big turk

Thanks for the heads-up. I didn't use the board's PRICELINE link given that I didn't know how to mesh it with the bonus cash - but now I will know, for the next time! Cheers!

Had $20 in bonus cash via the Entertainment Book. Started at $40 and added one zone and an extra $1 each time. Last bid was $45 ($51.67 including the bonus cash) and added Maple Grove. Ended up getting the Holiday Inn Metrodome. Seems reasonable for the price although I have a sneaking suspicion that I would have got it for $45 whether or not there was any bonus cash, judging by how much others have paid for the place. Generally pleased but very surprised given that this is the first time in years I didn't get the Doubletree Bloomington when using Priceline in the Twin Cities. (It got to the point where I practically expected to get the Doubletree each time... I wonder what happened?)

On maybe a couple of occasions I've been given what I presume to be "the priceline room" or "the hotwire room", i.e. view of a brick wall or some such thing, but that has been offset by the occasional free upgrades or other courtesies that I have received. I should note that I'm not a particularly demanding guest since I basically show up, get a key and then almost never have any contact with hotel staff until check out. On the whole I don't think I've done any worse in terms of service than had I booked through the hotels themselves (except that I don't get points like SPG, etc. which could get me upgrades down the road). Unpleasant desk clerks are probably going to be unpleasant no matter who you booked through. And if I have... well, the cost savings more than make up for it!

I use Priceline quite often to bid on hotels, but for car rentals I haven't find the deals to be very enticing at all lately. For the couple bucks that you might save, you lose a lot of flexibility. The retail prices at PL or the prices at carrentals.com are generally on par with the name-your-own-prices for the destinations I visit. At one point it seemed that PL offered some savings on car rentals, but not quite so much anymore.

Started bidding at $30 for 3*, then 2.5*, then 2*. No success. Repeated process by rebidding but by $1 or $2 increases. Got up to $38, no success. Received bonus cash and then repeated the process by bidding $39 (for total bid of $44 including $5/night bonus cash). Struck out at 3*, rebid at 2.5* and got the Country Inn and Suites.

Started bidding at $30 for 3* and kept adding zones. Ended day 1 at $37 with no results. Two days later resumed bidding for 3*. $38 for Downtown Raleigh, no results. Added Crabtree and upped bid to $39, no results. Finally upped bid to $40 adding Raleigh zone, and got the Holiday Inn North. Seems like a good deal to me - I'm certainly pleased with it.

For what it's worth I've never been disappointed here. The club rooms in the north tower are markedly more spacious than those in the south tower (and slightly better appointed), but even the south tower rooms are nice and well-kept. I've stayed there a few times and I've wondered with each visit back whether room standards will slip but they never do - always well kept. It will be interesting to see what it's like now that it's under the Doubletree flag.

Tried bidding 4* up to $64 pretty well all over MSP, no success. Next day started at $31 for 3.5* and gradually added zones plus $2 increments and ended up with the Doubletree (formerly the Sheraton). No surprise whatsoever - if you lowball Priceline for 3.5*s in MSP, it's virtually assured you'll get this place. I'm pleased as I've stayed here a few times before and have been very happy with the value for money. (Judging from the fact that nearly every review on Tripadvisor mentions Priceline or Hotwire I don't quite understand how they stay in business, but that's another story.) Used the PRICELINE link above as always.

Started with 4* Downtown Edmonton at $65 following the PRICELINE link above, and then went as follows: 4*, $66, Downtown and West Edmonton 4*, $67, Downtown, West Edmonton and South Edmonton 3.5*, $68, Downtown, West Edmonton and South Edmonton 3*, $68, Downtown, West Edmonton and South Edmonton The Courtyard for under $70 is good value for money. (The Westin would have been better, but I'm not complaining!)

I use the PRICELINE link all the time, but I had no idea about the support page - thanks! In the long term, you may want to consider establishing affiliations with booking websites for other countries. Sometimes the hardest part of booking foreign travel is knowing which websites are the best bets, and having them on the support page would be very helpful for travelers!

Tried bidding many times over the course of several weeks, mainly in Chiyoda-ku/Chuo-ku, but at various times adding Shinjuku-ku and Shibuya-ku. I aimed at the 4* level going as high as $109, with no success. In the end I used Hotels.com to book a double at the 3.5* Grand Arc Hanzomon at the sale price of US$84.30 for a twin room. The main reason was to ensure a good location and the room type I wanted. My reason for posting this is to let anyone else looking at Japan know that as with many international destinations, other services can quite often offer up a better deal.

Gradually tried bidding every zone in MSP at 4* up to $51, no luck. Today started with Airport-MOA, 3.5* at $36, no luck. Added Bloomington West at $37, got the Sheraton Bloomington. I've stayed here before and the value is hard to beat. Good location too.

I already had a room for six nights at the Millennium Knickerbocker just off the Mag Mile. I needed a room for the last two nights at someplace somewhat more suburban. I began using the PRICELINE link above. I started in ORD North, 4*, $50, rejected Added ORD South, 4*, $52, rejected Added Franklin Park, 4*, $54, accepted Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $54.00 Subtotal: $108.00 Taxes & Fees: $24.42 Total Charges*: $132.42 I'm happy with this... 4 stars for $54 is always good in my books.

