Steak2007

I had bid up to $110 for 4*, $90 for 3* and $70 for 2.5* in the Pike's Market zone unsuccessfully. With time running out, I ended up bidding $90 for 2.5* in the Seattle Center zone, and won the... Springhill Suites Seattle Downtown 1800 Yale Ave Seattle, WA 98101 Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $90.00 (USD) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Room Subtotal: $180.00 (USD) Taxes and Fees: $35.02 (USD) Total Room Cost: $215.02 (USD) ------------------------------------------------------------------- It is somewhat strange to me that this hotel comes up in the Seattle Center - Space Needle zone. Seems that it is closer to Pike's Market. I may be wrong. Either way I'm satisfied. Used the site's PRICELINE links to start all bids. Thank you.

I tried bids up to $100 for 4*. Over the past couple days I've also tried: 3* at $70, $80, $85, $90 (using 1 re-bid zone) 2.5* at $65, $70 All rejected. I see that some hotels are actually sold out for Saturday night, which is probably the main problem here. There is a Seahawks football game on Sun 9/26 which also probably drives up the prices for this weekend. I will keep trying, and maybe also try the Seattle Center zone.

Trying for 4* in downtown Seattle (Pike's Market) for checkin on Fri 9/24, checkout Sun 9/26. I started bidding at $60, using rebid zones and increasing my bid in $3 or $5 increments up to $90. Tried this twice this week, no luck. HOTWIRE has some 4* in downtown for $144. Wonder if this is a tough weekend for some reason. Any advice? Thanks! ---------- EDIT: Just tried up to $95. No luck.

Searched this forum to see what hotels were available in Mount Pleasant. Saw that someone previously won the Baymont Inn for $55, which is the hotel I wanted. Bid at $50 and was accepted. Wonder if I could've gone even lower... Used site's PRICELINE link to start bid. Thanks!

Started at $45, rejected. Added re-bid zone (Indy Airport) for $47, and accepted! Needed 2 rooms. Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $47.00 (USD) Number of Rooms: 2 Number of Nights: 1 Room Subtotal: $94.00 (USD) Taxes and Fees: $22.88 (USD) Total Room Cost: $116.88 (USD) Used the site's PRICELINE link to start bidding. Thanks!

Based on previous posts on the board, bid $44 and was accepted first bid for the Hyatt. Perfect! Thanks!

Bid $70 for 3.5* for Copley Square, rejected. Added Fenway Park rebid zone, bid $75, ACCEPTED. Payment Information Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $75.00 Subtotal: $75.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $17.35 Total Charges*: $92.35 *Prices are in US dollars. Used the PRICELINE link on this site, thank you! The standard rate for Sheraton was $259. Needless to say, PRICELINE is the way to go! EDIT: Checked again, and actually I think the cheapest official rate is $289. Some rooms are over $300.

I also am looking for a hotel for 5/31. You got a great deal! Can you explain the $30 bonus? EDIT: I logged into my PRICELINE account, went to My Profile -> My Rewards, but don't see any Cash rewards, though I've made 6 hotel reservations through them in the last 2 years.

Wanted 3.5* or 4* in Downtown Richmond. I actually wanted this Marriott and won it! It was renovated this year, and is perfect location for my trip. I probably could've won the Doubletree or Crowne Plaza at 3* for a bit cheaper, but I'm not complaining. There was a 3* downtown on Hotwire for $79 (and with fees came to $96, so I still beat that offer slightly). Used Thanks PRICELINE and betterbidding! Current Zones for 3.5* rebids 1 Chester 2 Glen Allen 3 Innsbrook 4 Airport 5 South 6 West Yesterday I tried following (the numbers are the rebid zones): Downtown 45 Down, 1 48 DOWN, 1, 2 50 DOWN, 1, 2, 3 53 DOWN, 1, 2, 3, 4 = 55 DOWN, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 = 58 - REJECTED -- CLOSE BROWSER DOWN + 6 = 60 DOWN + 6, 1 = 63 DOWN + 6, 1, 2 = 65 -- rejected ============================ Tried again tonight: DOWNTOWN 45 DOWN, 1 = 50 DOWN, 1, 2 = 55 DOWN, 1, 2, 3 = 58 DOWN, 1, 2, 3, 4 = 60 DOWN, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 = 65 REJECTED -- CLOSE BROWSER DOWN + 6 = 70 -- COUNTER OFFER $22 MORE (of course did not do this) Down + 6, 1 73 DOWN + 6, 1, 2 = 75 WIN Marriott Richmond 3

Started bid for 4* hotel at $45, then $50, then $55, then $58, then finally was accepted at $60 (all using rebid zones). Subtotal: $60.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $16.94 Total Charges*: $76.94 Renaissance Cleveland 4 Star Downtown Cleveland 24 Public Square Cleveland, Ohio 44113 Cheapest official rate was $149 on 10/14/08 when I booked this (wasn't able to post on the board until now). Hotel looks like one of the nicest in downtown Cleveland, and perfect location for my trip, so it's a good win! Thanks PL and betterbidding. I used the PRICELINE link for all bids.

