lwitchel

Bid up to $91 on Priceline for Finsbury-Islington. Priceline gave both a counteroffer of $102 and rebid offers of $22. At $91, the total price was $114. It's a reasonable guess that it was the Hilton Islington there as well. I went back to Hotwire to see the total price so I would know when to stop trying on Priceline. Weirdly enough, Hotwire's taxes and fees were only $7.15 total instead of closer to $20-30 that would have been normal - which makes no sense, but I've seen this tic in Hotwire's programming before. I bought on Hotwire for less than Priceline would have cost. Amenities are as previously reported - Fitness, Restaurant, Business, Hi-Speed. Hilton London Islington 53 Upper Street London, N1 0UY United Kingdom 011-44-207-354-7700 1 room; 1 nights Check-in: Sat, Nov 29, 2008 at 3:00 PM Check-out: Sun, Nov 30, 2008 at 12:00 PM Billing Details Hotel 1 room(s) @ $99.00 per night x 1 nights $99.00 Taxes and Fees: $7.15 Hotel Subtotal: $106.15 Total Cost: $106.15 Some hotels may apply additional charges.

$59 was not accepted, $60 was. This hotel is not within the free bus zone of Heathrow, but the A10 bus does run frequently for

The amenities here have remained the same as reported on previous bids (Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business) and it shows up as such on vacation packages. Breakdown (I needed two rooms) 2 room(s) @ $129.00 per night x 3 nights $774.00 Taxes and Fees: $58.06 Hotel Total: $832.06

I noticed some strange behavior I wanted to report regarding this purchase... Searching Hotwire, I saw a hotel in London listed as being $62/nightly - $124 for 2 nights + fees of $53 - $177 total. I was at the office and didn't have time to book immediately, so a few hours later at home I revisited Hotwire through an affiliate link. Same hotel (at least it probably was - same amenities, etc) $59 nightly but $73 in fees - $191 total. I called customer service to ask why fees were so high. The CSR was no help (and basically either did not understand or avoided my question.) I went back to the office, did not go through the portal and used IE instead of Firefox - the price and fees went back to the same total $177. I left that window in IE open, deleted cookies in Firefox and tried again to go through an affiliate link. Back to $73 in fees. I tried deleting cookies and going through a different affiliate link to test. Same result. I booked on the IE window with the lower fees that I had left open. I tested again with a dummy booking in Barcelona. This offer was $132/night and the same booking produced the same results with or without an affiliate link. So the problem in London was either an aberration or perhaps something kicks in to bump up the fees if the price with an affiliate referral fee drops Hotwire's profit below a certain point? Is Hotwire using the hidden nature of its fee structure to bundle in other fees?

Midweek hotel rates in Central London were very high so I opted for an outlying area and have a new hotel for the list Express by Holiday Inn London Park Royal 2.5* - Amenities Complimentary Breakfast, Restaurant, Business Center, Hi-Speed Internet Access. I was able to guess the hotel from the amenities before accepting by assuming it was an HI Express and looking in the region. Hotwire said it was rated a 4.0 on Travelocity and this came up a match. It's about a 20 minute tube ride from London Center, a similar distance to Hammersmith. The one oddity of the booking was that when I tried to use an affiliate link (any affiliate link - I tried multiple ones to test) Hotwire's bundled fees jumped $20. I had to clear cookies and book only through Hotwire to get the lowest price. Total cost of the two night booking, $176.58.

I recall when I first started using PRICELINE a lot in '03 that Marriott and Priceline had some sort of preferred arrangement. It's highly unscientific, but my recent experience has been that a majority of my recent wins on PRICELINE have been at Hiltons and at HOTWIRE for Holiday Inns. I was wondering if anyone else had similar experiences to report.