My wife booked it so I have no details regarding bidding other than that she started at 4*/$120 and kept adding zones in Manhattan until she found a taker at $150. Note that this booking is for TWO ROOMS at $150 a pop.

Thanks for the travel advice! I don't know that I can squeeze in a stop at Devil's Lake Park, although I've been meaning to get to Wisconsin some day and when I do I'll be sure to visit it then. However, I'm pretty sure I can fit in a quick stop for bratwurst! :)

I needed a place for a pit stop in Minneapolis on my drive to Chicago. I began with a series of lowball bids (using the PRICELINE link above) on 4*, 3.5* and 3* hotels with no luck. Then I turned to 2.5*. I began with Airport at $27 and just moved down the list in alphabetical order adding one zone at a time (excluding Eagan, Coon Rapids and Burnsville), adding a buck every couple of rebids. Finally, once I got down to Woodbury-Oakdale, I upped the bid one more dollar to $31 and got the Best Western Regency Plaza. This property doesn't appear on the list (unless I checked the wrong heading?). I'm sure if I waited I might have been able to find a 3 or 3.5 star for similar money, but I just wanted to get it done. At $31, it's hard to complain!

Thanks for all the advice - much appreciated! It'll be my first visit to Chicago and I can't wait.

I just read the thread that thereuare linked to - $20 or $25 a day at Navy Pier is a great price in my mind, considering that the Knickerbocker is within easy walking distance from the hotel (I'm used to walking a lot, so it's no problem for me). Thanks for the info! That's great news! :)

Thank you for the feedback. I am really jazzed about the Knickerbocker mainly for the location, and the fact that it appears to be a charming old hotel. I am aware of some of the limitations of older properties (smaller rooms, odd layouts, etc.), but I almost always enjoy staying at them. The TripAdvisor reviews are encouraging too. As for parking, my experience with driving in big U.S. cities is limited, but my plan is to find someplace to stow the car for three or four days while my wife and I walk around and take transit. In Washington DC I had luck parking the car at Union Station for relatively low prices, so I thought I'd give that a try at Chicago's Union Station. I'm willing to walk several blocks for a deal. I know it's Chicago so a "deal" might end up being $25 a day or something like that, but I'd rather pay that than the $50 valet parking fee at the hotel.

Started bidding at $50 for a 4* in the Loop (using the PRICELINE link above, naturally), then added NMA-River North and $1, then added Lincoln Park and $1. Kept repeating the bid each day, a buck higher each time. This morning I bid $80 for a 4* in the Loop, rejected. Added a buck and NMA-River North, and my bid was accepted by the Millennium Knickerbocker. I'm quite pleased with this as it is a substantial discount off the Expedia "special deal" price. The location looks great. (Now to find some parking that won't break the bank!)

After having some Priceline bids for a 4* room in Edmonton Downtown, South and West rejected at $70, $72, $74, $76 and $78, I tried Hotwire and I was pleased to see a 4* room come up for $85. The amenities were listed as: Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center High-speed Internet Access Lo and behold, it's the Westin. This represents about a US$35/night savings off the lowest published rate, so not bad. I also have the $20 rebate form that comes in the Entertainment Book, so we'll see if I can get the price knocked down a bit that way as well. I'm pleased with this deal. It is more than I'm used to paying, but Edmonton seems to have really high room rates across the board. All searches begun using the HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links here, as usual!

Started with 4* Downtown Edmonton at $66 following the PRICELINE link above, and then went as follows: 4*, $68, Downtown and West Edmonton 3.5*, $70, Downtown and West Edmonton 3*, $72, Downtown and West Edmonton That clinched it. Overall I am pleased as the all-in rate is what I have paid at the Days Inn Downtown in the past, and I know that the Courtyard is nicer and more convenient than the Days Inn.

Started out at $35, 4*, Fargo, and went as follows: $36, 3.5*, Fargo $36, 3*, Fargo $36, 3*, Fargo and Moorhead $37, 3*, Fargo, Hector Airport and Moorhead $37, 2*, Fargo, Hector Airport and Moorhead This is about half the posted rate on the Choice Hotels website, so I'm pleased with it.

Followed the PRICELINE link above and simply started bidding $56 for the downtown zone, starting with 4* and working my way down to 2*, at which point the bid was accepted. I have stayed at the Extended Stay Deluxe in the past, and I have found it to be clean and comfortable with spacious rooms (including kitchenettes). It is located in a nice urban neighbourhood not too far from many of the big attractions in downtown Ottawa. The only catch is that you only get housekeeping once a week - which means that I won't have a maid passing through and making the bed each day. This place was rated 3* last time I stayed there, but I note that it has been downgraded to 2*. While it is still a nice place to stay, the 2* rating better reflects the level of service that the hotel provides given that there is no daily maid service.

I have gotten so much advice from this forum that every time HOTWIRE or PRICELINE crosses my mind, I use those links to begin my purchases. THANKS!!