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Just an update -- We ended up staying at the Grand Hyatt and booking direct. The "best price" daily rate was about the same price as the "secret" hotwire rates, plus I got the Hyatt points. As I mentioned, we're locals and were celebrating our anniversary. We wanted to maximize our time away from our "normal" lives as parents. The Hyatt was very accommodating -- they gave us very early check in (10am and very late checkout (3pm). They upgraded us to a deluxe water view room for free. They brought us complimentary chocolate and champagne. Would they have done all this had we booked via Hotwire? Maybe, but my experience with other trips says treatment like that on a Hotwire or Priceline booking would have been doubtful. In this case it was worth it to spend a few bucks on a sure thing (and I don't say that very often)! The hotel is rated as 4.5* but we had a 5* experience. Thanks for the great site. I'll continue to browse and book my trips through BB and your links whenever possible

Thanks much. I think we're seeing roughly the same thing. The prices are slightly different (lower) than they were yesterday. Hopefully that adds support for my theory of waiting a bit longer before I pull the trigger. BTW, does anyone know when Hotwire started designating 8 Olive as 4.5 star on their regular site? It's been a while since I searched but I thought it was a 4* and the Grand Hyatt was always the premier 4.5* property. I wonder what changed?

Hi! I'm looking for an anniversary room 10/24. Lots of 4+ options at decent (but not spectacular) prices this weekend. Here's the curious part. I've only seen the one (Grand Hyatt) 4.5 in this zone, but hotwire is showing me two -- one of which has a pool. And if memory serves correct, the Grand Hyatt doesn't have a pool! edit: I think they bumped the Hyatt at Olive 8 to 4.5*. On the hotwire standard site, they indeed show the Hyatt at Olive 8 as a 4.5* hotel (for $199 -- same price as the Grand Hyatt) Mystery solved (I think). This info is via the Bidding Helper. And of course I'll go through the Better Bidding links when I'm ready to book! Hotel 1: 4.5*; $169/night (not the grand hyatt because it doesn't have a pool. would they bump up the hyatt at olive 8? (it has a pool) to 4.5?) FULL AMENITIES: Free Internet, Resort, Indoor pool(s), Fitness center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Self-service laundry, Internet access, Spa services, Accessible for visually impaired, Accessible for hearing impaired, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Accessible parking, Roll-in shower Hotel 2: 4.5* $156/night (assuming this one is the grand hyatt?) FULL AMENITIES: Free Internet, Pet friendly, Fitness center, Restaurant(s), Business center, Self-service laundry, Internet access, Spa services, Accessible for visually impaired, Accessible for hearing impaired, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Accessible parking, Roll-in shower Once we have the hotels identified, another question if you please: Considering the many available options in my star range for that weekend,and the lack of things going on in town that weekend (No sports, no big concerts, nothing. I think the long-range planners were counting on a World Series, ha!) any thoughts on booking now vs.waiting a week or two?

Got the Crowne Plaza Downtown Convention center for $81. So-so price, but I didn't want to hassle. We've stayed here before -- it's good for kids and convenient to where we want to be. This was booked in a block by a friend who I believe used your link to initiate. Interestingly, I actually thought this would be the nearby Courtyard based upon the amenities listing things like blind and deaf accessibility, the roll in shower access, etc. But it is indeed the Crowne Plaza Downtown Convention Center. We prefer the Crowne Plaza over the Courtyard so it all worked out for us. I'm including the full list of amenities that were listed in the amenities pop up before booking so you can update the hotwire list (if you choose): 3-star Hotel in Convention Center - Rose Garden This Hotel features the following amenities: Indoor pool(s) <amenity names only please... not descriptions> Airport Shuttle <amenity names only please... not descriptions> Fitness Center Guests have access to exercise equipment; an additional charge may apply. Pool(s) Property offers at least one pool area; hours and dates of operation may be seasonal. Restaurant(s) Property offers at least one restaurant on the premises; hours and days of operation may vary. Business Center Guests have access to business equipment and services; an additional charge may apply. Laundry Facilities (self-service) <amenity names only please... not descriptions> High-Speed Internet Access Guestrooms are equipped with high-speed Internet access; an extra charge may apply. Accessible for the blind Braille or raised signage Accessible for the deaf TTY for telephone, visual or flashing fire alarm and vibrating alarm clock Accessible path of travel <amenity names only please... not descriptions> In-room accessibility Accessible path from the room entrance to the window, the bed and the bathroom; accessible hardware and minimal resistance to open the door; accessible temperature controls and window coverings Accessible bathroom Raised toilet, hand-held shower and grab bars at the tub and toilet Handicapped parking <amenity names only please... not descriptions> Roll-in shower Bathroom has a roll-in shower

