cindy324

I usually don't accept their counteroffer, unless I don't have time to rebid. JUst happened a couple weeks ago, I bid on a 3.5* $60 that usually retails for $149. They rejected the $60, and counter-offered to add another $17, for a total of $77. Decided to wait the 24 hrs. as there was no possible rebid zones in that area that I can try again right away. I bid $65 the next day and got it!

So I thought about it and then decided to check Hamilton Park's website to see what their AAA rates are. Well, the only rooms they had available were king rooms, no 2 doubles, whereas when I checked on Sunday they had both available. I kinda figured that if I bid $60 today, and get it, me and my friends may end up with a king room, and as we both have kids that won't do. Also, take into consideration the fact that they charge for a fridge , say $10/night is standard, I'm already paying $70. Add to it coffee in the morning, which I'll have to purchase, not such a great deal. So I decided to book Staybridge Suites in the Somerset, NJ area, using your Staybridge link, of course. :) I reserved 3 one-bedroom suites at $79.99 each, with full sized fridge in the room (kitchenette) complimentary breakfast, and I know for a fact that they have an outdoor pool. Thanks for all your help!

I just bid $55 on the Morristown-Florham Park 4*, and was rejected. They asked if I'm willing to bid $15 more...def. NOT. I'm going to wait the 24 hrs. and bid $60, and if it's a no go, I'll use your Hotels.com link (I believe you have it listed on your support page) to book it with them for $74, at least I'll know I'm definitely going to end up at Hamilton Park. I know that priceline366 (IIRC) got the Hamilton Park for $59, so maybe I bid too low.

Thanks for your reply, I'm going to go for it , will let you all know what happens!

I noticed in the Hotwire hotel wins that someone got the 4* Hyatt Morristown for $67, whereas the same hotel appears on the Priceline hotel wins list as a 3.5* won for $47. According to Hotels.com. this property is 3.5*. I would like to bid on Morristown-Florham Park area on 4* and am hoping to get either the Hamilton Park Hotel or the Westin Governor Morris, but I definitely do not want the Hyatt, as it only has an indoor pool and this being Labor Day weekend and my last opportunity to get some sun, having an outdoor pool is very importtant!

Wait , this property is Staybridge Suites, even though it does not show that it is SUITES?? Nor does it show that it has a kitchenette and complimentary breakfast That's a great value for those rooms. I would love to book this property, but is it safe to assume that this entry will always be the same property??

Sorry. Check out date is 8/30, for a total of 2 nights

I see my topic title was cut off, which included the winning bid(first try) of $60! Sorry about that.

By reading this board, I decided to bid on a 3* , as a previous, very recent win has gotten The Courtyard Montvale. Surprise , surprise, I was upgraded to 3.5* Hilton Woodcliffe Lake , published rate $152/night. I bid again, same price , same criteria for a friend, and was upgraded again to the same place, thankfully! Both times I used the PRICELINE link on this board!

Sorry, forgot to mention dates. It was for 8/21-8/23 (weekend) For my first attempt I did remember to use your link, but the second time, my friend told me to log on quick and bid together with her and I forgot to come to betterbidding.com first, oops. Will be sure to remember next time!

I first bid $60, got rejected, and was asked to add another $17 to try again right away. I was not willing to do that, so I had to wait 24 hrs. Next day , I was going to bid $70, but my friend insisted I try $65 as we were booking 2 rooms. Offered $65 and got it! Happy I didn't fall for that $17. BTW, in the past I was able to add on less than they asked for and try aggain, but this time, when I tried to only add on $7, it would not even let me try again, it came back prompting me to "please increase your offer by at least $17"!

Intercontinental hotels give rewards, at least at the Holiday Inn I've stayed in more than once! They even asked me at check in if I am a Priority Club member, and when I said yes, they automatically gave me their welcome package and free starbucks coupon. Also , the next time I booked with PRICELINE, I called a day before arrival to give them my membership number, and was greeted with the welcome package once again.

Actually, I've stayed here several times, too, and I always booked for the weekend on Monday or Tuesday, so I can leave myself room for rebidding 24 hrs later ( did not know about the rebidding technique mentioned here, then) I always got it for $40 (lowest was $35 last summer) in fact I found that when you wait until later, the price seems to go up. My friend bid on Friday morning for same day check in and was asked for $14 more, for $54 total!

