding. I also see that a recent bidder was rejected up to $65 before getting the Pacific Marina for $67 for a stay in mid-March. The Pacific Marina is rated as 2* by Expedia, but it has pretty mixed reviews on TripAdvisor. You could go into Honolulu or Waikiki for the night, but again you would have to pay for a shuttle or cab (not cheap) and it would add extra travel time to and from the airport.

My guesses: 1) Hyatt 2) Diamond Resort Hotel? From Hotwire Packages: Amenities: Resort Suite Restaurant(s) Pool(s) Fitness Center Spa Services Kitchenette Golf Nearby Tennis Nearby Business Center 3) Does this one have a condo icon? Most of the condo properties seem to come up as 3 or 3.5*. I do notice that Expedia now rates the Aston Ka'anapali as a 4*, but HW still shows it as 3.5* in its Packages area and its amenities listings don't match up exactly with this one. 4) Sheraton? I think it has shown up as both 4 and 4.5 *. Price seems pretty high, though.

Does it also have a Pool? Might be the Hyatt Key West Resort and Marina, but would help to know your dates and Hotwire's rate. Hyatt shows as this in the Packages area: Resort Suite Beachfront Restaurant(s) Pool(s) Fitness Center High-Speed Internet Access Business Center

Not a big savings here, only about $20 US. Relative needed to book a one-night stay near the airport and this property has free shuttle and breakfast. $53 bid was rejected, so couldn't have got this one for much less. Downtown Edmonton has much more to choose from. Best Western Denham Inn and Suites Edmonton Intl Airport Area 5207 50th Ave Leduc, Alberta $57.00 + $11.09 taxes and fees = $68.09

OK, I didn't do my research here. I was looking at Hotwire prices for Laughlin on a whim and the price dropped so much from 3/19 to 3/20 (from $57 to $24) that I just went ahead and booked. When I go to the hotel website, I see that this casino resort hotel usually has weekday rates of $27 to $37. So not much of a savings.... :) 2* River Palms Resort 2700 S. Casino Drive Laughlin, NV Amenities: Resort, Casino, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Spa Services, Golf Nearby $24 + 8.95 taxes and fees = $32.95 Purchased through the HOTWIRE link on BB.

Yes, it is a very expensive hotel, isn't it?! :) I should correct what I said earlier, though, after checking again. For some dates, there is also an Aloha rate, which is $364/night, requires only two nights prepayment, and looks to be cancellable up to 7 days prior to arrival. That is for a Garden View room, for which the prevailing rate is $455 for most dates. And it looks like a Partial Ocean View room is about another $100 more. Some dates in March are completely sold out.

This is pretty hard to say - I have gotten better rooms in the same hotel on Priceline rates than at full price, sometimes. Frequent stay points are fine, if that is what you are after. I understood that the OP wished to stay at the Hyatt, was willing to pay the $360 price if necessary, but would prefer to get a lower rate, if possible. As for waiting until a week before, I don't think I would be willing to do that. The $360 rate is a fully prepaid special rate, and that prepaid rate goes UP to $455 for some dates in March. You could just as easily end up with a sold-out hotel or sit on a reservation (without paying the prepaid rate) and end up paying $400 more.

The Hyatt is available through Hotwire, also. I believe it is the 4.5 * Resort that comes up in Poipu for $294. You can double-check the amenities in the Packages product. You could probably get a better deal on it through Priceline, but it would still save you at least $250 by purchasing at the above rate instead of the hotel rate.

I'm so glad things worked out well for you and your new wife, Squeegee! I have almost always found the local people in Hawaii to be helpful, much more so than in many other parts of the world. (If you're rude and impatient, they can be downright stingy with the service.....!!! But I know you would have dazzled them with your smile and good attitude!! I'm not surprised that things went well for you, you make some of your own luck!!!) :) :)

Some decent hotels and rates for this event: See more at Tourism Victoria

You could try phoning back and ask to speak to a supervisor. I think it is reasonable to ask for resolution today, as the travel dates are so close.

