vayla

Probably overpaid... but no free rebids and same-day bid. Someone on another site recently got the Best Western for $51. Another got the Holiday Inn for $44. Holiday Inn website shows availability tonight for $109.99 :) Holiday Inn St. George 2-star St. George 850 South Bluff Street Saint George, Utah 84770 435-628-4235 Check-In Date: Thu, Jun 28, 2007 / After 03:00 PM Check-Out Date: Fri, Jun 29, 2007 / 11:00 AM Amenities: Remote control TV w/ premium channels Telephone w/ messaging Radio Alarm Clock Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $51.00 Subtotal: $51.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $13.03 Total Charges*: $64.03 After three months on the road, only two more long days of driving and we will be back home in San Luis Obispo, California. Thanks BB for all your help! We are glad we found you. Used SavingsBarn.com

Stayed here on 6/20/07 on a bid of $50. PROS: Big motel with large pool and waterslides, etc. Large size room with decent decor. Good strong shower. Free wifi, free breakfast in attached restaurant ("River Jack's"). Hotel is situated on the Black River, a short drive from downtown La Crosse. A reasonably nice 2.5* hotel. CONS: Beds not so comfortable. Small, thin towels.

We stayed here on 6/18/07 on a bid of $45. PROS: Good location right off state highway 12, easy drive to downtown Madison. Immediately adjacent to a bike path, which we liked because we were bicycling in Madison. Nice size room with comfortable bed and pillows. Free wifi and wired internet access, free breakfast (cold cereal, bagels, toast, fruit, yogurt, scrambled eggs, bacon, juice) in the attached "Basie's" restaurant. Pool, fitness center, free parking. Nearby shopping and restaurants. Overall a reasonably nice hotel. CONS: Low flow showerhead was clogged and barely emitted any water at all. Room showed some signs of wear. Toaster at breakfast was broken.

First tried Lincoln, NE, bidding $49 for a 2.5* and $40 for a 2*, both rejected. Then bid $30, $35, and $40 for the Omaha Central & NW zone, all rejected, but on the $40 bid Priceline gave me a $12 counteroffer. This told me I must be close, so continued bidding $43, $45, $46, and $47 until accepted: Check-In Date: Thursday, June 21, 2007 Check-Out Date: Friday, June 22, 2007 Hotel Name: Doubletree Guest Suites Omaha 7270 Cedar Street Omaha, Nebraska 68124 402-397-5141 Your Offer Price: $47.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $47.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $15.07 Total Charges*: $62.07 Hopefully the Doubletree has completed their renovations by now and fixed their AC -- we will report back. After Omaha, we'll be staying with friends in Denver, so won't be bidding any more hotels for a few days. Used SavingsBarn.com. Thanks BB!

Yesterday I bid $45 for a 3* and then a 2.5*, both rejected. Today I tried $50 at 3* level, rejected; tried $50 at 2.5* level, accepted: Check-In Date: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 Check-Out Date: Thursday, June 21, 2007 Hotel Name: Best Western Midway Hotel 1835 Rose St. La Crosse, Wisconsin 54603 608-781-7000 Your Offer Price: $50.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $50.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $13.73 Total Charges*: $63.73 I was hoping for the Courtyard in La Crosse, but this will do. Lowest rate on hotel web site is $79.80. Used SavingsBarn.com. Thanks BB!

We stayed here on 6/17/07 on a bid of $45. This is a very nice hotel, fairly new. We thought it was nearly as nice as a Courtyard (also owned by Marriott), except for thinner towels. The bed and pillows were very comfortable, and the room was a nice size and included a small table (but no desk). Our stay included free wifi and free breakfast (cold cereal, waffles, bagels, toast, yogurt, juice, etc.). The hotel staff was very friendly and helpful. The hotel has a pool. This hotel is very close to quite a few chain restaurants, including Olive Garden across the street.

