MGopher007

True to form, I rushed and was wrong....it was the Hilton. The Millennieum website threw me off, but oh well. Sorry There. Downtown - Soho - Financial District 55 Church Street New York, New York 10007 212-693-2001

It's the Broadway. Think it was the Soho zone.

*I looked to see if i could edit the title of the thread, but didn't see it anywhere* 4* New York City Millennium Hotel 12/10-12/13 $130/night Average nightly rate on their site is $519 for the same dates. Attempted the bidding strategy above. Was given the message that my bid was way to low to even be close at $125, but was accepted at $130. I did use the link in your sig too :) Thank you Thereuare for your help, again. With my 3 wins, this site has saved me upwards of $2000 against what I would have spent booking direct.

Looking for CPS, Chelsea, ESB, MSG,MTE, MTW, TS, UES, UWS. I'm looking at $150 as my max bid for now, but would need a suggestion as to what is reasonable to start at? Is $150 a starting point since you stated that it is a stretch for the time of year? I'd like to try that or under for a week or so to see if I can find something. If not, i'll either drop down to a 3.5*, add in the zones i've left out, or stay across the river. Note...i have yet to place a bid at all on this stay. Also, better to avoid the weekend in NY as it is in Vegas or typically the same?

Looking for help with a bidding strategy for any and all zones OTHER than Brooklyn, LIC, and SOHO. With the sheer number of hotels in my chosen zones, i would think i stand a fair chance avoiding a few of them. If one of the zones I am neglecting is better as a central locale, thank you for sharing :) Dates are somewhat flexible, with any 3 night stay between 12/10 - 12/16. Preference is 12/10 - 12/13. Would like to start with 4* and maximum bid of $150. Seeing as this is a few months out, I would like to start bidding at a (realistic) rock bottom rate and move up over the next week or so. I've seen some low $100's in the wins calendar, so I'm somewhat hopeful. Only my wife and I, so double occupancy is fine. Would prefer not to split the stay between 2 hotels. Thereuare/Aaron, if you need more info from me, please let me know (read: which zone i prefer the most, etc).

This is a late update, just wanted to include it in keeping with the spirit of the board.... 3* Washington DC (White House Downtown) Topaz Hotel $139.....9/13/08 - 9/17/08 Too long ago to remember my steps for getting it, but hope this helps someone in the future. Hotel was great in all aspects.

Started with 4* in the Historic District at $75. Added 3.5* and changed to $80. Rejected again. Added random zones (no other zones offered anything higher than 3*) till I hit $90 for the win. And Thereuare, I'll go back and add my win from last year to my thread, I completely forgot about it (Wash DC). Not sure if it will do any good, but will in the spirit of the board.

Thanks there, I appreciate your taking the time to answer my questions and render some help.

Just some pointers if you plan on visiting... Downtown Atlanta does have some very nice hotels. Nearly all of the attractions that the city has is located within a 10 mile radius. However, the downtown area is not the greatest at night. While proximity to the sites is important to many, I'd like to point out a few other options... Both the Buckhead and Perimeter areas are very nice. They are some of the ritzier parts of town. You'll find much more nightlife than downtown, as well as safer neighborhoods. Our public transportation system, MARTA, does run to both neighborhoods and is a straight shot into downtown. It's a subway type train that's very safe (and cheap, $1.75 one way). Perimeter is the farther of the two and is no more than 30 minutes into town. For a rail map, visit www.itsmarta.com. Buckhead has it's own stop and the Perimeter area is serviced by Dunwoody and Sandy Springs stations. While not all hotels you'll find on HW and PL are very close to a MARTA stop, many hotels will have a shuttle that can drop off/pick up. You can actually get by without renting a car if you wish as the train runs directly from the airport. I'd actually suggest this as Atlanta is constantly in the top 3 cities in the country when it comes to traffic. Hope some of this helps... ~Gopher

There, I'm guessing that different dates can get better deals than others depending on what's going on in town? I've seen the 4* in the zones I want go for under $100, but it looks like people are getting those no more than just a few weeks out before their stay. Any rhyme or reason? Do most people get bids that match what others have gotten in the past or does it fluctuate pretty drastically from season to season?

Dates 9/13-9/17 Well, I tried as instructed above, and even added the White House and Convention Center zones to the mix. I actually started out higher, bidding no less than $90 and went up to $115. I will try again in a week or so and so on. I'm guessing that the hotels will come down in price as the dates get a little nearer.

Sorry to hear about the lack of sleep, I can relate and comiserate. Yes, you have it correct. I guess I would like to know what is the sensible starting bid for the 4*'s. And then what's reasonable for the min bid for the 3*'s.

Wow there, sleep much? My max bid for a 3* would be $75 and I'd go up to $90 for a 4*. I'm assuming that it's possible to work the system to achieve that? I would prefer to stay in Dupont at a 4* (ideally) for a little more money. If I strike out with that, then a 4* in Foggy Bottom. If nothing there, then on to lesser hotels in Dupont and Foggy Bottom and then to Crystal City.

Naturally, I'd like the 4* if only for the bedding. I'm one of those that doesn't spend much time in the room, but lately i've found the value of a better nights sleep :) I'd say that $90 is my max. If it's a 3*, would like to keep it around $75 based on what i've seen others post. Dupont is the zone I prefer for the restaurants and night life as well as the close vicinity to the sites. Crystal City only for the value of hotels and the proximity to the Metro. So to sum it up... Dates 9/12-16 or 9/13-17 Max $90 3-4* In order of preference... Dupont Foggy Bottom/G'Town Crystal City

Well i'm ready to book it now. If I don't get a decent price with the one set of dates, I can always change to the 2nd set, correct? Unless i'm better off waiting until closer to my dates...

I'm somewhat flexible, but looking for either 9/12-9/16 or 9/13-9/17.

Hello all... New to the forum and never used HW or PL before. I've searched and read the forum and somewhat familiar with the process, but have a question. I've read that you can use HW as a general guideline for bidding on PL, so if pricing on HW is well above what I see people paying for rooms on both sites for that time of year, do I assume that my bidding will have to be that much higher? Ex...HW has 3* and 3.5* in Crystal City and Dupont for $160+ (again, this is Sept), but I see people getting $80-100 for March and April in the same areas. I know Cherry Blossom season is expensive and hard to find, so I would think that pricing would be lower in September, but maybe that is a popular time of year as well. I'm looking for anything in the 3-4* range close to a Metro stop (going to bite the bullet on parking) and ~$80. Based on the hotel reviews and posts of bids, Dupont and Crystal City appear to be the best bets. Any recommendations would be much appreciated. Thanks, ~Mark