PRICELINE EXPRESS. SPRING14 discount brought it down to $46.55 + $11.24 taxes/fees totalling $57.79/night inclusive for each of 3 nights.
Direct booking price of $74.10/night (down from past couple of weeks) over same period + $10.93/taxes totalling $85.03/night.
Fridge & microwave in room, above average hot breakfast for this level hotel. Bedding average at best at this level. 80 channels, no digital/HD. Floors paper thin (easily hear walking above, etc.).
PRICELINE link used.
Certainly. Free Breakfast, free internet, indoor or outdoor pool, free parking, pets allowed, business center, fitness center. Guest rating: 8.0, Guest favorite.
Pleasant surprise with this Priceline Express hotel in the Tucson, AZ Airport zone. Used the 'SPRING14' 5% discount ($43.70/night).
$43.70 + $10.72 taxes/fees = $54.42 inclusive/night.
Hotel not previously shown in hotel lists for this zone. Built in 2009. 50 of 55 reviews on TripAdvisor rate either Excellent (33) or Very Good (17). Comparable ratings on 2 other major booking sites with 100+ reviews each (4.6/5). Direct booking rate for comparison: $89 + $12.69 = $101.69/night.
PRICELINE link used.
Went through several bids in 2.5* ($39, 41, 43, 45, 47, 49, finally $50) and ended up with the lowest graded 3* in the zone. Older hotel, shows its wear, comfortable beds at least.
$50 + $12.30 taxes/fees = $62.30/night inclusive.
PRICELINE link used.
Second attempt ($42 (PL offered $49 booking at this point), then $44 was accepted). $44 + $13.68 taxes/fees = $57.68. Used La Paloma for rebid.
Above average breakfast for a 2.5* property, clean feel/look, bed clean but average in quality at best, 60+ cable channels but no HD, pool/whirlpool outside (no privacy fence), single treadmill in their Fitness Center, you can hear even yourself walk across the room (easy to hear tenant above walk in their room; however, no 'noisy' tenants to either side to hear through the wall, etc. All in all, pretty average for a 2.5*. Needed to be close to airport or I would have pursued what appear to be the best values for mid to upper-mid level properties in Tucson in the 3.5* options in the East zone with winning bids in the upper $40's.
PRICELINE link used.
Rebooked hotel. $46, second attempt ($44, $46) + $13.94 = $59.94. for Wed 3/19 - Thur 3/20. Can create new thread, if desired. Thanks for all the time and effort invested in the board.
Fourth attempt ($40, $44, $46, $48). $48 + 14.24 taxes/fees = $62.24. Added higher value zones of Oro Valley, La Paloma and East for the rebid opportunities.
There was a PRICELINE EXPRESS deal through Priceline, 2 1/2 stars, airport zone for $54+ and a Hotwire offer for $57+ same rating/zone, quite possibly the same property. Expected to receive either this property or the Best Western Airport. Direct booking through Country Inn & Suites website $99+.
Used Priceline link for booking.
Rebooked the room with a new set of bids (using the high-end zone indicated above for rebids) for the following night, Monday 3/17-Tuesday 3/18. Again, 4th bid accepted ($39, 45, 48, $49) apparently indicating this was the lowest acceptable bid. Same property.
Fairly average Holiday Inn property. Room, bed and linens clean. Good value. Used Priceline link.
Fourth attempt ($35, $39, $42 failed). Added high(er) end zones as I went - La Paloma, Oro Valley & Central.
$49 + $14.36 taxes/fees = $63.36. Best price through Priceline to book direct today was $99 (same day travel). Addtionally, Hotwire shows $61+ for a 3 star in Airport zone (concluding it's very likely the same (Holiday Inn) as this is the lowest rated 3* hotel in the airport zone.
Wow, fantastic advancements to your site! Very impressive. Thank you for providing such a valuable service to your users :D.
Used your PRICELINE link to book the room.
