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Got this on second try... first try was $57. We stayed here two years ago and it's actually a very nice Days Inn, and very convenient for us. Days Inn Mystic Ledyard (Mashantucket) - Mystic Areas 55 Whitehall Avenue Mystic, Connecticut 06355 860-572-0574 Check-In Date: Wed, Aug 27, 2008 / After 03:00 PM Check-Out Date Sun, Aug 31, 2008 / 11:00 AM Amenities: Free Breakfast, Pool Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $59.00 Subtotal: $236.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $39.71 Total Charges*: $275.71 JB

Well, I rented the car from Fox and there was absolutely no problem. Thereuare, they sure did pressure to buy their expensive insurance, but i refused it all. I had forgotten to fill the tank with gas when I returned it and the agent told me they would charge $6/gallon (yikes!) and advised me to go fill it up... which I did. JB

I was stranded at the Atlanta airport a few nights ago. It was almost midnight so I opted to tough it out at the airport. Could I have used Hotwire to secure a hotel reservation on the spot? Is there a cut off point where HOTWIRE (or PRICELINE) will not accept a bid? Just like to know in case it ever happens again. Spending the night at the airport was definitely NOT fun!. Thanks. JB

Hotel - 1 room, 3 nights Comfort Inn North Dartmouth, MA Check-in date Fri, Jul 4, 2008 Check-out date Mon, Jul 7, 2008 Hotel 1 room(s) @ $65.00 per night x 3 night(s) $195.00 Tax recovery charge and fees Hotel subtotal $25.08 $220.08 Hotel Amenities: Complimentary Breakfast Pool(s) Business Center High-speed Internet Access Rate on Hotel's website is $129/night! JB

Thanks for your reply. I checked out their website and it seems they are located primarily out west, which may explain why I am not familiar with them. I did book a car.... they didn't ask or a credit card yet, so I can still remain flexible. Sorry.... I didn't know you were an affiliate... so sorry... but i always do use the savingsbarn when I bid. JB

I need a car in Arizona for only 4 days. The rates seem really high to me. The two companies above have rates almost 1/2 of the big companies. I've vaguely heard of Fox Rental, but don't remember hearing good or bad??? Thanks for any feedback! JB

I agree... I had all 5 re-bids, with prices, written down and was happily shocked to get it at that price. It's a really nice hotel... we've been there a number of times. JB

Got this on the second re-bid.:) Sheraton Hartford Hotel 3-star Check-In Date: Thu, Jul 31, 2008 / After 03:00 PM Check-Out Date: Sat, Aug 2, 2008 / 12:00 PM Amenities: Remote control TV w/ premium channels Radio Alarm Clock Business services Telephone w/ voicemail Iron and ironing board Hairdryer 24 hour front desk Restaurant Room service Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $37.00 Subtotal: $74.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $17.05 Total Charges*: $91.05 Bid placed via Savingsbarn.com JB

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Shelton-Trumbull 695 Bridgeport Avenue Shelton, Connecticut 06484 203-925-5900 Check-In Date: Mon, Dec 24, 2007 / After 03:00 PM Check-Out Date: Tue, Dec 25, 2007 / 11:00 AM Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $55.00 Subtotal: $55.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $14.44 Total Charges*: $69.44 This was the Amerisuites Hotel ... not sure exactly when it was re-branded. Got this hotel after the following bids: (I only bid on the Trumbull-Shelton area) $45 (what we paid same time last year), $48, $50, $52. If this bid had failed I was planning on adding different areas. Regular rate on this is $99. JB

Got this on the first bid, but $45 seems to be the going rate for this hotel. Clarion Hotel And Conference Northampton Check-In Date: Fri, Dec 28, 2007 / After 03:00 PM Check-Out Date: Tue, Jan 1, 2008 / 11:00 AM Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $45.00 Subtotal: $180.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $29.89 Total Charges*: $209.89 (Used Savingsbarn). JB

We stay in Mystic a lot... have a stay coming up the end of the month... and I just checked Priceline... there is no subcategory for Mystic! I even checked two sets of dates, thinking maybe the first set was sold out. It shows Mystic on the map, but it's not included in the list of towns at all. None of the other areas include Mystic in their maps either. Ooops! I went back for a second look. They have now lumped Mystic in the Ledyard/Mashantucket area. JB

If you want to stay downtown, consider either the Four Queens hotel or Fitzgerald's. I've stayed at the Four Queens several times and it's a fine hotel, particularly if you aren't planning on spending much time at the hotel. It is right next to (or maybe across the street from) the Golden Nugget. The last time I was in Vegas I had friends staying at Fitzgerald's, which is right across the side street from the Four Queens. I thought their room was fine also. Both these hotels open onto Freemont Street. From our hotel room we were able to see the nightly 'Freemont Experience', a cool light show that goes on every half hour after dusk. I've not seen either of these hotels on Priceline or HOTWIRE, but I think they are a good value. JB

