kilarney

I goofed on the rate in the title. It should have been $62. Hopefully a moderator can fix this.

I was hoping for the Hooksett Fairfield Inn, but I am fine with the Comfort Inn. It's actually much closer to where I need to be in the morning, so I can't complain. The Express Deal rate was not tremendous, but it still beat any public rate for a comparable hotel. The Comfort Inn's best rate was $99. Here are the details: Comfort Inn Manchester 288 Queen City Avenue Manchester, NH 03102 Date of stay: 4/11/2013 Amenities: - Free Breakfast - Wifi - Pool - Parking - Pets Allowed - Airport Shuttle - Business Center - Fitness Center Nightly rate: $62 Total rate with taxes and fees: $75.61

This is interesting. Weekends in August that had been $99 are now $155. This is the same rate ($155) that I had been finding for July weekends. What do you think is going on here? I can understand why the dates that I just booked went up, but why would the following weekend? Do hotels have to guarantee at least one booking per month at the cheapest rate? Any ideas as to why a weekend that I didn't book would also go up in price? EDIT: So much for my theory. The last weekend in August still comes up at $99.

We really enjoyed our last stay at the Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside, and I decided to poke around for some peak summer weekends. To my surprise, I found a couple of weekends in August for $99. At one point the rate had gone down to $96, but I didn't jump on it. I booked a Friday-Sunday, August 10-12, 2012. The room is for 2 adults and 2 children. Total was $99/night. With taxes and fees it was $227.18. The hotel was listed as 4 stars with the following amentities: Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Center Restaurant Business Center High Speed Interenet Interestingly enough, I went back to check the rate on Hotwire, and it now shows as $155 per night. The lowest transparent rate is about $244. The cheapest refundable rate is $254. I have always assumed that the best Hotwire rates are last minute rates, but this proves that it's still worth checking to see if you can grab a good rate for travel that is several months away. We really like this hotel. There are only three hotels that are actually downtown, and to get a rate for $99 in the peak summer season is amazing. Places like the Comfort Inn go for MUCH more than this in the summer, and aren't even downtown. Heck, the rate I got is cheaper than the Anchorage Inn or Days Inn. One word of caution. The one other time we have stayed here on a Hotwire rate, we got the smallest room they had. I did not expect otherwise, and it was only marginally smaller than a standard room - if the fire escape map is to be believed. It is still well worth it, in my opinion. While the hotel charges for parking ($10 per day in the outside lot), they offer free internet which is not always expected at a higher end hotel. There is no resort fee.

Same day booking. Hotwire had the same hotel (presumably) for $91.

The amenities were: Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Center Restaurant(s) Business Center High-Speed Internet Access

Just got the Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside Hotel for November 26-27. Two adults and two children. Rate is $108. With taxes and fees, $125. Cheapest rate online was $164.

I've been wondering if the Aqua Palms has changed up their list of amenities. It's hard to see what other hotel it could be. I would say the Doubletree, but they have a restaurant onsite. The Ramada is not a three star hotel. One fear is that it's the Marina Tower. I have a sneaking suspicion that the 2.5 star hotel that comes up is the Equus. The only reason I suspect that over the Ramada is because the Ramada does not yet officially bill itself as a smoke free hotel. (Even though it seems like there are no smoking rooms left.) I've been looking at the same three star hotel, and have been reluctant to book. There is a HUGE difference in location within this zone. The Aqua Palms is right near the beach, whereas the Doubletree a decent walk, especially with children.

I monitored rates for quite some time. They held steady (with taxes) at $750, with one very brief dip to $720. When they rose to $780 I decided I better book. With taxes and Priceline fees, airfare is $520. I am very pleased with the flight times. There is only one connection in each direction. Flights are on United Airlines. I got four tickets at this rate.

Needed a hotel near the airport for one night. Amenities were: Smoke free; Airport Shuttle, Complimentary Breakfast; Fitness Center; Pool; Business Center; High Speed Internet Access This hotel looks great. I'm very pleased with the result.

