misconduct

Found what looked to be a $56 3.5* hotel in Calgary Airport region on HOTWIRE. 3.5 star is a safer bet for a quality room in the Calgary Airport region on PRICELINE, since there are several poor 3* listings (Clarion, Holiday Inn Airport) that have been identified on this list. Started the bid at with Calgary Airport Zone and 3.5* at $48 and was rejected outright. Upped the bid to $52 and added free rebid zone of Calgary Airdrie. Price immediately accepted at $52.

This win was booked for a friend that had to travel on short notice. Listed amenities are: free breakfast, pet friendly and smoke free. Two hotels in Dryden were listed on HOTWIRE. Since Dryden is a small town and the only likely other hotel would have been the Holiday Inn Express, I was able to narrow it down by checking the descriptions on the corporate sites. The Comfort Inn met all of the Hotwire descriptors, yet the Holiday Inn Express does not allow pets. One other listing in Dryden was for a 3 star which is likely the Best Western, based on description and how few hotels there are. I also saw a negative Trip Advisor review for the Best Western that said the booking was made via Hotwire. And both the Comfort Inn and Best Western seem to be listed on PRICELINE hot deals for the same price as HOTWIRE.

Had hoped this was the Opus Hotel but suspected it was the Georgian, which is a perfectly fine, if not exceptional, hotel. Cost was $113 CDN, total cost id $142.32 CDN all in. Listed amenities are: Free Internet Pet friendly Boutique Hotel Fitness Center Restaurant(s) Business Center Self service laundry Internet access Accessibiity notes are: Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Wheelchair accessible Accessible bathroom Handicapped parking Trip Advisor reviewers noted that you get sent into the adjacent Hampton Inn for the self service laundry room.

Posting friend's second win to extend his stay from 3 previous nights won on Priceline. Win was $190.

Posting a friend's win. Bids of $162 and $167 rejected. Winner at $172.

Whoops. Listed amenities are below. Amused by the 'tennis nearby' mention. Nothing close by unless you want to play a match on the airport runway or an industrial parking lot. 'Golf nearby' means a course 6 miles away where you regularly have descending planes overhead. Otherwise, seems to be an accurate description of the hotel and it's an ideal place. Free Parking Free Internet Airport Shuttle Fitness Center Restaurant(s) Business Center Self service laundry Internet access Golf Nearby Tennis Nearby Accessible for the deaf Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Wheelchair accessible Accessible bathroom Handicapped parking Roll-in shower

There were other more affordable 2.5 to 3* choices in the area but I went for this one which I was fairly certain it was the Acclaim and I was right. It's a good hotel, although remote. Amenities: Free Parking Free Internet Airport Shuttle Fitness Center Restaurant(s) Business Center Self service laundry Golf Nearby Summary Of Charges 1 night Hotwire hot Rate Room: CAD102.77/night Tax recovery charges & fees: CAD23.87 Subtotal: CAD126.64 Discount: -CAD27.93 Trip Total: CAD98.71

This was a surprise, as it was not a previously known Hotwire property. At the time of searching, only one four star hotel showed up for $122 USD. The first amenity set that shows up on a normal search for two adults is: Restaurant(s) and High-Speed Internet Access. When I did the same search, but changed it to two adults and one child (price increased three dollars), three additional amenities showed up (including the above): Free Internet, High Speed Internet and Spa Services. I suspect doing this would ensure you get the two deluxe queen room. I was expecting one of the Kimpton Hotels, such as the Hotel Monaco, due to the Spa listing. When checking the hotel website, it says free internet only in the lobby and mezzanine. Total cost including taxes and fees is around $151 USD/night. The hotel is recommended in 90% of Hotwire reviews. The lowest rack rate is $144 USD a night on a full prepay, $159/night with cancellable Best Rate Guarantee. It's not a huge savings but this trip is covered by work.