I bought this way out because hotel prices are through the roof that weekend - Holiday Inn's own site had this at $332/night so even though Fisherman's Wharf is not my desired location for a stay, I grabbed it. Combined with a Thank You Points redemption for a flight, it's a birthday present to myself of an SF weekend costing $225 for airfare and hotel. Amenities are consistent with previous reports (Fitness Center, Pool, Restaurant, Business Center, Laundry, Hi-Speed Internet Access) Total cost for 2 nights - $174.92

Bid up at dollar intervals - $73 not accepted. Rebid offers of $17 and $22 were given on bids as low as $65. I believe the Hilton is also on Hotwire for the same dates at $106. I would have been content with the 2.5* Opal in Cathedral Hill (a good budget option and close to the Opera House - my destination) but bids up to $52 weren't shaking it loose. Check-In Date: Thursday, May 1, 2008 Check-Out Date: Sunday, May 4, 2008 Hotel Name: Hilton San Francisco 333 Ofarrell Street San Francisco, California 94102 415-771-1400 Your Offer Price: $74.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $222.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $41.35 Total Charges*: $263.35

Nice to have something to report! Express by Holiday Inn - Earl's Court

A new one for the lists - amenities: complimentary breakfast and high speed internet. I was truly nervous pressing the "buy my room" button for this one, as I had no idea what I'd get and thought it might be the Barkston Gardens Hotel - (someone reported it as a Hotwire win on Tripadvisor and was not at all happy) This hotel is more modern and has much higher ratings. It's farther out than I like to be, but closer in will cost double. I needed a decent bargain and I'm happy with the result. $248 hotel cost - Total cost for four nights with fees, $308. The rate for advance purchase at the hotel website is

As with last year, it looks like someone at UA accidentally keyed in a OW fare as a RT. at UA.com and Expedia you can find dates matching Virgin's $129 each way fare for $129 + taxes - ($180 all in). For NYC search using LGA. It doesn't look like non-stops work. I got NYC-SFO on Expedia for a weekend in Oct for $185 total. It's been a lot more recently. This will probably be gone in a few hours.

Checking inventory in HOTWIRE as a clue to what might be at Priceline, rates seem high in the central zones and even outside. $110 may not do it.

$110 not accepted, $120 hit. Rates have dropped from earlier this month, blessedly. Check-In Date: Thursday, June 28, 2007 Check-Out Date: Friday, June 29, 2007 Hotel Name: The Roosevelt Hotel New York 45th And Madison Avenue New York, New York 10017 212-661-9600 Your Offer Price: $120.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $120.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $27.68 Total Charges*: $147.68

I didn't creep up slowly with this bid - I went from $110 to $120 and it was accepted. Check-In Date: Sunday, July 1, 2007 Check-Out Date: Monday, July 2, 2007 Hotel Name: Sheraton New York Hotel And Towers 811 Seventh Avenue New York, New York 10019 212-581-1000 Your Offer Price: $120.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $120.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $27.85 Total Charges*: $147.85

$80 bid got a $22 rebid offer; I added Bloomsbury instead. $82 accepted Check-In Date: Friday, November 23, 2007 Check-Out Date: Wednesday, November 28, 2007 Hotel Name: Hilton London Metropole 225 Edgware Road London, United Kingdom 44-207-4024141 Your Offer Price: US$82.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 5 Subtotal: US$410.00 Taxes and Service Fees: US$84.24 Total Charges: US$494.24

I haven't seen the Marriott Marble Arch come up for almost four years (I got it in 2003). Enjoy your stay, it was one of the best Priceline deals I had in London and the hotel is very pleasant.

This has been my same dilemma as well; I haven't yet found the best solution. If EasyClickTravel has the "off the record" two star hotels in Bloomsbury, they are the Imperial Hotel Chain's hotels (Royal National, Imperial, Bedford, etc) and the location is good if the amenities are less. I have booked at Octopus Travel when Priceline wasn't giving me love. Another option is lastminutetravel.com; I've seen better rates there than at laterooms. If there's a real savings, you may want to bite the bullet and priceline Kensington. It's not walking distance, but if you get something on Gloucester Road rather than Kensington High Street, it's a straight shot into Covent Garden on the Piccadilly line - probably more convenient than some closer zones because of fewer tube changes. That's what I did last trip - it was at least $50-$70 cheaper per night, so worth the 25 minute ride.