Yes, you are correct. The Double Tree is considered a 3 star property.

I'd like to add that the Crown Plaza is currently undergoing renovation, so chances are you will end up at the Holiday Inn down the road these days. Better off, though, the construction is making a huge mess in the pool and surrounding areas, I heard from people that have stayed there.

Dates of travel July 11-13 weekend. Bid $50, asked me for $14 more, ended up here. Very nice hotel, indoor outdoor pool, tennis court, great lounge/bar!

Dates of travel July 4-6 Weekend. Winning bid was $45, for me,as I was afraid to take a chance that I'll be denied ,but my friend got it for $40, same dates. Also note, that last summer weekends, I was able to get this hotel for as low as $35!!!

The Holiday Inn at Somerset I got for Aug. 22-24 (also wknd) and 29-31. My friend booked it also for $40 but starting from the 28-31 of August (Thurs.- Sun) AND they happened to have been FULL! The weekend of 8/15-17 I bid $50 and they asked me to add another $14, so that was overpaid :) , mind you they were empty that weekend, so go figure!

I got the Holiday Inn in the Somerset-Piscataway-South Plainfield area for $40. A few weeks before then , I bid $50, was asked to add $14 more, and still ended up at the Holiday Inn their regular rate starts at $68 :) . Due to past experience, when we were asked to bid up to $64 , we thought we'd end up at the Double Tree across the street. Normally if you bid $62 and up, the Double Tree is where you'll end up. This just shows how unpredictable it can be.

It was the Holiday Inn Somerset, NJ and also the Crowne Plaza Somerset (formerly Somerset Plaza) They both have a few of these great poolside rooms with a sliding door and a patio. Last summer , they told me that I have to pay $20 extra per night for those rooms (I did, since I paid so little for the room to begin with, $35 :) ) This year, they became Crowne Plaza, and the guy at the front desk gave it to me upon request, at no additional cost! Really those rooms are sold at a higher rate at the Holiday Inn. The first week we went, we got a room on the second floor, after being told there was nothing available on the first :) Then we went to the pool, and saw those rooms lined up along the poolside. So I went to the front desk, by then shifts have changed, and asked a different girl if I can switch rooms to there. She said no problem. The next week, I was checking in with a guy, who basically gave me a real hassle, but then gave in when I told him how much we appreciated that room the weekend before with the kids running in and out of the pool to use the bathroom, etc. Plus I had booked 3 rooms, so he relented and gave me one poolside. Bottom line is, that at certain hotels , it all depends on who is at the counter, and how much they give a hoot about making a customer happy. And YES, you CAN get WiFi sitting by the pool. DH has an iPod touch, he got a signal no problem! :o

I stayed in a Holiday Inn in Somerset, NJ for the last 3 weekends, ended up there with Priceline, and they still honor your Priority Club membership. In fact, they ask you if you're a member at check in, they even give you the complimentary welcome package along with a free cup of coffee every day of your stay. They belong to the Intercontinental Hotel Group. the same as Crowne Plaza hotels and Staybridge suites.

Usually, it would depend on the hotel whether they will try their best to accomodate you. So far, I was pretty successful in getting the rooms I wanted. One area I bid on all the time and usualy get the same hotel, is very accommodating with requests. For example, they have these great poolside rooms , which they gave me numerous times upon request. A good time to call ahead with requests is probably the day before check in, and the usual response is that they'llnote your preferences, but cannot guarantee anything.

Is the Westin Princeton a 3.5* or 4* hotel. On most of the travel sites it;s rated as a 3.5, but on your list of Jersey hotels it's marked as a 4*. I want to make reservations for next week, but I don't want to end up at The Wyndham. I didn't know where to put this but I have successfully bid for a 3* in Somerset, NJ $40 with Priceline a couple weeks ago. I ended up at the Crowne Plaza (formerly Somerset Plaza at Garden State Expo). 2 weeks later we tried again, we couldn't get it, 24 hrs. later uppedthe bid to $50 and got back a message saying if we're willing to add another $14, we can try again right now. We did that and ended up down the road at the Double Tree, which was very nice , no complaints , except they charge for a fridge $15/day and $20 per day for a rollaway bed. I thought that was a rip off. My friend tried the same another week for $50, was asked for another $14, and she ended up again down the same road, but this time at the Holiday Inn. All in all I love Priceline, I've never been disappointed yet!