Bid $45 and $50 for Downtown zone, rejected. Bid $45 and $50 for East zone, rejected. Bid $45 for West zone and got this: Check-In Date: Monday, June 18, 2007 Check-Out Date: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 Hotel Name: Radisson Hotel Madison 517 Grand Canyon Drive Madison, Wisconsin 53719 608-833-0100 Your Offer Price: $45.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $90.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $20.91 Total Charges*: $110.91 Used SavingsBarn.com. Thanks BB!

Got this on our first bid of $45: Check-In Date: Sunday, June 17, 2007 Check-Out Date: Monday, June 18, 2007 Hotel Name: Fairfield Lafayette 4000 E State Rd 26 East Lafayette, Indiana 47905 765-449-0083 Your Offer Price: $45.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $45.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $12.58 Total Charges*: $57.58 Used SavingsBarn.com. Thanks BB!

C-A-V-E-R-N-O-U-S !!! That is the only way to describe our room (720). It is an enormous room with two queen beds, desk, armchair, TV cabinet, and lots of empty space. We can see the Niagara River from our room, but not the Falls themselves. We got this room for $60 on 6/13/07. Check-in was friendly enough, although we were dismayed to learn that parking in the hotel lot is $10/day. The clerk offered us an upgrade to a room with a jacuzzi for an extra $25/night, but we declined (being thrifty BB travelers), and seeing the size of our room we can't imagine anything much better. This hotel appears to be quite new. Internet access costs $9.95/day, but when we called the front desk to ask about this, saying that we have never stayed at a Courtyard that did not have free wifi, the front desk offered to give us free internet access for our two-night stay. The room has both wired internet access and wifi under the same subscription program. The air conditioner was good and very quiet. The bed and pillows were very comfortable. The hotel has an attractive indoor/outdoor pool, jacuzzi and sauna. There are ice machines and a guest laundry. There is an attached steak restaurant called The Keg, and a TGIF across the parking lot. The hotel is within walking distance to the Falls and the tacky tourist area. Dining recommendation: we ate at a nice Italian restaurant outside of the tourist area but still in Niagara Falls, Casa Mia, located at 3518 Portage Road. It is about 3 miles from the hotel -- the restaurant will send a cab to pick you up (and bring you back) if you want.

We stayed here on 6/11/07 on a bid of $45. FLASHBACK TO THE 1970s! The exterior of this hotel takes you right back to that groovy decade, with funky angled walls and roofline, courtyards with ferns, etc. We were a little worried, but our room seemed nicely updated and was perfectly acceptable. Free parking, free wifi, comfortable bed and pillows. Tried to stick us with a $1.50 charge for the room safe, but they will remove the charge if you ask them to. This hotel is conveniently located right off I-91, but if you want to visit downtown Northampton you will need to drive (too far to walk). Downtown Northampton is a very quaint downtown with a great lineup of restaurants and bars. We had a delicious and inexpensive dinner at Amanouz Cafe (a Moroccan restaurant) at 44 Main Street. There is a steak restaurant at the hotel, but downtown Northampton looked a lot more attractive.

Paid $70 on June 12, 2007. Pros: Easy to locate off Highway 90 (in the same area as the Doubletree and all the other hotels in East Syracuse). Friendly check-in. Nice welcome note in the room with complimentary water, orange and granola bar. Great shower. Laundry room, ice machine and vending machine. Free parking and free WIFI. Good selection of cable channels (much more than the usual basic cable channels of most hotels.) Cons: Paper thin walls. Guests around us were very quiet, but our room (207) seemed to be next to some pipes that knocked periodically all night long. Also could hear every sound from another nearby room -- all their bathroom activities as well as the alarm clock going off. Also could hear neighbors getting housekeeping service up and down the hall throughout the evening (probably from the substandard toilet which is what we had to call them for!) :) The decor is old, worn and tired and does not give off a clean feel. The room also had a distinct odor, especially when the air-conditioner was running. Luckily it was not that hot. Towels were a little thin and dingy. It looks like they might be undergoing some renovation. Not the worst place and adequate for one night, but glad to moving on.