Address: 8080 N. State Road 9, Howe IN 46746. Multiple unsuccessful bids. $39, 45, 49, 55, 59. 4 locations in zone and this is the ONLY 2.5* allowing for 7 rebids with the variations. NEW hotel to your list. (Note: Winning bid from 3/31/12 off another BB was $52 for this property.
Looks very nice here upon arrival. Indoor Pool, very clean, rooms like new. 37" LG flat screen w/only analog service. 3 HBOs, 30 total channels, in-room channel placard accurate and up-to-date - unusual lol.
Additional information - Here are the direct booking rates for 3 highest rated hotels here right off the I-80/90 exit here in Howe, IN/Sturgis, MI (Note: Howe IN and Sturgis MI zone are virtually one and the same with the massive overlap) This property, Best Western Inn - $89; Hampton Inn - $89/King, $99/2 Queens; Holiday Inn Express - $139
Old user here travelling again. Nice improvements to the board. Thanks for the service. ;).
UPDATE upon arrival at Radisson Celebration - Walt Disney Maingate (Wed., February 23, 2011):
Received bid at $39 - $51.40 w/Priceline fees + add'l $11 + 13% tax resort fee for around $64 inclusive. Direct book $79 + tax + resort fee on this date that I stayed (Wed 2/23/11).
Room closer to a 2* as expected. Sleep number beds typically aren't offered with Priceline bookings; however, I was fortunate to receive the requested upgrade. Tub was full of water and table lamp had a short (ugh); however, problem was fixed quickly. Too tired to mess with an attempt to change rooms. Yes, knew the tub was just the drain; nevertheless, I wanted the front desk to know about it. Toilet didn't flush properly - haven't worked on fixing that yet. 2 double beds were no more than 12" apart. Wired internet in this room only - parts of the hotel are wired only. No explanation on whether they intend to upgrade.
Didn't use fitness center. Restaurant looked clean and decent. Pool/whirlpool look clean and recently renovated. Very large property with 718 rooms. Parking area gated. Building 1000 seems to be recently renovated; however, counter above frig chipped badly. Furniture shows moderate wear. Older furnishing in both room and bath. Sleep Number beds are new - the only redeeming feature of the room. Old 25" color sets. Carpet spotted with moderate wear. Water pressure in shower solid. Coffee/refrigerator. In room safe. Parking & internet included in $12.50 resort fee. I'm sure the soft Orlando market makes it tough to ccompete. Better values appear to be available in multiple markets - especially with a couple 4* properties regularly hitting in the mid-$40 range at this point in time in the area.
Best of luck all with your bidding.
UPDATE upon arrival at Radisson Celebration - Walt Disney Maingate:
Received bid at $39 - $51.40 w/Priceline fees + add'l $11 + 13% tax resort fee for around $64 inclusive. Direct book $79 + tax + resort fee on this date that I stayed (Wed 2/23/11).
Room more like a 2* as expected. Sleep number beds typically aren't offered with Priceline bookings; however, I was fortunate to receive the requested upgrade. Tub was full of water and table lamp had a short (ugh); however, problem was fixed quickly. Too tired to mess with an attempt to change rooms. Yes, knew the tub was just the drain; nevertheless, I wanted the front desk to know about it. Toilet didn't flush properly - haven't worked on fixing that yet. 2 double beds were no more than 12" apart. Wired internet in this room only - parts of the hotel are wired only. No explanation on whether they intend to upgrade.
Didn't use fitness center. Restaurant looked clean and descent. Pool/whirlpool look clean and recently renovated. Very large property with 718 rooms. Parking area gated. Building 1000 seems to be recently renovated; however, counter above frig chipped badly. Furniture shows moderate wear. Older furnishing in both room and bath. Sleep Number beds are new - the only redeeming feature of the room. Old 25" color sets. Carpet spotted with moderate wear. Water pressure in shower solid. Coffee/refrigerator. In room safe. Parking & internet included in $12.50 resort fee. I'm sure the soft Orlando market makes it tough to ccompete. Better values appear to be available in multiple markets - especially with a couple 4* properties regularly hitting in the mid-$40 range at this point in time in the area.