I've tried bidding 4* downtown for this date for the last week, some days up to $80 and today up to $90 (all rejected) using rebid zones. It seems that a lot of hotels are sold out for this night, and the available rates are very high. So I tried for 3*: $60 3* Downtown -- rejected $65 3* Downtown + PHL Airport -- accepted "Congratulations, we've upgraded your hotel quality level to a 3

I just remembered that I could actually rebid right now for $90. I bid the following: 4* Kensington + Notting Hill / $90 BID ACCEPTED -- Holiday Inn Kensington Forum ! Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: US$90.00 Subtotal: US$180.00 Taxes & Service Fees: US$40.64 Total Charges: US$220.64 --------------------- So, I have won this hotel for approximately $10 less per night than the HOTWIRE offer (assuming that was also the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum). I am satisfied enough with the results. All bids through www.savingsbarn.com ! Keep up the great site!

Thanks for the advice. I don't want to go much higher than $100 because the HOTWIRE 3.5* Kensington is still available for $99/night, which will probably be fine for my trip. ------------------- I just tried again 4* Notting Hill $100, rejected, counter $142. Didn't expect it to work, but never know. Then tried 4* Kensington $80. Rejected, and it said the following: "If you are willing to raise your price by $22, you can try the same request again right now." ^^ I guess that I may try again in 24 hours at $90, just to test the market for another day or 2, before I settle on the HOTWIRE choice. I understand the HOTWIRE choice could disappear suddenly... but I'll take my chances.

I am looking for 4* in either Notting Hill or Kensington zones from Sat. 2/16/08 to Mon. 2/18/08. I prefer Notting Hill, as it contains my #1 choice hotel, the Hilton Paddington. However I know that is is only a chance that I can win this, and could certainly win a different one in that zone. Still I'd prefer to try there first, just in case. Bidding history so far: (Date) -- Bid Amount (*Note: ALL rejected*) -- Counter Offer 1/23 -- $78 -- $140 1/24 -- $83 -- $141 1/25 -- $88 -- $141 1/26 -- $92 -- $141 1/27 -- $95 -- $141 1/28 -- $98 -- $141 1/30 -- $100 -- $143 ** Then took break for few days until... ** 2/4 -- $100 -- $143 (thought I'd try $100 again just in case they would now accept at this price) It tells me when I am placing bid that the average price for Notting Hill is $200, and Kensington is $218. I still have not attempted in Kensington, but I think I will start bidding there from around $80 and increasing by $4 or $5 for several days to see if I can win at $100 or less ----------- Note I also see a HOTWIRE option for 3.5* Kensington for $99/night (Fitness Center, Restaurant, Business Center). I would probably use this if I can't win Priceline for around $100. I believe this may be Holiday Inn Kensington Forum. Agree?? ------------------ All bids going through www.savingsbarn.com . Any other advice? Thank you for the great site.

As for transportation to/from the airport, I used 2 different shuttle van services on my recent trip and both were very smooth. Fare was $14 from airport (Airport Express) and $16 going back (Super Shuttle, which runs 24 hours). Just make sure you allow yourself enough time to get back to the airport. Allow a little extra, you never know how traffic will be, etc.

Yes I did the math afterwards and realized that the $15 "insurance" isn't actually in my final total. But it was displayed on the page after I entered my bid. I believe it is only added in if you check the box that you want insurance. A quick follow-up on my comments above on saving money: unless I got a miraculous $75 price on Priceline for 4* for the final night of my stay, I wouldn't have saved TOO much money by using the HOTWIRE offer of $94 for the first two days. Maybe still some savings, but not enough to outweigh the convenience of ensuring that I stay at the same hotel for all 3 nights. Thanks!

