Jason Trumble

I think the Bloomington west one is the La Quinta (formerly the Clarion before August 2006). This would correspond to the Bloomington west map which surrounds the 494 strip east of bush lake road and west of france ave. The La Quinta is on American Blvd, just off from Normandale (hgwy 100). Obviously this is only a guess though, since the La Quinta is not even a confirmed property. I would assume when they took control of the Clarion though they probably still partnered with hotwire. The holiday inn certainly now falls within the bloomington central zone because it is south of 494 on 35w. BTW, the Clarion name should be updated (or removed until confirmed) in the hotwire Minnesota list, since it doesn't exist anymore as the Clarion.

Yeah you're right, it looks like they have just recently added a third zone (maybe just today or yesterday because it wasn't there a couple of days ago). Looks like the central zone now goes from just east of France ave to just west of portland ave, and then south down 35w a ways. The other day these hotels were included in the Bloomington West - MOA zone. If I had to guess about the 3* I'd say it is the holiday inn airport, on 35w and 94th st. No idea about the 2* :)

You can find this for yourself easily by clicking on the areas when using priceline. It will grey out the areas that do not have 3*'s available. Some that I used just recently are Fridley, Burnsville and St. Paul Northeast. See my last post on my winning bid of Hyatt $47 downtown. It sounds like the Holiday Inn Select by MOA is a common 3* winner, but I was NOT able to get it at $45 for the dates of 4-1 through 4-5. FWIW, I did notice that the Holiday Inn Bloomington (which is on 35W south of 494 a couple of miles) was going for around $42 on HOTWIRE for most of the dates I checked. This might be a good option for you. It does also have the Green Mill restaurant attached, which is decent and stays open pretty late with a bar if you want to get away from the kids for a while :) It is, however, a few miles away.

For Starters...First time here! Awesome forums, glad I found this place! Was trying for the Holiday Inn Select in Bloomington. Didn't think I had a chance weekday of getting downtown rates this cheap, so it really wasn't even a thought at first. First bid of $30 was rejected. Added on Fridley, Re-bid of $35 was rejected. Added on a few other surrounding cities that didn't have 3* hotels (Eagan and Burnsville I think - sorry cant remember the exact order), rebids of $40 and $45 rejected. Then I added on University - Metrodome area and got Hyatt, which should be in the downtown area. That's the wierd part, since the Hyatt I wouldn't think would be in the University - Metrodome area of their map. Has anyone ever gotten the Hyatt using Metrodome area? Not that I am complaining, I was just surprised by the outcome. The only drawback is the $16/day parking, but I'm very happy with the results. I have stayed there before when I lived in Minneapolis. I Remember the room I had before had a great view. Certainly not the best hotel I've stayed in by any means, but definatelty not the worst! By the sounds of things, the beds and linen have been upgraded since I stayed there (probably 4-5 years ago). For those of you who have stayed there, any suggestions on things I should watch out for? Any better (i.e. cheaper!) parking options that are close by? Planning on checking in early, we'll be in Minneapolis on Saturday (3-31) staying at the Grand Hotel downtown for the 1st day (through Expedia @ $129 - wish I could have afforded it for the week, but obviously weekday rates at the Grand are rediculous!) Would like to have a king NS room, hopefully they will be able to accommodate. Details: Congratulations, you got your price of $47 for a 3-star hotel room. Check-In Date: Sunday, April 1, 2007 Check-Out Date: Thursday, April 5, 2007 Hotel Name: Hyatt Regency Minneapolis 1300 Nicollet Mall Minneapolis, Minnesota 55403 612-370-1234 Your Offer Price: $47.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 4 Subtotal: $188.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $32.27 Total Charges*: $220.27 Used SavingsBarn.com :)