Best of luck all with your bidding.
First bid. Based upon last winning bid posted earlier today by someone at $44. Suggest anyone shooting for it may be able to get it for a couple bucks less. Expecting a $12 or so 'Resort' fee. Hopefully, internet is included. Actually checked - $12.50 resort fee now and internet is included. Crossing fingers on any upcharges for double beds :).
Direct booking rate was $79/night for the same room meaning it's likely more like a 2.5.
Total - $51.40 - $39 +12.40 fees
PRICELINE link used.
This is the 3* you're most likely to end up with in this zone. 4th bid - $30, 32, 34, 36. Added Yulee and Jacksonville West for the free rebids. You can safely add Jax Beach/Mayo Clinic as you'll not get a room at the beach nearly as cheap. (NOTE - you can get the 2.5* Best Western right down the street for $29 or so on average - it's been known to go as low as $25. All Jax zones are 2.5* at a minimum giving you the one Beach zone and possibly Downtown as your rebids.
The Radisson is a little nicer and for less than $10/night more seems worth the value.)
$36 a night + $17.22 tax/fees = $89.22 total.
Hotel for relatives - figured this would be the one. Decent hotel for the area. For what it's worth direct booking rate was $69 for these nights which would have been in low $150's for the 2 nights inclusive.
PRICELINE link used. Happy holidays to all.
Attempted $32, 34, hit $35 on 3rd attempt with free rebids. NOTE: Hotel attempted upcharge of $30 for double beds. Not a big deal for my application as the hideaway sleeper sofa in the suite worked fine; however, for larger groups, it could be an issue. Typical 3.5 star hotel.
$35/night; $48.07 inclusive with taxes & fees.
PRICELINE link used.
Couple of additions - parking $8; however, 2 complimentary breakfast buffets given at check-in. Yup, used the PRICELINE link - should know better than to forget to mention that :).
One small issue, though - accessing Priceline by typing in the dates and city in the top right corner of the page didn't work for Atlanta for me this time - kept bringing me to an Error Page. Clicking the passthrough link (auto posting now when typing in the word 'Priceline' - pretty cool) works fine.
Tried yesterday starting at $39 in $1 steps and stopped at $45 with rebids. Figured it'd be simple enough to land this morning. Focused on same zone (looking to avoid parking/extra fees) today and first attempt accepted at $42. $42/$55.35 inclusive. Small change to hotel listings - Decatur-Northlake now only Northlake (Zone 16 out of 22 in Atlanta area)
Holiday Inn Decatur Conference Center
130 Clairemont Ave.
Decatur, Georgia 30030
404-371-0204
First attempt. Old Marriott property that converted back in November, 2009. Good sized indoor pool. $6.95+tax/fee breakfast buffet. Free internet that's better than average. Good value for this 3* property.
Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $35.00
Subtotal: $35.00
Taxes & Fees: $12.45
Total Charges*: $47.45
First attempt. NOTE: $12 resort fee will be charged for self-parking, shuttles, yada yada...
Best rate through their web site is $152/night for mid-week stays. Pretty amazing they'd be able to get that; however, location must influence that slightly lol. Not in the area often; however, the amenities just don't stack up to other 3.5* hotels. Internet pitiful, weak channel selection. Overall a bit less than average for a 3.5 star hotel.
$51.12 total.
PRICELINE link through the site used.
Fourth attempt - $30, 32, 34 & 35
(oops...didn't finish the header...$35 (2/26/10-3/1/10)
Solid Radisson. Clean rooms, recently refurbished. Microwave/mini-fridge. Several HDTV channels (32" LCD), free wireless internet with decent speed, solid water pressure in bath. Eliminating lunch at the restaurant on-site - too much competition - occupancy runs low here during the week. Definitely busier on the weekends. Location has a direct book of $99/night with a 3-day booking of $64/night (35% off/prepay) available direct online.
