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Note that the property has started charging a hotel/resort fee of 11%. At $8.25 p.n. it was not such a big deal. Something to watch out for when bidding in this area.

Bid in $5 increments from $75 upwards focussing first on Beacon Hill, Boston Commons-Theatre District, Copley Square-Back Bay districts at the 4* level (also tried Quincy Market - Financial District up to $95) Once I hit $90 I received a counteroffer $116 Won Sheraton Boston Hotel for $100 per night Thanks as always for the board. I used the board's HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links to do my searching and bidding.

Regarding the PRICELINE $7 bonus I mentioned, it's still available for one more day.

Used $7 per night bonus so $45 per night paid (net). First bid for the area so there may be another couple of bucks to be saved, but seems pretty reasonable to me (and free internet doesn't hurt either!) Used the board's PRICELINE link. Thanks as always for the great board - learnt to bid here many moons ago and now I'm addicted...

Bid in increments of $5 from $60, win at $75. Also bid unsuccessfully for 4* up to $85, for everyone's information. Used the board's PRICELINE links. Thanks as always!

Amenities: Airport Shuttle Restaurant(s) Business Center High-Speed Internet Access Free Internet Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Wheelchair accessible Accessible bathroom Handicapped parking Not as exciting as my other San Diego win but it should do the job, and free internet will keep costs down. Booked through the board's HOTWIRE link. Thanks for the board, as always.

After searching for a longer stay with specific location requirements, decided to split my bidding into the component without location requirements and that without. Bid $65 for San Diego Gaslamp Quarter - Convention Center and San Diego Downtown and Harbor Island zones Rebid $70 Surprising (to me) success: San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter It's actually very close to the Manchester Grand Hyatt where the convention is so tempted to try to extend the stay/bid same zones and hope to get lucky... Clicked through the QuickQuote PRICELINE link. Thanks as always for the great board.

Thanks for the advice. Bid $90 Rebid $95 (well, added an area - if I won in MTE I didn't really mind :) ) Rebid $99 Rebid $105 Rebid $110 Success... Sheraton Brooklyn New York Hotel, as we'd all expect. Seems like a good deal for the NY area on these dates to me. I booked using the PRICELINE link on the board. Am I best off taking the airtrain into manhattan (penn station) and a cab to the hotel from there? The train into the city seems pretty quick but I'm not sure I'd want to subway then walk from the station in brooklyn at 10pm-ish after 24 hours in transit! Regards, David

I'm inclined to try Brooklyn. since I will have just arrived after a long flight, it's likely I'll spend more time in my room and appreciate quiet and privacy more than I ordinarily would. so the Jane or the pod would probably not be in my best interest. It seems unlikely Manhattan prices will drop to my preferred level at that time of year. And Brooklyn be as good or better from a public transport perspective than most nj options at my price point, right? Given this and others' past bids, in the absence of any magical new options, plan to try 4* Brooklyn from $90-$120. Appreciate any magical new options :) Failing that, wish me luck! Regards, David

Just to make sure (expecting no risk of success :) ), I've bid up to $120 for 3* in Central Park South Chelsea Area Downtown - SoHo - Financial District Empire State Building Area Madison Square Garden - Convention Area Midtown East Midtown West Times Square - Theatre District Upper East Side Upper West Side and 4* in Jersey City

Flights were booked a while back and apparently New York accommodation prices don't want to cooperate! Arrive in Newark (after about 24 hours in transit) on the evening of December 7 and am looking for options for 2 or three nights, to acclimatize myself to the timezone and spend a little time in Manhattan. I'll be back in the city staying around midtown the following week so it doesn't need to be convenient to everywhere, just somewhere :) Probably prefer 2 nights - my only concern is if I want to spend the day in Manhattan on the Friday before visiting friends further afield for the weekend then I probably won't want to go back to Brooklyn to pick up my luggage (Has anyone used Schwartz Travel's luggage storage near Penn station, or similar services before?) Prefer to pay less than around $120 per night before taxes. My best conventional option at the moment is The Jane, which is less private than 3*+ bookings I'd make on priceline/hotwire, with its shared bathrooms. Even hotwire isn't showing anything below $226 per night in the usual midtown-ish areas for 3*+. Jersey City 4* showing around $200 on HOTWIRE so don't expect any joy there either. I've been perfectly happy with Jersey City, UES, LES, UWS on previous stays in the city and am comfortable with the subway system. Never thought of Brooklyn before but I see HOTWIRE has a 4* in Brooklyn with Restaurant, Fitness, Internet amenities for $127 p.n. I would guess this is the Sheraton, which isn't far from the subway. Am I right in thinking that it would be 15 - 20 minutes to midtown, less to downtown? This (or bidding a little less on PRICELINE through the board's link) could be a decent compromise but I'd appreciate any other ideas. Thanks, David

