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$57.90 with taxes and fees I won this on the first bid. (I didn't exactly have a history to help determine where I should start bidding!) Given that the hotel receives a 4.5 on Trip Advisor and it was $169 on Marriott's website, I'm quite pleased. This is a new property to add to the hotel list. As always, I began with this site's PRICELINE link.

$126 bid plus $10 bonus cash. September dates in Boston are tough! I've been bidding up to $140 without even a counter offer for a few weeks for a 4* Quincy Market or Harborfront or a 3.5* in Copley. Not one of my better wins and certainly more than I initially hoped to spend, but at this point I'm satisfied. Used the PRICELINE link as always.

Andy, You've already gotten some great advice and I'd second staying in the Quincy Market or Copley Square zones. While I have a slight preference for the the historic nature of Quincy area, I thought I should note that a Copley hotel will be walkable to Fenway. I agree that the Boston subway system is great and the city itself is very compact and walkable, so take advantage of it and see as much of the city as you can. And the pastry can't be beat at Mike's!

Sorry, I bid this on 5/25 but forgot to post. I won on the first bid despite the message that my bid had little chance of being accepted. I've stayed here several times and knew $60 usually wins it. Used the Better Bidding PRICELINE link.

International Place, across Atlantic Avenue and within a block of the Intercontinental, has a weekend rate of $9/day. It's good after I believe 4:30 p.m. on Friday, and through 6:30 a.m. on Monday. No in and out privileges. I always park there when I'm at the Intercontinental or Hilton, and did so as recently as this May. BTW, if you haven't been to the Intercontinental before, it's a lovely hotel. Enjoy!

The Copley area is great for a walk to Fenway and most of the time your budget should get you a at least a 3.5* hotel. However, something is going on in the area this weekend (convention at Hynes Center?) and the Sheraton, Hilton and Westin are sold out. Marriott has rooms at $429. Just thought you should know so you can consider other zones and not continually try to target Copley which could prove futile. Of course, you might win something in the theatre area of the zone. Sorry for the potentially bad news. Good luck

2 nights with taxes and fees: $226.76 As a bit of bidding history, I first bid up to $135 without success for a four star in the Quincy Market, Harborfront, and Copley zones. (HOTWIRE had the Sheraton for $132 and that was my alternate plan.) Dropped to a 3.5 star in Copley and started at $80. Received a $19 counter offer which I refused and kept bidding in $5 increments until I won. I thought I might get the Sheraton, hoped it wasn't the Park Plaza (only because it's not one of my favorites) and was delighted with the Marriott -- my favorite of the 3.5* Copley hotels. Used BetterBidding's PRICELINE link.

troq, Perhaps this is the purpose of your trip, but I wanted to point out that the the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is going on Aug 6 - 30. Consequently availability is limited and rooms appear to be going for premium prices. I did a couple of quick searches, and found rooms were roughly 3X the price of what I paid in Sept 2009 (direct booking on that leg of a London/Edinburgh trip). Sorry to be the potential bearer of bad news. I do hope there's a deal out there to be found. Good luck!

$126/night is correct. Don't know where I came up with $155 -- probably some sloppy pasting and cutting. :)

Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $126.00 (USD) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 5 Room Subtotal: $630.00 (USD) Taxes and Fees: $124.65 (USD) Total Room Cost: $754.65 (USD) This was an unexpected and delightful win. I had identified and was ready to book a 4* Westminster hotel for $119/night on HOTWIRE, but decided to first give PRICELINE a go for a 5* Mayfair. I really didn't expect a win in this price range during the summer months. I began at $120 and received a $134 counter offer. I refused it and used free rebids in $3 increments. I stayed at the Grosvenor House for 6 nights in Sept 2009 ($175/night win) and am very happy to return. And of course I began with the Better Bidding PRICELINE link.

I'm not sure if I should start a new thread or add on to my previous thread, but I was able to successfully add a night to my previously posted 5/14 - 5/16 win. I used your PRICELINE link, then went to my trips and used the extend a night feature.

Total with taxes and fees $59.02 Note, this is now listed as a 3.5 star. Began with this board's PRICELINE link.

The Cleveland (Dowtown) Crowne Center City Centre is now a 3.5* on Priceline.

Total with taxes and fees = $50.59

$90/night 2 nights with taxes and fees = $215.14 Began with a lowball bid of $60 and rebid in $5 increments. Advance Purchase price on hotel's website was $218/night. I won this hotel several years ago and had an enjoyable experience, so I'm looking forward to another stay. Began with your PRICELINE link, of course.

Won on first bid. Total w/taxes and fees: $52.18 This is a very local girls' night trip. With snow on the ground, that fireplace looks like a great place to catch up with with a dear friend! Began with your PRICELINE link of course.

