mPasCa

I went for 4* at essentially all areas of Manhattan. The Hilton Manhattan East is pretty far from a subway stop, but other than that it seems like an OK deal. PL says that I save 16%—a bit of a bummer considering how much effort this took, but looks like its a busy weekend in NYC. -m

Well, I tried 4* up to $140 without a bit yesterday. I think I'll wait a day or so to see how prices change before making up my mind on how to proceed. *fingers crossed*

Hi all– I'm looking for some help IDing a 5* hotel in Venice, Italy from 6/19–6/20: $198/night, Guidecca Island, pet friendly, gym, swimming pool, restaurant, business center, laundry facilities (self-service), spa services. I think its the Hilton. And how do you feel about the price? I bid up to $140 on PL for the same night just now, no win. -m

Hi all– I wanted to share a loss with you all, and ask a question. First, the loss. I bid for Paris, 4* in Champs Elysees, Eiffel tower, Latin Quarter, St. Germain, Opera E & W, up to $150 with no bite. I also tried my second choices of Republique and Bastille up to $130, again no takers. So, now for the question: What range should I expect to pay to get a 4* on 6/17 in Paris in one of the locations above? Do you think I can get away with less than $200? Take your time to respond—I have 72 hrs.

I bid up to $105 (using the PRICELINE links, of course) for Downtown Austin, 11/10-11/13, with no luck. BTW, I like the website upgrade.

So, a small success: $130 for MTW on 10/13-10/14, Sheraton NY Hotel and Towers. Claims to be 4*, but IMO Sheratons are rarely above 3.5*. Still, a great location for a good price. Final bid included CPS, MTE, and Empire State. Also, I tried to add a night at this price, with no luck. I'll post any other successes in this forum. BTW, thank you for the Hoboken recommendation, thereuare. I hadn't thought about going "off-island," so I'll keep this in mind. I'll start another thread for my success or failure with the weekend dates. -m

I just bid up to $220 for NYC area 4* hotels from Thursday, 10/13, thru Monday, 10/17. Last bid included MTE, MTW, Empire State, Chelsea, CPS. A quick question: I'd prefer to stay in midtown, but given the current protests, any idea if I could get a deal downtown? The "best deal" indicator is on Brooklyn right now, so it doesn't seem like they are budging in downtown. Another option, given business travelers: I could split my bid over two periods. First, try for a weekend deal 10/14-10/17, and then pay a bit more for Thursday night. Finally---are my sights just too high? Should I really be willing to go up to $250+? Thanks for any advice or encouragement.

Success! Crowne Plaza Republique, $155/night, Zone 2. Dates are July 1-5. Looks like a wonderful location. Started bidding @ $135, (got a rebid offer on that) went up by $10 each time until hitting the win! Thanks for all of your help, and of course I used the PRICELINE link.

Another failure to report. Bid Paris 4* Champs Elysees, Latin Quarter, Opera East, Opera West up to $180. No re-bid offers. Any ideas? I suppose I could bid zone 4 or 2. Does anyone have experience with the distance to the town center from these areas?

Alright, thanks for your help on the other thread, got the ME Barcelona for my chosen dates (7/5-7/9). Nice hotel, a decent area (La Rambla would be better, but I'll get walking shoes). It was my first bid in Barcelona East; bid up to $135 in La Rambla before going over here.

All right, let me report a failure. Just bid for 5* in Opera West for 7/1-7/5. Went up to $200/night with no hits (no upsell either). Dejected, I went off and tried 4* in Opera East and Opera West at $130/night. Still no bite. I'm off to see if I can get a deal in Barcelona. I'll start a new post after the bid to let y'all know how it goes. -m

Ok, got 2 nights, 3 rooms at the Crowne Plaza. I remember that it was pretty nice. The dates are 11/20/2009-11/22/2009. It was $76/night and the total (with tax and all) came out to $500.85.

So, I'm looking at zone 3 (champs elyse), zone 7 (opera west), and zone 6 (opera east), in that order. I'll be hoping for a 5*. (BTW, let's work with the dates 7/1-7/5.) Any idea of the price range for a 5* in that timeframe? Again, I'm hoping for under about $200/night. Will do. There are only 4 zones and I would really prefer zone 3 (La Rambla), although zone 1 may work if I'm pushed to it. Again, I'd like to do 5*---the days would be 7/5-7/9. Could you suggest a strategy? Of course :)

Ok, so I was reminded by thereuare to tell you guys: I ended up booking the Crowne Plaza. I forget (though I hope) that I used the links available. Sorry for the extraordinarily late reply.

Thanks for the star rating advice. Of course I'll use the links!As for the budget, ideally we'd like to get in under $200/night in Paris. Can a 5* be reasonably expected at this price in the center of town? It seems (from the calendar of wins) that I may be able to get a really good deal in Barcelona that could increase my budget for Paris. Yes, I've seen priceline paris post that makes me take the neighborhood boundaries in Paris quite literally. However, my wife and I love to walk, so a mile or so from the city center isn't too bad (obviously not ideal).

Ok, so we may have to split this post up after I start bidding, but let me start with this: I need to be in Paris on Friday, Jul 1. The number of days is flexible, but I was thinking until Tuesday, Jul 5. After that its on to Barcelona for a stay until we leave Jul 9. So I've done Priceline in the US before, and I was wondering if there are any qualitative differences in the European experience. For instance, I usually book 4* in the US, but it seems that a similar level of quality is considered 5* in Paris. Is this true? Is there any other thing to watch out for (with regards to the Priceline hotel experience, not "they drive on the right side of the road" type stuff :)) when I'm booking a hotel across the pond? As always, I'll post my bid status up here when I start. Any advice that you share before then will be greatly appreciated!

Ventura hotel, 3*, Beach front, fitness center, pool, restaurant, laundry, high-speed internet. Any ideas? I'm thinking either Crowne Plaza or Marriott Ventura Beach.

WOOOO! San Diego Festival of Beer, here we come!

:) Got something! San Francisco (SOMA-Moscone) 4* $90 Palace Hotel. I'll try to remember to report back since we don't have any reviews here, but they seem to like it at tripadvisor. FYI, I bid (SOMA-Moscone only) $75, $80, $85, $90=bite. As mentioned above, I also bid USE up to $85 (started at $55). * EDIT: Same dates as above, 6/11/09--6/13/09

FYI, I just bid up to $85 in USE 4* with no takers, 6/11-6/13. I may try USW, but I really don't want to stay that close to the tenderloin.

Went up to $100, with no bite :) . I'll try again Friday, I guess.

Just one night, March 28. Of course I'll use your links, but thanks for the reminder.

I'm wondering what hotel we are likely to get in the North County Coastal area of San Diego that is a 3.5*. I don't see anything listed on the hotel list. I'm thinking it is either the Sheraton or the Courtyard. Ideas? Also, anyone willing to give a bidding strategy to get the room for under $100? I know since its 3.5* (and not 4*) it may be harder. Thanks.

Beerfest+ocean view = one heck of a Friday.

Hyatt Regency, Embarcadero Center. Bid of $85 was rejected (was then offered a rebid for $22 more, which I declined). Took next bid at $90. FYI, I bid up to $100 for a 4* in USW with no luck (same dates).