Started in Syracuse East zone, bid 45, 48, 50, 55, rejected. Started over in Syracuse University zone, bid 55, 60, and 65, rejected ($17 counteroffer on the $65 bid). Then added Syracuse East zone again, raised bid by $5 to $70, and got the following: Check-In Date: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 Check-Out Date: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 Hotel Name: Holiday Inn Syracuse East 6555 Old Collamer Road South East Syracuse, New York 13057 315-437-2761 Your Offer Price: $70.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $70.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $17.65 Total Charges*: $87.65 We don't have the best luck with Holiday Inns, but maybe this one will be nice. Used SavingsBarn.com. Thanks BB!

Started bidding at 3* level, bid $35, $40, $45 and $50 without success. Started over at 2.5* level, bid $50, rejected; bid $60, accepted: Check-In Date: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 Check-Out Date: Friday, June 15, 2007 Hotel Name: Courtyard By Marriott Niagara Falls 5950 Victoria Avenue Niagara Falls, Ontario L2G 3L7 905-358-3083 Your Offer Price: $60.00 (US dollars) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $120.00 (US dollars) Taxes and Service Fees: $25.55 (US dollars) Total Charges: $145.55 (US dollars) We love Courtyard by Marriott!! :) Used SavingsBarn.com. Thanks BB!

Stayed here on 6/10/07 for $70. I believe this hotel has been in continuous operation since 1891 (seriously). The location is excellent -- about two blocks from the Copley T stop. This is an old and somewhat charming hotel, but it is worn down and hardly qualifies as a 3* hotel. The staff was professional but not particularly friendly. Our room was small and worn. Our bathroom was small and had wall-mounted soap dispensers for the sink and shower -- convenient, but tacky. The shower had some signs of mold, but overall the room was reasonably clean. An adequate hotel, but no place you want to spend much time hanging around. There are three restaurants on the first floor of the hotel -- one called "Domini" and two others. We did not try any of them. The hotel does have free wifi. Valet parking is $37/night.

We must have got lucky because we got a beautiful room on the 24th floor (2418) on 6/8 and 6/9. It looked very new and it was spotlessly clean. Great view and huge flat screen HD TV. We are not big TV viewers but the screen was mesmerizing. It was extremely quiet even though we were close to the elevator. There was a $10 charge for internet access in the room, so we went across the street to the lobby of the Sheraton. There they give you two hours free if you ask for a password from the concierge. I didn't notice that there was free computer access in the Hilton lobby, like Skunky reported (but did not think to look). The Sheraton lobby was very large and nice. It seems the 24th floor is a HiltonHonors floor. We do have a card, but did not show it or ask for any upgrades. We checked in around 11:30 at night and had to wait to check in! They said it was quite busy every Friday night. We were given the option of a king bed or two doubles. We took the king. The room was larger than we expected and the pillows were great. The bed was very comfortable. It felt more like a nice 4*. We parked our car with relatives, but checked on the price at the hotel and it is currently $35/night for valet parking. Closest T stop seems to be the Convention Center stop. Had two great breakfasts on nearby Newbury Street, one at "Stephanie's" (corner Newbury/Exeter) and one at a bookstore/cafe called "Trident Booksellers" (338 Newbury).

Got a report back from my Dad and he says they talked him into a $10 a night upgrade -- but the room didn't have a nice view or anything. Later after our conversation, he complained in a friendly manner about the parking charges to the front desk and they said they would cancel those charges. Then he threw in a complaint about the upgrade fee and how the room didn't even have a view and when he got the bill, those charges had been removed as well. It certainly seems as if everything is negotiable (if you talk to the right person). Thanks for the advice about parking on the street!

One last thing... We checked the hotel website last night (6/10) and the cheapest rate for a standard queen room was $219. (I find this information helpful for bidding strategy).

Note that this is for 6/10/07, not 6/11/07 as I mistakenly said in the subtitle.

Got this on my first bid of $45 bidding Northampton zone only: Check-In Date: Monday, June 11, 2007 Check-Out Date: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 Hotel Name: Clarion Hotel And Conference Northampton One Atwood Drive Northampton, Massachusetts 01060 413-586-1211 Your Offer Price: $45.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $45.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $12.50 Total Charges*: $57.50 Used SavingsBarn.com. Thanks BB!

