christianne

Using the PRICELINE link from Better Bidding, I initially tried a bid of $50 for a 3* property in downtown Philly. When this was rejected, I added a re-bid zone with no 3* hotels and upped my bid to $55. It was accepted by the Marriott Courtyard, a property which has a great location and is actually a pretty nice place compared to some other 3*s in the city!

That's correct--no Business icon.

This 4* property was listed as having a restaurant, fitness center, and high-speed internet access as its amenities. Upon purchase, I found it was the Westin. I've stayed here several times and have no complaints. Considering that there are two major events happening in Philly this weekend, I consider myself lucky to have gotten this deal! Used the HOTWIRE links from this site to place my bid.

Using the PRICELINE links from Better Bidding, I used Priceline to book a room at a 3* hotel in the vicinity of the Newark airport. On my first try, I ended up with this Ramada, which is more than adequate for my needs--it has an airport shuttle, too, which will be convenient for my early-morning departure on the 8th. Considering this saves me from leaving my house at 4 A.M. to get to the airport, I'm very happy!

That was an error in my cut-and-pasting! Spa services WERE listed on the purchase page list of amenities. Perhaps you can edit my previous post to reflect this.

Using the HOTWIRE link from Better Bidding, I selected this 3.5* all-inclusive property with the following amenities: Resort Beachfront Food and Beverages Included A La Carte Dining Water Sports/Activities Included Evening Entertainment Included Daily Activities Included Complimentary Breakfast Children's Activity Program Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center Laundry Facilities Tennis Nearby We'll be flying out of Cozumel airport on the 13th, so this is the perfect place for us to unwind and relax at the end of our trip!

I'm considering booking a 5* hotel on Priceline, but I've been unable even to narrow down its possible identity. It's in the "Riviera Maya North--Puerto Morelos" area of Cancun/Cozumel, and the dates I'm looking for are 3/10/10 through 3/15/10. I have a bidding strategy in mind, so I'm really just trying to ask if anyone can make an educated guess as to what this property might be. And of course I'll use the PRICELINE links from BB to initiate my purchase!

Using the PRICELINE link from Better Bidding, I bid on an airport hotel for a one-night stay before my early-morning flight, and got this on my first try. I'm happy to have ended up with this property and look forward to checking it out in person.

Tried fruitlessly for a 3* under $160, and when I raised the bid $5, I found that the Jolly Madison Towers (on East 32nd) had accepted the offer. Not expecting much, given the reviews and the fact that this property has been considered a 2* by Priceline in the past, but it'll do for one night. Used BB's PRICELINE link to make the transaction.

Used SavingsBarn to bid $110 for 2 rooms at a 3* in Jersey City, after trying unsuccessfully for two weeks to get something cheaper. My bid was accepted right away, and I will be staying at the Hyatt Regency on the Hudson, which looks to be a very nice property.

No...?

Used SavingsBarn.com to link to PRICELINE and placed a bid for two rooms in the Newark Airport-EWR zone. My first bid of $55 was accepted right away, and happily this hotel is perfect for our needs.

I was looking for a four-star hotel in the city on this date, and started with a bid of $125 (I had tried yesterday with no luck using bids from $85-110) in downtown Philly. I added a rebid zone and bumped up the price, and got the Sofitel. I kind of expected to get the Westin, since it seems others have recently gotten rooms there, but as I was considering booking the Sofitel through Hotwire if Priceline didn't pan out (it would have run just over $200 with taxes), this worked out perfectly! I've never stayed at the Sofitel and am looking forward to checking it out.

I am trying to get a room in Boston for a convention I will be attending during the first week of April, but have so far had no luck. My strategy went as follows: Selected 3* Downtown-Charlestown, bid $59 (rejected). Added Copley, bid $61 (rejected) Added South Boston (no 3* or 4*s there), bid $63 (rej.) Added Brookline (again, no 3* or 4*), bid $65 (rej.) Added Medford (same), bid $67 (rej.) Added Waterfront (having realized I would be okay with staying there), bid $69 (rej.) I guess my bid increments should have been larger, but I was still kind of surprised that nothing turned up in the 3* range for me (I will have to check into how many other conventions will be in the city that week). I hope this is helpful to anyone else trying to get a room in Boston at the same time as me!

