lwitchel

For my brother (oddly enough we will both be in London at the same time, but without time to see each other! - I will see him two days later at his home in Bristol.) This was accepted on the first try - he asked to be as close to St. John's Wood as I could get him. Check-In Date: Friday, October 28, 2005 Check-Out Date: Saturday, October 29, 2005 Hotel Name: Hilton London Metropole 225 Edgware Road London, United Kingdom 44-207-4024141 Your Offer Price: $75.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $75.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $20.88 Total Charges: $95.88

I was here in late June also on a $60 bid. I didn't ask for specific bedding at check-in, only for a non-smoking room and had no problem getting that. The room was just fine, very typical Marriott and had a standard if small-ish bathroom. I put photos at realhotelphotos.com. The gym here is rather good; I didn't try the pool. The location is convenient to the Kennedy Center (but too far to walk in one of DC's many heatwaves)

The Millennium Gloucester is better situated than the Hilton Olympia or the other hotels on Kensington High Street, right on the corner from the Gloucester road tube and near restaurants, shops and two groceries including a 24 hour Tesco Express. A caveat, though Gloucester Road provides easy tube access to London and Heathrow on the Piccadilly line, it also feels like a tourist ghetto. I got the Millennium Gloucester for stays in June, '05 for bids around $82. I prefer the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum immediately across the street, but that has become a rarity on Priceline. The Millennium is comfortable enough though the d

I stayed here at the end of May, 2005. I found the Olympia to be a rather drab, labyrinthine, but serviceable hotel. The corridors are small and dark; the rooms are also on the small side. I was given a room with twin beds; it was rather plain and small but no real complaints. For those who like this (like me) the beds are very firm. I did not use the fitness center or the restaurant. It

The Sheraton Skyline is a perfectly serviceable airport hotel that goes for between $55 and $65 a night on Priceline. I stayed here at the end of May, '05 for one night on a $59 bid. Continental breakfast is

I was only in this hotel for a brief overnight stay and didn't have much chance to get a real impression of the hotel. It's an older property and a "Wyndham Historic Hotel" and that means character, but also smaller rooms and fewer amenities. There is no fitness center in the hotel, the guests have courtesy privileges at the YMCA two blocks away. The location of the hotel in downtown Birmingham was extremely convenient for me; I was two blocks from my business appointment. No problems with either check in or check out. My room was small but by no means uncomfortable especially for a single traveler. There are pictures at realhotelphotos.com. There is a carillon that woke me at 8 am with a loud rendition of "Amazing Grace". Local calls are .95 without a time limit. At least for my short visit the place was more than satisfactory.

Found via Flyertalk - full details at my blog, but $358 with taxes is great for shoulder season. Ends on September 5, so hurry.

Priceline seems to be good about force majeure. I was to be in BHM tonight, but all flights were cancelled because of airport conditions due to Hurricane Katrina. I called Priceline, explained the situation in the most general terms (I didn't have to do any substantiation besides my reservation #) and they refunded. It took ten minutes.

Another too clever by half bid. I wanted the Thistle Marble Arch, but I wasn't getting acceptances at the incredibly low numbers people had gotten a few weeks ago - I got a repeated counter offer of $80. I worked my way up in $3 intervals from around $54 adding Kensington, Westminster and Mayfair as (not free) rebidding zones, but the Copthorne evidently had a lower acceptance rate than the Thistle. I'm pretty easy wherever I stay, but I wish the Copthorne had a gym. At $69 a night in a city like London, I'll just pay the

I had to reschedule this trip (I was going tonight, but Hurricane Katrina cancelled all flights). My previous bids and others suggested that $43 and $44 had been rejected, $46 accepted. I bid $45 - accepted on first try. Check-In Date: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 Check-Out Date: Thursday, September 1, 2005 Hotel Name: The Tutwiler - A Wyndham Historic Hotel 2021 Park Place North Birmingham, Alabama 35203 205-322-2100 Your Offer Price: $45.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $45.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $13.68 Total Charges: $58.68

$40 bid - offer for a rebid of $52 (not a counteroffer - just to rebid) added a free zone, rebid at $44. Rejected with no offer. Accepted at $46 The Tutwiler - A Wyndham Historic Hotel 3-star Check-In Date: Monday, August 29, 2005 Check-Out Date: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 Central Birmingham 2021 Park Place North Birmingham, Alabama 35203 205-322-2100 Check-In Date: Mon, Aug 29, 2005 Check-In Time: After 03:00 PM Check-Out Date: Tue, Aug 30, 2005 Check-Out Time: 12:00 PM Your Offer Price: $46.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $46.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $13.83 Total Charges: $59.83

Far be it from me to leave Canadians in the lurch. Do you want Montreal next? Regarding the right hand-panel view - I'd definitely like it best, but it's not quite ready for prime time yet. Looking at it in Firefox, the map obscures the right hand panel and you need to scroll too much to see the whole list.

