Colfax

My good sandals. :) I think I got the $70 rate because I was bidding a "Sunday night only" stay. Fri and Sat cost more, if Priceline even has anything.

Priceline's messages about "median" price" are often inaccurate and shouldn't factor into your bidding strategies. The best source for accurate rates are the hotels' own websites. In this instance Priceline got it right because the Hyatt is $129 on 8/27. HOTWIRE has a 3.5* in Valencia for $121 that looks like the Hyatt. Not much of a discount off $129. In fact, after Hotwire's transaction fee, booking direct from Hyatt would cost less. Priceline usually beats Hotwire on price, so you may be able to win this if you bid higher...maybe in the $80-100 range. Admittedly that's not a great discount, but sometimes that's how it is. This is a Saturday night near Six Flags and maybe Hyatt is expecting a sellout. (Although the $129 rate doesn't suggest that.) Hotwire also has a 3* for $109 that I think might be Hilton Garden Inn. Again, Priceline will probably beat that rate. Maybe $75-80 for 3*? There haven't been any 2.5* reported to the board in Valencia zone yet, but there might be one there, if you want to go that route. Let us know which direction you'd like to go. Please use these HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links for your purchases.

Just to be sure, is this one-night stay checking out 8/28, or a two-night stay checking out 8/29?

This was the best Priceline deal I've scored in a long time. Bidding the night before stay I won the Napa Embassy Suites for $70 on a night when their best rate was $219. $65 was rejected. It gets better... At checkin the lady at the front desk says to me "I see you booked the Romantic Suite package". I'm like "Huh?" :) She goes on: "With the Romantic Suite there's supposed to be a bottle of chilled wine in your room, but you're checking in a little early. I'll have someone bring the wine to your room right away. Do you want white or red?" "Um...white." Ten minutes later room service is at my door with a cold bottle of chardonnay, and profound apologies that the wine wasn't there waiting for me. Palm trees outside my window. White swans swimming in the pool. Free wine delivered to my room. And when I woke up a free breakfast buffet. Priceline should always be this way. Bids placed through the BetterBidding PRICELINE link, but of course. :)

If you'll drive a few miles south sometimes people win 3* in the $40's in Torrance-Carson zone.

It's surprising the 2.5* Marina International doesn't come through for $92 when their rate is $126. A few possiblities: 1) Maybe they quit participating in Priceline. They haven't been reported here since February. 2) Maybe they only participate on weekdays, not weekends. 3) Maybe they don't give Priceline inventory more than a few days or a week in advance. With 18 days to go what's the plan? From your counteroffers you know you can win a 3* for $116 or less now. Do you want to sit tight and see if the price comes down? If you don't get a Priceline bid accepted at $96 or less where do you plan to stay? And thanks for using the board's PRICELINE link, Katherine.

Downtown SF prices have been brutal this summer. Hopefully things will return to "normal" soon. At least you won the hotel you wanted. A couple newly reported 2.5*'s (the two Best Westerns) have showed up in Civic Center South for the first time this summer. Not bad places but they're not the Whitcomb. Whitcomb's $165 for these dates so $101's still a nice discount. Have fun!

The strategy will differ depending which zone or zones are acceptable to you. Once you've looked into the 2.5* hotels let us know: 1) are SFO-North and South SF both acceptable, or do you prefer one zone over the other? (I'm assuming you don't want SFO-South zone because of potentially higher parking charges there, but if that's not correct let us know.) 2) do you want to bid to your limit for a 3* first; then if rejected try lower for a 2.5*? Or are you looking for the least expensive 2.5* or higher that's available in your target zone(s)? Please use these HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links for your purchases and searches.

Welcome to BetterBidding! Staybridge San Bruno is a great value---two room suites with parking, breakfast, and internet included. And it's walking distance to a BART station, which few (if any) other airport area hotels can claim. Staybridge hardly ever comes up on Priceline though. Checking the Priceline Calendar of Wins the last time anyone reported getting Staybridge was more than a year ago. It's possible they no longer participate in Priceline, or that they've raised their PL rate to a level that other 3* hotels come up first, at a lower rate. Staybridge is $138 for your dates. Hotwire has a 3* in SFO West-San Bruno for $113 that could be Staybridge OR the Villa Montes. (It's new icons, so I'm not sure which.) Still over your budget. If you're looking for the lowest price with parking taken into consideration my suggestion is to bid for 2.5* in South SF and SFO-North zones. I know you said you want 3* or higher, but in both those zones there are 2.5* hotels that are newer and nicer than some of the 3*, and those 2.5* include breakfast, which the 3* don't. But if you want to stick to 3* I still think you're likely to win something under your $100 limit, including parking charge if any. If you're open to something other than Staybridge, let us know if you want to bid for 3* or 2.5*; and if both zones (South SF and SFO North) are equally acceptable, or if you only want to bid in one. Someone will offer a strategy. Please use these HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links for your purchases and searches. Actually it's the other way around...the higher the * level the more likely you'll pay to park. I don't think any 2* hotels near the airport charge to park, and most of the 2.5* don't. At 3* level pay parking is now the norm near the airport, with a couple of holdouts (the Staybridge and Radissson), which us parking cheapskates are grateful for.

We're you rejected to $60 for 3* or 2.5*? The 2.5* Country Inn and Suites in Pinedale-UC has free breakfast and that would be quite a bit nicer than Motel 6. I'm not sure if you tried for 2.5* or not.

When you search HOTWIRE on 3 adults/0 children or 1 adult/2 children (the options Hotwire offers might be different for 3/0 and 1/2, but either search will give you hotels that guarantee bedding for three) do you see any options displaying a Continental Breakfast icon within your budget? If you'll post the icons here someone will try to ID.

