mbstone

This property is still an excellent value compared to nearly any Las Vegas hotel. Staying here you'll save, in addition to the room rate, on: bellhop service (typically $10-20/stay), internet service (typically $12-15/day/computer, we have 2), resort fees (typically $20-30/stay), room service (1/2 price compared to others), soda ($1). No walking a mile through some casino to get to your room. After you factor in all these savings, the room is practically comp. Free shuttle to MGM Grand casino, hourly. Room service unavail 2-5P (but Applebees' casual dining restaurant 50 yards away).

3-star hotel in Near Strip South

This hotel features the following amenities:

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.

High-speed Internet Access

Guestrooms are equipped with high-speed Internet access; an extra charge may apply.

Golf Nearby

Property is located within walking distance or a short drive of at least one golf course; an extra charge typically applies.

Tennis Nearby

Property is located within walking distance or a short drive of at least one tennis court; an extra charge typically applies.

No reasonably-priced rooms at any of the 4-5* casino hotels this weekend. What to do? Thankfully the LAS Airport Doubletree is a very nice and conveniently located (non-gaming) property. A steal at these prices.

$42/night x 2 rooms x 3 days = $252 + 38 taxes/fees, total $290 (Fri/Sat/Sun). I tried plugging in different dates, and apparently the $42/night HOTWIRE rate is the same on weekends and weekdays.

San Diego Mission Bay Plaza Hotel and Suites Point Loma

Possibly this property is the former Holiday Inn Mission Bay (3737 Sports Arena Blvd).

We read so many really nasty, recent reviews on TripAdvisor -- bedbugs, homeless people, noise -- that we actually asked PL to rebook us. PL was very nice but in the end stated that PL "stands behind this property." And this stay, at least for us, was very positive. The room and property was spotless and freshly painted. We slept well. While it appears there are several wings to this 3-story exterior-corridor-with elevators motel, our room had a sofa, refrigerator, microwave, and coffeemaker. Free parking and free wi-fi (worked on Windows 7 machine but not Vista). 24h restaurant onsite (Dupar's). Adj to SD Sports Arena. Many shops in immed vic incl Ralph's Grocery (6A-2A), Arco AM-PM (24h), banks, wireless companies, Target. PPV. Maybe someone has it in for the property and is posting bogus reviews to TripAdvisor. Untried but claimed amenities include outdoor pool, exercise room, business center, gift shop. Accurately rated 3* by PL.

This was probably about a $10 overbid, but I needed to be in this zone the same day so I didn't want to mess around. Total about $74 ($15 in fees and taxes). See review.

Other people on other boards have claimed that this move has isolated the Trump, and un-poisoned the zone containing the Venetian/Palazzo and Wynn/Encore, so that it is again safe to bid the zone without any fear of being Trump-dumped.

I'm guessing...

1. Hilton

2. ?

3. Marriott Suites

At check-in, you would need one CC, or two CCs. The hotels are pretty flexible about deposits for incidentals (food and pay per view) , especially if you tell them you won't be needing any.

Is "Breakfast" an amenity more likely to be offered by a 2.5* hotel than a 3* (or up) hotel?

When I travel with kids even a continental breakfast is helpful on the budget. I have not ever requested less than 3* on Hotwire or Priceline. I don't recall ever getting one that includes breakfast. I've just planned to count some of what I save on the room toward the cost of purchasing breakfast at the hotel or elsewhere.

However, when I have stayed at 2/2.5* hotels they usually have included some form of breakfast.

Just wondering if I should consider gambling on a 2.5* hotel for my next bidding strategy. I know. I know. No guarantees. :)

Welcome to the hotel industry! The fancier the hotel, the less value you get! Holds true for parking, breakfast, internet access, even the number of channels on your TV. Go 2.5* ! !

Maybe mbstone has had some bad experiences with Holiday inn, or maybe you were just lucky, whatever the case that was mbstone's opinion of the hotel chain. I personally can

Except for Holiday Inn, which apparently has a chainwide policy of giving PL guests the worst possible rooms, nearly all hotels will make every effort to accommodate your bed type preference. The best way is to send a fax to the property asking them nicely if they would please give you a king bed/connecting rooms/etc.

1. No negative small things such as resort fees, pay water bottles, or other petty charges

2. If the property has a looseleaf room service menu, I'd like to have all the pages

3. Working batteries in the remote

4. Curtains that can black out the room

5. Electrical outlets that aren't behind the middle of the mattress

6. A laminated card with a map of the area immediately adjacent to the hotel showing all restaurants, shops, and services within 1/2 mile

7. Speed-dial buttons on the phone that are correctly programmed to reach the bell desk, room service, etc

8. A deadly-efficient lost and found that will retrieve and send me anything I might have left in the room, for a reasonable shipping charge

9. If the hotel is in the MFN there should be something to eat available 24H

This 3* property is situated in North Las Vegas, 15 miles from the Strip and LAS airport. Full casino, steakhouse, buffet, oyster bar, coffee shop, lounges, food court, bowling, movie theater, entertainment; gift shop on site. Pool (9A-10P); jacuzzi; fitness center (6A-midnight). Sports book. Free parking. No value for mandatory $13.99 resort fee (not a resort); promised wireless internet did not work. Desk; flat screen TV that could not be rotated or moved to be visible from desk. Pillow-top mattresses. Longest walk to your room in Las Vegas, and that's saying a lot. Possible bell and/or valet service, or maybe not.l

I was preparing to bid $72 for a 3 star in Rye, NY... 10-4 to 10-6

and after telling me the median retail was $174 ... on the next screen it said...