Update: Rebid up to $130 for the 5 nights and $140 for 12/12-12/16 without success. Also tried 4* Jersey City up to $140 for 12/12-12/16 without success (not that I'd expect it mid-week). Booked on HOTWIRE, 3* Empire State Building for 12/12-12/16 Suite, Fitness, Laundry Kitchenette $143 p.n. As expected, result was the Murray Hill East Suites Great location, just a little more than I'd like to pay. It will be fine and beats any other option I can see at present. Plan to stay with friends out of the city for the weekend prior and still considering cheap alternatives the week prior due to high prices (e.g. a night in an airport hotel when I arrive, The Jane, The Pod or similar less private accommodation for a couple of nights). I'll book one of these as a cancellable backup (ideally through your links - your quickbook link isn't working!) and see if anything changes over the coming months. If you have any other thoughts on the later part of the week prior (Dec 7 - 9/10), happy to hear them but I'm not expecting much of a deal that week. Regards, David

Just for information, if anyone else is planning travel around this time, Bid up to $105 for 3* NYC 12/11/11 - 12/16/11 Focussed on zones CPS, ESB, MSG, MTE, MTW, TS Best alternative at the moment looks like HOTWIRE 3* Empire State Building area hotel, $142 p.n, appears to be Murray Hill East Suites which would be fine but ideally would spend less. I'm also considering what to do for my first few days in the area (arrive Newark on 12/7) but that week looks extremely expensive, so I may spend a night in an airport hotel before visiting friends further away from NYC for a few days. I have plenty of time to bid so will probably try again over the next few days - my psychological cutoff given the hotwire offer is around $120 but I hope for less. I have been using the board's PRICELINE link to begin my purchases. Regards, David

May have gone a bit overboard on the rebids... Millennium Park, Loop & Grant Park Area Bid $40 4* Bid $40 3.5* Bid $46 4* Bid $46 3.5* Bid $50 4* Bid $50 3.5* Bid $55 4* Bid $55 3.5* Bid $60 4* Bid $60 3.5* Bid $66 4* Bid $66 3.5* Bid $71 4* Bid $71 3.5* Bid $76 4* Bid $76 3.5* Bid $81 4* Bid $81 3.5* Bid $86 4* Bid $86 3.5* Bid $91 4* Bid $91 3.5* Bid $96 4* Bid $96 3.5* Bid accepted ($90+$6 bonus cash) Allegro Chicago, A Kimpton Hotel Tripadvisor reviews look excellent, and well located for a conference at the Hyatt Regency ('though it will be a cold 15 minute walk if I walk it that time of year!) Very happy with the hotel. I do wonder if I could have done a little better by waiting, but with 9000+ people in town for conferences that weekend I'd rather just know I have a solid booking. Best alternative was another $90 after fees for the 5 nights for a 4* on hotwire. I booked through the link on betterbidding.com Thanks for the board, got my priceline/hotwire training here many years ago! David

Been attempting a bit less over the last couple of days. Today, Bid $48, rejected Bid $52, rejected Bid $54, accepted Was expecting the Crowne Plaza, given recent wins. Booked using the betterbidding PRICELINE link. Thanks for the great board. Regards, David.

Wasn't very systematic in my bidding which went over roughly a 24 hour period. Bid up to $75 from $55 at 4* level on NMA-River North and Millenium-Loop-Grant Park. Happy with 3.5* so bid NMA-River North and Millenium-Loop-Grant Park: bid $55 rebid $60 rebid $65 rebid $70 counteroffer (+$22) (must be close...) rebid $72 counteroffer (+$22) rebid $75 success! A few dollars more than I'd ideally want to pay given some of the impressive successes that seem to be appearing but it's a great location for my public-transport and other needs, gets good reviews and will suit me very well. Booked through betterbidding's PRICELINE link. Regards, David.

Thought I was just playing around with lowball bids after seeing a 3.5* MTE on HOTWIRE for $109...Over the last couple of days I've bid and rebid/added other zones I'd be happy with from $70 up in $5 increments. Hit the jackpot at $90 - while even cheaper would be nice, even in summer that seems pretty sweet for a nice, centrally located hotel in Manhattan. Booked through the board's PRICELINE link. Thanks for the great board... Regards, David.

Amenities: Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center High-speed Internet Access Booked through betterbidding's HOTWIRE link Regards, David.

Thanks thereuare. I'm sure it will be very nice (all my previous Westin experiences have been) and it apparently has a walkway straight into the convention centre. So while it wasn't expected it's a pleasant surprise and not at all disappointing.

Amenities: Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business Was expecting the Hyatt based on the amenities and tripadvisor score (3.5) but the Westin sounds good too and is right near the convention centre. Note that bookings for 2 people were showing up around $109 - wasn't willing to risk it since the place will be full on the day. Not exactly cheap for Indianapolis usually but very good during Gencon. Regards, David.

