mjaf

hi aaron, wow - i just went back to HOTWIRE and the deal is gone. oh well. luck of the draw. thanks anyway.

i'm thinking about going to NY from dec 18 - 23. i typed those dates into hotwire and this is what came up: 3.5-star hotel in Empire State Building Area Fitness Center Restaurant(s) Business Center High-speed Internet Access for a WHOPPING $58 per night. this just seems too good to be true. i can't ID the hotel using the pinned list. any ideas on this one? it's not my ideal neighbourhood but the price really can't be beat! thanks so much!!!

hi folks, i'm hoping you can help me out ... my sister rented a car from hotwire (upon glowing recommendations from me!) ... she's not on this forum so i told her i would post this on her behalf... she rented a "mid-size" car (pontiac G6 or similar - according to hotwire) in vancouver. the provider ended up being Enterprise. when she went to the Enterprise counter, they offered her a chevy cobalt or nissan versa. these are SIGNIFICANTLY smaller vehicles than a pontiac g6. i know hotwire says they can't guarantee a specific make/model but this seems a little ridiculous because it appears that Enterprise totally 'downsized' her rental. and of course, there were four fully grown adults on this trip and the car (she went with the cobalt) was more than a little cramped! is there anything that can be done about this? i don't think my sis wants a full refund since they used the car and were able to get from point A to point B without any MAJOR issues. but her and her friends are feeling more than a little ripped off after their long weekend! Enterprise's website does not seem to display a "mid-size" category. they have an intermediate category (not available on hotwire) ... in which the cobalt is listed. however, according to Enterprise, the pontiac G6 is classified as a "standard" car. this seems really confusing -- i.e. how to gauge what hotwire is telling you vs. what the rental company actually offers. any thoughts on if anything can be done? and/or how to avoid this next time? i've used hotwire three times for rental cars in the US and have never had ANY issues ... to be honest, i'm a little embarrassed because my sis was planning to just rent directly with one of the providers and i was the one who convinced her to go with hotwire. and while she saved a few bucks (the same car rental was about $70 more expensive on Enterprise's website), i'm not sure if it was worth it. TIA for your help/advice. mjaf

hi thereuare, thanks so much for the bidding strategy ... i tried a few times when you first posted and didn't get any takers. in the meantime, my husband did some digging and found out he has a corporate discount with swissotel (he works for a european company) ... SO, we've just decided to go with that since the rates were really good and the comments above seemed very positive. thanks again!!

hi, i'd like to be in the loop ... not really keen on NMA. tks!

hi again, sorry, i've re-read the message that pops up on Orbitz when i enter the special code and i'm okay with 'losing' the price assurance feature! however, i'd still be interested in a bidding strategy for that area, 4*, two adults ... max bid would be $65. i figure i can book on Orbitz for a total of $333.04 (including the 10% coupon). could i start at $50 and then add some re-bid areas? please advise! thanks

hi, has anyone tried this with swissotel? i just looked online directly with them and their lowest rate is significantly MORE than what is on Orbitz... ----------------------------------- Best Rates Guarantee Looking for the best Internet rate at Swiss

eek. i got this message when i entered the promo code: "We're sorry but Orbitz Price Assurance does not apply when using a promotion code." so, the best price i can get is $79.20 per night ... which still isn't bad ... but i'd be interested in booking via priceline if i can get something for $65 a night ... i'm from canada so our dollar isn't doing so great right now!!! every little bit helps. can you suggest a bidding strategy please? tks!!!

hi, wow! the swissotel looks great! i'll review and respond (more promptly this time) back... TKS!!!

hiya, sorry about the paris thread ... i just updated it. my plans are firmed up now! :) thanks!!

hi all, sorry for the delay ... we ended up going with an apartment owned by a friend's family instead... tks for the help!

hi all, i'm looking for some help. i'm tentatively planning a trip for july 1-5, 2009. i need a hotel for two adults. i'd like to be in the mag mile district. i looked on hotwire and found a 4* property for $83 with fitness, restaurant, business centre, internet, and spa. given all of the other posts here, i'm pretty sure this is the hyatt regency -- 3.5 out of 5 rating on TA with over 500 reviews. i don't mind staying at an impersonal conference hotel. we'll be out and about most of the days anyway. i've used hotwire before and have always been happy with the results. so i'm perfectly fine using hotwire again. however, this morning, the 'same' 4* offering was priced at $73. when i checked at lunch, the price jumped to $83 (grrr). so i did some more digging on this forum and found that many folks seem to get this hotel via priceline. so, can you please help me here with my options? how much will i save using priceline? i have never successfully won anything on priceline and to be honest, i'm not all that keen on bidding over and over again. i'm also concerned that the hotel needs to be booked relatively soon given the timing of our trip over the july 4th weekend. i'd be willing to pay $75 or less for a 4* in the "Millennium Park, Loop & Grant Park Area" with PL. i'm also confused b/c the hotwire and PL areas don't line up (!!!) ... thank you!!! Mjaf p.s. sorry if i posted this in this in the wrong forum ... i'm not sure if i should've put this in the 'PL' forum...

hi - sorry for the delayed response. i got as high as $125 or so and then just gave up for the time being. we're not going until september so i will wait a couple of months... hope something works out for you! please post if it does!!

Wonderful! Thank you! I will try tonight and let you know.

I received the counter offer of $169 when I bid $100 for a 4* property in Champs Elysees. I don't receive any counter offer when I bid for Opera Quarter East. Why? Do you think if I raise my bid to about $130 or so, I'll be able to get something in CE?

Hi Thereuare, I'm trying to continue along with the bidding strategy that you helped me with. But I keep getting that offer ... So I close PL and re-enter ... more times than you have written out in the strategy. But I think I'm still doing it right... Thanks. Will keep you posted.

Hi Thereuare, Thanks for the bidding advice. I've tried it a few times now ... no luck. But I keep getting offered a hotel for $169 after my bids are rejected. Just to make sure I understand: When I get this 'offer', I can't go back and bid again ... so I close the browser and re-access PL. Is this correct? Thanks for the clarification. I'll keep trying with the strategy and let you know how it goes.

Yep ... unless you think I should wait?? My airfare has been booked...

Hi There, Thanks to Thereuare and WillTravel for your help. My dates will be September 25, 2008 to October 1, 2008 ... 7 nights in total. Looking forward to your feedback. This site is great! Thanks!!

Hi Everyone, I'm new to PL (never bid before in my life) but I've been reading numerous threads on this board (it's awesome!!!) and have familiarized myself with the rebidding strategy. I'm looking for some advice on a 4* property in Paris. It appears that one of the other posts/threads below has a similar request. However, I would only like a property in two areas: Opera Quarter East - Les Halles Champs Elysees - Opera Quarter West I will need eight nights in late September/early October (exact dates aren't confirmed yet). I noticed the one of the other forum members asked if it would be better to break up their stay ... but I didn't see an answer. Not sure if someone could comment on that for me in this case? Maximum bid is $140 ... obviously, the lower, the better! Thank you all in advance for your help. Mjaf