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Kev

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Everything posted by Kev

  1. Hi, I am looking at a 3 night stay, 11/5/11 - 11/7/11, departing on the 8th Thanks, Kevin
  2. Just a quick question, I have noticed quite a few very good priced 3.5* & 4* results for downtown Philly recently, but nothing beyond September. I have been trying to get a 3 night stay arranged in (preferably) 4* downtown Philadelphia (fortunately there are multiple re-bid opportunities for 4*). Anyway, I have been having no luck bidding from $95 to $120 in $5 increments, and looking at the median price, which Priceline sometimes shows, this is in the $240-$300 range (changes daily) I was wondering if I am really bidding too early, and I might get better results leaving it, and bidding say in September or even October, hopefully to get the nice $90 or so prices that have been posted recently for 4* downtown Philadelphia. Thanks, Kevin.
  3. I was looking for a reasonably priced 3.5* hotel at PHL Airport for Friday & Saturday night (flying in for the Eagles-Giants game), and put my opening bid in for $60 for a 3.5* (had no other class of hotel selected, and only the Airport area selected). I was quite surprised to find my bid accepted, and Priceline upgraded me to a 4* hotel, and put me in the Renaissance for the two nights for a total of : $120, plus $25.52 tax Total - $142.52 Seems like a good price for 2 nights in a 4* hotel, especially as the rate downtown for a 4* is well over $200/night. The hotel looks nice, I just hope it lives up to it's 4* rating. Oh, and I, of course, reserved it via the forum's PRICELINE link. Cheers, Kevin.
  4. Just to let people know. My $1267 refund appeared back on my credit card this morning, so Priceline's refunds are being done quickly, as promised. From phoning them (on Friday), it has taken only 5 days to appear on my credit card, and that's with a week-end in between. Very pleased with their service. Can't fault how they have handled this. Kevin.
  5. Just to let people know the final outcome of my flight cancellation. I received an e-mail from Priceline support team asking me to telephone them. I did this, and we had a good chat about the situation, and the guy said that my reservation had been authorised for date changes, and I could arrange this directly with the hotel. I said that it isn't date changes I need, as my flight has been cancelled, and the only re-booked date offered was after I was due to be back, so the flight was simply cancelled. I asked about a refund of my $1267. The support guy said that Priceline Terms & Conditions do not allow for refunds, to which I said that I know for a fact that Priceline HAS done refunds in the past for extreme circumstances, such as volcanic eruptions in Alaska, so I know it is possible. He asked me to wait a minute, and put me on hold. He then came back and said due to the circumstances, they would offer a refund in this instance for the full $1267.56 This is the e-mail confirmation I received: We would like to remind you that this cancellation has been granted based on the extenuating circumstances related to your reservation. Under normal circumstances, reservations cannot be changed or cancelled. So, a great result, and I am glad that I came here to ask for advice. Good luck to anyone else needing to do something similar. Kevin.
  6. Just a quick update re my hotel situation. I just received an e-mail from Priceline customer care asking me to telephone them to discuss the matter. I did this, and they were very understanding, and after having left me on hold for a couple of minutes (I expect to speak to a supervisor), they said that they would be passing this matter onto a specialist who would liaise directly with my hotel and see if they can work out a resolution for this for me. They never mentioned any kind of refund, but talked more about dates changes, so I will see what kind of suggestion they come back with. They told me to expect a response by e-mail within 2 business days, which is unfortunate, as it is now a weekend and that takes it to Tuesday...My flight is due to fly out on Monday, and that is my current check-in day. I hope they realise this and manage to get back to me before then. So, at least all is not definitely lost, and there is a glimmer of light at the end of a dark and ash filled tunnel. I'll keep you updated. Kevin.
  7. I'll let you know how I get on. It was this one :) http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?sho...c=94108&hl=
  8. Thanks. I have e-mailed Priceline customer support, so I'll see what they have to say. As for my insurance company, they are sticking with their get-out clause and refusing to consider anything. I'll keep you informed as to what Priceline say, as it may come in useful for someone else in the future. Regards, Kevin.