Rate per night: $73.00 Nights: 1 Rooms: 1 Tax recovery charges & fees: $16.14 Subtotal: $89.14 An updated amenity set that should be listed on the BB HW Canada hotel list is: Free Parking, Free Internet, Airport Shuttle, Fitness Center, Restaurant(s), Accessible for the blind, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Handicapped parking, Roll-in shower

Was trying for any 4* or higher property in Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Jersey City/Hoboken. The Marriot at the Brooklyn Bridge works, as I already have family (who made a successful Priceline bid) staying there during the dates of my stay. Started with a 4* bid at $138 for Jersey City --rejected Added Chelsea and upped bid to $143 --rejected Added Soho-Tribeca and upped bid to $147 --rejected Added Brooklyn and upped bid to $154 --accepted Offer Price: $154.00 Rooms: 1 Nights: 2 Room Subtotal: $308.00 Taxes & Fees: $71.80 Total Charged to Card: $379.80 Marriot website rack rate is $293/night.

Got it on the first bid Summary of Charges Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $128.00 (USD) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Guests Per Room: 2 Number of Nights: 1 Room Subtotal: $128.00 (USD) Taxes and Fees: $28.64 (USD) Total Charged to Card: $156.64 (USD)

Two night stay booked after striking out on booking in Gaslamp Quarter. We decided to go for the free internet and breakfast plus the airpoet shuttle. Rate per night:$92.00 Nights:2 Rooms:1 Tax recovery charges & fees:$32.58 Subtotal:$216.58 Trip total:$216.50 Hotel currently has a 95% approval rating on Hotwire. Cheapest rate on hotel website is $119/night. Only a moderate savings. Booked with BB link. Amenities are: Free Breakfast, Free Interner, Airport Shuttle, Smoke Free, Pool. Laundry Facilities, High Speed Internet, Accessible for the blinf, Accessible bathroom, Handicapped parking

Bid on hotel on PRICELINE the day before stay. Used HOTWIRE 4* Downtown listing of $104 as a reference point. First bid of $87 accepted. Cost for entire stay with taxes is approximately $410. Hotel website cheapest rate is $153. Used BB PRICELINE link to start bid.

Minor correction. On the re-bid, I added Seattle Downtown-Pike's Place, not Seattle Center again.

$86/night Silver Cloud Hotel Broadway Seattle Downtown - Pike Place 1100 Broadway, Seattle, WA 98122 Check-In: Fri, Feb 1, 2013 / After 03:00 PM Check-Out: Sat, Feb 2, 2013 / 12:00 PM Rooms: 1 room / 1 night Saw a 3.5 star on HOTWIRE for $91. First bid on PRICELINE of $82 rejected for Seattle Center, with a counter-offer of $99 offered. I added Seattle Centrer as a zone (which would be acceptable but not as good) and was placed at this hotel. It's a bit further out than I wanted oh well. Cheapest price on their website is $129/night.

Saw a four star hotel in Portland on Hotwire for $104 so used this amount as a reference point to start my bid --I determined it was likely one of three Kimpton Hotels in the area. I was surprised when the first bid of $87/night was accepted. The Oklahoma/Oregon hotel listing should be updated, as it is now a Kimpton Hotel, not Larkspur Riverplace. The hotel is very highly rated on Trip Advisor --#2 of all Portland hotels and #11 of Trip Advisor hotels in USA. It is within striking distance of where I want to be for the night. Cheapest rate on the hotel website is $179.10 USD. Summary of Charges Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $87.00 (USD) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Guests Per Room: 2 Number of Nights: 1 Room Subtotal: $87.00 (USD) Taxes and Fees: $20.32 (USD) Total Charged to Card: $107.32 (USD) (All prices are in US dollars) Unable to use the BB PRICELINE link, as my work web filters it.

Booked the day before my trip and staying only due to a long layover at YYC. After checking out Priceline hot Deals, I found what was likely the 2.5* Country Inn and Suites for $72 and decided to shoot for that. $68 first bid was accepted immediately and I was upgraded to a 3* level. I would have preferred to have been at the Country Inn and Suites I had wanted. Or if they had to upgrade me, the Four Points by Sheraton would have been a preferred option. C'est la vie. Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $68.00 (USD) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Guests Per Room: 2 Number of Nights: 1 Room Subtotal: $68.00 (USD) Taxes and Fees: $15.75 (USD) Total Room Cost: $83.75 (USD) (All prices are in US dollars)