I agree - some of the Traveller's Inns are quite decent. And the downtown ones have very convenient locations, for the most part. I have visited people staying in a couple of the downtown ones and they had been recently renovated.

I would rate the Crowne Plaza at the bottom, also. Even when I used to stay there on business travel, paying a hefty rate, I got stuck with crappy rooms enough that I swore I would never stay there again. All the other three are very nice hotels, and the Marriott stands out for its exceptional staff, I have found. It is nice and new and clean. If you like a separate seating/sleeping area and a little bit more space, then you might prefer the Delta. You could luck out at the Westin Bayshore and get an incredible view room, but hard to say with certainty. Probably won't get more than a city-view with the others, although we once upgraded at check-in with the Marriott and they gave us a top-floor panorama that was incredible. But the Westin is located right on the edge of the Park and the ocean, so you have a better chance of getting a view room. Also, you can walk right out and onto the seawall walkway that will take you all around Stanley Park. If you luck out with some nice warm weather, I think the Westin is the best location. If you want more urban night life, then Delta or Marriott will be closer to stuff around town.

It's very close to the border, but you and thereuare are correct - it is not inside the Downtown Victoria zone according to the Hotwire map. It is located in an area called Rock Bay, which is not the most desireable area. Although I suspect you would find it within reasonable walking distance of downtown, it is kind of a mixed use neighbourhood that is not that picturesque, and you would be quite right to ask Hotwire to reconsider their classification and make it up to you somehow. Also, given that your dates are so close, I would phone them and insist that someone get back to me ASAP. Traveller's Inns have sprung up all over town, all owned by the same person. They are varied in their ages and locations, but basically tend to be renovated motels.

This is such a fabulous deal! It sounds like all the rooms have been renovated and most of the common areas, so to get this price for this area is incredible. Santa Monica is so pricey and tricky to bid on Priceline (no rebids at all at 3* level). Please let us know how it goes!

I'm so glad this worked out. You might ask for a room away from the construction next door, although I doubt it would be that much of a problem anyway, unless you like to leave a window open and wanted to sleep in! You are staying in a nice new hotel in a great location!

Actually, I am pretty sure that you would win the bid at $65, but things can always change.... if there are two of you and you have two different emails, credit cards, etc you could always try again now, even if you can no longer respond to the counteroffer.

Squeegee, We have rented cars through Priceline for several visits to Hawaii, and if unsuccessful bidding for a convertible, bidding for a compact or mid-size and then requesting an upgrade to convertible upon arrival. It usually was not too much extra, although you can't be sure of availability. Tell them it is your honeymoon and they may give you the upgrade for free! Or call their local office in Lihue before you travel and ask about the cost of upgrades, availability, etc. I have found the local car rental offices in Lihue to be exceptionally friendly and helpful. National Car Rental Lihue Arpt LIHT01 3073 Aukele St. Lihue, HI 96766 Tel: (808)245-5636 Fax: (808)245-6584 Hours of operation: Sun-Sat:05:30 AM-10:30 PM

Priceline's Help says: However, Hotwire does allow you to add insurance later. From Hotwire's Help section: You probably don't want to go through Hotwire, though. :) But I think you could use Access America (Hotwire's insurer) for the Priceline purchase, also... but I am not familiar with them or their terms.

I am so pleased to get this hotel! Showed up as 4* Foothills with Resort, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Spa, Golf, Tennis. Someone suggested it might be the new Marriott Starr Pass (good to keep in mind as another possibility!) and I would have been delighted with either one! $85 X 4 = $340 + $32.95 tax & fee = $372.95 Keeping with the Western theme, bid through the SavingsBarn.com! I had tried bidding up to $120/night for a Resort property on Priceline (they don't show 4* properties for Tucson), so this seems very good, indeed. Edited to add: Forgot to mention that the Lodge at Ventana room rates start at $249/night for our dates.