  9. Unfortunately, due to the volcanic ash cloud over most of Europe, it looks like my flight out to the US has been cancelled, and the next available date is after I am due to fly back. I reserved a hotel (7 nights totaling $1300) through Priceline, and I am currently looking for ANY options I might have that will mean me not losing $1300 I have contacted the hotel directly, and they tell me that they cannot change the booked dates, and cannot cancel the reservation (and offer any sort of refund). My travel insurance company has informed me that the flight cancellation is an "act of God" and as such they have no liability for any losses incurred due to this, including hotel costs, car hire & travel expenses. So that is a complete non starter. My only option is Priceline, and I am sure their answer will be the same as the hotel, but does anyone have any suggestions at all that I might try. Is it even worth contacting Priceline? It's so frustrating...$1300, that's almost 3 iPads !!!! Any help would be gratefully accepted. Regards, Kevin
  10. I always find it a bit tricky to find a really good deal on longer stays. Some of the days may be very good prices, but it isn't often that 7 full days are great prices. The Royal Sonesta and the Marlowe were my main choices, and I'd have been happy with either of them. I didn't really want the Le Meridien, not because it doesn't look like a nice hotel, it does, but it is just a bit too far away from downtown Boston. So I took a bit of a chance on bidding, hoping to get eirther of my choices. I kinda thought that the Le Meridien would be unlikely as looking back, the last person to win a stay there was almost 12 months ago, so I figured that my chances were good. I was hoping for sub $140, and I started my bidding at $125, but no luck. Increasing my bids by $5 each time, again, with no luck until I hit $145, and then my e-mail reply said if I increased my bid by $22 I could re-bid straight away. I thought that was a good sign, so I bid at $150, and then finally at $155 my bid was accepted, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw it was the Sonesta :) $1260 all in is not a bad price for 7 nights in a 4* hotel (especially #3 in Tripadvisor's list of Cambridge hotels), compared to the best Hotwire price I could get for the Sonesta of $1380, so a nice $120 saving over Hotwire, and about a $700 saving on the best internet price I could find. I did, of course, use PRICELINE via the forums link, and appreciate the great savings I have made on here. I hope this is useful for future bidders. Cheers, Kevin.
  11. Well, I bit the bullet and went for the Tuscan Inn yesterday evening at $800 inc taxes for the 5 nights. Unfortunately, I didn't get it via PRICELINE or HOTWIRE (this time), but I am flying out to San Francisco on British Airways, and I noticed they have a hotel booking section on their site, and I put my dates in, and although they didn't have many hotels come up for those dates, the Tuscan was one of them, and at $800 (inc taxes), I thought it deserved serious consideration. Anyway, last night after umming and ahhing, I went for it, and I'm glad i did, as just checking now, the BA site isn't listing the Tuscan Inn as available on my dates, so I reckon I must have got one of the last few remaining rooms at that price. Anyway, I'm sorry that PRICELINE / HOTWIRE couldn't help me on this occasion, but it seems that this particular time in San Francisco is exceptional and I think my Tuscan deal will turn out to be a good one. My wife and I are both looking forward to our vacation next month. Thanks for all the advice :) Kevin.
  12. I wasn't really going to do anything else with my San Francisco trip for at least a few days, but I got an offer of the Tuscan Inn at Fisherman's Wharf for $130 for the 5 nights, which although it's "ony" a 3*, it does seem to get qute favourible reviews. I didn't know how long this Tuscan Inn offer would last so I decided to put a few more bids in to Priceline and see what happened. 3.5* USE 10/21 - 10/26 $120 bid - Rejected $130 bid - Rejected $140 bid - Rejected $150 bid - Rejected $160 bid - Rejected I am quite tempted by the Tuscan Inn offer (not via HOTWIRE or PRICELINE, I might add), but it is a non-refundable offer, so if I take it, there's no trying for something "better" later on. Hmmm, what to do :)
  13. Yes, I decided to head a little more "inland" now...not that it has done any good :)
  14. Just thought I'd follow up and let people know how things are coming along re my San francisco trip for October 21st - October 26th. I left my bidding alone for a week or so, and have just tried the following: 3.5* Union Square East $90 Rejected $95 Rejected $100 Rejected $105 Rejected $110 Rejected 4* Financial District $165 Rejected $170 Rejected $175 Rejected $180 Rejected Again, I think I will leave it for now and give it another week or so and try again. For some reason, the end of October is really expensive in San Francisco at the moment, and I think this is being reflected in Priceline's rejections (and Hotwires prices too, for that matter). Kevin.
  15. Out of interest, if Priceline did e-mail you 48 hours in advance and tell you that your hotel that you have paid for is overbooked and they were moving you, do you have the option then to request a full refund rather than accept their replacement hotel? If you had 48 hours, you may be able to find a better, more suitable deal (maybe not cheaper, but better for your needs).
