shayde

This was my first time booking a hotel through Hot.wire; I appreciate the guidance provided on this site! (And yes, I used the board HOTWIRE link!) I'm heading to Universal for their last weekend of Mardi Gras; I waited until the last minute, hoping that some of the on-site Universal hotels would have some deals available. No go. So I checked Hotwire and Priceline. Hotwire had better prices than Priceline for the current blind deals; and between checking out the details on this forum's hotel list in addition to a blurb on Hotwire informing me that the last person who booked this deal got the Crowne Plaza, I pretty much knew what I was getting. ;-) Total: $79 x 2 nights = $158.00 + $35.40 (tax recovery charge & fees) = $193.40 Hotel Amenities: Free Internet Business Center Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Self-Service Laundry Accessibility: Accessible for visually impaired Accessible for hearing impaired Reviews: TripAdvisor: 4.5 out of 5 Hotwire customer reviews: 80% recommended

Pity you didn't try for a 4-star; many people have been getting the Rosen Shingle Creek for around $50/night. They have an on-site fitness center (http://www.spaatshinglecreek.com/FitnessCenter.aspx), although be forewarned parking is $16/night. It's something to consider if you're able to get a chargeback and try bidding again. They also have a walking/running trail along the golf course. Anyway, best of luck to you - I hope it all works out for you in the end!

Heading to Orlando this weekend to visit the Universal parks with my parents, who are visiting from Pennsylvania. (We live in Tampa, so it's an easy drive - and no problem to leave our hotel booking for the last minute.) I checked this forum for past wins, and scoped out the free rebid zones. Based on past wins, I initially started with a bid in the Universal area, but figured I could get a better price by adding the SeaWorld/International Drive area, which isn't far from Universal, since so many people have been getting the Rosen Shingle Creek there. 1st bid: $45 for 4-star in Zone 12 (Universal); rejected (I got a warning saying there was a low chance of my bid being accepted, but proceeded anyway) 2nd bid: $50 for 4-star in Zones 12 (Universal) and 11 (SeaWorld/Int'l Drive); accepted I booked two rooms for one night; total with taxes and fees came to $121.16. I've stayed at the Rosen Shingle Creek before; it's a nice hotel. (My husband's company had a conference here; their special conference rate was over $100/night, so the Priceline win is really a great deal.) The rooms are large and include a mini refrigerator, and there's a Publix grocery store across the road from the hotel's entrance - so we can pick up drinks and snacks there instead of at the overpriced convenience store at the hotel. The only downsides are $16/night parking (which seems way overpriced, as the hotel sits on a huge property with a golf course - $16/night is what you'd expect to pay for parking at a downtown hotel rather than someplace that has plenty of land and is located off the beaten path); it's a bit of a hike from the parking lot to the hotel entrance (the lot abuts the nearby convention center rather than the hotel itself); and as a short person (5'1"), I can't stand their sinks - the countertop seems a bit high, the bowl is huge, the faucet is way at the back, and the counter bumps out in front, so I have to stand on tiptoes to brush my teeth. But those are minor complaints considering the price I paid and the overall quality of the hotel. Thanks for providing this great forum, which is a huge help with bidding strategies. And yes, I made sure to use the PRICELINE link on this site to book our hotel! :)

Started off with a $60 bid; it was rejected. Went up to $65, $70, and then $75 using free rebid zones. (I love that Orlando has so many rebid zones!) $75 bid was accepted by Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, which is perfect as I'm meeting visiting family at Downtown Disney for dinner. Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $75.00 Subtotal: $75.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $17.63 Total Charges*: $92.63 Hotel website's cheapest rate is ~ $127/night for that date, so I think I did okay. :) I've never stayed there before; does anyone have any feedback on the place? Oh, and I used the site's PRICELINE link for my purchase. :)

Heading to Orlando next weekend. Found the Hilton in the WDW Resort listed on hotel search sites at $109 per night. After reviewing previous bids on this site, I went to Priceline and bid $60 for a resort in the WDW area. First bid was accepted. :) Hilton In The Walt Disney World Resort 1751 Hotel Plaza Boulevard Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830 Check-In Date: Friday, September 15, 2006 Check-Out Date: Sunday, September 17, 2006 Your Offer Price: $60.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $120.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $24.31 Total Charges*: $144.31 Has anyone stayed at this hotel using a Priceline bid? I'm just curious what your experience was, and what kind of room you got. Thanks...!

Hmmm...good to know. I didn't realize that EasyClickTravel allowed you to cancel reservations with opaque booking hotels. That said, I think we'll just stick with the Radisson WorldGate this time around. They have a good location with a "secret back entrance" to the parks and plenty of cheap buffet breakfast restaurants nearby. Last time, we asked if we could get a room on an upper floor and they actually gave us a room on the top floor with a great view of the fireworks displays at the parks. The rooms are starting to show their age, but the staff kept them very clean. So that's my review - a decent hotel for the price. :) I'll post again if it's any better or worse than our experience last time.

What timing...right after I posted my last message, I got a call back from EasyClickTravel. (It was good of them to call, as they knew I was waiting for an answer by end of day.) The Radisson WorldGate accepted our booking at $56/night (I mis-typed in my earlier post; it was $56, not $52). I'm a bit bummed that we missed out on the Embassy Suites (next time I'll have to read through the results list more carefully), but hopefully we'll have as good an experience at the Radisson as we had last time. Thanks again for your help, "thereuare" and "ufjoe21" - I appreciate it!

