Liset

Valencia, the LMT rate can be cancelled up to three days before arrival. Since I've had so many positive experiences at the Hyatt Harborside, I'll most likely keep that reservation. I'll send you contact info via email in case our schedules allow us to meet up for dinner or a drink.

Bids this on 6/24. I can't remember specific bid history, but based on previous wins I did start lower and didn't win until $55. Used the Better Bidding PRICELINE link.

Bid on 6/24 and won on first bid. May have gotten for a few $$ less but I needed a confirmed room so I'm pleased. Used the Better Bidding PRICELINE link.

Valencia, I'm returning to this thread in part because I ironically ended up needing a Boston hotel on 8/3 too! Don't know if you'd still prefer a Logan hotel, but I just booked the Hyatt Harborside through Last Minute Travel for $140 ($164.70) total. LMT has both the Hyatt and Hilton for $140. I don't know if anything is going on in Boston, but this sure was an expensive date. I don't actually need to be at Logan and might still keep bidding, but I have a sentimental attachment to the Hyatt and will probably just keep the reservation. Should we both end up at the Hyatt, perhaps fellow Better Bidding travellers can meet up for a drink. :) Thereuare, I tried to use the LMT link but it didn't work.

mfritz, I'm all too familar with college moves and might be able to offer some advice on route planning and potential stops along the way. I'm in the Chicago area with daughters attending college in Boston and NH. For four years I've spent every May, June, August and September moving one or the other to or from school (and I'm really looking forward to the upcoming graduations)! Once you get to the NY thruway, you and I travel similar routes and I might have some tips on places to stay. My first question would be how far you want to travel the first day and how far you want left to travel to Hyde Park the second day. I'd ask the same about your return from Providence. I have to agree with thereuare about Worcester -- I'd just continue on to Boston. Springfield looks like it's about half way, so if it were me I'd stop there or stay in Hyde Park overnight and then make the trip to Boston in the a.m. If you want to post some travel distance parameters, I'd be happy to try to offer some stopover alternatives. And I have to ask -- am I correct in suspecting your daughter is an incoming freshman? Sounds like you've decided to ease the separation by treating yourself to a little vacation. If I'm right, it's a great idea! (We did the same when we dropped the second twin off freshman year.)

I usually get this for $60-65, but had been unsucessful for a couple of weeks up to $65. Finally got a counter-offer of $85 yesterday, and tried $72 unsucessfully with my one free bid. Started at $75 today and got it. Used the board's PRICELINE link of course.

Oh, how I hate to be the bearer of bad news..... Hotel prices are date specific, and along with the start of the tourist season your dates fall during Boston's busiest graduation weekend. I was fortunate to get the Shearton for $110 for these dates, but I did that back in January and it took several weeks before I was successful. I did a quick search for your dates on several travel sites and unfortunately found that most hotels are sold out, at least for some of your nights. I wish I had some advice to offer, but at this point I don't.

That's the Hyatt Harborside I referred to in post #4. If you have any questions about the Hyatt post them and I'll be happy to respond. I've very happily spent numerous nights there.

Just a little more friendly advice..... If you decide to bid for Revere I'd stick with 4* hotels. The Hyatt and Hilton are on the airport site, but some of the 3*s are quite a bit away. Also, based on my experiences the Logan Hyatt and Hilton don't seem to release rooms until closer to travel dates (i.e., a month/sometimes a week). I usually watch HOTWIRE to see if one shows up and then I bid on PRICELINE. Someone else will need to advise you about Cambridge. I've always avoided the zone because I was under the impression that some of the hotels were not close to the T. And I could be totally wrong on that, but I thought I'd throw it out for your consideration. Again, good luck for this very busy Boston weekend.

This is graduation weekend for several univiersities. I know -- I'm attending two! As you're probably seeing, hotels that have availability are charging astronomical prices. Regarding Logan, I often stay at the Hilton or Hyatt by choice while in Boston. Both have 24 hour shuttles that will take you to the T and from there it's about 10 minutes to downtown. Not the same as walking out the door and being downtown, but I've never found it particularly burdensome. Also, the Hyatt has the water taxi to get across the harbor. It's pricey ($10 one-way/$17 round trip), but it's fun and I usually splurge once when staying at the Hyatt. LMT has the Hyatt for $140 (which can be cancelled) and I can recommend the hotel. Whether you choose the Hyatt or find another option, I'd highly recommend you book a cancellable back-up immediately. You can then keep bidding in hopes that more rooms are released to Hotwire or Priceline closer to the date of your stay. Good luck to you and wave to me that weekend in Boston!