OK, just to close out this thread... I booked 3 nights at the Parc 55 for a pretty sweet $82/night via Last Minute Travel (identifying the hotel using BEAV's method). The hotel didn't come up w/ 2 kids/2 adults, but it did come up with 4 adults, oddly. The LMT reservation just says 4 guests so I don't think they can fuss about the little people, and that should guarantee us four beds. I still may grab a night somewhere for the Nov 20th if rates come down, or we may just bunk an extra night with our friends in the s. bay. Of course, I'll continue to book (and search) using the links here whenever possible (just for good measure, I just clicked the Hotwire, Priceline, and the google ad links again ;-) Thanks for the help

Thank you for the feedback. The Nikko would be through Last Minute Travel -- and they let you select 2 adults/2 children. I emailed them and they said if you book four, they guarantee the room will sleep 4. It might be two beds or one bed and a sofa bed, but they do guarantee 4. The kids are small, so that works for me. Not sure why I'm not pulling the trigger. I keep thinking something _amazing_ will pop up -- though the Nikko or Monaco for ~$115/night is pretty darn decent. Thanks again!

Thanks again. BTW, if any of the SFO regulars have stayed at both (Monaco and Nikko) and want to sound off on which is preferred, I love it. I've read the reviews and the Monaco sounds like all of them -- just a really nice hotel with great service. While the reviews on the Nikko run hot and cold w/ some folks calling it a top 5 SF hotel, while others say it's worn and the rooms are small. Nothing like consensus, eh? :) PS -- 'Cause I've been clicking up the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links a storm

alrighty, I'm still clicking those HOTWIRE links, but so far no great deals. Right now the best option seems to be the Nikko via Last Minute Travel for about $117/night. Another good option seems to be the Hotel Monaco via Kayak and Skoosh for about $115/night avg. I've never dealt w/ Skoosh. Anyone know anything about them? Related question - how uptight are hotels these days about the number of people in rooms? For some hotels -- like the Kimpton hotels and maybe the Westin (can't remember), if I select two adults and two kids up front, the available room options are limited or expensive. But if I select one adult and two children or 1/1 -- I get more choices of two-bed rooms and the rates are better. I'm kind of thinking that my best option is to book the number of beds I need, then take my chances when we show up (that they may try to charge a few bucks more) -- vs. just taking a $20-$30 night hit up front. Anyone have any experience w/ that type of situation? Thanks!

Sorry about that. I tried the thread, but did a full text search for "Seattle Center" thinking it would come up if there -- the zone on your page is called Downtown Seattle-Space Needle but on Hotwire, they are calling it "Downtown Seattle Center - Space Needle" -- not sure if they renamed it or what, but that's where the confusion came from. Cheers.

This is more for information that anything else. I was messing around w/Hotwire in Seattle (using the Better Bidding HOTWIRE link, of course) while waiting for the deal of the century to appear in SFO (still waiting). And I noticed a 4* hotel in the Seattle Center zone (boutique, fitness, restaurant, business, internet). As far as I know, there aren't any boutique 4 stars in what would typically be that zone, and there's only one four-star that I know of -- the Pan Pacific (above Whole Foods Market) is right inside the zone on the corner of Denny & Westlake -- but I wouldn't consider Pan Pacific boutique. It's a modern high-rise hotel above a supermarket in a building that splits space with condos. Any thoughts on this one? I don't need the hotel, but I thought I'd pass along the info in case someone runs across this in the future. Other details: Recommended in 95% of customer reviews (+300 reviews); and average of 4.5 on Trip Advisor ratings. Anyway, take this for what it's worth.

thanks. I'll keep you posted on how it turns out and of course, use the links for purchase where applicable. Cheers!

Thank you. Right now, there's nothing much showing on Hotwire so I'll have to keep an eye out. The best deals right now seem to be the Embarcadaro Hyatt on LMT for ~$113 or by direct booking the Intercontinental for about $114. We still have time so I'll wait. Rates seem to be pretty reasonable and rooms are plentiful, at least via the hotels' own sites. I'm thinking people must stay with family during the Thanksgiving and business travelers are probably in short supply as well. If there's capacity in the system I may just try to low-ball a Priceline room. I don't normally want to do that w/ the kids since I feel terrible making them sleep in the bathtub and/or closet :) but if I get something cheap enough and and the hotels aren't all filled up, then maybe I can feel confident about negotiating an affordable room with two beds at check in.

Done and done and done ... BTW, I'm all for more information, but at the time it seemed like a "never mind, I'm sick" post seemed unnecessary. But if that's the level you want I'll try to remember.

just to follow up, because I was asked to: I got sick... and we didn't pursue the matter further.