Always using SavingsBarn.com link. Thanks for this great forum! Wanted USW primarily. Here is bid history (all 4* bids, "REJ" means rejected): Union west $75 - REJ Union west + Cath $80 - REJ Union West + Civic $85 - REJ Union West + South SF $90 - REJ Union West + South SF + Cath $95 - REJ Union West + South SF + Civic $100 - REJ Union West + Cath + Civic $105 - REJ w/option to rebid for $22 higher ================================================= I knew not to fall for their "offer" of bidding $22 higher. My next bid was: 4* Union West + Cath + Civic + South SF @ $112 ($7 higher) - ACCEPTED Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $112.00 Travel Insurance: $15.00 -- Did I accidentally select this?? I did not mean to Subtotal: $336.00 Taxes and Services Fees: $58.96 Total Charges*: $394.96 = $131.65 average/night ================================================= If anyone is looking for these dates, on HOTWIRE there is a 4* USW from 7/30 to 8/1 for $94 ($111.53/night including charges and fees). I believe it is Parc 55 also, but not sure. However the price increases greatly if you look from 7/30 to 8/2 (i.e. 1 more day). I probably would have saved money using the HOTWIRE offer mentioned above for my first 2 nights and then bidding on Priceline for the third night. However I wanted to get this out of the way, and also to make sure I was staying in the same hotel for the duration of my trip (at least at my price of $112/night -- if that was rejected, I would not have gone much higher for the convenience, since this rate already seems to be pushing the limit of what one should be paying for these dates). I recently stayed at Parc 55 via HOTWIRE for 2 nights (7/15 to 7/17) at $95/night, and was given a 5th floor king non-smoking room. View was nothing special. Bed was excellent. Bathroom had some leaks which caused the floor to be wet constantly - very annoying. I complained about this at checkout time (I was very busy during my stay, and it wasn't bad enough to warrant making a big deal out of it during that time). But all they said was they would inform building engineering. The shower though was excellent - very high pressure. Be careful on some of the streets at night - lots of vagrants within 1-2 blocks.

Thanks for the advice and info. I called HI Express, they said just keep checking if anything opens up. If I see anything, I'll try the "Extend stay" option on PL. Otherwise, I found a backup (the Hyatt directly across the street!) for a special corporate rate (not sure if I'm encouraged to post that here, but it is a good rate). I will update if my PL plan works out. Thanks!

I should have jumped on the 2.5* in FW (Holiday Inn Express) for $202 when I had the chance. Searching several sites for availability, it seems that Weds. 7/18 is very very booked right now. I divided my search up on Hotwire, and looked for just the first night 7/17 (checkout 7/18), and saw 2.5* in FW (likely HI Express) for $188, which came to $216.95 with fees. I decided to try to undercut that on Priceline. I bid $160 and won 2.5* FW Holiday Inn Express, 7/17 to 7/18 (using SavingsBarn.com link) which comes to $191.47 with fees. Perhaps I could have tried $150, but I wanted to try to lock this down ASAP since this night could become just as sold out as the next night very soon. I will call the hotel and see if they can notify me of any cancellations for the next night and try to extend my stay to 2 nights. Otherwise I will have to move for my final night (and options are very limited right now, but I will keep checking). I did try again the $160 for my 2nd night 7/18 to 7/19, 2.5*, FW on Priceline, just to see if they somehow had inventory even though it was showing sold out, but rejected. So, I will keep looking... Thanks!!!

After securing my first 2 nights (7/15 to 7/17) via Hotwire (4* Parc 55 USW $95/night), I am still working on my next 2 nights (7/17 to 7/19). Here is a rundown of some 4* bidding I have just done, all REJECTED by Priceline. I started low and was being modest, taking advantage of free rebids. But the market isn't budging at the moment up to $160. I will try more rebids later, and maybe start bidding on lower star levels. Also I haven't seen any good deals come up on Hotwire, but I will try to keep checking... Note that the starting bids for USW were very low based on another topic in this forum, someone won the Renaissance 4* USW for only $78 so I gave it a try. 4* USW - $78 - REJECTED Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $78.00 Travel Insurance: $10.00 Subtotal: $156.00 Taxes and Services Fees: $31.00 Total Charges*: $187.00 4* USW + CH = $90 - REJECTED Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $90.00 Travel Insurance: $10.00 Subtotal: $180.00 Taxes and Services Fees: $34.74 Total Charges*: $214.74 4* USW + CC = $100 - REJECTED Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $100.00 Travel Insurance: $10.00 Subtotal: $200.00 Taxes and Services Fees: $37.86 Total Charges*: $237.86 4* USW + SSF = $110 - REJECTED Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $110.00 Travel Insurance: $10.00 Subtotal: $220.00 Taxes and Services Fees: $40.97 Total Charges*: $260.97 /* Move to USE */ 4* USE - $120 - REJECTED Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $120.00 Travel Insurance: $10.00 Subtotal: $240.00 Taxes and Services Fees: $44.09 Total Charges*: $284.09 4* USE + CH - $130 - REJECTED Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $130.00 Travel Insurance: $10.00 Subtotal: $260.00 Taxes and Services Fees: $47.21 Total Charges*: $307.21 4* USE + CC - $140 - REJECTED Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $140.00 Travel Insurance: $10.00 Subtotal: $280.00 Taxes and Services Fees: $50.32 Total Charges*: $330.32 4* USE + SSF - $150 - REJECTED Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $150.00 Travel Insurance: $10.00 Subtotal: $300.00 Taxes and Services Fees: $53.44 Total Charges*: $353.44 / * Move to Fishermans Wharf */ 4* FW - $140 - REJECTED Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $140.00 Travel Insurance: $10.00 Subtotal: $280.00 Taxes and Services Fees: $50.32 Total Charges*: $330.32 4* FW + CH - $150 - REJECTED Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $150.00 Travel Insurance: $10.00 Subtotal: $300.00 Taxes and Services Fees: $53.44 Total Charges*: $353.44 4* FW + CC - $155 - REJECTED Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $155.00 Travel Insurance: $10.00 Subtotal: $310.00 Taxes and Services Fees: $55.00 Total Charges*: $365.00 4* FW + SSF - $160 - REJECTED Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $160.00 Travel Insurance: $10.00 Subtotal: $320.00 Taxes and Services Fees: $56.56 Total Charges*: $376.56