Hey folks - I'm hoping to go to St. Petersburg next year for White Nights in early June. Anyone have any advice on St. Petersburg accomodations/tour operators? I have a feeling that a tour or guide may be a good idea on the first visit. I recognize that Petersburg accomodations in June are going to be through the roof. The Renaissance wants $600/night for a basic room; if only I had enough Marriott points to just get a reward stay. I don't need top accomodations, but I don't want to rough it either. I know my own needs as a traveler; in this order: Good location - in this case convenience to the Maryinsky Theater would be a very good thing. Bright, clean pleasant room. free or inexpensive wireless access. fitness center and if fate is smiling on me, a decent one with an elliptical trainer and reasonable weight machines. Can this be gotten for around $200/night? Thanks for any assistance!

I second WillTravel's advice and would also recommend considering OQE - My preferred neighborhood in Paris is the Marais, the Novotel Les Halles is not far from there. However, I haven't stayed there so I'm not utterly sure of the exact neighborhood. On Priceline in Paris I would not bid below 4*. The 3* hotels in Paris vary wildly in quality. The one I got in '03 in the OQE district (the Hotel des Victoires) was barely tourist quality and not much less than I could have found on my own. The two Meridien Hotels (Etoile and Montparnasse) are of good quality but not central. If I were bidding I'd probably try for OQE first or via an alternate booking method. See what's available on www.bookings.nl or www.octopustravel.com as well as Hotwire to get an idea of alternatives. London and Paris! No matter what, you should have a marvelous time.

I got bored last night and started working on Philadelphia.

If your bids were not accepted by Priceline, you should be able to proceed with any other method of purchase as if you had never made a bid. The only possible exception - and I may have the facts a bit wrong here - I can think of is that your credit card might have a temporary authorization for the full bid on it that does not get removed for about 24 hours (I think). If you were very close to your credit limit there might be some difficulty using it - but even this is dependent on your credit card.

Analise - Priceline bidding prices are in USD$ but obviously all prices while in Canada are CDN$ I am in Toronto often, but usually staying with friends, so I don't know the hotels firsthand. However, people seem to like the Marriott Courtyard in the Downtown zone.Marriott Courtyard. The downtown Toronto area is very easy to navigate via public transit, either tram, bus or subway. 5 tokens are $CDN 10, a single ride is $CDN 2.50. I think you want to stick with Downtown, if you can. Have fun!

Why is the requirement for minimal luggage ? is this because some (a lot?) walking is involved ? Yes, and also staircases. Also you are on public transit where a large amount of luggage will be particularly unwieldy at crowded times. In regards to the airtran link: "If you take the subway, you may purchase a single Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard with at least $7 in value to pay both the $2 subway fare and the $5 AirTrain fee." 1. Is the MetroCard the only 'currency' I can use on either the subway and/or the AirTrain ? Yes. You buy the card with cash or credit card at machines after taking the Airtrain but before transferring to the subway. 2. Will the mentioned $7 (just like you have in your post) be enough regardless of the time of day (rush hour or not) ? There is no difference. 3. Is Penn station and Port authority station the same thing (at the same place) ? No. 4. How do I know when the E subway has reached the Port authority station ? is there an electronic sign or any indicator to this ? (I don't want to miss it). There are signs or you ask a fellow rider. It is about a 30-40 minute journey and it will take some attention on your part to make sure you are at the correct stop. Two last questions please. 1. I see from the greyhound link that I need to choose the time of departure for the bus, and not just the date. Do you know if I happen to miss the departure time I bought my ticket for, Can I just go on the next bus or will I have to purchase a brand new ticket ? I have no idea. Contact Greyhound. 2. To try and avoid the problem in the previous question, could you possibly give a rough estimate on how much time it will take me to get from JFK (once I'm off the plane and past immigration) until I reach the bus terminal in the port authority station ? (assuming this is my first time in the usa :) ) Leave yourself three to four hours from getting off the plane. From leaving the terminal after clearing customs and getting your luggage, leave two and a half hours. This is a high estimate that allows for errors on the way. If I am going to JFK from Manhattan via this method I leave three hours before the flight at non-rush times. On a normal day the trip takes 75 minutes. Again, Thanks for everything ! Bye.

