mentaldivergence

I'm looking for a room for one night w/ 8/17 check-in. We'll have a car so free parking is preferable and we prefer to be walking distance to the primary area(s) where visitors may go (haven't looked into where that might be yet, though I think it's on the south side of the harbor). We prefer Internet connectivity, preferably free. HOTWIRE has it listed for $155. Resort Oceanfront Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center High-speed Internet Access Tennis Nearby Spa Services tripadvisor 4.0 out of 5 based on 80+ customer reviews A quick scan of tripadvisor turned up one possibiliy: Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort & Spa. Any other thoughts? There's also a 3* which Hotwire has it listed for $119. Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Laundry Facilities High-speed Internet Access tripadvisor 3.0 out of 5 based on 40+ customer reviews A quick scan of tripadvisor turned up one possibiliy: Howard Johnson City Centre, with Howard Johnson City Centre being a maybe, though it doesn't seem to match all of the amenities. Any other thoughts? I'm open to PRICELINE as well. I'd prefer to spend under $150 w/ taxes/fees, but will go as high as $190 for a great hotel in the right place. Actually, I'd *prefer* to spend under $100!

I was hoping to avoid this hotel, which is why I started with bids for 2.5*. I took a chance that I'd get one of the other 3* hotels, but had a feeling I'd get this one based on my research. First attempt was for a 2.5* (2 free rebid zones): Bid 1 - Princeton - Monmouth Junction: $39 ($52.50 with taxes and fees) [rejected] Bid 2 - Mount Holly: $42 ($55.70 with taxes and fees) [rejected] Bid 3 - Cookstown - Wrightstown: $45 ($59.19 with taxes and fees) [rejected] Second attempt was for a 3* (2 free rebid zones): Bid 1 - Princeton - Monmouth Junction: $55 ($70.86 with taxes and fees) [accepted] Bid 2 - Mount Holly: [didn't use because Bid 1 accepted] Bid 3 - Cookstown - Wrightstown: [didn't use because Bid 1 accepted] Winning bid details: Congratulations, you got your price of $55 for a 3-star hotel room. Lakeside Conference Center & Hotel, Princeton Forrestal Center Princeton - Monmouth Junction 900 Scudders Mill Road Plainsboro, New Jersey 08536 1-800-564-6194 Check-In Date: Fri, Jun 29, 2007 / After 03:00 PM Check-Out Date: Sat, Jun 30, 2007 / 12:00 PM Amenities: Remote control TV w/ premium channels Radio Alarm Clock Business services Telephone w/ voicemail Iron and ironing board Hairdryer 24 hour front desk Restaurant Room service Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $55.00 Subtotal: $55.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $15.86 Total Charges: $70.86 For comparison, the lowest rate for that night on lakesideprinceton.com is $129 + tax and fees of $19.35. The hotel is listed as a 3* out of 5* on tripadvisor and rated #1 of 1 hotels in Plainsboro, NJ (not saying much since it's the only hotel listed!)

I shouldn't have bid when I was tired! I'd bid on a 4* downtown yesterday, expecting to get the Hyatt on Capitol Square, but all bids were rejected. I got my notes mixed up so I created a bid strategy that wasn't ideal. I should probably have started at $40 and gone up in $2 increments. A quick check of this forum would have revealed that thenewbie won a 3* room with a bid of $44 two days ago (also the Crowne Plaza). Oops! Bid 1 - Downtown Columbus: $49 ($64.63 with taxes and fees) [accepted] Bid 2 - Columbus - Easton: $51 [didn't use this rebid since bid 1 was accepted] Bid 3 - Columbus East: $53 [didn't use this rebid since bid 1 was accepted] Bid 4 - Columbus South: $55 [didn't use this rebid since bid 1 was accepted] Bid 5 - Columbus West: $57 [didn't use this rebid since bid 1 was accepted] Winning bid details: Congratulations, you got your price of $49 for a 3-star hotel room. Crowne Plaza Columbus Downtown Columbus 33 Nationwide Boulevard Columbus, Ohio 43215 614-461-4100 Check-In Date: Fri, Jun 8, 2007 / After 03:00 PM Check-Out Date: Sat, Jun 9, 2007 / 12:00 PM Amenities: Remote control TV w/ premium channels Radio Alarm Clock Business services Telephone w/ voicemail Iron and ironing board Hairdryer 24 hour front desk Restaurant Room service Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $49.00 Subtotal: $49.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $15.63 Total Charges*: $64.63 For comparison, the lowest rate for that night on crowneplaza.com is $133 + tax and fees. The hotel is listed as a 4* out of 5* on tripadvisor and rated #12 of 118 hotels in Columbus, OH. For reference, here's my bidding strategy I used the day before for a 4* in Downtown Columbus for the same night (6/8/07). I was going to try again tomorrow morning, but after doing more research I thought that if I bid on a 3* I might get the Doubletree, which looked ideal and I figured I'd save $20-$30. Bid 1 - Downtown Columbus: $51 [rejected] Bid 2 - Columbus - Easton: $54 [rejected] Bid 3 - Columbus Airport (CMH) - Gahanna: $58 [rejected] Bid 4 - Columbus East: $61 (+$17.81 in fees) [rejected] Bid 5 - Columbus South: $63 (+$18.18 in fees) [rejected] Bid 6 - Columbus West: $66 [rejected] Bid 7 - Dublin: $69 [rejected] Bid 8 - Ohio State University Area: $71 [rejected] Bid 9 - Worthington: $74 (+$20.19 = $94.19) [rejected] The purchase was made via SavingsBarn.com.

There are 9 zones in Columbus, Ohio. 2 of them don't have a 2.5* or higher hotel available so I planned to use both of those as free rebids. Day 2 bidding: Bid 1 - Columbus Airport (CMH) - Gahanna, 2.5*: $45 [rejected - PL offered for me to raise the price by $13] Bid 2 - Added Columbus - Easton: $48 [accepted] Bid 3 - Added Columbus South: $50 [didn't use this rebid since bid 2 was accepted] A day earlier I'd used the following strategy (lots of free 3* rebids in Columbus, Ohio): Day 1 bidding, attempt 1: Bid 1 - Columbus Airport (CMH) - Gahanna, 3*: $38 [rejected] Bid 2 - Add Columbus - Easton: $41 [rejected] Bid 3 - Add Columbus East: $44 [rejected] Bid 4 - Add Columbus South: $46 [rejected] Bid 5 - Add Columbus West: $48 [rejected] I then decided to bid on 2.5* hotels. Day 1 bidding, attempt 2: Bid 1 - Columbus Airport (CMH) - Gahanna, 2.5*: $42 [rejected - PL offered for me to raise the price by $12] Bid 2 - Added Columbus - Easton: $44 [rejected] Bid 3 - I missed that Columbus South was a free rebid so I didn't make a 3rd bid Winning bid details: Congratulations, you got your price of $48 for a 2