I'm flying into Newark at night before heading into Manhattan (as it turns out, probably to Connecticut but I didn't know that when I booked my flight!) So I'd resigned myself to a Newark Airport hotel as I didn't want to have to travel too far and Manhattan prices are a little nuts. Today I noticed Hotwire had 4* Jersey City for $11x. Having stayed at the Hyatt Regency before and been very happy there I thought that would be a happy medium between having to travel far after 24+ hours on planes and having a pain to get into Manhattan in the morning. So I thought I'd see if I could get airport hotel prices in JC via Priceline: Bid $65 - Rejected Rebid $70 - Rejected Rebid $75 - Accepted Hyatt Regency on the Hudson Nice easy ride on the PATH the next day (my first Halloween in the US - we don't really celebrate in Australia). Should I just take a cab from Newark Airport to Jersey City or is there some straightforward way by public transport after 10pm I'm not aware of? As usual, great board. Wish I could have used your advice for the rest of my trip but budget did not permit (I'm paying $125/night from Nov 3 - 10 in Manhattan at a B&B style place with good reviews but haven't seen anything less than $200 for 3* or better here for these sorts of dates). Regards, David.

MTE $100 Rebid $105 (UES) Rebid $110 (UWS) Rebid $115 (UES+UWS) MTW $100 Rebid $105 (UES) Rebid $110 (UWS) Rebid $115 (UES+UWS) MTS $105 Rebid $110 Rebid $115 MTE+MTW+Times Square $120 Counteroffer +$22 Times Square + MTS $120 Counteroffer +$22 MTE + MTW + Times Square rebid $125 MTE + MTW + Times Square rebid $130 Bid Accepted: Millennium Broadway Hotel 4-star Times Square - Theatre District Seems good. More than I had planned to spend on accommodation originally but I've never stayed in a *nice* hotel closer than Jersey City so I decided I'd give it a try. I accessed priceline through savingsbarn.com. Thanks for the inspiration for my bids through many posts these past few weeks. David.

Had another go at low-balling them, not expecting any success as hotwire prices have been higher than I posted above the last few days. Bid $60 Millennium Park, Loop & Grant Park Area Counteroffer $17 more rebid $66 Counteroffer $17 more Bid NMA $60 rebid NMA $65 Bid NMA + Loop $70 Accepted Hyatt Regency Chicago - Millennium Park, Loop & Grant Park Area Bid through savingsbarn.com PRICELINE link. Thanks for your help, Aaron with locations in particular. This location looks just fine for my needs and the price seems pretty reasonable. Regards, David.

Thanks for your thoughts, Aaron. I think I'll sleep on it. I decided to throw some low-ball bids out there. For the benefit of anyone else looking around these dates and also for reference if I decide to pursue a bidding strategy further Millenium Park-Loop-Grant Park $45 rebid (Midway) $50 NMA-River North $45 rebid $50 Millenium Park-Loop-Grant Park + NMA-River North $55 rebid $60 No bites. Although last year may well not be representative of this year's market, it's possible the Hyatt Regency hasn't yet opened up much inventory yet (or, of course, won't at all). I'll have another think in the morning. Oh, and the references to cold are all relative - I'm in Melbourne, Australia so, while it's currently cooled down a little temporarily, I can expect it to be in the 80s or 90s a few weeks before I get to Chicago. Ah well, a week in England and a couple of weeks around NYC should toughen me up! Thanks again, David.

Hi! I'm visiting a friend in Chicago for a couple of days in February (arriving Feb 19, departing Feb 21). My priority is ease of transport - I'll be a tourist by myself some of the time and would like to be able to meet up with my friend easily. I don't need fancy but a brief glance at HOTWIRE and a couple of non-opaque providers suggests a 3* may not be significantly less (if at all) than a 4*. Hotwire options: $75 - 4-star hotel in North Michigan Avenue - Water Tower - Gold Coast (Customer Favourite) Fitness Centre, Restaurants, Business Centre, High-speed Internet Access [Matches 4 hotels] $89 - 4-star hotel in Chicago Loop Fitness Centre, Restaurants, Business Centre, High-speed Internet Access Matches Palmer House Hilton - this is where I stayed the last time I was in Chicago and was fine for my needs. $92 - 4-star hotel in Magnificent Mile Area - Streeterville (Customer Favourite) Fitness Centre, Pools Restaurants, Business Centre, High-speed Internet Access Matches Intercontinental Chicago & Sheraton Chicago In terms of less-opaque availability, EasyClickTravel's reverse lookup shows me The Whitehall for $125 pn and Hilton Towers Chicago and Hilton Palmer House for $132 pn. I would greatly appreciate any help and advice someone more familiar with the local area can give on which priceline areas are more likely to be safe to bid to enable me to get around easily (I hear it's cold out there so close to trains sounds like a good idea to me). I've used this board before so am aware there are no guarantees about the precise location you end up in - any advice most welcome. Based on the above, my maximum bid is below $89 (possibly even $75 if the North Michigan Avenue hotels are likely to suffice from a transport perspective). I hope we can do better than that - any thoughts on where to start the bidding? Thanks, David.