WillTravel

(I bid through the PRICELINE link on this board at the upper right.) I have been bidding for a 3* downtown off and on for a while. Yesterday, I bid $55 and got a counteroffer for $68. I tried $58, and got a counteroffer for $68. I let 24 hours elapse, then tried today at $59, and got this hotel. I think this is pretty great, actually, to be staying at a W for this price. (Should I have tried lower, on the off-chance that cheaper inventory showed up between yesterday and today - perhaps.)

Getting a room with a great view usually commands a premium through conventional booking, and you definitely cannot expect that if you book with PRICELINE or HOTWIRE.

I can't say if this is what happened here, but hotel zones often change. So no list is ever up to date. If you take a close look at the Priceline maps, and then at Google maps, I think it looks plausible that this hotel is in Around La Castellana as it is currently constituted. See what you think.

I'm looking for a night in Philadelphia for 9/2 - 9/3, so I have been paying attention to these dates. I know you said you wanted a 4* hotel, but if you go to LMTClub.com, you can get the 3.5* Radisson Plaza Warwick, that is in this zone, for $75/night + taxes and fees for your dates. I haven't bought it yet for my date, as I'm still holding out hope of getting a cheaper PRICELINE bid near the end, but I am considering it. The Crowne Plaza Philadelphia Downtown is $83 + taxes and fees for these dates.

I wanted to report on this possibility. I just used it for New York City, and it's possible in certain circumstances it might be the best choice. First, there is a membership requirement, but you should be able to get it for free with one of these methods: http://www.lmtclub.com/3MonthTrial/index.html I successfully used the promo code TRAVELTWEET on signup, but someone else said it didn't work for them. This post says to use FBFREECLUB12, but I have not tried that. http://xiandesi.livejournal.com/26401.html I used this for August 28 - September 2 to get an on-request booking at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Tribeca for $126/night. Now it is possible that I might have been able to do better with Priceline eventually, but I wasn't succeeding at prices close to that. Based on Hotwire, there is a discrepancy in pricing between August 28-30, and August 30-September 2, which suggested that splitting my bid might have worked, but I didn't succeed even with the cheaper dates August 30 - September 2. I know it might have worked out closer to the time, but with a fairly long stay, and a reasonable price, in an area I wanted to be in, this worked out well. (I used the links here for my failed bids - just wanted to add that.) I also used LMTClub.com for Mexico City a few months ago, and saved about 50% off any rate I could get elsewhere, and got a hotel exactly where I wanted (which as you know, you can't do with Priceline generally). This is cheaper than LastMinuteTravel generally, although I think LastMinuteTravel sometimes has opaque hotels with better prices, but they are part of the same entity anyway. You can cross-compare LastMinuteTravel.com with LMTClub.com and see the price drop.

Hotel Thirty Thirty is now Hotel LOLA, in New York City.

This is the airport transfer service I used both ways in Istanbul. It was a nice car, and the price seemed very reasonable. Don't be put off by the Backpackers in the website. http://www.backpackerstravel.net/Airport-Transfers-backpackersmenu876349827634-mod76345

I have never won this hotel before, but it looks really good. I kept on getting counteroffers of $70 (starting from when I bid $55), but I figured I could do better. This is in the Queen Anne area, which is out of the slightly grotty area some of the Space Needle hotels are in.

1) There is no one best time to bid. Figure out a good deal for your case, and how much you want to bid, and just bid up to that. 2) Note that the Downtown zone encompasses part of South Austin. You will *probably* get an actual downtown hotel if you stick to 4* (but you'd have to check carefully). How picky are you about the location? As for your price range, you'd just have to try. What are the conventional rates you see for acceptable hotels for that night? What does Hotwire offer?

Thanks for the continued great work.

You definitely cannot control whether you get a double bed or not. Almost every time in London, I've been given 2 twin beds by default (which is what I wanted, but not what you want). It's quite possible you could ask to switch, or pay for an upgrade, but it's not a 100% chance. That being said, if you decide to keep the Ibis, double-check that your bed will be what you expect. It's quite possible you'd get two twins next to each other even if you booked a double bed.

The fact that you have not seen a review indicating bedbugs probably does not mean that a hotel does not have them. In NYC, I'd be very surprised if any hotel of any size has not had bedbugs at some time or another. What's important is how well they respond to them. Even if you get a hotel with no bedbug reviews now, it easily could by the time of your stay.