By chance I read a Yahoo travel story today the listed Hotel Felix as one of "America's Best Affordable Hotels". They state: "Chocolate-brown carpets spun from recycled soda bottles are just one of the many earth-friendly details at the Hotel Felix. The 225 rooms have motion sensors to control the heat and lighting, and the spa has sustainably produced bamboo floors. Drivers of hybrids park free, but the hotel is a 10-minute walk from the Hancock tower, so you could also skip the car entirely. hotelfelixchicago.com, from $129." Sounds like a very interesting property.....I hope you'll report back after your stay.

While tracking prices for January Boston dates, I came across something I hadn't seen before. A 4* hotel in the Copley/Theater District offered a "Bed Choice" option. On the booking page one king or two queen beds could be selected with one big catch -- there was an additional charge of $14 and $15 respectively. The hotel appeared to be a match for the Westin Copley. While I'm usually flexible and doubt I'd ever pay for this feature, I thought I'd pass it along. Perhaps someone travelling with a spouse/partner might want to guarantee a king. BTW, I don't plan to book my trip until closer to my travel dates, but will post when I do.

The JW Marriott Grosvenor House and the Marriott Park Lane are two distinct hotels. The Park Lane is right at Marble Arch while the Grosvenor House is a couple of blocks down Park Lane. (I was at the Grosvenor House for six nights in Sept and walked past the Park Lane almost daily) The Grosvenor House is most definitely a 5* and I believe the Park Lane is also, although I can't recall where I got the rating for the Park Lane (probably from PRICELINE's own ratings).

Your offer: $63 Subtotal: $189 Taxes and Fees: $33.48 Total: $222.48 Bid this on 9/2 but forgot to post earlier. (I'm not particularly thrilled with a university that has move-in over the New Year's weekend.)

Either should be fine. I tried both for your dates and got the same result. I never realized that HOTWIRE doesn't ask for children under age two. Perhaps a couple with only one small child might be booked into a a king with a crib. But one child or two, I'd think it should signal the hotel to put you in a double room. (Can't recall if at the Sheraton this is two full- or queen size beds.)

Steve, Based on the amenities listed, the Sheraton would be my best guess also. It could also be a match for the Hilton Back Bay if the Hilton has added the smoke-free icon (quite possible since all Boston hotels are now smoke free). Based only on my own experiences, the Sheraton seems more likely to release rooms to HOTWIRE well in advance, plus the trip advisor rating matches. I've stayed at both the Sheraton and Hilton. Rooms are nice at both and while not huge, good-sized for city hotels. Both should be family friendly. FYI, I'm in Boston every Aug and May moving kids to and from college, and have won the Sheraton at this price with these listed amenities. If you're more of a gambler, you could also try PRICELINE. Again, only my limited experience, but when HOTWIRE has back bay hotels listed at $95, I've won at $65 for 3.5* hotels on PRICELINE. (I've won the Hilton, Sheraton and Marriott at this price.) However, HOTWIRE, while a bit more expensive, makes it more likely to identify the hotel. In any event, between tourism and college move-ins, Boston is very busy in Aug and $95 is a good deal. Let me know if I can help further.

$71.49 with taxes and fees Amenities: Restaurant Pool Fitness Center Hi-speed Internet Business Golf Note: I'd tried PRICELINE a few times up to $48 and got a $57 counter-offer. Decided to just go with identifiable HOTWIRE property since its location worked well for me. And I apologize for forgetting to use your link for this booking. I don't use HOTWIRE frequently, so I'm out of the habit. (Did use your link for my previously posted PRICELINE win at the Grosvenor House.)

2 nights total with taxes and fees - $168.57 This appears to be a low availability weekend (4* Westin and Rennaissance were sold out) so I'm satisfied with this deal. This was bid on 7/30 through your PRICELINE link. Sorry for forgetting to post the win earlier.

FogNoggin, You've received excellent advice on the use of HOTWIRE and PRICELINE and I don't have anything to add. But your thread interested me because I drive what I think will be your route at least four times a year. (I'm a Chicagoan that drives 80 east to the NY thruway and then to Boston or NH to take kids to college.) I think general travel advice is beyond the intent of this forum, but if you'd like any advice on sights, cities along the route, etc. please feel free to pm me If you decide you'd prefer a more set itinerary, or at least decide the city you'll sleep in each night, you can do more research that will take at least some of the unknowns out of using PRICELINE or HOTWIRE. (FYI, I do always use PRICELINE while driving this route.) And I second the advice to stop in Cleveland. It has a lovely downtown and there's much to do in the area. I first visited it two years ago and was shocked that it was so different from the negative picture in my mind.