I've stayed at this Holiday Inn Express, very recently in fact, and they do NOT charge a resort fee. If this is the HIE (and I think it probably is) the Hotwire listing is in error. Roseville-Rocklin isn't a resort area and to my knowledge no hotels in Roseville-Rocklin area charge a resort fee.

The Courtyard Marina Del Rey is the 3* that comes up most often, and it's $169 for your dates, which are a weekend. Your $85 limit seems realistic, or maybe $5-10 too low. If you don't need to secure something now my suggestion is to keep trying to $85-90 every few days now. With three weeks to go you may still be bidding too early. If you want to secure something now Culver City is the closest zone to Santa Monica where you might win a 3* for less than you've bid. I'd hold out for SM-MDR a while longer if you can. Thanks for using the board's PRICELINE link.

It's a little over your $110 budget but LastMinuteTravel has a 4.5* Downtown for $118.72 that appears to be the Marriott. It's "Available", not "On Request"; so it's definitely bookable. LMT's other Downtown options are $200+. PRICELINE rates the Kyoto Grand 3*, so you might win it for less than bookit's $120 rate bidding 3* on PL.

Is 3.5* Downtown an option?

The W is $429 on 8/20, a Saturday night. Hotwire doesn't have any 4* in Hollywood, so Priceline may not either, but if PL has something it's probably $200+. The Roosevelt could come up too; not just W.

This is a new hotel for the Hotel List. Towneplace Suite by Marriott 10569 Fairway Drive Roseville, CA 95678 $42/2.5* rejected. $45 accepted. Hotel is almost new and all-suite. The larger suites have full living rooms like a Residence Inn. The smaller suites, like the one I got, have a full kitchen with dishes/stove/fridge, but no living room. Overall a nice place. Bids placed through the BetterBidding PRICELINE link.

$42/2.5* rejected. $45 accepted. I won two nights via bidding and two more via Add a Night. This is the HIE on Stockton Blvd. The other HIE in Elk Grove hasn't turned up on PL on yet. Bids placed through the BetterBidding PRICELINE link.

If the view is a "must have" you're probably best off sticking with your Regency Club reservation. It's possible you can get the Hyatt for less on LMT (I haven't looked) but with a discounted reservation like LMT you're not likely to get a room with premium view...especially on busy dates like these.

HOTWIRE has a 2* in USE for $113 that looks like the well-regarded Baldwin: Boutique, Smokefree, Business, Highspeed. You've bid to $90 for 2* in USE on Priceline, and I think you may be within $10 of a win there, if the Baldwin interests you. You could also try for a 2.5* in Civic Center South. The 2.5* Whitcomb is next door to the 3* Holiday Inn. If HI's location was allright with you Whitcomb's location should be too. The 2* Good Hotel in Civic Center South is also a viable choice. Just curious, how much does a hostel cost for these dates?

Hotwire has a 2* in Hollywood for $56 that appears to be the Travelodge Vermont-Sunset. Complimentary Breakfast, Pool, Laundry, Highspeed. Travelodge would be a step up from Motel 6 Hollywood and for less money. Also Travelodge has free parking and Motel 6 charges. If you purchase please use this HOTWIRE link and let us know what you get.

I think $80-$100 may be enough for a 3* in Santa Monica-Marina Del Rey, but not for a 4* or 3.5*. Would you prefer a 3* in SM-MDR for $80-100 or Motel 6 Hollywood for $72.99? Is 2.5* in Santa Monica-Marina Del Rey an option?

The parameters you've been bidding (3* in Hollywood, BH-WH, and WW-CC) will all have extra parking charges, probably in the $20-40/night range; so you're already over your stated budget of $90/night. The best thing I'm seeing within your $90 budget, parking included, is the Hollywood 2* on HOTWIRE that thereuare mentioned above. It's $63 now and still looks like Travelodge Vermont-Sunset. Reviews are good for a 2*. Parking and breakfast included, and it's walking distance to Metro. You might win a Hollywood 2* for less than $63 bidding on PRICELINE ($50-55 I'm guessing) but it could be a 2* that's not as well reviewed as Travelodge or a 2* that charges for parking. If you want a hotel rated higher than 2* for under $90 including parking you'll probably need to bid some suburban zones or near LAX and commute in every day. I'll suggest some zones if you prefer that, but I think a well-reviewed 2* right in Hollywood would be simpler and more convenient for you. (If you stay in suburbs and drive to Hollywood every day you'll still have to pay for parking in Hollywood.) If you purchase the Hollywood 2* please use this HOTWIRE link and let us know what you get.

I'm echoing some of Romelle's comments here: Some hotels participate in Priceline but not Hotwire; so don't assume Priceline has nothing for nine nights just because Hotwire doesn't. You've got two rebid zones for 3* in LA, which are Lawndale and Inglewood. Those zones only have 2.5*, so you can add them to your 3* bids in other zones without risk of winning a hotel in Lawndale or Inglewood. (You should verify the * ratings on your own before each bidding session, as ratings can change at any time.) Earlier you talked about a $52 bidding limit, which I think may be a little low. I think $60 might be a more realistic limit here, but you've got enough time to try some lowball bids first. If you're ready to bid and you want to try for all nine nights I suggest: $45 for a 3* in Culver City. Add Lawndale and bid $50. Add Inglewood and bid $52. If that fails for all nine nights, try the same for your first five nights only. Then for your last five nights. Please start each series of bids with this PRICELINE link, and let us know how it goes. Good luck!

Another bidder is working 9/1-9/5 too. The first night 9/1 is very high and the other nights, while not cheap, are better. Any chance of going to Wine Country on Thurs 9/1?