Kristinemeow

I used the HOTWIRE link on Betterbidding.com to book this. Initially I thought I would get the Staybridge Suites Times Square, but I am OVER THE MOON thrilled with this win because I had been stalking the Homewood on Hotel Tonight and it wasn't coming up for my dates lately. I'd also rather book on Hotwire because bed choice is not guaranteed on Hotel Tonight, and we've previously had to share a king sized bed with our 7-year-old because of this. With Hotwire, we will have enough beds!

This hotel is not only new with free internet and free breakfast, but they give you free dinner and drinks from 5-7 Mon-Thur. It has also received rave reviews on Trip Advisor.

The amenities listed before booking are:

Free breakfast
Free Internet
Smoke-free rooms
Fitness center
Self-service laundry

100% recommended

Rate per night $181.00
Nights 4

Rooms ( 2 adults , 1 child) 1
Subtotal $724.00
Tax recovery charges + fees $214.73
Hotwire total $938.73

Amenities:

Free Parking

Pet friendly

Smoke Free Rooms

Fitness Center Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

High-Speed Internet Access

Accessible for the blind

Accessible for the deaf

Accessible path of travel

In-room accessibility

Accessible bathroom

Handicapped parking

Roll-in shower

2 NIGHTS including tax =

$184.70

I've driven past this hotel before and I never guessed in a million years that I could get a rate like this, even with all my Better Bidding experience. I'm excited to stay here.

Just booked this last minute trip (using the Betterbidding HOTWIRE link) to enjoy the Riverwalk Christmas lights with my husband and 4-year-old. After a little research, I thought I would get the Hotel Contessa, and I am even more excited about winning the Westin. I just love their room decor with the white down comforters, its like sleeping in a cloud!

Amenities include:

Smoke-Free Rooms

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Restaurant

High Speed Internet Access

It showed that 95% of Hotwire customers recommend this hotel.

Looks like the Hotel.com rate for tonight is $159 so we saved about $40.

I Chose this hotel on HOTWIRE using the BetterBidding link.

Amenities:

Airport Shuttle

Complimentary Breakfast

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Business Center

Hi-Speed Internet Access

Hotel Rate per night: $53.00

Nights: 1

Rooms: 1

Tax recovery charges & fees: $11.76

Subtotal: $64.76

Trip total: $64.76

I thought that I was going to get the Embassy Suites based on location and amenities, but this looks like a good property for the price. I probably would have opted to try Priceline for a cheaper rate (more like $40) but I was burned by winning the Holiday Inn and Towers in Oct. 2010. The Holiday Inn and Towers is rated at 3 stars, but yuck, we were glad to just be passing through town and spent as little time there as possible. I had two successful Priceline Lubbock bookings at the Residence Inn Lubbock in Oct 2010 and Jan 2011, but it looks like they have added two more bidding zones to complicate my strategy, and like I said, I didn't want to end up with the Holiday Inn.

I plan on reviewing this property on Trip Advisor, so check that out if you want to see how the stay went.

I used the HOTWIRE link from Better Bidding to book this hotel. I thought I was going to get the Crowne Plaza and was pleasantly surprised when the Doubletree popped up.

SUPER BONUS, next door to this Doubletree is Pappasitos. Its a super yummy TexMex place. I recommend walking over and getting the Platinum Margarita and Antonio platter. Don't forget to start out with the Chips and Queso!

Amenities in listing:

Fitness, Pool, Restaurant, Business Center, High Speed Internet

:)

I placed the following bids for my Austin stay, using the PRICELINE link on the BetterBidding web site, last night.

First I tried for the Renaissance Austin and/or Westin at the Domain.

Bid Arboretum 4* 61

rebid central 66

rebid north 71

rebid round rock 76

rebid northwest 86

rebid lakeway 91

rebid southwest 101

rebid south 111

Fail.

Next I tried for the Staybridge Suites at Round Rock.

Bid Round Rock 3* 62

rebid cedar park 71

rebid austin sw 76

Fail.

Next I decided to go for the Doubletree or Courtyard in the Austin North Zone.

Bid North 3* 40

rebid cedar park 50

rebid austin sw 60

Fail.

