Colfax

Glad you got it settled, iluvthsgam. That $75 win was unusually low and minus the Sat night. Others bidding your dates had to go to $145 or $150 too.Have fun!

8/20-8/25 would be a five night stay, not four. Can you clarify your travel dates? By "double room" do you mean a room with two beds? PRICELINE only guarantees one bed. If you need two beds bidding on PRICELINE in USE and USW is very risky, as several hotels in that zone charge upgrade fees, like $20-30/night, for two beds. And two beds might not be available even if you're willing to pay for an upgrade. Two beds aren't guaranteed in Fisherman's Wharf zone either but your odds of getting two beds are much better in FW than USE/USW.If Fisherman's Wharf is your preferred zone what about bidding for a 3* there? Hotwire has a 3* in FW for $161 that looks like Holiday Inn. PRICELINE usually beats HOTWIRE on rate. $130 wasn't enough for a 3.5* in FW but it might be enough for a 3*.

Sheraton Midtown is $149 for your dates. With no bid history it's hard to know what it might take on PRICELINE but $75 would be 50% off, and that's a pretty good discount. The Sheraton's been reported on HOTWIRE once, where it was purchased as a 3.5* in HW's Downtown zone. (Hotwire's Downtown zone is much larger than Priceline's and includes Priceline's Midtown zone.) It's possible Sheraton Midtown isn't available on PRICELINE for your dates because HOTWIRE has nothing available at any quality level in their Downtown zone. Good luck with your bidding!

The 3.5* win you referenced was on Priceline. The 4* purchase was on Hotwire. HW and PL adjust hotel quality ratings frequently--a half point up or half point down. At last reports Hyatt FW was 3.5* on Priceline and 4* on Hotwire. That could change at any time.

Downtown and Midtown are the nearest PRICELINE zones to Uptown Arts Fair. To my knowledge there aren't any hotels within walking distance of Uptown. I'll guess the 3* Midtown is the Sheraton at 29th and Chicago. PRICELINE introduced the Midtown zone shortly after the Sheraton opened. So far no win reports from Midtown. The Sheraton's almost new and it gets pretty good reviews (see TripAdvisor). It's not in the best of neighborhoods though and it's not walking distance from Uptown Arts Fair. Downtown and Midtown are "urban zones". If you prefer driving farther for a more suburban atmosphere (with free parking) Bloomington West would be closest. Bloom West has a 4* hotel too... the Sofitel. Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links for your purchases.

Hotwire has a 3.5* in USW-Nob Hill for $135 with these: Boutique, Fitness, Restaurant, Business, Highspeed This matches previous reports for Prescott and Serrano, but the 4/5 TripAdvisor rating is a better fit for Serrano. (Prescott is 3.5/5 on TA.) Priceline rates the Serrano as 3* so you might win it (or another 3*) for less than $135 on a Priceline bid. If you try PRICELINE I suggest $100 for 3*, then add your only rebid zone (Marina-Lombard) at $110. If you purchase the HW please use this HOTWIRE link and let us know what you get.

Welcome to BetterBidding, kalikid4life. On Priceline Hyatt FW is rated 3.5*. On Hotwire it's 4*. Hotwire has a 4* in FW for 7/22-7/24 but the icons aren't a match for Hyatt. You can try bidding for a 3.5* on Priceline but some other 3.5* could come up besides Hyatt. Please use these HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links for your purchases.

Note to moderators: This looks like a win for the Marriott in San Mateo zone, not SFO-Burlingame. Also to update the Hotel List, the 3.5* Marriott in SFO-Burlingame has been upgraded to 4*. Thanks. :)

4* USE: could be any of Grand Hyatt, Parc 55, W Hotel, Westin Market Street. 4* Embarcadero: looks like Le Meridien or Omni. Multiple 4* hotels in USE use the same icons, so often difficult to ID there. If you purchase one of these please use this HOTWIRE link and let us know what hotel you get.

North Hollywood-Studio City only offers up to 2.5*, and NH-SC is the only rebid zone for 3* in the San Fernando Valley cluster. In the Hotel List the Courtyard Sherman Oaks is incorrectly assigned to NH-SC zone. It's actually in Van Nuys-Mission Hills-Sherman Oaks zone now. There is no Courtyard in NH-SC. I don't know if the zone boundary changed since last report, or maybe a "data entry error". Is a 3* hotel in VN-MH-SO zone your objective?

Welcome to the board, it's mario. This is for tomorrow night. If you haven't already purchased please post the icons (Restaurant, Fitness, etc) associated with the two listings. The hotels can change at any time, so what you saw a couple hours ago might not be what's being offered now. Posting the icons gives some assurance that we're both looking at the same hotel. If you already purchased please let us know what you got. Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links for your purchases.

Priceline usually beats Hotwire on price, so you can probably get a better rate bidding 4* on Priceline. Hotwire's price premium is worth it when you have some idea which hotel you're buying. But in cases like this, where the Hotwire option could be any of four different hotels, you might as well Priceline, imo, because you're playing Spin the Bottle on Hotwire too.

$130 may be enough closer to your dates. Noone can predict if rates will go up or down. You've still got 2+ weeks to go if you want to keep trying for 4* awhile longer. If you want to secure something now someone can give a strategy for 3.5*. People have mixed opinions about the 3.5* Club Quarters in Embarcadero zone, so check TripAdvisor reviews for that hotel to help you decide if you want to include Embarcadero zone in your 3.5* bidding.

Any interest in spllitting your bid and staying at two hotels? Your last three nights 8/12-8/15 have somewhat better prices than 8/10-8/12. The $105 you've bid may be enough for the last three nights now, if not for all five. You've still got a lot of time though if you want to hold out longer for one hotel.