We Want You To Get Your Hotel Room

Based on past priceline customer requests for hotels in this area, your offer price of $72 has only a small chance of being accepted.

You should, as a general guideline, expect to pay an average price of $58 per night for a 3-star hotel in the Westchester County, NY area if you called the hotel directly.

Remember - we will only accept one request for the same star level, city area and dates in a 24 hour period. So if you need a specific zone or star level - be sure your first offer price is your best price!

Median retail price for a 3 star hotel in the area selected: $58

....

so something was dividing the old retail by the number of stars... :)

So what happened? I assume you then bid $49??

This 3* Courtyard is -- no surprises here -- what you would expect from a Marriott Courtyard. Clean comfortable room with king bed, desk, ample TV channels, coffeemaker, free internet. Free flowing shower head. Pool; jacuzzi; exercise room. Guest laundry. Snacks for purchase at front desk. Free parking. Luggage carts. No casino. Numerous restaurants (walk to Outback, Joe's Crab Shack, Dave's BBQ), shops in immediate vicinity. 8 mi N of downtown Las Vegas along US-95. 3rd floor room at end of hallway, walk 3 flights down to parking.

Started with 3* East of Strip at $25 (no downtown, thank you). Counteroffer at $77!

Eventually added Summerlin - NW, glad I did.

Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $44.00

Subtotal: $220.00

Taxes & Fees: $37.50

Total Charges*: $257.50

Slightly better than I expected for a 2.5* downtown. Not that this is anything to write home about, you would not want to take your significant other here, it's about at the level of a mom-and-pop motel in Amarillo or Needles. Clean comfortable bed, soiled carpet, the TV and A/C works. 9 of 10 ice machines broken or missing, try try again.

Actually the hotel website was cheaper than my (weekday) PRICELINE bid by a couple of bucks, but PL blew me off as far as the guarantee....

$95.00

Subtotal: $285.00

Taxes & Service Fees: $54.57

Total Charges*: $339.57

A wonderful alternative to AC (see hotel review).

Were you born to the country club life of quiet elegance, discreet service, and distantly ticking clocks? If you were, God bless you. If not, you can experience the good life on the cheap by booking the 4* Dolce Seaview (formerly the Marriott Seaview) on PL. The former Seaview Country Club features golf, fine dining, nature walks, and spacious plush accommodations. Valet parking $9, free self parking is somewhat distant. Room service 6A-11P, reasonable+$3+20%. Seafood buffet ($65) on Friday evening and Sunday brunch buffet ($29). Indoor and outdoor pools, jacuzzi (poolside service); exercise room; tennis (3 lighted hard courts + 2 clay courts; pro shop); golf (pro shop); near beaches. 5 mi to Atlantic City casinos. Guest laundry; business center 24H. Gift shop. Lounge. Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa. Family activities (e.g. "dive-in movie" shown poolside). Ample TV channels plus PPV (not working during our stay). Free wired internet. Coffeemaker/blowdryer. Desk. A great place to hold a wedding reception, business conference, or romantic getaway.

$115 after much bidding and rebidding 4* and lower in Manhattan, starting at $95 and up. $143 total. At end of stay, extension refused at $115 but counteroffer at $190 ($233 total).

Hotel is undergoing renovation, no restaurants/lounges/room service. Although there are of course many nearby restaurants in TS, this property should be sold as 2* until amenities restored. This is not the NY Sheraton on 7 Av & 54 St.

3.5* PL bid accepted at $115. The Sheraton Manhattan Hotel is on the west side of 7 Av between 52 & 51 Sts, do not confuse with the Sheraton NY Hotel & Towers across the street. During our stay the property was undergoing a well-deserved renovation, the restaurant was open only for breakfast and room service was closed. Request for NS King was honored. Small comfortable room w/ desk, wired internet, hairdryer, coffeemaker, plasma TV. Limited TV channels and TV did not work well despite maintenance attempts. Ample shops & restaurants & attractions in immed vic incl Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Central Park; subways. Indoor pool & gym 8a-10p M-F 8a-8p SaSu.

Yes, car rentals out of LA are insanely high. Started at $18 and wound up being rejected at $35 for an Economy (I always bid PL Economy and upgrade at the counter, it's cheaper that way). So I am finally accepted at $37 (total of $199.16 for four days). I get to the counter and prepare for the usual upgrade negotiation. Remember, the counter person has nearly unlimited authority to upgrade your car class for whatever daily extra they can get you to agree to.

I say, "Do you have any upgrades?"

"I don't know."

"Well, you know better than I know."

"We have a Volvo S80."

I play along figuring this would be a $35 or so upsell and I will eventually wind up with a full size Impala crackerbox for maybe $10 or $12.

"That's $2 a day extra, right?"

"No, actually, no charge."

Friends, this is unprecedented in all my days (decades) of rent-a-cars. A $0 upgrade to a brand new premium import car. Life is good. And according to the contract I can extend the rental for $310 a week plus 10% sales tax....

LAX, LGB and SNA PL and HW (not to mention regular) rentals are not just high, they are insanely high. Could this have something to do with the automaker bankruptcies and government takeovers.

Incredibly tough sledding for cars this week both in LAX area and LAS area. Usual 40% LAS airport gouga applies bringing total up to $35/day and $125.