Bid $70 for 2.5* in Copley zone, and got this on the first bid: Check-In Date: Sunday, June 10, 2007 Check-Out Date: Monday, June 11, 2007 Hotel Name: The Copley Square Hotel 47 Huntington Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02116 617-536-9000 Your Offer Price: $70.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $70.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $16.64 Total Charges*: $86.64 Used SavingsBarn.com. Thanks BB!

This Residence Inn is located at 333 E Street SW, and calls itself "Capitol South." It is in Priceline's "Convention Center - Capitol Hill" zone. We stayed there May 26th to 29th, 2007, (Memorial Day weekend), for a price of $58/night. We have never been disappointed by a Residence Inn, and this one was no exception. There is not much to speak of on E Street, but otherwise the location is excellent. There is a Metro stop only two blocks away (Federal Center SW stop), and the Smithsonian and other sights on the Mall are within walking distance. For restaurants or nightlife, you will need to go to another neighborhood. We found plentiful on-street parking on E Street on the same block as the hotel all weekend, so we had free parking all weekend. On-street parking is metered, two-hour meters enforced Monday through Saturday during the day. The hotel offers valet parking for something like $30/day. We did see a parking lot on the corner of E St. and 2nd Ave. advertising a rate of $16/day. The hotel lobby and our room were outstanding. The rooms are so large, with a small kitchen, dining area, living room area, bedroom area and bathroom, that we felt like we could move right in for an extended period of time. Free wired high-speed internet access, local calls were 75 cents. All Residence Inns have free breakfast every day, as well as free light dinner bars during the week. We ate breakfast two of the days we were there, and there was a wide variety of quality food -- cold cereals, oatmeal, waffles, pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, bagels, toast, yogurt, fruit, pastries, etc. -- and a large, pleasant dining room to eat in. The dining room was overwhelmed by all of the tourists staying on the hotel on Sunday morning (including us), but the hotel staff handled the crowd as efficiently as they could. Breakfast on Tuesday morning (presumably a more normal day for the hotel) was not crowded at all. On Monday night they had a "taco bar" for dinner, but we skipped that. The only complaint I can think of is that the water pressure was weak, and the shower head was mediocre, but this did not detract from an otherwise great stay.

Sorry Colfax! That is adding insult to injury. What happened to the Hilton? That's the one I like the best in Eugene. I think it's the best location of the three.

Tried unsuccessfully for my parents road trip for Downtown and Lake Union for several nights up to $150. Gave up and tried the Bellevue/Redmond zone. Started at $60 and went up in $10 increments until getting it for $80. Web site showed availability at $139. Used Savingsbarn.com. Thanks BB! Check-In Date: Thursday, June 7, 2007 Check-Out Date: Saturday, June 9, 2007 Hotel Name: Marriott Redmond Town Center 7401 164th Avenue Redmond, Washington 98052 425-498-4000 Your Offer Price: $80.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $160.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $32.32 Total Charges*: $192.32

You find the rebids on the Priceline site itself, by checking the boxes (one at a time) for each zone and then see which star levels light up. As of today (it can change day to day), every zone except Bellevue and Downtown are free rebids for 4* (in other words there are no 4* hotels in those zones). So if you want Bellevue but don't want Downtown, don't check Downtown or you might get something there.

I was sort of bidding in the dark since no one has reported any wins for these dates. So a little unscientifically, I bid $60 for a 2.5* in Cambridge, rejected. Added Downtown zone and raised bid to $65, rejected. Added Copley zone and raised bid to $70, accepted (upgraded to 3*): Check-In Date: Friday, June 8, 2007 Check-Out Date: Sunday, June 10, 2007 Hotel Name: Hilton Boston Back Bay 40 Dalton Street Boston, Massachusetts 02115 617-236-1100 Summary of Charges Your Offer Price: $70.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $140.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $26.66 Total Charges*: $166.66 Best rate on hotel web site for these dates is $219. Placed bid through SavingsBarn.com. Thanks BB!