At this point I decided I'd try for one of these in Austin Central:

3 Hyatt Place North Central 55

3 Crowne Plaza North Central 40

3 Doubletree 40

3 Courtyard 42

so I added Austin Central to my 3* rebid and won the Holiday Inn Midtown for $61. DOH! :)

Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $61.00 (USD)

Number of Rooms: 1

Number of Nights: 3

Room Subtotal: $183.00 (USD)

Taxes and Fees: $37.08 (USD)

Total Room Cost: $220.08 (USD)

I was disappointed with this win as I try to steer clear of Holiday Inns, but the reviews on Trip Advisor give me hope. Apparently it is a newly renovated former Ramada in a location that has central access to the city (but unfortunately some guests complain of its proximity to the bus station.) I am impressed that the general manager seems to be very responsive to all the posts about his hotel on Trip Advisor. I will update this post with what I find after my stay.

I was hoping for the Hotel Whitcomb, but this worked out alright. The trip was business and it was just my husband. If I had come along, I would have gone for something a little nicer.

My husband says, "it was nice, clean, and worth $47. It was really close to BART/MUNI. Not bad if you don't mind a few bums outside."

(*in my experience, the bums are everywhere in SF)

It had free wireless internet in the room.

Already booked the 2nd half of my trip (4/23 - 4/26) at the Millennium Broadway 3.5* for $174.

Now I am looking for the first 2 nights. I was hoping that the later I booked, the better the deal. Tonight I am just kind of flirting with the prices. Tomorrow night I will have to get serious!

Here are tonight's rejections:

4/21 - 4/23 TS 3.5* $127 (hoping for Marriott Marquis or Millennium Broadway)

TS/Chelsea 3.5* $137

TS/Chelsea/Long Island 3.5* $147

TS/Chelsea/Long Island/UES 3.5* $151

TS/Chelsea/Long Island/UES/Coney Island 3.5* $167

REJECTED

4/21 - 4/23 Chelsea 2.5* $97 (hoping for Holiday Inn Express Madison Square Gardens)

Chelsea/Coney Island 2.5* $117

REJECTED

4/21 - 4/23 Chelsea 3* $127 (hoping for Hotel Indigo, Wyndham Garden Chelsea, DoubleTree Chelsea, Four Points)

Chelsea/Coney Island 3* $137

REJECTED

4/21 - 4/23 MTE 4* $127

MTE/TS 4* $137

MTE/TS/MTW 4* $141

MTE/TS/MTW/Brooklyn 4* $147

REJECTED

4/21 - 4/23 ESB 4* $127

ESB/Chelsea 4* $137

ESB/Chelsea/Long Island 4* $147

ESB/Chelsea/Long Island/MSG 4* $157

ESB/Chelsea/Long Island/MSG/UES/MTE/TS 4* $167

REJECTED

I just noticed that the Hell's Kitchen and Coney Island options are working. Does anyone have some guesses on hotels in those areas?

I split the dates and bid on 4/23 - 4/26 ( Fri-Mon) in the 3.5* Times Square - Theater District, hoping for a win at the Marriott Marquis. I won the Millennium Broadway, but after having booked a refundable "back-up" hotel for these dates at $219 + tax per night, I am more than satisfied with my win. I used the Betterbidding PRICELINE link prior to bidding.

TITLE: 3.5* NYC (Times Square - Theater District) Millennium Broadway

SUB-Title: $174 ... 4/23/10-4/26/10

Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $174.00 (USD)

Number of Rooms: 1

Number of Nights: 3

Room Subtotal: $522.00 (USD)

Taxes and Fees: $110.58 (USD)

Total Room Cost: $632.58 (USD)

Now its on to booking the first two nights of my trip. I will start a new topic for that.

Over the past 4 days, I've been bidding "heavily" for my upcoming stay in NYC. I had won the Grand Hyatt for a stay back in Sept ($125), and I was hoping to have it that easy again. I've been stalking the board for months, and now that I am bidding, I am getting my butt kicked!

My ideal is to get the Grand Hyatt again, a 4* in Times Square, or the 3.5* Marriott Marquis (I'm dreaming here) in Times Square for no more than $200 a night including taxes.

On 4/15 I bid 4* MTE and Times Square $125

+ Brooklyn $135

+ Chelsea $145

+ Long Island $155

+ MSG $165

+ Upper East Side $170

NADA.

On 4/15 I bid 3.5* Times Square $120

+ Chelsea $140

+ Long Island $150

+ Upper East Side $165

NADA.

I tried to split my dates.

On 4/15 I bid 4* MTE and Times Square for 4/23-4/26 (Fri, Sat & Sun nights) $125

NADA.

On 4/16 I decided to add MTW, so it was 4* MTE, Times Square, MTW

+ Brooklyn $126

+ Chelsea $136

+ Long Island $146

+ MSG $156

NADA.

On 4/16 I gave *3.5 Times Square another shot $136

+ Chelsea $146

+ Long Island $156

NADA.