Thank you. And her identical twin graduates in the Boston area three weeks earlier! For the last four years, I've spent every May, June, August and September moving one kid or the other to or from school. This forum has saved me thousands. But most important, it's allowed me to afford to take some pleasure trips to see my daughters which I wouldn't have been able to even consider otherwise. Thereuare, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

$64.74 with taxes and fees Amenities: shuttle, restaurant, internet access, fitness center, business center, pool, laundry, golf nearby, tennis nearby. Note: amenities have been updated since the last time this hotel was reported. Because I didn't think to make reservations for graduation weekend a year in advance, I ended up 45 miles from Dartmouth. But I'm actually pleased not to pay premium prices with a 2-3 night minimum for the Hanover area. Hey, and it's a lovely drive across Route 4 in Vermont! I ended up needing an additional room and was able to use Hotwire's new feature to get a second room for the same price. And or course I used the board's HOTWIRE link for the original reservation.

This is in fact graduation weekend for many Boston area universities including some that the Copley zone would be closest to. I had been bidding off and on for a couple of months, and finally snagged the Sheraton on HOTWIRE (at this link you can see my Hotwire win) for a four night stay. (The rates for four nights was substantially lower than weekend only rates.) I believe some of the Copley area hotels are sold out, and I'd advise booking a back-up hotel like Lefty did. Lefty, not sure if you're a frequent Boston traveller, but if not I thought I'd tell you that between the Hilton's shuttle and the T, this isn't a bad option. I too am coming from Chicago, but in my case for my daughter's graduation. Nevertheless -- GO CUBS!

Yes, you may have read it from me.....but I read it from others first! Unfortunately, none of my PRICELINE stays were over the summer so I can't help you with what a winning bid might be. But I do have a tip for a cancellable reservation. I had two stays at the Hyatt Harborside this past August -- on the front and back ends of a trip to London -- and needed to assure a room well in advance. I found a rate on GTA hotels that was less than the Hyatt rate. Hyatt not only matches but then will deduct 20% from any lower published rate. They honored the price guarantee for both stays. On the first stay I had no problem. On the second stay the representative told me they couldn't match the price, but I called again and another representative honored the guarantee, so be persistent. Information on the price guarantee is on the Hyatt site, and this does have to be done by phone and not on-line. I didn't try bidding later on these stays because I was happy with the price, and frankly I forgot about it. GTA has the Hyatt for $166 on 8/3, which would be $132 with the Hyatt price guarantee. If you decide to make a reservation this way, do verify that it is cancellable. It was over the summer, but I can't promise this hasn't changed. I may be bidding for Logan in June, so if I do and if I'm successful I'll be sure to post the win. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Valencia, I've stayed frequently at both the Logan Hilton and Hyatt on PRICELINE bids and thought I'd share my experiences. While it might be coincidental, I have never bid successfully less than thirty days before my stay. Also, I haven't found good HOTWIRE rates at Logan before you get within that timeframe. The $183 (I assume for the Hyatt) is about the lowest I usually find over the summer months, so I do think it's a matter of timing rather than occupancy. (Not trying to contradict thereuare -- I out of necessity just track Boston hotel rates more than he does!) For peace of mind, you might book a cancellable reservation, and then continue bidding as your date approaches.

Sy, I'm sorry you are upset with your PRICELINE win but hope that my experiences at the Sheraton Copley might calm you down. I've stayed at the Sheraton on PRICELINE bids several times and at check-in they have always accommodated my bed request. In fact, they had already booked me into a room with two doubles. While it does depend on availability, the same can be true when you book direct with a hotel; occassionally people do not get the room they booked. While I have never called the Sheraton in advance, upon arrival I was never treated as a second-class guest and no mention was ever made of PRICELINE. PRICELINE rules only guarantee occupancy for two and that can be one bed. Those of us who use PRICELINE assume that risk in exchange for tremendous savings. In your case, you saved approximately $200/night -- $1000 for your five night stay. But your HOTWIRE complaint is unwarranted. HOTWIRE does allow for multiple guests in a room, addressing the situation with children which you mentioned. In fact, HOTWIRE shows what appears to be the Sheraton for your stay for $108 and for $114 you could have had your bed choice. You already noted the size of the hotel, and odds are you will have the two beds you desire. In any event please try to enjoy the stay -- you will be in a nice hotel in a great location at incredible savings.

