weiser701

WARNING: Some hotels in the Stapleton zone (this one included) are close to the train tracks where trains do run frequently through the day and night.

First bid $35 and won Initially bid $35 for a 3* hotel in Stapleton and won with the Red Lion (maybe I could have gotten closer to $30 if I tried that first, but those few dollars for one night aren't that big of a deal). The Red Lion hotels where I grew up (Seattle area) were always pretty decent for their category so I thought this one would hopefully live up to that standard. I see there are mixed reviews, but all I need is a clean room for one night. The rest of our lodging will take place at the Hotel Monaco downtown (won through Priceline, of course - see this thread Free parking but no free breakfast Easy commute to our downtown hotel for the following three nights

I also want to note that I was originally trying for 9/18/10 thru 9/22/10 but I think Saturday night was the hangup. However, I want to be clear that I did use the same itinerary when $70 didn't work the day before I was successful with it. Saturday night just wasn't working with any of the bids. And now after I have the other winning itinerary I've tried just Saturday night for a 4* Downtown and still nothing. I'll keep trying for a while since I'd kind of like to try out another 4* for the first night. If that doesn't work then I'll just try to add that night through Priceline's "Extend Your Stay" feature.

I first started bidding for a 4* hotel Thursday 8/5/10 but was unsuccessful after several bids. I started with $55 since that was a popular winning bid that resulted in the Hyatt Regency. I continued on to $60, $63, and finally $65, going down the list of different zones that don't have 4* hotels. I had no success that night. I tried again the following morning, this time starting with different zones but at $55 again. I continued up to $72 this time, but again no success. Now that I've used several zones within a 24 hour period already I decided to wait and try again late afternoon the next day (Saturday). I began at $55 again, following the same bidding pattern and eventually finding success at $70. Like other member mentioned who won with these slightly higher prices, I believe the rates are higher because of certain events taking place and/or the itinerary consisting of weeknights in an area popular with weekday travel. I could have held out a little longer and kept trying for something closer to $55 (it's quite possible Hyatt will release more of those rates between now and then) but the peace of mind is worth the $45 :) I wanted the room locked up. And I"m curious about the Hotel Monaco. I've already stayed in plenty of hotels like the Hyatt Regency but never anything like the Monaco. I'm not much of an artsy or trendy guy so we'll see how I fit in. I like the change of scenery so I'm glad I ended up with this hotel. I had suspicions the particular day could have some bearing on what price you get or if you have any success at all and it seems that might be true (at least in my situation). $70 didn't work Friday morning but it worked for me Saturday afternoon. I'm not saying Saturday is a good day to bid. It just tells you that hotels can either designate certain rates for certain days with PRICELINE or they're simply not active all the time. Thanks for all the postings and advice from fellow members and BB admin! :) I just used the PRICELINE link found in the admin's posts but I also could have used the link found in the Travel Links tab.

Your Price Was Accepted Congratulations, you got your price of $69 for a 4-star hotel room. Omni Charlotte Hotel Bid $47 Downtown - rejected Bid $50 ... Added Univeristy Area - rejected Bid $53 ... Added Executive Park - rejected Bid $55 ... Added Airport - rejected Bid $58 ... Added South Park - rejected Bid $60 ... Added Matthews - rejected Bid $63 ... Added Northlake - rejected Bid $65 ... Added Pineville - rejected Bid $67 ... Added Rock Hill - rejected Bid $69 ... Added Fort Mill - accepted It's funny. I had a feeling $69 was going to be the magic price. Mostly because I had a very strong inkling I was getting the Omni (per my research on Hotwire and TripAdvisor). Current total package price for Omni Charlotte Hotel 12/13/07 thru 12/17/07 $329 Priceline - winning bid $1100 Priceline - (no bid) 70% savings! $986 Omni Charlotte Hotel website - 66% savings! $395 Hotwire (price for 4* hotel in Downtown/Uptown Charlotte - likely Omni) - 17% savings

Actually, I guess I'm pretty comfortable with it. But I just don't want any screwups on Priceline's side (e.g. somehow there turns out to be a 4* in a zone that wasn't originally advertised when I bid - then it's hard to argue since I have to explain I was trying to work around the 24hr wait). I don't know... I suppose I can give it a try. Let me just get a confirmation on how it works, with an actual scenario from the hotels I want: I originally select the Downtown zone and bid $47 on a 4* hotel. I'm declined. Then I ADD the Executive Park zone because it's displayed as only containing 3* hotels and below (it doesn't allow me to select the 4-Star Deluxe option). Then bid again for a 4* hotel? Is it that simple? I know you can't guarantee anything, but should I experience ANY mishaps with this process, assuming I do it right? I don't see how I could. Priceline says they don't offer 4* hotels in the Executive Park zone so under no cirumstance should I end up being charged outside of the Downtown zone if I only want a 4* in either Downtown or Executive Park. Sorry for the redundant and longwinded response. I just don't want to have to deal with Priceline customer support AT ALL. From what it sounds like, it's not an experience I want to have, haha.

