Colfax

How high have you already bid for six nights and at what quality level? What is your bidding limit for a 4* at LAX? Are you willing to consider a 3* and if so what is your bidding limit for a 3*?

The 3* hotels in Thousand Oaks and Woodland Hills are more business oriented (as opposed to tourist oriented), which means they'll often have lower rates, and lower Priceline rates, on weekends than weekdays. Your four night stay is from Wednesday to Sunday. You might be able to achieve lower total cost if you're willing to split your bid in two, bidding Weds/Thurs together, and Fri/Sat together separately. It's possible you'll win two different hotels. Also possible you'll win the same hotel twice, but at two different prices. Let us know whether you're willing to split or not and someone can suggest an approach. (Probably bidding Fri/Sat first, then trying Priceline's Add a Night feature to win the same hotel for Weds/Thurs, if available.)

$95 seems a bit high for a Days Inn. Have you checked Days Inn rate for your dates on the Days Inn website? If it's less than $95 you could be entitled to a "Double the Difference" refund from Hotwire.

If it's not about God or blacklists maybe the Country Inn has a two night minimum stay requirement that weekend?

Maybe the Country Inn and Suites believe in God? :)

Any update, westie? Have you found a place?

If you've stayed at one Homestead Suites you've stayed at all. They're pretty much the same. The only big variable I've noticed is some have exterior doors facing the parking lot and some have rooms accessed via interior corrridors. The one in Natomas has exterior doors. The hotel is just off I-5 at the El Camino exit. There are three two story buildings. Building 3 is right next to the freeway, but built perpindicular to the freeway, not parallel. Only the very last rooms in Building 3 might have freeway noise issues. I've stayed here several times and haven't had problems with freeway noise or noise between rooms. The hotel is in a business park area. On weekends the area is quiet, bordering on dead. I'd call it a safe area and pleasant, if not terribly interesting. A half mile south of the hotel is a small shopping area with a few fast food restaurants, Baja Express, Starbucks, Quizno's, and a Chinese restaurant. For more restaurant variety Downtown Sacramento is 2 miles south. Parking and local calls are free. Highspeed internet is $4.99 per stay (not per day) and the connection is good. You need a password and the congenial desk clerk gave it to me for free. Homestead rooms are very small with one double bed. Even alone I feel a bit crowded here. I can't imagine two people staying in a standard Homestead room. But the place is quiet, adequate, and one of the lowest cost Priceline options available in Sacramento.

Starting at $32 I went up in one dollar increments until I hit at $35. Homestead's best rate online was $79.99. This was a Sunday night stay and I think weekdays might require a higher Priceline bid. Before trying South Natomas I bid up to $50 for a 2* in University zone. Bids placed via the SavingsBarn.

The Clarion's greatest asset is its location at 16th and H Streets, across the street from the old Governor's mansion and a short walk to the Capitol and some of Sacramento's most popular restaurants. The other 2.5* hotel that's been reported in Priceline's Downtown zone, the Hawthorne Suites, is on Richards Blvd, which isn't really Downtown. The Clarion is two stories, and I'll guess 1960's construction. Rooms are arranged around two central courtyards, one of which has an outdoor pool. Interior corridors accessed off a central lobby. The hotel has a restaurant and bar, and over two days I never saw anyone eating or drinking at either. The whole place has a tired and faded feel. Not uncomfortable or dilapidated, but far from "nice and new". I was on first floor. Floor boards overhead squeaked loudly. First night I heard nothing so the room over me must have been empty. Second night it sounded like they were clog dancing til 2am. The mattress in my room was too soft. No bathtub, just an enclosed shower. Bathroom sink leaked badly, necessitating towels on the floor. Highspeed internet is free and the connection was good. Parking also free, a plus in this busy and hard to park part of town. All the hotel personnel I dealt with were personable and accomodating. It's just not a very modern or pampering hotel. The hotel has a bizarre drink vending machine. The only beverages in it are bottled water and Red Bull type energy drinks. No sodas at all, any brand.

Yes, the Hilton is right Downtown, very solid and respectable, and walking distance to some good restaurants and Fifth Street Market. Red Lion looks like a housing project on the outside but the rooms really aren't bad and Borders is across the street. Over the years I've noticed that one hotel in Eugene will come up on Priceline over and over; then for a few months it's the next one's turn. My stay at the Red Lion wasn't bad at all and I wish the same for your parents. I see they're at the Red Lion tonite!

Whichever hotel you win you might or might not get a smoking room (unless you win a 100% nonsmoking hotel). Hotels generally try to please their customers, including Priceline customers, but if you happen to arrive on a day when all nonsmoking rooms are booked by fullpaying customers you could get a smoking room. I'm a nonsmoker who's booked hundreds of stays on Priceline and I've had to take a smoking room maybe 1 time in 20, or less. Although I've never stayed at the LAX Sheraton I really doubt they have a policy that all Priceline customers get smoking rooms. If nonsmokers are unhappily being forced into smoking rooms every night the Sheraton would convert more rooms to nonsmoking.

A new hotel for the Sacramento list, although very far from being a new hotel. This was an upgrade on a 2* bid. I was angling for the 2* La Quinta. $42 for 2* Downtown got a counteroffer to raise by $12. I added another zone at $45 and got "upgraded" to the Clarion, whose "Internet Users Rate" was $89.09. Other rejected bids for this Friday/Saturday night stay: $50/2* Folsom $50/2* University Bids places via the SavingsBarn.