  16. Just partly going through the "Extend your stay" process (not finishing it in case I get stuck with a night that I/my brother cannot use), this is what it says about how the "extend your stay" works: How It Works We will book your additional nights as a new reservation and charge the credit card you originally used for the cost of the additional nights requested plus Taxes and Service Fees. Customers who place a request using their profile will be unable to add nights if the credit card information originally used has been removed. So, it looks like it is a completely new booking for any additional nights, so is there any way of making this additional night in my brother's name, and not mine? Has anyone ever used the "extend your stay" facility and knows what is beyond this page. Is there anywhere to put a name in for the person the reservation is for?
  17. Just a follow-up question to my Philadelphia Priceline booking for later this month. I booked a one night stay at the Marriott Downtown Philly for Saturday 26th for myself (although I am going to add my brother to this now). Anyway, he is flying out on the Friday, so needs one nights accomodation for the Friday night, and it would obviously be helpful if he could stay at the Marriott on the Friday so there i no messing about moving hotels when I arrive on Saturday. Anyway, if I was to use the "add another night" option on my Priceline booking and managed to add Friday 25th, would my brother be able to check-in for that night rather than me, or does it specifically need to be me that checks in (seeing as I made the initial booking for the Saturday)? Is the extra night a brand new booking, or simply an extension of the original booking? If it is a new booking, can I make it under a different name (i.e. my brother's) ? Anyway, I have never needed to use the "add additional nights" option on Priceline before, so I am not familiar with how this works, so any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Kevin. I will, of course add this info to my original post once I have sorted things out, for anyone maybe trying to do something similar in future.
  18. Thanks for the info re the double occupancy bit. I'm sure, after what you said, it will go fine. And yes, you are right, even if I don't actually make the trip in teh end, it would be helpful if I posted this in future. I'll make sur ethat i do. The only other outstanding one I have now is my San Francisco trip at the end of October, which I am still not having any luck with, but I have decided to wait until closer to the travel time, and try again. Thanks for the help :) Kevin.
  19. Hi, Thanks for the reply. I have added my HOTWIRE winning purchase (sorry, I forgot about that one), and updated the open threads I had. Cheers, Kevin.
  20. Just to follow this one up, and close it. I didn't get anything in the end, unfortunately.
  21. This rate appeared in a Hotwire search for what looks like a nice hotel in downtown Philadelphia. I haven't used this particular hotel before, but it is central, and gets reasonably good reviews, and I thought $69/night was a very good rate. Perfect for a long week-end to catch some football and baseball :) Kevin.
  22. I booked a Priceline and a Hotwire hotel in Philly for a few nights, originally it was just going to be myself travelling. My brother is now coming with me, and I was wondering if it would be OK for him to stay as guest No.2 on my reservations (with no extra charge). I initially booked and stated 1 person when I made the reservations on Priceline and Hotwire, but I noticed that only the Hotwire confirmation e-mail mentions the number of guests staying. It says Rooms: 1, Adults: 1, Children:0 What would happen if we both turned up to check-in? Would they make him pay for another room, or charge him a supplement? or do you think it would be OK? How about the Priceline booking. It only states, Number of Rooms: 1, Number of nights: 1 on the e-mail confirmation. Do you think that would be OK? Thanks, Kev.
  23. I decided to give 4* (Financial District) a try. A friend of mine from work stayed at the Omni and said it was a great hotel, so I thought it would be nice if I managed to get that. Anyway, using various bids & re-bids (so much easier to re-bid for a 4*), I started at $105, and went up in $5 increments to $160 for 10/21 - 10/26 All rejected. I'll give it a few days and try the same bids again. I would have thought $160 was sufficient for a 4* especially as the Argonaut is only $189 on HOTWIRE. Kevin.
  24. Yes, I'm beginning to think that I'm being a little premature, and that I should wait a bit and see how things develop with PRICELINE in the coming weeks. Patience really is a virtue :)
  25. Thanks for all the help with this guys. To be honest, it's not really about what my upper limit is (although I wouldn't want to go any higher than $200/night), but $104/night for the Holiday Inn FW doesn't strike me as particularly good value (compared to other PRICELINE / HOTWIRE deals posted here and deals I've had in the past). I'm sure it's a nice hotel, but the Argonaut 4* is avalaible on Hotwire for my dates for $192/night. This seems better value for the extra $88/night. I would have liked to have been able to make an offer of about $150/night for this, but unfortunately (as you already know) HOTWIRE doesn't have an offer system, and there aren't any 4* hotels in PRICELINE for FW. I'll keep looking and keep bidding, and you never know, I might just get a "lucky day" :) Thanks, Kevin.
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