Total for four nights with taxes and fees: $518.13 Non-smoking Fitness center Swimming pool Restaurant Business center Internet access Also offered bed choice I'm ecstatic to get this rate during graduation weekend, my reason to be there. Ironically, I originally thought I'd need a room for 5/20 - 5/23 and was watching the Sheraton at $158/night. When I learned I'd need to be in Boston on Thu, I discovered the rate was $110/night for four nights. The total cost for four nights was less than that for the three originally planned. May have done a little better on Priceline, but just as a matter of personal preference didn't want to risk the Park Plaza. Now off to plan twin no. 2's June graduation...........

I had plans tonight for theatre and a night in a hotel in Madison, WI with my daughter who is visiting home from college. Unfortunately I woke up ill -- nothing serious but not something that would make a three hour drive wise. :) While I fully expected to eat the cost, I called PRICELINE customer service to explain the circumstances. I began by very politely stating that I am a loyal customer who understands and respects their cancellation policy, but wondered if there was *anyway* we could work together. I asked if we could work with the Sheraton to honor my reservation for next week, allow me to rebid, cancel with a penalty, etc. or anything else they might suggest. The customer service rep immediately reiterated their no-cancellation policy, said that unfortunately the reservation couldn't be changed for another, but under the extenuating circumstances they would give a full refund. I thanked him profusely, told him I understood they were making a rare exception to their policy and offered that I would never ask again. (In addition to my humility, my seven August PRICELINE nights might have helped!) Thanks to PRICELINE and the theatre that exchanged the tickets (albeit with a far greater hassle) the mother/daughter night is on for next weekend.

$55.30 with taxes and fees. Won this on the first bid. Rack rate is $149 and the event I'm attending offers an $89 discounted rate at the Courtyard, so I'm very happy with this win. And I of course began my purchase with the Better Bidding PRICELINE link.

Jess, I frequently bid on 4* hotels at Logan, and my experiece has been that I've never scored a deal less than a few weeks out. The usual advice on this board, which I always adhere to, is to book a fully cancellable hotel as a back-up. I think this is particularly important for your date, as this weekend is the Head of the Charles Regatta and availability may be low. I stayed at the Hyatt Harborside on 8/16 and again 8/24-26 by taking advantage of their price gaurantee. Not only will they match any other published price, they also reduce it by 20 percent. In my case, I used GTA Hotels.com. GTA does offer a lower price for your date, and the Hyatt price match will bring the cost close to your budget. On the Hyatt website you'll find information on their price gaurantee and a phone number to call. Because the reservation can be cancelled, you can then continue to bid in hopes of a better deal. While I ALMOST always book via PRICELINE using the link on this board, this was one of the rare instances where an alternative worked better for me. I thought I'd share it with you as an option.

jdh, I've stayed at the Hyatt Regency several times and they have always accommodated my request for two beds. Of course, it always depends on availability. You might want to call in advance and make your request. From my experience, the Hyatt appears very family friendly. Enjoy your stay!

$76.17 with taxes and fees After numerous stays here I know $60 is the winning bid at the Brookwood! Once again I won it, despite the message that my bid had little chance of being accepted. Used the board's PRICELINE link.

Total with taxes and fees $76.21 Began bidding at $45. At $52 I received a a $62 counteroffer which I declined and continued bidding in $2 increments until finally winning. Used Better Bidding's PRICELINE link of course!

The Head of the Charles Regatta is Oct 23-24 and my guess is that prices will continue high and availability low for that weekend.

The Hyatt Lodge has smoking rooms, so the smoke free icon would lead me too to believe that this is the Westin. Last year I was trying to target the Hyatt Lodge (specifically because I was travelling with a smoker) and was able to get it through Priceline. By doing a search of winning bids on this board, I found that there seemed to be a floor at which the Westin could be won, but that there were lower bids accepted at the Hyatt. I did win the Hyatt with a low-ball bid. There are certainly no guarantees, but I thought I'd offer this as a possible option. My thinking at the time was that if I still won the Westin instead of the Hyatt, at least I'd being paying less than what was offered on Hotwire. Should you decide to try this route, I'd suggest you do your own search of winning bids and draw your own conclusions since my experience was last Dec (and the Rennaissance may have also been upgraded since I bid).