LaurRne14

Today I won the Scottsdale Plaza Resort for $52 per night for 9/29/10-10/2/10. For three nights, with taxes and fees, the total came to $187.08. I was happy with this win as I have been trying for months going up to $52. I used the Better Bidding PRICELINE link. Can't wait to stay in my hotel! :)

As a follow-up to this post, as soon as I booked the room I called the hotel directly and requested a non-smoking room with two queen beds and they gladly accommodated. They weren't rude like some hotels can be when they see you booked through Priceline.

I just booked Planet Hollywood (South Strip) through Priceline, and I used the PRICELINE link, for $85/night. This seems to be a pretty good deal being that it's a weekend and a holiday weekend at that. The cheapest rate I could find through their website direct was $199/night so I'm definitely happy with this win! I started out at $65/night, added a re-bid zone at $75, added a different re-bid zone at $80 and then added both re-bid zones and won at $85. After my first bid I got a counter offer for $91/night but declined it because my max bid was $90 or I was going to book through the Monte Carlo direct for not much more than that. Anyways, a this seems to be a great win and this is a great site!

Travelzoo has a special right now through the Hudson Hotel that works out to an average of $219/night for your dates, just in case your bidding doesn't pan out.

You're right that someone won 6 Columbus Circle for $138/night for 8/30 and 8/31. However, notice that the win was posted 3 weeks ago and prices and availability change quickly. I would venture to guess it was a pretty good rate because it was only a Saturday and Sunday stay. In addition, there was previously a promotion for $199/night for 6 Columbus Circle and I think that was at a similar time as this win but I don't believe that promotion is going on anymore. You could start your bidding at $138/night for your dates in CPS, but I haven't seen any wins around that rate recently so you might be better off waiting for a bidding strategy. The things you'll probably need to post for help with that are: -What is your maximum bid? -Do you want to start by bidding in all four zones you posted or try for your first choice and then add the other zones if you don't win? -Are you willing to split your bid if it were to increase the possibility of getting a better rate?

If I'm not mistaken, I believe the Waldorf=Astoria is actually in the MTE zone so you might want to swap that with ESB in terms of your preferences, as I would also say MTE is a better zone. ESB isn't bad, but it's a pretty big zone so there are a few areas in there I'm not too fond of. While I believe you can likely get a better rate than $279/night by bidding on Priceline, I will say that that is one of the lower rates I've seen for booking through the Waldorf directly. You can see from the Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins that other people have won some very nice hotels around your dates at very good prices; however, those wins were reported a month or two ago and are not for the entire length of your stay so it's not to say anything similar is still available but I thought it might give you a little hope! I'm sure thereuare can help with a bidding strategy. Please use the PRICELINE link to begin any bidding.

If you take a look at the Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins, a couple people have won the Roosevelt Hotel on dates close to yours for $135-$150. This hotel is in the Midtown East (MTE) zone which is not one you listed but I would consider adding it to your options. Having lived in NYC myself, I would be shocked if you didn't feel like this was still "at the center of things." MTE puts you really close to Rockefeller Center, Grand Central, 5th Ave shopping, UN, etc. and Times Square is still only 3 or 4 blocks away. Even if you ended up winning a hotel other than the Roosevelt I think you'd be satisfied with your location. Please use the PRICELINE or HOTWIRE links to begin your purchase.

While it's a little higher than your budget, if you don't have anything booked yet I would consider 6 Columbus Circle through Quikbook as a backup for $199/night. That way you would have a very good hotel booked, in a similar area as your looking for, and you can be patient trying your Priceline bids to get something lower. Be sure to use the Quikbook and PRICELINE links through this site.

I started out by bidding on 2* rooms in the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff and Sedona areas on Priceline at $40/night and went up to $50/night with no luck. Then I switched over to HOTWIRE and got this room for $54. I was more concerned with getting a cheap price than the location because I will be out and about all day and only sleep there. I took a little bit of a risk bidding on this because I had to have a hotel that welcomes pets and thank goodness, it worked out ok! I bid at the 2* level because that seemed to be the best odds for getting one that would accept a pet. I was hoping for La Quinta, but like I said, I won't spend much time here so I'm happy with the win. Hopefully people will keep bidding in these areas to build up the list a little bit! Here are the details of my win: Days Inn & Suites 1000 West Business 40 Flagstaff, AZ 86001 2* in Central Flagstaff Amenities include: Complimentary Breakfast Pool Laundry Facilities