There's a lot of availability for your dates so I think you're just bidding too early. Your dates are almost 3 months away and a 4* or 3* win might not happen until a month or even weeks in advance. My advice is patience. Probably make a cancellable reservation so you know you'll have something. Then wait and try Priceline again in a few weeks. HOTWIRE has a 3.5* for $209 that looks like the Hyatt WeHo. I think you can get a better price than that by waiting.

Well I see dates if thereuare doesn't. :) June 21-25. Hyatt is available at $225, 240, 240, 209. HOTWIRE has 3.5* that appears to be the Hyatt for $219....minimal savings. Last time you won the Hyatt it happened two weeks before your stay. You might be a little early this time. Maybe bid something like $90/$100 every few days now. p.s. Holiday Inn hasn't been reported in a long time but it remains a possibility.

At checkout receipt showed a rate of $51/night. I was rejected at $50 and accepted at $55. So try $51.

I just rechecked my acceptance page and Priceline now calls this hotel "Hyatt Place Rancho Cordova". Yesterday that page still said "Amerisuites". I guess it's okay to change the name in the Hotel List now.

Sacramento is getting Priceline expensive! Not many moons ago I was winning 2.5*s in Rancho for $39 or $42. Now $50 rejected and $55 accepted. Amerisuites regular price was $99 for these nights. Other rejected bids for this Monday/Tuesday stay: $52/2* Downtown $52/2* University $46/2.5* South Natomas Amerisuites is converting to Hyatt Place. Today I watched workers replace some of the neon Amerisuites signs outside with new Hyatt signs. They couldn't complete the job in one day so for tonite the hotel has two names. The rooms are finished but they're still working on the lobby, which is closed. You enter through a side door for now and they've set up their front desk on a card table in the hallway. It looks silly but in the middle of all the construction they're taking care of business, including the generous breakfast buffet. I asked for "anything but 2nd floor" since all the construction is on the first. They put me on 5th floor and it's very quiet. New rooms are really nice. Lighter and brighter than the old ones. Mine has a 42 inch plasma TV. Bid through SavingsBarn.

Thousand Oaks is a good suggestion too. Still about 15 miles from Pepperdine. (Cool new avatar, BEAV!) The Woodland Hills Hilton is similar distance from Pepperdine and just a few blocks from a large mall and many restaurants. Have you called Pepperdine and asked if they have any affiliate or discount program with a nearby hotel? Sometimes hotels near universities will run a shuttle to the university. I don't know if that's the case at Pepperdine but it's worth checking out. If low price is paramount I would suggest the airport zone, at 2.5* or 3*. Any 2.5* hotel or higher will have a free shuttle to the hotel. (Some of the 2* do not.) 2.5* hotels will probably cost less than the Hyatt or Hilton above. There will be restaurants in or near the hotels. Not so much shopping, but not far if you want to take a day trip to Santa Monica to shop. Once you decide whether you're renting a car or not and what zones are acceptable to you thereuare or someone will provide a more specific bidding strategy.

Pepperdine Malibu isn't part of any Priceline zone. Santa Monica is probably the closest zone but that's 12-13 miles from Pepperdine, per Mapquest. Can you be that far away without a car?

Pepperdine has more than one campus (Malibu, West LA, Encino, and more) and they're in different parts of town. Just to be sure we're steering you in the right direction do you know the name of the campus you want to be near? If you don't know the campus name do you have a street address?

Your five night stay starts on a Saturday night. At the USE Hilton and Marriott Saturday and Sunday nights are much less expensive than Mon/Tues/Weds. In fact Mon/Tues/Weds are sold out at both hotels. My opinion is to bid for Saturday and Sunday together in USE, from about $75 to $100. Then bid Mon-Weds together. You might have to go to Fisherman's Wharf for Mon-Weds or consider a 3* or Boutique in USE.

This is really too early to get anxious about July dates. Sometimes Priceline requires a little patience. Getting a seven day bid accepted can be difficult. Is staying in one hotel all seven days important to you? It will be easier to get accepted if you're willing to split your bid between two hotels. Maybe stay a few days in Fishermans Wharf and a few in USE for some variety? Other good possibilities for $80 or less are 2.5* in Fisherman's Wharf or Boutique in USE.

Priceline uses different zone definitions for their retail and "Name Your Own Price" products. With their retail product Priceline puts the Mondrian, Hyatt WeHo, and this Residence Inn in Hollywood. With "Name Your Own Price" they're all in the Beverly Hills/West Hollywood zone. Yes, it's confusing. :)

That's interesting about Prince summering at the Roosevelt, MelP. I don't know how big Prince's entourage is but I doubt they'll take up the whole Roosevelt. Even if they do the Renaissance has more than 600 rooms, so hopefully we'll still be seeing some 4* wins in Hollywood this summer.

I contacted Priceline Customer Service via email and someone DID get back to me within 3 hours, as promised. They won't refund my $6.63 though. Here's the email I receieved: ======== My thoughts are either there was a glitch in Priceline's system or the Springhill imposed a two day maximum stay requirement this weekend. I've won three day weekends at the Springhill before and can't think of a reason why they'd impose a two-day maximum this weekend, but it's possible. Your "Two different room types" theory is possible too, thereuare. To me the key line in Priceline's email was this: Even if the outcome was due to a Priceline glitch that sentence shifts the onus onto the hotels and relieves Priceline from having to provide an explanation. I'm not going to pursue it further, not for $6.63. If this was due to a maximum stay restriction by the hotel I'm not entitled to a refund. I'll never know if that's really the explantion or if this was a Priceline glitch. I've already recouped 20 cents of the $6.63 by taking TWO chocolate chip cookies when I checked in. :)