jrnyman04

3* San Diego (Del Mar) Hilton $53 ... 12/23/07 - 12/25/07 I tried to get 2.5* in Sorrento Mesa and didn't succeed up to $65. Then bid for 2.5* in Del Mar and got the 3* Hilton for $53. Previous bid that failed was $50. Should be ok, I think they charge for Parking though... Used SavingsBarn.com link to access PL.

In the "Packages", Hotwire lists LQ CV as a 2.5* with the same amenities as the 4 listed for the 2* above. So, neither of the 2 hotels listed above is likely to be the LQ CV.

2.5* LA-San Fernando Valley (Warner Center-Woodland Hills) Staybridge Suites Chatsworth $48 ... 12/21/07 - 12/23/07 Previous failed bid was $46. Here's a new hotel for our list. I stayed here in the summer after booking thru Hotw.ire for around $60, its nice. I am glad you can get this thru Priceline also now. Accessed Priceline thru the SavingsBarn.com link.

2* Phoenix (Tempe-ASU) Towneplace Suites Tempe $32 ... 12/28/07 Here's a new hotel for our list. Accepted on the first try. Rack rate seems to be $89. I was kinda expecting the Springhill Suites, but this is even better (has a full kitchen). Very glad the Homestead no longer comes up in Tempe. As always used SavingsBarn.com to access Priceline.

2* Miami( Airport MIA) Homestead Miami - Airport - Blue Lagoon $30 ... 12/15/07-12/19/07 This was booked a few days ago (a car rental as well), I thought I posted them, but must've missed. $50 for 3* and $40 for 2.5* were rejected. $30 for 2* was accepted on the first try. Probably should've waited and gone a little higher on the 2.5*, oh well. Car rental was $20 for a mid-size from Alamo (pick up at FLL, drop off at MIA) Priceline was accessed thru the link on SavingsBarn.com for both the reservations.

No. I saw the hotel listed as a 1* in the "shop and compare" listings for those dates on PL. Does PL list a hotel as a 1* there and say it is a 2* in "Name your price"?

Park Inn Milpitas is currently listed as 1* by PL. If you win a bid thru PL, you generally get an "Extend Your Stay" option many/most times. How long can you extend? Is there a max# of days that PL allows or is it simply for how many more days PL can give the same hotel at the same price?

Do you think some of these hotels don't charge their parking fee on the weekends? I stayed at Embassy Suites Irvine during the Memorial Day weekend and used my room key to access their parking garage, but they didn't charge me for it.

2.5* L. A. - San Gabriel Valley (Monrovia - Duarte) - Residence Inn Arcadia $56 ... 11/09/07 - 11/11/07 Previous failed bid was $52. Hotel's website has $149 for the same days. Very happy with the win. Could've probably gotten something cheaper in the Covina or Commerce-Norwalk area, but I wanted to get something in the Pasadena, Monrovia area. Another failed bid in the Pasadena, Monrovia areas was for 3* at $58 for the same dates. Our PL hotel list does not list this hotel for the area in question, it needs to be updated. Also, PL doesn't seem to have a 3* available in the Monrovia area now. Used SavingsBarn.com to access Priceline.

Thanks everyone for the comments. I continued my bidding last week and finally got 2.5* Courtyard Rancho Bernardo for $105. Previous failed bid was $100. At that time that hotel had a rack rate of $199 for cancellable reservations and $179 for pre-paid. I bid in all the zones I mentioned up to $95. When I went above that, I did it only in Sorrento Mesa and RB based on the PL Hotel lists for those zones and the suitability of location for me. Now it looks like almost everything 2.5* and above is sold out for those dates and am glad I got something. As usual I accessed PL thru the savingsbarn.com link. I didn't bid in the downtown and Point Loma areas as I thought traffic could be unpredictable and maybe an issue for me.

CLT Charlotte,NC Fullsize Hertz $20 ... 7/30/07 - 8/6/07 Priceline offered me a fullsize for $23 with the air reservation. Started at $15 and tried down to mid-size and no luck up to $18. $20 was accepted for Full when $18 failed for Standard and Mid-size. Used SavingsBarn.com to access Priceline. As my trip ended up being multi destination trip, I could not use "Name your price" for the air ticket. Priceline had the best price for the tickets booking them directly and I ended up buying them from them. Used SB.com to access Priceline for that reservation also.

3* Woodland Hills (Warner Center - Woodland Hills) Hilton $55 ... 7/4/07 - 7/8/07 Bid was for 2.5* and was upgraded. Previous failed bid was $53. I got this a coupla days ago. I tried for these dates for a while without going over the $50 level knowing the Hilton charges for the Parking and was bidding here and in the Ventura area as either would've worked. I probably could've gotten a better deal between the 2 areas if I broke up the 4 days, but didn't want to. Would've gladly paid $65 for Staybridge Suites in Chatsworth again if that was available on Hotwire, but it was not for those dates. Used SavingsBarn.com to access Priceline.