I had been trying for almost a week to book a 2.5, 3, or 4* hotel in Downtown Philadelphia for a one-night stay on a Friday, and had no luck whatsoever (I later found out there were several events taking place in the city over that weekend, which probably accounts for the scarcity of rooms). I eventually decided that Cherry Hill and Mount Laurel weren't too far away, and bid $60 for a 3* (this bid, I realize, was probably too high, but I was growing desperate and thus threw thriftiness to the wind) in that area. I wound up getting the Mount Laurel Marriott, which I believe was formerly a Radisson. This Marriott was dated, it's true, and sort of dingy, but after I politely protested after being assigned a smoking room, the front desk upgraded me to the concierge level, which was fully as nice as a standard room at, say, the Marriott in downtown Philly ("heavenly bed," nice toiletries, etc.). Overall, and in spite of its being 20 minutes outside Philly, it was well worth the savings!

As my friends and I are attending the Madonna concert in downtown Philly on the date above, I thought I would try booking two rooms through Priceline so that we could stick around for the ubiquitous "after-parties." My first bid was for $48 for a four-star in the downtown area; it was rejected but I was given the opportunity to rebid if I upped the price by $13. Instead, I added the stadium area and bid $52, and when that too was rejected, I tacked on the airport zone and bid $56. The offer was accepted, and I am well pleased--I've stayed at this property probably three times in the last six months, and I find the accomodations and the service to be great--plus its location is pretty sweet. Go, Priceline!

I'd been trying for a couple days to get a 3* hotel in downtown Philly on this date, but even after ratcheting up my bids to $65 and adding the zones I knew were without 3* and 4* properties, the best reply I received was "Increase your bid by $15 and you can resubmit without changing your criteria." Today, I bid $60 for the downtown area, was rejected, added the no-three-stars Stadium area and bumped up the bid to $66. I had the offer accepted, and was given a 4*, rather than 3*, hotel. The Hyatt is a lovely property which is perfectly situated for the event I'm attending--thank you, Priceline gods!

I was looking for a four-star hotel near the Jacob Javits Center, and initially limited my request area to Midtown West. After having my first bid of $100 rejected, I added Midtown South and increased the bid to $110. The offer was accepted, and I will be staying at the Hilton on West 42nd Street, which has received great reviews from Tripadvisor users and looks quite nice, too.

Bid $55 for a 4* downtown property and ended up with the Sheraton Atlanta Downtown, which I haven't yet seen listed on anyone's posts for Atlanta. Apparently it's a newly remodeled property located within walking distance of some of the city's attractions, and in spite of the many negative reviews I've found on tripadvisor, I'm still thinking of it as a bargain!

I needed to book a room in Philly for one night. I initially started out trying for a 4*, bidding $55, then $60, and then $75 (while adding sections of the city lacking 4* accomodations, of course) before giving up. I then attempted a more realistic bid of $55 for a 3*, which was accepted immediately. I know I'm lucky to have gotten a room this cheaply on a holiday weekend, and I love the Marriott, so I'm thrilled all around.

For the dates 4-11-06 through 4-15-06, Hotwire lists a 3* property in Midtown Atlanta with restaurant, hi-speed Internet, and laundry at $54/night. I can't figure out what establishment it might be--any ideas?

Had a strange experience tonight with Priceline. I placed a bid for a 3* property in Center City at $45; I anticipated getting either the Wyndham or the Marriott Downtown, both of which I've stayed at numerous times. My offer was rejected, but I had the opportunity to rebid if I upped my offer by $13. I did so, and got a message saying that not only was my offer accepted, but that I'd been upgraded to the 4* level and booked at the Hyatt Penn's Landing. Although the Hyatt is apparently pretty nice, it's not really very convenient for my plans. I wish I had known that I was running the risk of winning that property when I upped the bid--I don't think I've read of this happening before, though I'm sure it must have--because I'd probably just laid low for 72 hours and rebid. C'est la vie--for that price, and at such a lovely property, how can I really complain?

I needed a hotel to stay at on Halloween night after seeing the spooky Philadelphia Orchestra performance. I started out looking for 4* properties in the Downtown Philly area, and put in a max bid of $50. When this was rejected, I added 3* properties, kept the bid amount the same (hey, those orchestra tix weren't cheap!) and hoped for the best. The Marriott I ended up with is one of the nicest moderately-priced places I've stayed in Philly--great location, relatively new building, exceptionally accomodating staff. Definitely a treat, not a trick!

Initially, I tried bidding $40 for a 3* in Downtown, which was not accepted. I was given the opportunity to increase my bid by $12 and resubmit it, but I opted instead to add on the "Stadium" zone, which, to my knowledge, contains NO 3* hotels. I upped my bid to $50 (which I knew was much more realistic, based on the experiences of other BetterBidding posters), had the bid accepted, and am looking forward to revisiting the Marriott!

Scored this relatively nice hotel on 17th and Race for a mere $50--Priceline accepted this bid on my first try.