Merlin - there are several different topics about how to bid in this forum - http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?act=SF&f=174& I also have a basic primer to Priceline bidding on my own blog. http://www.leighwitchel.com/blog/archives/...line/index.html Start at the bottom and read up.

The cheapest way possible is going to require you to have minimal luggage. Take the Airtrain from JFK into NYC - easiest would be to take the line going to the E and F trains at Jamaica and take the E to 42nd Street - Port Authority Station. Our mayor, in his infinite wisdom, is proposing random searches at the entry to the subway that are not being done consistently or even at all on occasion - just to increase their effectiveness, I imagine. I am feeling much safer by the minute, really. </sarcasm> Now the Port Authority is announcing searches as well. So prepare for the possibility of being hassled. Once at the Port Authority, take the Greyhound or Peter Pan buses to Boston. Getting into the city will cost you $7 - The Greyhound or Peter Pan bus is about $20. If you want to brave going into Chinatown I think the Fung Wah bus is half that cost. I take Peter Pan buses nowadays because they tend to be somewhat more comfortable than Greyhounds'. I've not done the Chinatown buses. Here's a link for info on the bus to Boston: http://www.newyorkmetro.com/urban/guides/n.../bustickets.htm or http://www.greyhound.com/scripts/TicketCen...ter/esavers.asp And the Airtrain. http://www.airtrainjfk.com/airtrain/from_jfk.html

I think the most convenient area to tourist attractions is Mayfair/Soho - the theater district, Trafalgar Square and the museums are there. It usually is a bit more expensive than other areas but you'll be in the thick of things, which is worth it for a short stay. It's also convenient to transit to both airports, but so are most of the central London zones in one way or another.

Hey thereuare, if you need help doing London, I'll volunteer. PM or email me, OK? Thanks for all the work.

Been bidding on this weekend without success on this a few month prior, but had to change the dates from Fri-Sun to Sat-Mon - I am glad I didn't get the bid! Hadn't gotten a 4* in G'town up to $75 or a 3* up to $65. Saw by a previous winning bid that the Marriot was coming up again. Bid $65 4*, rejected. Dropped to 3* at $60, accepted. I was a little too close to the days for my own comfort to lowball it any further even with one free rebid. Marriott Washington Westend 3-star Check-In Date: Saturday, June 25, 2005 Check-Out Date: Monday, June 27, 2005 Georgetown - Foggy Bottom 1221 22nd St Nw Washington, District Of Columbia 20037 202-872-1500 Check-In Date: Sat, Jun 25, 2005 Check-Out Date: Mon, Jun 27, 2005 Payment Information: Your Offer Price: $60.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $120.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $24.75 Total Charges: $144.75

This was a very last minute bid for my brother, who had business in London for a single night. Bid in Mayfair rejected to $100 Bids in Kensington, Hammersmith, Marble Arch all rejected in combinations up to $90. None of the above reported any counter offers. Stated a fresh bidding session and bid Westminster at $110. Got a counter offer of $131. Added Mayfair, rebid at $120. Accepted. A new hotel for your list, thereuare - it just opened April, '05 - and it is on the South bank of the Thames (so realize that if you bid Westminster, you might be on the other side of the Thames) Riverbank Park Plaza 4-star http://www.riverbankparkplaza.com/ Check-In Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2005 Check-Out Date: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 Westminster 18 Albert Embankment London, United Kingdom 44-20-7958-8000 Check-In Date: Tue, Jun 21, 2005 Check-In Time: After 02:00 PM Check-Out Date: Wed, Jun 22, 2005 Check-Out Time: 12:00 PM Payment Information: Your Offer Price: $120.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $120.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $29.39 Total Charges: $149.39

Resurrecting this thread to ask about bidding for UK hotels - I'm having no luck with inventory for Birmingham (City Centre, 3* & 4*) on the US Priceline site. Will Priceline UK have different (and hopefully more) inventory?