I tried $40 and got a counteroffer for $55. So I added a rebid zone that had only up to 2* hotels, and bid $45. Maybe I should have tried less! The best Hotwire offering for this area was $54, and I think that hotel (probably Best Western Rio Grande Inn) is not as centrally located as the Doubletree. Although its reviews aren't perfect, I don't think the issues described on TripAdvisor will affect my one-night stay. I used the PRICELINE box at the top right.

Amenities: Complimentary Breakfast Pool(s) Business Center High-Speed Internet Access I used the BetterBidding box link at the top left to enter Hotwire for this bid. Although I could have used Priceline and tried for a 3*, I was confident from the Hotwire list what this hotel would be, and it fits my needs exactly.

I know that most tourists want to visit downtown, but Capitol Hill has a lot to offer also, and I typically end up spending a lot of time there when I go to Seattle. I do understand why people might want to avoid this zone, but just presenting an alternate viewpoint, as I'm just as happy to stay in Capitol Hill as downtown.

Two sites that often have great Madrid deals are: www.travelzoo.com www.solmelia.com In each case, you can sign up. I suggest you do so. Thus far, I haven't found Priceline to offer the best value for me for Madrid, although it can in some cases.

I've stayed at this hotel (it was through some other special a few years ago). I'd be happy with a $49 rate. The hotel is in the historical, grand style. I had a *very* large room. It was a bit shabby, but the overall ambiance of the place is great. I've also stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in downtown El Paso (a few blocks from this hotel), which is good too, but there is something enjoyable about the chandeliers and nice restaurants and interesting lobby decor.

Note this TravelZoo special for the Le Meridien Etoile, a common Priceline 4*. (The page says it may be sold out, but at this moment, a room is available for your dates.) http://www.travelzoo.com/hotels/international/964249/

I'd suggest that you take a look at www.lastminutetravel.com and see if any of the secret deals there are any good for you. But I would also agree with the previous poster. If the stay ends up costing $100 more than you hoped, but you get a great hotel, it will be worth it.

I know this is a popular hotel to get on Priceline because it saves the cost of an actual Manhattan hotel room. This seems like a pretty good deal. http://www.travelzoo.com/hotels/new-york/9...ium=email_top20

Hotwire has a 3.5* in the Central Park area for $269 for your dates. It might be one of those with tiny rooms, but it's worth looking at, IMO. Hotwire also has a 3* in Chelsea-MSG for $289, and some other options in your price range.

Every bid suggests this possibility of extending, but many times you cannot take advantage of it. If you try, you are either told nothing is available, or given a high price. Have you looked at Hotwire's prices, or regular hotel prices?

I`ve had excellent luck getting twin bed rooms in London on numerous occasions, but remember Priceline cannot guarantee it. Are you willing to stay in Docklands? If so, you have a $103 Hotwire option for a 3.5*, which perhaps can be bested on Priceline. Another option is London School of Economics rooms that are rented out for the holidays. If you choose this option, you can get the super-convenient Northumberland House, but you`d have to get 2 single rooms. The cost for 4 nights would be 800 pounds total. The rooms are en suite, but basic. http://www.lsevacations.co.uk/r

I think Minneapolis has reasonable 3* options (although that's obviously for you to decide). Keep in mind that until you actually try to purchase the HOTWIRE hotel, you can't know if it really exists. More than once I have tried to click through and purchase a HOTWIRE offering, only to be told it isn't available. So I'd do something quickly, considering today is Sept. 2. Note that with HotelsCombined.com you can get the downtown Hilton Garden Inn for $78 and the Millennium for $79 (did not check their websites). But I'd probably bid higher on PRICELINE before accepting these.

I think Priceline is often not the best choice for central Europe. I would try these sites and determine the best price possible, comparing the taxes and fees included in all cases. Also, if these sites give you a price with breakfast, a high-quality German or Austrian hotel will generally have an excellent buffet, and that is worth something in my opinion. www.hotelscombined.com www.hrs.de I got a fabulous deal for Vienna a couple years ago with www.ameropa.de, but that site is in German and you get vouchers mailed to you, and I am thinking you probably don`t have enough time for that. (Not sure if there are any other option for getting the vouchers.) The hotel I got is the Lindner am Belvedere, and I really enjoyed it, but it`s generally more expensive on other sites.