You need to do some research and your mileage may vary but - If $100 is your limit, you're most likely (I say this without checking rates, which you ought to do) to get a 4* hotel in Kensington or Regents Park. You can try this strategy over a few days of rebidding. Note: This assumes normal occupancy in London

Unfortunately I don't think you'll be able to get anything for your limits on those dates - regular hotel rates for that time are through the roof (I think it may be graduation ceremonies for some universities.) I had to get my brother a hotel for 5/16-21 in NYC and I think he will be staying in the cancelable backup reservation I made.

I got this for $61/night 4/6-4/9/07 and my impression gibes with the positive ones above. I asked for a room with a view if possible and the desk clerk came up with a room on the 22nd floor with a panoramic view of Lake Michigan and Navy Pier. It was hard to leave the room. In other ways, it was all I expect from a four star hotel - including the slight negatives of being charged for services like Wi-Fi ($10 for 24 hours) and a fitness room (the pool is free, the workout room is $10.80). I didn't opt for either. As mentioned above the location requires a walk. It's about 8-10 blocks walk from the El; the nearest stops are Clark/Lake or Washington. Walk north to Wacker, then east along Wacker drive and the river towards the lake. It is a bit hard to figure out the first time.

The real function is availability of inventory. Just because a hotel loads rooms into Priceline for $61 on April 6 doesn't mean that those same rooms will be available for your dates in May. On April 6-9, the Swissotel had regular rooms available for $99. What are the normal rates hotels are charging during your stay? Hotel rates in Chicago go up once winter ends. If you look historically, you will also see that Chicago Priceline rates go up as well during the warmer months and you may have to bid higher.

My apologies - it slipped my mind and I didn't post this. I already had a reservation at the Swissotel - they're having a $99 spring special, when I saw this bid reported here for dates that included mine. As $60 was rejected and $62 accepted, I bid $61. Accepted. Asking the check-in clerk nicely for a room with a view if any was available snagged me a 22nd floor room with a stunning view of Navy Pier and the lake. As it was cold, I spent Sunday afternoon in my room with a friend chatting and admiring the view. A very good Priceline result! Check-In Date: Friday, April 6, 2007 Check-Out Date: Monday, April 9, 2007 Hotel Name: Swissotel Chicago 323 East Wacker Drive Chicago, Illinois 60601 312-565-0565 Your Offer Price: $61.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $183.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $36.78 Total Charges*: $219.78

At first I checked to see if I could splurge on a 4* in either USE or USW, but as has been mentioned here earlier, it's a tight week and bids up to $85 failed. Civic Center is logistically convenient for me (I'm going to the Opera House a few blocks away most nights). I started bidding 2.5* in Civic Center and Cathedral Hill individually going up at first by $2 intervals, then $1. I got a $14 rebid offer in Civic Center at $48, nothing in Cathedral Hill. I thought I'd get the Whitcomb, which was offering rooms on their website at $79, but as often happens on Priceline, that's only an educated guess. $52 was rejected the day before, $53 was accepted today. Rooms on the Holiday Inn website are going for $123 - it's a decent deal. Check-In Date: Wednesday, April 18, 2007 Check-Out Date: Monday, April 23, 2007 Hotel Name: Holiday Inn Civic Center 50 Eighth Street San Francisco, California 94103 415-626-6103 Your Offer Price: $53.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 5 Subtotal: $265.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $47.94 Total Charges*: $312.94

I'm glad the Hilton Garden has been showing up again. Free Wireless is valuable to me, and if you're taking a bus from NYC (it's convenient for me), the hotel is a block away.

This all happened in a single session. Started at $45, rebid at $48, accepted at $51. Check-In Date: Friday, March 16, 2007 Check-Out Date: Saturday, March 17, 2007 Hotel Name: Hilton Garden Inn Philadelphia Center City 1100 Arch Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107 215-923-0100 Your Offer Price: $51.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $51.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $14.62 Total Charges*: $65.62