2 adults, 2 children. Nov 20-24. Not much to go on aside from the usual nothing (Fitness, restaurant, business center, HSI). From the lists here it could be the Hlton Finan. Dist, Hyatt, Omni or Le Meridien. I'd be happy with the last three and really happy w/ those last 2. The only clue I can think of is the trip advisor 4.5 rating. Are those pretty accurate? Can I just look for Embarcadaro hotels that scored at least a 4.5 or do they fudge? If that's a pretty reliable technique, then it's likely the Omni or Le Meridien -- the only other shown for that area in Trip advisor is the Mandarin. Any thoughts on the reliability f that technique (or SF family friendly hotel tips for that matter)? We've got more than a month to spare, so I might just watch individual hotel rates and see if I can get something that I can identify"for sure" that "for sure" has a pool for the kids ... but the either of those for $111/night might be too good to pass up. Thanks! :)

Anyone know of any good deals running right now (like the Expedia Hotel Monaco deal)? I was kind of hoping for Pan Pacific via hotwire (because the Mrs. favors a nice bathtub) but Hotwire is showing no $* for Sat. I'm a bit leery of Priceline for this weekend because I don't really want to hit the Westin or Sheraton (I'd like something a little less corporate). Advice appreciated (and of course I'll use a link when I purchase :);-)

Not to thread hijack, but I wish that Expedia Hotel Monaco deal was still on. Wanted to surprise the mrs. this weekend for her b-day, but occupancy must be up. There's not a lot out there (especially because I'm looking for something a little less corporate than the Sheraton or Westin and therefore don't want to risk Priceline). Oh, well.

yep, $44.

Just like the last Lloyd Center Courtyard winner, I got it on the first bid. I figured I only had time for the one free rebid (NW portland) and maybe the same cycle the next day, so I tried $44, thinking I'd go to $50 on rebid and then $50/$55 tomorrow. I can't imagine they'd go much lower then $40, though so I'm more than willing to eat the $ ;-) It looks like the same hotel (from what I could tell) was available on Hotwire for $65 so I didn't want to go into the 60s. Thanks!

An update on my trip: I didn't do "$20 trick" -- I didn't get the vibe it would work -- but I did call to confirm and while making chit-chat, I mentioned we were celebrating our anniversary and wanted to make sure we got a room with a single bed (most of the complaints I read were because of small rooms and two beds crammed in). :) At check in they knew who I was and wished us a happy anniversary. They came through with a nice, but small (cozy) room with a little roof courtyard view. The courtyard would have been a very nice place for a glass of wine or something but we were never in the hotel during the day. Occupancy was down and they _could_ have given us a river view but didn't. I got over it. It helped that they we had a chocolate tart and anniversary card waiting for us when we returned to our room that night. The hotel is basically west of the financial district right on the river. We were on bikes so the location was great (because of the river trail) and the whole town was in reach. I could see if you were there on a weekend it would a little "out there," requiring car or taxi use. Good coffee and food really shuts down in that part of town on the weekends and it would be a long walk in the dark. But during the day? Glorious. If you are there on a weekend, check out the farmers market at Portland State. It's about a 3/4 mile walk to great food and people watching. The hotel itself is nice, but not amazing. It an in-city resort feel (and the decor to match), though it carries a bit of corporate retreat center coldness. The people were nice, if a bit unenthusiastic. On the other hand, they also didn't have the obsequiousness that sometimes turns me off to what are supposedly "high-end" hotels. We enjoyed our weekend; I'd gladly gain for anything $100 or under. -Cheers!

Used the BetterBidding PRICELINE link link. First bid $80. Got it. It sort of freaked me out because I didn't know anything about the Riverplace and a couple years ago I had a bad experience after getting a mystery "borderline" 4* hotel in Paris for lowball bid. I was hoping to utilize all the Portland rebids and work myself into a more centrally located typical downtown hotel like the Vintage, Monaco or Westin, but wow, this is cheap. I wish I started lower, but oh well. I'll try to remember to report back with some details on the stay. If anyone has any tips for not getting relegated to the worst room in the hotel (owing to my lowball priceline bid) please share ;-) Thanks for the great site!

Hmm.... I thought I could edit my original post, but I can't. At any rate, I wanted to mention I used the SavingsBarn link to start the priceline process. Thanks again.

Thanks for this board. First time priceline user here -- I got the Hotel Monaco in Denver for $140/night. Started at $75, the rebids and $95, $110, $120, $130.. I maybe left $5 on the table. I still had 3 or so free rebids because Denver has so many areas w/o 4* hotels. I know this may seem like a lot compared to what others have got at different times, but I'm happy with it (there's a convention at the colorado convention center and lots of rooms are blocked out). Cheapest online price from Hotel Monaco was $213 from Kimpton. Other 4* in Denver were ~$225 and the best price from the conference "special rate" block for even a decent 3* was $149 (and that's what I was planning on) Here's the scoop: Your Offer Price: $140.00 Extend Your Stay Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $420.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $68.15 Total Charges*: $488.15 See ya! :)