I reviewed the available Calgary properties for my stay dates on Hotwire and saw the 2.5 star option for the YYC Airport zone. While the BB Hotwire list didn't have a 2.5 star hotel identified yet, I was fairly certain the property would either be the Country Inn and Suites (I thought it might have been reclassified, since the BB list had it as a 3* property) or the Holiday Inn Express. After comparing the list of known properties on the BB Priceline and Hotwire hotel lists, I decided against bidding on Priceline. Hotwire listed the awful 3* Radisson in the YYC Airport zone as a best buy (it was actually cheaper than the 2.5* option on Hotwire) and the hotel also lists with Priceline... I feared getting upgraded by Priceline to the 3* Radisson. I proceeded to purchase the $83 2.5 star option and confirmed it was the Country Inn and Suites. Rate per night: CAD 83.27 Nights: 2 Rooms: 1 Tax recovery charges & fees: CAD 31.07 Subtotal: $194.60 Listed amenities are: Free Parking, Free Breakfast, Indoor pool(s), Pool(s), Business Center, with a 100% Hotwire satisfaction rating. The Hotwire Canada hotel list should be updated to note the star rating change. It's a perfect win for me, as I'm staying next door at the Hampton Inn the night before since work is paying for that stay. Lowest rate on the hotel website is $134.10 with CAA/AAA discount. I have a tip for anyone looking at properties in the YYC Airport zone. I travel to Calgary at least twice a month for work and have stayed in almost every 2.5* or higher hotel in the area. Don't bid for a 3 star property in the YYC Airport zone unless you can rule out the Radisson... it will be fine for a one night for unfussy travelers but the rooms are worn, the walls can be thin, the internet strength is dodgy, the beds are uncomfortable, no free breakfast, and service is inconsistent in the restaurant and lounge. The hotel was once owned by a local hotel conglomerate that owned a half dozen mediocre Alberta properties with the same issues I listed above. While the Radisson has completed some cosmetic renovations and upgraded a few rooms, the overall issues persist. The 2.5 star options in the area are much better value (free reliable internet, better walkable dining options, free breakfast) and are much more comfortable than the 3* Radisson. It may even be worth paying rack rate at the 2.5 star options in the area on the weekend when prices drop because of the free parking, internet and breakfast at a lot of the properties. Consider staying at the Country Inn and Suites, Hampton Inn (not a Hotwire property but my favorite for their excellent staff and comfy beds), or Holiday Inn Express in the area. The best 3* options in the area are the Four Points by Sheraton (an identified Hotwire property), the Hilton Garden Inn and the new Courtyard by Marriot (both are not identified with Hotwire or Priceline). Also, for those considering Calgary downtown properties, parking in downtown Calgary is exorbitant even on weekends (in the $30 range per day)and there may not be in-out parking privileges. Staying in any area other than downtown usually means free parking. Used the BB HOTWIRE link to begin my bid.

Although I suspect I may have been able to get this for $10 cheaper on Priceline, it was an excellent price for a highly rated, recently renovated hotel. Cheapest rate on the Marriot website is $111 with advance purchase or AAA/CAA discount. Amenities are Indoor pool(s) Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center Laundry Facilities (self-service) High-Speed Internet Access Accessible for the blind Accessible for the deaf Free Internet Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Accessible bathroom Handicapped parking Hotel has a 95% Hotwire user recommendation rating.

I tried multiple times over a 10 day period to land a 4 star hotel in Downtown LA or Hollywood for a Sunday night stay. While Downtown LA would have been more convenient, the options that showed up on multiple Hotwire checks were likely the Sheraton or Westin downtown --both get mixed or antiseptic reviews on Trip Advisor. With the W Hollywood showing up on Hotwire for 10 days at $149, I decided to try to get it for a bit less on Priceline. First bid for $125 was rejected. After adding a rebid zone of Inglewood and raising the bid to $131, the bid was accepted. Multiple other bids for Downtown LA and Hollywood for $108 - 121 had been rejected beforehand. Summary of Charges Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $131.00 (USD) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Guests Per Room: 2 Number of Nights: 1 Room Subtotal: $131.00 (USD) Taxes and Fees: $28.13 (USD) Total Room Cost: $159.13 (USD) (All prices are in US dollars) Lowest available rate on the W Hotel/Starwood site was $279/night. I suspect I could have gotten the hotel for less if I had waited another couple of weeks but I didn't want to chance getting another property in Hollywood. Although I was hoping to pay a bit less for a hotel in Downtown LA and settle for lesser accommodation, nothing was coming up for a low enough amount to make me bite. I am very pleased with win. The W seems to have a 90% satisfaction rating from Hotwire, excellent reviews on Trip Advisor, and it's reasonably close to the Hollywood-Vine metro station, which will get me to Union Station easily on Monday morning. Used the BB PRICELINE link to start bidding.