Thanks for the advice, Joe. I actually called them shortly after I placed the bid, once I realized that it was "on request" and that we'd have to wait for a definite answer. The person I spoke with said they should have an answer by the end of day; she said the request had been submitted and we'd have to at least give the hotel a chance to respond. I'm half hoping that it doesn't get accepted, as I found an "available" opaque hotel that I'm almost certain is the Embassy Suites for just $71/night. (I've always had good exepriences with that chain in the past.) So if I don't hear anything back by end of day, I'll call them to see if they can cancel the request and instead book the $71 "available" hotel. Anyway, thanks again for your feedback - I appreciate it!

Thanks so much for recommending EasyClickTravel - that was a great suggestion! :) I did a search for our dates, and found a number of discount "opaque" hotel options...however, many of their hotel descriptions gave enough detail that I was easily able to figure out which hotel it was. For example, there was a 3&1/2*for $52/night; the description mentioned that the hotel has 566 rooms and a restaurant that features American and Caribbean food...so when I googled those details, I found out that it was the Radisson Worldgate Resort. We stayed at that hotel before on a Priceline bid and were perfectly satisfied with it for the price. So I went ahead and reserved it; however, availability is "on request", so I'm just waiting for them to confirm the reservation. Anyway, thanks again for your advice - I'll definitely check EasyClickTravel the next time we need to book a hotel!

Hello, We're hoping to book a hotel for a getaway to Disney this coming weekend (April 15-17). We tried Priceline today (using free rebid zones and two of us trying) and bid from $42 up to $57 for a 3* with no luck. So I tried doing a search on Hotwire, and found two options that we're considering: Disney Main Gate - Champions Gate 3* "Best Value" Selected amenities include: Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Laundry Facilities (self-service). $56/night (I'm guessing this is the Holiday Inn Nikki Bird, which seems to have very mixed reviews) Lake Buena Vista - Downtown Disney 3* "Best Value" Selected amenities include: Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center. $65/night (The Grosvenor is the only 3* LBV hotel on the posted list, but the list shows more amenities for that hotel) So...any ideas as to what the LBV area hotel might be? Aletrnately, any feedback on the Holiday Inn Nikki Bird (assuming that's the 3* Main Gaste hotel)? Thanks a million (in advance) for any feedback/ideas!

Thanks for the congrats, thereuare, and thanks for posting the link to the hotel reviews. I appreciate it! :) And thank you for your feedback, Diane - it's nice to have a first-hand account. There seem to be a lot of mixed reviews on this hotel, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Also, thanks for letting me know that you didn't have to pay a resort fee. I think we got hit with that once when we stayed at a HoJo in Kissimmee - the place wouldn't have fit anyone's description of a "resort", so it seemed pretty shady of them to charge a resort fee. Anyway, thanks again - this site is the best! I don't think I would ever have had the nerve to try priceline without it - it's good to have an idea of what you'll get for the money.

Hello, We started bidding on Monday (11/22) for a hotel stay from 12/1-12/5; I believe my first bid was for $35 for a 3* in "Disney World Vicinity". Didn't get it, so my husband tried bidding $37. We'd seen that others had snagged the Sheraton Safari at that rate, but we didn't have the same luck for our dates. We tried adding "West Disney Area" and going up to $39 and then $40, but all of our bids were rejected. So we waited the mandatory 72 hours and tried again today. My husband started by bidding $40 for Disney World Vicinity (since we were bidding within a week of our travel dates, we thought the minimum acceptable bid may have dropped); no dice. So I tried bidding $42, and...success! Our bid was finally accepted. :) I checked the hotel's web site, and the best rate they had listed for our dates was $75/night. Here are the details: Check-In Date: Wednesday, December 1, 2004 Check-Out Date: Sunday, December 5, 2004 Hotel Name: Radisson Worldgate Resort 3011 Maingate Lane Kissimmee, Florida 34747 407-396-1400 Your Offer Price: $42.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 4 Subtotal: $168.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $29.92 Total Charges: $197.92 Hope this info helps other bidders. :) If any of you have ever stayed at this hotel, I'd love to hear your feedback, as I'm not familiar with this place. Also, even though it's a 3*, the hotel bills itself as a "resort", so I'm guessing we might get hit with a resort fee. Anyone know about that? If so, any idea what it might run? Thanks in advance for any feedback! :o

Thanks for the weclome! :) As for Waterfire, it's a really cool event that runs some weekends during the summer months. Providence has a riverwalk in the middle of its downtown area. During Waterfire, they set floating pyres of fragrant wood in the middle of the river at regular intervals. At dusk, people come by in barges and they light the fires one by one. They usually pipe in music in the background - kind of spooky, ethereal stuff that sets the mood. Some weekends, they also have ballroom dancing in the streets and/or jazz performances. For more info, see http://www.waterfire.com

The Westin Providence One West Exchange Street Providence, Rhode Island 02903 Check-In Date: Sat, June 12, 2004 Check-Out Date: Sun, June 13, 2004 Your Offer Price: $100.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $100.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $19.77 Total Charges: $119.77 We wanted to get a nice hotel in downtown Providence this weekend, as we're heading down for Waterfire. We tried several different combinations of bids; my husband and I each took turns with our own accounts so that we could try re-bidding for a room at a slightly higher price without having to change star levels or location. We were turned down when we tried bidding $45 and $50 for a 3* hotel, and $90 for a 4* hotel. But our $100 bid for a 4* hotel was accepted, and we got the Westin. (When I did searches on Westin.com and SideStep, both showed a rate of $219/night for that night.) So, we're pretty happy with the deal we got...the only downside is that the Westin charges for parking. (But we'll be riding down on a motorcycle, so hopefully we can find street/meter parking nearby.) Hope this info helps other bidders!