I am not sure what hotel that would be so I'll let someone else try to help identify that, but I thought I'd let you know that I've been looking for similar dates (8/16-8/20) for 3 adults for about 2 months now and the best deal I've found is $207/night directly through the Roosevelt Hotel (but I know their prices have gone up significantly since I booked that). In other words, $204 is a very good rate based on what I've been seeing over the last month or two. If for any reason you don't end up booking that HOTWIRE hotel, I would definitely book a cancellable backup room as soon as possible because at this point in time, prices seem to be going up, not down. What is your maximum budget? I will caution you when bidding on PRICELINE that you can't specify 3 people and there is absolutely no guarantee that the hotel you book will let you upgrade, add a roll-away, etc. A lot of people seem to have had success doing that, but you could end up in a pretty small room with just a double bed.

Thanks for your recommendation. I strongly considered The Excelsior, but decided to go with the Roosevelt Hotel which I found on Hotels.com for $207.38/night. My family has never been to NYC so I thought this location in midtown would be best for them. From what I've read of the reviews and seen of rates at this time, I'm very satisfied with this hotel as a backup, but will continue to look on PRICELINE and HOTWIRE as it gets closer in case I find any amazing last minute deals. I'll update the thread if I win anything.

I started out bidding $45/night and $55/night on Priceline for a 2.5*, but when I didn't win decided to move to Hotwire and purchased this room for $65. With tax the total came to $77.39. I think this is a pretty good rate because 8/16 is summer graduation at Penn State and hotels are already filling up. I used the HOTWIRE link. Hampton Inn 1101 E College Ave State College, PA 16801 Amenities listed include: -Airport shuttle -Complimentary breakfast -Swimming pool -Restaurant -High-speed internet

In case you are interested in saving any money on the transportation, you might consider taking the Vamoose Bus from DC to NYC (http://www.vamoosebus.com/). Tickets are $25 each way and their website says if you've bought four tickets you'll get a free fare so you might be able to get one person for free if you call. They pick up from either the Rosslyn, VA metro station or Bethesda, MD metro station and drop you off right by Penn Station in NYC. I've taken this three or four times in the past and it's pretty convenient and I always found it to be the cheapest option. Just something to consider!

Do you have a recommendation for a good, cancellable backup room to book for three people during these dates? I would prefer to stay under $250/night plus tax and would like at least a three start hotel, preferably in midtown. I'm definitely realizing that it will be another couple months before we can get any really good deals, but need to get a backup in place so that I can afford to wait! Thanks for the assistance!

I forgot to mention too that I won this on my first bid so if you're traveling around that time, I would start lower...maybe $40 or $45/night.

Just sharing my win with the board... $50/night, Anaheim Hilton, 5/9 - 5/11. I won this a couple weeks ago and would have posted it to the board sooner but just found out about it!

I will use those links you provided if I go that route. You say that's a high rate, does that mean they usually drop significantly as it gets closer? For a room with two doubles, that's by far the cheapest 3* or 4* hotel I can find. Maybe I'll book the refundable rate as a backup and keep looking for the better deals as it gets closer.

Thanks for your help. I'm considering booking the Hilton New York because I can get a guaranteed 2 doubles room for $259/night with a great location direct through their website. I didn't want to spend quite that much but think that's a pretty good deal. I might try bidding on two 3* or 4* rooms. I'll post something if I decide to go that route.

Thanks for your input. I'm trying to look at different options. Do you think I'd have any chance at getting two 3* rooms in any of those zones for $100 or $110/night? I'm thinking that might be a better solution.

My family and I will be visiting NYC August 16th-20th and would like some help with bidding. I am interested in starting the bidding immediately so that we have as much time as possible to try for a good rate. I don't have a backup room yet but am working on that. I would be willing to accept bids in MTE, MTW, TS, UM-CPS, and if I had to MTS. I'd like to stay under $200 (although I'll hold out going that high for a couple months since I have time) and would prefer a 4*. What is the best way to bid for that? Another question I have is that there are three of us going on this trip. I understand that Priceline only guarantees a two occupancy room; however, I'd like to know from people's experiences how likely it would be for a 4* hotel in those areas to offer either a rollaway bed or have a couch. One person is willing to sleep on the floor so I'm not too concerned and I don't think that would be a major problem in a 4* but would appreciate others' input! Thanks so much!