Glad you got it settled, TP. No free breakfast at Holiday Inn, but IHOP's across the street and McDonald's a block or two south. And there's room service. :) Guess what? A SamTrans bus stops almost in front of the Holiday Inn and will take you downtown for $2.00 with no transfers! It's about a 40-45 minute ride. Quicker, cheaper, and easier than BART will be from this location. The staff at Holiday Inn can tell you where to catch SamTrans 292.SamTrans 292 Have fun in SF!

Welcome to BetterBidding, RD2015. Priceline doesn't offer 4* bidding in Civic Center South or Fisherman's Wharf. Are you interested in trying for a 3.5* in Fisherman's Wharf? If so let us know your bidding limit for 3.5* and someone will offer a strategy. Please use these HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links for your purchases.

Good to see you back, Gallus. TravelPhotographer, Another decent downtown option, if you can win it, is the Baldwin Hotel in USE. Priceline rates Baldwin 2* because it's a limited service hotel with no restaurant, bar, or fitness center. It's an excellent location though, a block from Union Square near the Chinatown gate, and the rooms, though basic, are comfortable and spacious. Baldwin is $149 for your dates. You might check the reviews on TripAdvisor and if Baldwin interests you I suggest bidding $75 for a 2* in USE. $75 may sound like a lot for a 2* but for these dates I think its a good value. It's possible some other 2* could come up too, but anything in USE would be considered a safe location. I'd be leery of some 2* possibilities in USW or SOMA, but in USE 2* is okay, imo. With your trip now two days away and no rebid zones for 2* I don't suggest lowballing. $75 is half price, a nice discount, and it would give you another shot at 2.5* via upgrade, since you've only bid to $70 for 2.5* so far.

Welcome to BetterBidding! Please use zone names instead of numbers because the zone maps frequently change. "Zone 6" could be Coronado today and Chula Vista tomorrow. The four zones you named (Coronado, Hotel Circle, National City, Coastal) are all over the map. What is it you're looking for in this hotel stay? When you bid $55 was that for 2* or 1* or both? Hotwire often rates hotels higher than Priceline so that Hotwire 2* for $55 could be a 1* on Priceline. Also some hotels participate in one service but not the other. Also your last night 7/20 is Preview Night for Comic-Con. You can probably find better rates if you can eliminate that night. Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links for your puchases and searches.

This is the former Holiday Inn Express Old Town. Regular rate is $127, so you got some nice savings. This hotel charges the same for one bed or two, which is a good sign for getting your two-bed request honored. Good luck. Looks like Mission Inn charges for parking but on TripAdvisor several commented that they found free street parking nearby. Have fun at SeaWorld!

To be sure we're looking at the same listing is this a one night stay or two?

3.5* in Fisherman's Wharf has been an almost impossible bid this summer. The last time anyone reported winning a 3.5* in FW was in March. A couple bidders have won a 3*. Even though you're not travelling til November it's good to see this popular bidding option come up again, finally, after a long drought.

Thanks, slruud! I jotted down the dates and will keep you posted. We're long overdue for those martinis. Now that I've stayed in your favorite zone maybe I can convince you to have a second round in my hood, at the Whitcomb bar. You buy the martinis; I'll supply the Mace. :)

Okay, Airport vs Downtown... All reported 3* and higher in SFO South and SFO North (and South SF zone) have free shuttles to the airport and to the SFO BART station. One way BART from SFO to Powell Street Downtown is $8.10. BART from San Bruno or Millbrae is less ($3.90 and $4.25 one way, respectively) because there's a surcharge for using SFO BART station....even though SFO is about the same distance from downtown as the other two stations. The free airport shuttles take you to SFO BART station; not necessarily to Millbrae or San Bruno. Some hotel shuttles may take you to Millbrae station too, but on a Priceline bid there's no way of guaranteeing you'll win one of those hotels. And with one exception (the Staybridge Suites in San Bruno) the airport hotels aren't what most people consider walking distance from a BART station. If you stay at the airport you'll need to rely on the shuttle then and plan on---worst case---$16.20/day in BART fare. Sometimes the San Bruno Staybridge is on Hotwire and if you buy that one you can walk to San Bruno BART. That hotel isn't displaying for your dates though. I think a 3* in SFO North or South might cost $50-65ish on Priceline. Personally I would try $75 for 2.5* in USE, USW, and Civic Center South before going to the airport. To my view the compromises of staying at a 2.5* downtown---even in Civic Center area---are smaller than the compromises (time, inconvenience) of shuttling back and forth to the airport every day. I might go to the airport to save $50 or $75 per day. But to save $5 or $10? Ehh. It's a personal decision though and if you want the airport I'd start at $45 for 3* in SFO North + SFO South. Then add USE, USW, SOMA, and EMB at $48, $50, $55, $60. Finally add rebid zone Marina-Lombard at $65, or whatever is your limit. Thanks for using the board's PRICELINE link. Good luck with your decision and your bidding.

I don't stay at 4* often but I was due. Bid the day before stay. Started at $80 and went up by $5's. $90 was rejected. I only bid Financial-Embarcadero zone because I've never stayed there before and wanted to give it a try. Nice having the Ferry Building across the street. Hotwire had a 4* Embarcadero for $120. Room was on 4th floor (out of 17) but had a surprisingly good view for a low floor--overlooking Market Street with partial Bay Bridge view. Self park is $36, almost two blocks away. Valet park is $50. Bid through the BetterBidding PRICELINE link.

SOMA-Moscone is a convenient zone without a car too, and several nice 4* there. Maybe you omitted that zone on purpose. I'm just mentioning it in case you weren't aware.