$59 for the 3* Holiday Inn. With taxes and fees, it was $70.59. Amenities: Fitness, Pool, Restaurant, Business Center, Internet The Best Western (presumably) was avaible for $56. I stayed at the Best Western last time, and figured it was worth the extra $3 to stay downtown. Unlike last time, my meeting is downtown, so no need to drive in the morning. Unlike the Best Western, there is no free breakfast. That's okay with me. Regular rate was $129. Pre-pay rate was $119. Bought through the HOTWIRE link (finally!)

New Hotel to add to the list. 2.5* Amenities: Airport shuttle, Complimentary breakfast, pool, laundry, business center

This was a rush job. I tried some of the outlying areas at $50, added downtown and bumped it to $60. I got: Holiday Inn Airport Saint-Laurent Dorval Airport Area 6500 Cote De Liesse Montreal, Quebec H4T 1E3 514-739-3391 Taxes and "fees" were a rather high $17.38. Does Priceline still NOT charge GST? I thought that they charge the PST, but this still seems high. Hotwire had to 2* hotels listed with NO amenities. I'm assuming that they just didn't have the info, but I wasn't willing to take a risk. I would have only saved $1 for the cheapest, anyway. I actually like staying just outside of town. Parking is free, and you don't have to deal with a garage. This hotel also has a nice indoor pool. I've never been crazy about Holiday Inn, but this looks fine for one night.

Hotwire now gives the tripadvisor rating on the hotel information page. They also give the number of customer reviews and the month of the last review. (In my example, it was listed as 340+ when the actual number was 379.) All of this information could help pin down the identity of a hotel. Note: I did not make a purchase. The example I used was of a hotel that I knew had been pinned based on the amenities and location.

Thank you!

Can somebody tell me which reservation site has "secret" hotels listed? The site that I'm thinking of lists numerous hotels, some of which are not revealed until purchase. I know the site has been mentioned here before, but I can't remember the name of it. As I recall, you got a description of the property as well as the star rating. These "secret" hotels were mixed in with the regular results. I thought it was laterooms.com, but that was incorrect. Thanks!

No, bot reporting a win. Just saying that I almost pulled the trigger on this property when I won the Best Western Lakeside that I posted previously. Sorry... you can delete it if you want.

This is the problem with 2* bidding. Super 8 and Days Inn should really be 1*.

Wow! Great luck! The property that I really wanted to identify was the 3* condo in Kissimmee. It was $49 per night for my April visit. The following amenities were listed: (A symbol that looks like a house - not sure what it is) Resort 1 Bedroom Kitchen Free Parking Fitness Pool 24 Hour Check In Since the Kissimmee zone is so darn big, I was too afraid to pull the trigger.

By the way, you can take the La Quinta Lakeside off of your Hotwire list for Orlando Champions Gate. This hotel is the former La Quinta.

Amenities were: Fitness, Pool, Restaurant, Business Center, Laundry, Internet

Got the Best Western Lakeside for $34/night for a week's stay beginning April 24th. This will be my fourth time staying at this hotel - twice as a Sheraton Four Points and once as a La Quinta. I really like the hotel. It's nothing terribly fancy, but it's got appeal nonetheless. The location is great, and the price is right. Normally I'm a Priceline guy, but this zone has became too risky for 2* bidding. There is a HUGE difference between this hotel and some of the other hotels rated 2* by Priceline. I'd gladly pay a couple of bucks extra to make sure that I don't wind up in a Days Inn or Travelodge. I've got nothing against those places, but they just aren't in the same league. Fortunately, Hotwire lets you see the amenities. For those on a budget, I was tempted by the Home Suite Home resort. It's the former Holiday Inn Nikki Bird. It changed hands in May of 2006. They rent rooms by the week, with one week being the minimum. A week is only $165 including taxes. The poor reviews scared me off, though. Supposedly, some people are living there by renting on a monthly basis. If you have some guts, and you are on a budget, it's worth checking out. I mention it here since it never popped up on any of the major travel sites. As for the Best Wetern Lakeside... has anyone had any luck being upgraded to a garden or pool view room? I've always been facing the parking lot or the road at the rear of the property. Then again, I've never asked to be upgraded.

Be advised that as of 5/30/04, the resort charges $8 per person service charge as well as a $2 per person resort fee. Therefore, two people sharing a room will be charged $20/night in fees. These fees are NOT covered in the taxes that are included in the Priceline bid. They are due as additional costs at checkout.