Based on my experience and polite inquiries, it's safe to assume Priceline/Hotwire wins will automatically translate into being placed in the Oasis wing that gets slammed on Trip Advisor. The Beverly Hilton will not place Priceline winners in the Wilshire wing unless they are overbooked or you are willing to pay a $40 + taxes upgrade charge. I paid for the upgrade because the front desk agent agreed to put my Hilton Honors number on my folio. I am a Diamond Hilton Honors member and Gold/Diamond members get a free internet at Hiltons. The front desk agent also put me in a slightly better room in the Wilshire wing as a result of my Diamond status. I am certain I dealt with an accommodating, senior front desk agent that went a bit further to accommodate me --this doesn`t seem to be the norm at this hotel unless you pay for the VIP perks.

Headed into LA on a very sudden and short 1 day trip. With only five days to book a hotel before the impending stay, it was hard not to get antsy. Checking Hotwire, there was only one 4* listed for Beverly Hills-West Hollywood (the Beverly Hilton for $158) and the 3.5 star option was at $178. Bidding strategy for Priceline was Bid for 4* in Beverly Hills-West Hollywood starting at $112. Bid rejected, with an immediate counter-offer to increase bid by $38 to $150. Wait 24 hours and increased bid to $128. Bid rejected, with anothere counter offer to raise bid by $22 to $150 Add free rebid zone of Inglewood and up bid to $135. Bid accepted. Summary of Charges Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $135.00 (USD) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Guests Per Room: 2 Number of Nights: 1 Room Subtotal: $135.00 (USD) Taxes and Fees: $28.87 (USD) Total Room Cost: $163.87 (USD) Lowest rack rate on the Hilton website is $275 but checking off the AAA discount option came up with a rate of $242. I had wanted a different property but it's an excellent price and the hotel is ideally located to where I need to be. However, Trip Advisor ratings are very mixed for the property. I found it weird to get an immediate counter-offer to increase my bid by $38... I usually only get offers to increase in the $18-22 range. I'm fully expecting get the Priceline treatment of being put into a bad room in the Oasis wing. I will ask nicely to be put in the Wilshire wing and maybe showing my Hilton Honors Diamond card will help. Used the BB PRICELINE link to book

You may want to double check with the hotel to make sure the reservations is still valid. The Hollywood Heights Hotel is now a Hilton Garden Inn. EDIT TO ADD: Never mind. Someone else mentioned that on an identical post.

Was bidding for a one night stay in 3* stay Edmonton, with no real preference of location. First bid for Edmonton zone at $62 and rejected, added Stony Plain zone and raised bid to $68 and was rejected. Second bid for Edmonton zone at $72 and received a rebid counter offer of $84 and declined to rebid. In the end, I opted to book at a Hampton Inn location directly. I had thought to make the next bid for $74 but the total cost including tax and PL fees (if accepted) was just shy of $90 USD. I got my Hampton Inn for $117 CDN all in, with AAA/CAA discount --I'm a Hilton Honors Diamond member due to work related travel --I can use both the Hilton Honors points and the credit for a night's stay to qualify for another year of Diamond staus. With US exchange rate, it's costing me $24 more than the Priceline bid but worth it to me to qualify for Hilton Diamond perks when I travel for work. Used BB PRICELINE link for first two bids.

Whoops... can a Moderator correct the dates. The stay dates are 09/20/2010- 09/21/2010. I cut and pasted twice.