I've already read it over. I just didn't want to risk screwing anything up. I really need a hotel in specific area. Downtown/Uptown works out perferct. Plus, I figured the reduced 24hr timeframe makes it a little more convenient. I appreciate the help though :)

Well, I went for it and bid $47. Big surprise... it was declined! haha. I'll bid again every 24hrs until I get it. And I'll remember to use the link on this board!

What I meant by that is only reviewing the actual services they claim to provide (i.e. if you bid on a 4* star hotel in Region A you get a 4* hotel in Region A - done deal) and not all the other variables people often include in their complaints (e.g. hotel didn't live up to their expectations, didn't book the right region or hotel star rating and they want it fixex). There's too many of the latter to sort through on the Net, which is why I mentioned there are a large amount of complaints. When you look around for reviews, you'll find em. But then again, there were plenty for Hotwire as well. I'm sure there are just too many people angry or frustrated because of high expectations or they screwed and won't accept responsibility.

I think I've decided to try Priceline mainly just for the sake of trying it. I've never used it before and figured this would be a good time to give it a shot - something new. However, I'll likely not bid more than what Hotwire currently offers for a 4* hotel in downtown Charlotte, which is around $74-79. I probably have a slim shot of getting something lower, huh? But it doesn't hurt to try. I was just curious of any techniques I might want to use (timeframe, starting bid, etc) if there are any at all. Thanks

But as far as the services they claim to offer, there's no real reason for the amount of complaints seen all over the Net based from your experiences? It's not really fair to account for ignorant or lazy shopping practices (like what you guys mentioned). It's unfortunate reviews are watered down and skewed with complaints based off of such ignorance and/or laziness. That's why I wanted to ask the veterans here at Better Bidding! As long as Priceline is living up to their claims (which I'm pretty sure I good scope of by now) then I shouldn't have any problems.

I'm just curious how winners here feel about their experiences with Priceline since it's hard to find a group of positive reviews around the Net. Can it really be as bad some people post about? Obviously they're satisfying some since there's evidence of repeat customers on this board. I just don't hear too many good things about them. Curious about thoughts here on this board. Thanks

Charlotte Downtown: Bidding Strategy What kind of bidding strategy might I want to use for these parameters? 4* in Charlotte Downtown December 13 thru 17 (thurs-mon)

Thanks! I actually forgot to search for the Westin on TripAdvisor and ended up doing so after my original post. I discovered the same thing you did - it displays similar criteria as well. Thanks for pointing that out in case I missed it. However, since I'm seeing so many Omni bookings through Hotwire in TripAdvisor reviews, and being that december is slow for them due to the nature of their customers, it still looks like they are likely the hotel currently being offered for that price. But I'll take the Westin as well. Assuming I can get a room with a good location, it would be a heck of a deal. Both hotels average around $200+ I think I'll probably book it tomorrow (nevermind Priceline)... through the HOTWIRE link you provided above of course :) Not off topic: I hope you're healing after that rocky start to the Michigan football season, haha. It's all good.... Michigan has had plenty of success over the years. They're still definitely not heading downhill or anything like that. The fans gotta get a bad season once in a while. Heck, I've experienced enough with my team (and my school), WSU, and I'm not too thrilled about this year either.

Thanks! I'm currently trying to book a 4* in the downtown/uptown area of Charlotte for december. (thread here) I'm pretty sure I've narrowed down the Hotwire deal for $74 as being the Omni, but I'm still trying to verify. I'm thinking about trying Priceline and was going to start around $60 for the heck of it just to see what i get. After some investigating, I'm pretty sure I might know what I'm getting with a 4* search. And after talking with the concierge guy at the Omni today, it sounds like december is pretty slow for them because the majority of their customers come from BofA and other large corporations, which don't do much business there around that time. So that means chances are good you'll be getting a room at the Omni if you're looking for a 4* around that time of the year.... using Hotwire or Priceline. Heck, I think I'm now doing this more for the challenge as opposed to saving the money. However, I want to save money as well! haha

The dates are Dec 13 thru Dec 17, for two adults. Thanks

Hey all, so is anybody still around? Anyway, I wanted to post my results and see if someone here that is familiar with identifying hotels at Hotwire might be able to confirm my conclusions. Currently, Hotwire is showing a 4* hotel in downtown/uptown Charlotte, NC for $74 and lists the amenities: Pools, restaurants, business center, high-speed internet. It also shows a 3.5 rating from TripAdvisor with 40+ reviews. Upon checking TripAdvisor, I've currently found only one hotel with very similar criteria - the Omni. It has a user rating of 3.5 and 58 total reviews (I haven't yet found another 4* in that area with 40+ reviews). They also rate it as a 4*. Hotwire happens to list the Omni as one of the few examples of 4* hotels they're partnered with. Also, I've found a fair amount of reviews at TripAdvisor that claim they booked through Hotwire with a price around $70. And doing a hotel/car rental and hotel/airfare package I only come up with a few 4* results and none of those meet the 3.5 rating/40+ review criteria at TripAdvisor. So do you guys think this could be a fairly certain bet I'm getting the Omni with this purchase? I don't think there are too many other 4* options in downtown/uptown Charlotte. This is kind of fun. Thanks!