I just tried 4* USW for 7/17 to 7/19 at $78, but was REJECTED. Too good to be true :) I will increase bids and keep retrying :) Thanks all for the advice!

Here are the amenities listed when I click "See details" next to "Parc 55 Hotel" on the My Stuff page: This Hotel features the following amenities: 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. Please note that Hotwire cannot guarantee the level of services offered at a property and/or if services are operational at the time of visit. Services may be closed due to seasonality reasons and/or may be closed for renovation. ===================================================== Thanks!

Thank you very much! I just got the Parc55 for 7/15 to 7/17. I used the HOTWIRE link on this page (thanks!) Here was description: "4-star hotel in Union Square West (0.0 - 0.5 miles from your requested location) This upscale establishment offers thoughtful features, quality rooms and a high level of service." 1 room(s) @ $95.00 per night x 2 night(s); Hotel subtotal $190.00 Taxes, recovery charges, and fees $35.37 Total $225.37 Some hotels may apply additional charges for incidental fees such as parking. Prices are in $USD. =============================================== I also verified that this rate is not available if I added my 3rd night to the trip (the rate increased to $250 or something). So now I will work on the final 2 nights of my stay!

I do appreciate the advice, thank you. If I win a hotel that doesn't have free internet, it is not the end of the world, but the way I laid it out above (checking all availability in each zone) seemed to indicate that I had a chance of getting a hotel that does offer it. Just trying to save money. :) As for splitting the bid - I now see 2 other posts where people have won the 4* Westin St. Francis for $96 for Sun. 7/15. I guess I will try to get a hotel for Sun. 7/15 and then work on the next 3 days separately. Is it possible that I could win a hotel for Sun. 7/15 for say, $96, and then if I bid higher for 7/16 to 7/19, I could get the same hotel, but at a higher rate? I know there is no guarantee which hotel you will get, but just wondering if this has happened before. It would certainly be more convenient, however if I have to move to another hotel, I will still probably end up saving money in the end, if I can win a lower rate for Sun. 7/15. Also I placed my bid for 7/15 to 7/19 in 2.5* in FW at 2:00AM on Thurs. 7/5/07. Is it correct that I must wait until at least 2:00AM on Fri. 7/6/07 to increase my bid, since there are no free re-bid zones for 2.5* ? However if I now split my bid so that I only request 7/16 to 7/19 in 2.5* in FW, is this considered different, so that I do not have to wait 24 hours? I will not want to stay near airport this time, but thanks for the suggestion, I'll keep in mind for future trips. Thanks again, and I will be using SavingsBarn.com link for all bids, because this site is really helpful. If I knew about it earlier, I probably would've won my hotels already :)

Also, considering 3* in FW, here is the same info I have given for the other areas and star levels above: 3* Best Western Tuscan Inn - Free WiFi - sold out 3* Hilton Fisherman's Wharf - WIRED, $9.95/DAY - $349 lowest rate 3* Hyatt Fisherman's Wharf REVIEW - WIRELESS $9.95/Day - $386 lowest rate on Hyatt.com (saw $349 on Priceline) 3* Marriott Fishermans Wharf - Wired Internet $12.95/Day - $299 on Marriott.com ====================================================== So if the Best Western Tuscan Inn is sold out, that means any 3* hotel I win in FW requires payment for internet. This will be approx $40 for my 4 days, or $52 (!!) at the Marriott. So I would hope that I could win perhaps 2.5* for at least $10 cheaper per day, and still have free internet (as shown in my list in previous post). Or in other words - it would be about the same if I happen to win USE 3* Courtyard Downtown for $130 (if I increase to this bid), as it would for 3* FW at $120 (since in FW I have to pay for internet at all these choices). It seems that this week (7/15-7/19) all rates are very high, and I understand that I may need to raise my limits, but perhaps increasing my bid for 2.5* in FW will be my best move, if I'm able to win for $100 or even $120, considering the competition. But for this tough week, it seems that base price for 2.5* is almost as much as 3* in some cases, so maybe I will not be able to have a low bid win for 2.5* even. But I do need to win something so I can stop spending endless hours searching, and because 7/15 arrival date is approaching! Thanks!!!!