Hi All, Thanks very much for the comments. I checked the website for the conference that week and Jun 30th seemed to be the deadline for hotel reservations and my bids up to 90 have failed the last coupla days (even after breaking up the 3 days in question). I checked some of the hotel websites and most Holiday Inns and Hilton family hotels have no availability for those days. So, we may not see much inventory at Priceline for those days. It looks to be the toughest week so far this year for SD hotels. I will wait for a few more days before changing the game plan. Worst case I have that backup reservation....

2.5* Charlotte (Executive Park - Charlotte South) Four Points by Sheraton $40 .. 8/4/06-8/6/06 I initially bid in the South Park region for 3* up to $48 hoping for Doubletree Suites or Hyatt, but that didn't succeed. Started at $35 for 2.5* in the Executive Park and was countered w/ a $9 increase. Tried $37 which was rejected and my last bid of $40 was accepted. This hotel has mixed reviews and am hoping its an OK hotel. Rack rate appears to be $105 for those days. Used Savingsbarn.com to access priceline. This hotel needs to be added to the priceline hotel list on this forum.

I have been trying for more than a month to get this reservation without any success. Mission Valley is ideal, but I am ok with any of the following: Coastal, Sorrento Mesa, Del Mar, Miramar or Rancho Bernardo. Today I bid up to $85 for a 2.5* in these areas and I didn't get anything. My backup is a DaysInn at $90 and we are not happy about it. As far as I can tell there's a convention during those days that has about 15k people attending that may be keeping the hotel rates firm. Most 2.5 and 3* hotels in these areas have rack rates above $200 for these dates. A few (mostly Holiday Inns) have rack rates in the $140 to $170 range. Any advice on how high I may need to go to get a 2.5*? In this situation does it help to wait till the last week or is it better to suck it up and pay the price early. I know no one knows the answer, I am just looking for others opinions based on their prior experience. Thanks a lot!!!

2.5* Ventura (Ventura-Oxnard) Courtyard Oxnard $50 .. 7/13/07 for one night. Previous failed bid was $48. Used SavingsBarn.com link to access priceline.

2.5* Ventura (Ventura-Oxnard) Contry Inn and Suites Ventura 7/11/07 - 7/13/07 ... $50 Previous failed bid was $48. This location is the best for my needs on this trip. We just stayed at this hotel for a couple of nights. Its an old hotel which badly needs some renovation, but an acceptable one. I needed it for 3 nights up to 7/14. No luck bidding for that up to $55. Took the friday out and got it for $50. Got the Courtyard Oxnard for the friday night at $50. Used the SavingsBarn.com link to access priceline.com

This is a very nice hotel and well worth the money. We really enjoyed our stay and booked it again for this weekend (used the forum HOTWIRE link) for $64. The laundry is also free.

We recently stayed at ExtendedStayDeluxe in Bakersfield (which was nice) and booked this regular ESA in Anaheim based on that experience and as we wanted a hotel with a kitchen. What a mistake that was. This place is a dump. Do not make the mistake of booking this if you can help it. I am not sure if this is even a 1 star.

2.5* Ventura (Ventura-Oxnard) Country Inn And Suites $50 6/27/07-6/29/07. The last rejected bid was $48. Would've preferred the Residence Inn. This should work too. Used the SavingsBarn.com link to access Priceline.

2* Anaheim Disneyland North Extended Stay $45 6/25/07-6/27/07 Extended Stay America Orange County - Anaheim Convention Center 1742 S. Clementine Street Anaheim, California 92802 Amenities listed : Laundry. Used the HOTWIRE link on this forum. Forgot to use it for the Chatsworth reservation. Sorry.

I am not sure which folder this belongs, please move if necessary. Here's a new hotel to add to the list. 3* Chatsworth Staybridge Suites $65 6/23/07-6/25/07 Hotel Amenities: Suite, Complimentary Breakfast, Fitness Center, Pool(s) I have seen the price on this from $59-$65 for weekends. I don't know why Hotwire varies its prices every few hours. We needed something on short notice and took a chance on it. I was guessing it was the Staybridge and am very glad I was right. Rack rate is $91. I didn't want to go to priceline and get something like the Woodland Hills Hilton for $45-50 plus $12 parking fee. I believe the Staybridge has free parking, free internet and free breakfast.

2.5* San Diego (Point Loma - Shelter Island - Old Town) Courtyard Old Town $55 7/2-7/4/07. Hotel appears to charge $15/day for parking. Bids for 2.5* up to $55 were rejected in Mission Valley and Sorrento Mesa for the same dates. I made a mistake and $55 was the first bid for this zone. Maybe it can be had for a little lower. Rack rate for those nights appears to be $159, so can't be a bad deal. Used SavingsBarn.com link to access priceline to start the bid.

We had a great time at this hotel and it was really nice. Hope to get it again. Its a great value at the PL prices. Please check the Hotel Reviews section for my review of this hotel.

Please check the Hotel Reviews section for my review.