I stayed at the Luxor a few years ago and really liked it! The elevator ride that goes up on a slant, and the slanted walls in the room were a hoot! We had a car, so the location wasn't that much of an issue. JB

If you go to Expedia.com and input your information, when you get to the page that lists fares for your dates, click on 'flexible' on the left sidebar. That will show the best fares for each of the days of your itinerary. JB

That hotel is right off an exit of I-91, so it's a straight shot down 91 into New Haven. Shouldn't take more than 15 mins. JB

Manhattan is the one place you really do not want to drive... either in or in to. I grew up in Manhattan and I never take my car in. First, there's the traffic, both getting into Manhattan and once you are in there. Parking rates are astronomical. You'd be better off getting a hotel in or near Jersey City and taking public transportation in. There are lots of threads in the NYC forum about this. JB

I really had to work for this one! I put in a total of 16 bids over the last couple of weeks. Initially, I started at $35 and went up $1 at a time up to $40. I even tried just for Fri, 3/23 on the chance that there was a problem with one of the nights... no joy! Today, I started at $37 (for 3/23 and 3/24) , up to $40, $42, and finally hit it at $45. Price on their website is $99 so it';s still a good deal, and it's a really nice hotel. Bid via Savingsbarn. Your Offer Price: $45.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $90.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $19.34 Total Charges*: $109.34 JB

Here's a neat way to get an estimate of how fares change depending on when/how long you travel. Go to Expedia.com, click on 'Flights' enter you departing and destination airport, and click on 'my dates are flexible'. Then choose a month of travel. This will bring up a calendar with the round trip price for each day. You can change the month and also how long you travel for. For instance, you can then choose 'weekend' or '3-5 nights', etc. They do cover quite a few, but not all, airlines. Some of the lower cost airlines, like Southwest and Jet Blue, will not be included. JCB

Listen to Thereuare! Upper 90's all the way on the East Side will be a hassle, and no, it's not near Times Square. The Millenium UN Plaza (if it's really near the UN?) is also all the way on the East Side but it's near 42nd street, and at least it's accessible to a Cross town bus if you don't want to walk it. Sorry, I don't know where the REd Roof Inn is. Good luck! JCB

Lonestar.... Is priceline being $7 - $10 less/night just in reference to this particular zone, or is that a general guideline for most priceline vs. hotwire prices? JCB

I really like my 'Capital One No Hassle' Mastercard. Miles are very easy to redeem. I was able to book a round trip flight from the East Coast to Hawaii. I booked the trip on my own, finding the best deal I could. It had to be charged on the Mastercard, of course, and within a month the price of the fare was creditted back to my account. I was free to book on any airline. There is a $19/yr. fee, but I think it is well worth it. I don't travel for business so don't rack up thousands of miles at a time. I think the points can also be redeemed for merchandise, but not sure just how that works. I've had no end of hassles trying to redeem Delta FF miles. Mastercard is pretty universally accepted. JCB

I've been keeping my eye on Hotwire hotels in Mystic for the past three weeks. I thought I was bidding for the Days Inn Mystic, which is a 2* property, and so far has been the only 2* property to show up on either Hotwire or Priceline in Mystic. The 2* property has been showing up pretty consistently on Hotwire for $99. Started bidding on Priceline at $55, raising $5 with each bid (over several days... it's not like I don't have time :)) Yesterday with a bid of $65, I got a counter offer to add $17 to my bid. So... today I upped $5 again and was totally surprised to get this hotel. They bumped me up to a 2.5* (I have been bidding 2*) but this sounds like a really good deal! On the hotel website it shows up as $229. Details are: Your Offer Price: $70.00 Extend Your Stay Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 4 Subtotal: $280.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $46.03 Total Charges*: $326.03 A happy JCB!

Got this on the 3rd try. First bid of $35 got counter offer of $7 additional. Used 2 free re-bids increasing $1 each time. (Bid via Savingsbarn, of course :)) Your Offer Price: $37.00 Extend Your Stay Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $37.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $11.89 Total Charges*: $48.89 JCB

We spent one night at the Shelton Amerisuites. Very nice hotel, looks pretty new. Front desk staff was friendly and didn't hesitate to change our room to one with a King-sized bed at my request. This is a mini-suite with a bedroom area, living room area with sofa, chair and desk. The TV is between the two rooms and swivels to be viewed from either. The room also has a small kitchen area with a fridge, microwave, sink and is stocked with dishes and flatware. The bed was very comfy... lots of pillows... and the room was very quiet. A complimentary breakfast is served in a pleasant dining area. It included eggs, sausage, a variety of breads, bagels, etc., assorted cold cereals and oatmeal, and fresh make-them-yourself waffles, juices, fresh fruit salad and of course coffee, tea, etc. There was a computer in the lobby for guests use, and I think there was free wifi, but I didn't bring my laptop, so not sure. All in all a really nice hotel... even nicer at Priceline rates :) JCB

Pleased with this. Started bidding yesterday at $35, and then $40 by adding Milford zone. JCB