Radisson Hotel Jacksonville Butler Boulevard
Jacksonville Southpoint - Butler Blvd
4700 Salisbury Road
Jacksonville, Florida 32256
904-281-9700
Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $35.00
Subtotal: $105.00
Taxes & Fees: $21.81
Total Charges*: $126.81
PRICELINE link used.
3rd attempt. $25, $26, $27. Free $6 rebid offered both at $25 & $26.
Property closer to a 2* than 2.5*. Basic continental breakfast and a very slow free wi-fi. Recently renovated so rooms are clean and offers basic Comcast cable in the area (50+ channels) with 1 HBO. Direct book rate was $65/night or $52/night (instant prepay online) + taxes.
Hotel has nearly 200 rooms. I believe you can count on this property being available for sub-$30 for some time.
Best Western Hotel Jtb Southpoint
Jacksonville Southpoint - Butler Blvd
4660 Salisbury Road
Jacksonville, Florida 32256
904-281-0900
Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $27.00
Subtotal: $27.00
Taxes & Fees: $10.53
Total Charges*: $37.53
PRICELINE link used.
First attempt. NOTE: Not on the current FL Priceline hotel listing. Jax South zone recently split into 2 parts as noted in list (Jacksonville SE-Baymeadows & Jacksonville Southpoint - Butler Blvd.)
Hotel a solid 3*. Every suite has 2 separate rooms. Separate bar area with frig, microwave. Older TVs w/decent channel selection. This property has been through multiple hands in the past 20+ years. Older but shows wear well. Breakfast included - even made to order omelets. Suggested rating 5.5-6 out of 10.
Embassy Suites Hotel Jacksonville-Baymeadows
9300 Baymeadows Rd
Jacksonville, Florida 32256
904-731-3555
$35 room - around $46/night inclusive of taxes/fees
PRICELINE link used.
4th attempt. $33, 35, 37, 39.
Jacksonville Airport (JAX) - North
14565 Duval Road
Jacksonville, Florida 32218
904-741-4184
Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $39.00
Subtotal: $39.00
Taxes & Fees: $12.29
Total Charges*: $51.29
PRICELINE link used.
4th attempt. Much easier with all the extra zones free rebids. $39, $42, $45 (when the a free rebid +$13 was offered), $47 hit.
Courtyard By Marriott Columbus Airport
Columbus Airport (CMH) - Easton
2901 Airport Drive
Columbus, Ohio 43219
614-475-8530
$47 + $15.24 = $62.24
PRICELINE link used.
2.5* Morristown (Morristown, Tennessee) Holiday Inn Express and Suites Morristown
in Priceline Hotels - Tennessee
Posted
Went the Express Route on this one. Direct booking rate was $92.52 King, $97.29 2 Queen (after a 4% sale). Express Deal was $76 King, $79 2 Queen. 2 nights, $43.98 taxes/fees. Took advantage of the customized $15 off/$100+ coupon they sent the day after I request rate information. Those prices are before the coupon. (Note: This hotel is not listed on the board)
Top Amenities
Free Internet in Room
Indoor Pool
Fitness Center
Business Center
Non-smoking Rooms
Free Parking
Cable/Satellite Tv
Hair Dryer
Complimentary Continental Breakfast
Pools & Wellness
Indoor Swimming Pool
Fitness Center
Swimming Pool
Haven't traveled much lately; however, I see both PL and HW make it much easier to identify which hotel you'll receive with Express Deals. Much has changed over the years with PL & HW with many upgrades here on the Better Bidding website. Traveled extensively a decade ago and Better Bidding was very helpful in working through the process, particularly Thereuare. Used the board PRICELINE link. This website is an excellent resource; it can assist in maximizing value in your travels. Happy trails!!