I tried to split my dates.

On 4/16 I bid 4* MTE for 4/23-4/26 (Fri, Sat & Sun nights) $126

+ Brooklyn $136

+ Times Square $146

+ MTW $151

NADA.

On 4/16 I bid 3* Times Square for 4/21-4/26 $90

(there are not rebidding options here)

NADA.

ANY Suggestions when it comes to spitting my dates? :) :)

A successful bid.

First I tried Times Square-Theatre District for $105 and was denied.

Second, MTE and Times Square-Theatre District for $115 and I won the Grand Hyatt on MTE.

Hooray. And yes, I used the link from this site to PRICELINE.

Thanks again!

-Kristine

Could you please be more specific about which Hilton this is? Is it the Hilton Grand Vacations Club on International Drive? Thanks!

PRICELINE BUYER BEWARE!!! Doubletree has a Priceline doublestandard!

I booked the Tucson Doubletree Reid Park as a three star hotel. The hotel has two parts, a 'tower' and a 'courtyard'. The 'tower' is what I would expect from Doubletree. The 'courtyard' is far less than what I would expect from a Doubletree, and a 3 star hotel. We were put on the second floor of the 'courtyard' area where there is no internet access (whether you pay or not), the door opens to the outside rather than a hallway within the hotel, there are no elevators to access the second floor, and no readily available bellhops to help you carry your luggage up the stairs in the 98 degree Tucson heat, the air conditioning rattles noisily unless you leave the bathroom window open which opens onto the stairway area where intruders could crawl in, and even with the window open, the air rattles constantly and cannot cool the room sufficiently in the Tucson heat. Only after complaining to the hotel desk, and then the hotel manager, were we moved to the tower where we could access the internet and sleep with the security of an inside hallway, amenities that we would expect from a Doubletree hotel. When asking to move to the tower, I was told by the front desk clerk that the 'tower' was booked solid and reserved for those who paid extra to stay in that portion of the hotel. I was also told by a hotel employee that this is 'the oldest Doubletree in the world,' thus explaining the lack of elevators in the 'courtyard' portion of the hotel. It is my belief that this hotel reserves the substandard 'courtyard' rooms for its Priceline guests, and only permits those who book through Doubletree to stay in the part of the hotel that meets the standards of a Doubletree hotel. Had I known that by booking this 3 star that I would receive a 1.5-2 star, I would not have used Priceline, or I would would have tried to book the 'resort' rated hotel on Priceline.

Now to be fair, once I complained, I was indeed moved to the tower, and I received a refund for one night's stay. I would have much rather received what I paid for in the first place without the stress and confrontation of having to complain and change rooms. I have passed this information on to Priceline, and I would encourage you to book elsewhere, or be ready for a fight if you want to receive the 3 star accommodations that you have booked.

I just booked using the PRICELINE link on this site.

3 nights

Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $50.00

Travel Insurance: $15.00 (not sure how I checked that box, but oh well, its still a deal)

Subtotal: $165.00

Taxes & Service Fees: $29.36

Total Charges*: $194.36

Woo hoo!

AMENITIES:

Remote Control TV with Premium Channels

Radio Alarm Clock

Business Services

Telephone with Voicemail

Iron and Ironing Board

Hairdryer

24 Hour Front Desk

Restaurant

Room Service

More Details on Booking this Deal.

I live in Albuquerque, so booking this deal was easier for me because I know what (higher-end) hotels are around. If I can answer questions for anyone about (higher-end) Albuquerque hotels, feel free to ask.

It was the Hyatt Downtown, not the Hilton. There is no Hilton Downtown.

Hotwire Title says "4-star hotel in Downtown Albuquerque - Old Town"

Hotel rate per night: $69.00

Nights: 1

Rooms: 1

Subtotal: $69.00

Tax recovery charges & fees: $14.49

Total price: $83.49

Amenities:

Fitness Center

Restaurant(s)

High-speed Internet Access (not free, btw)

Pool(s)

Business Center

To my knowledge, there are only two 4-star hotels in all of Albuquerque, one being the Hyatt Downtown, and the other being the Hyatt Tamaya Resort & Spa just north of town. So booking this deal should be pretty safe. Good luck! :)

Yes, I booked the Hyatt Downtown Albuquerque on HOTWIRE as the 4 star downtown Albuquerque hotel. I stayed there 8/9/08 and paid $69 + tax. The parking was another $12, but this was still a major steal. On Travelocity the rate was $149 that same night.

I would recommend asking nicely for a room on a higher level. I had a room on the 2nd floor and all I could really see were the bums outside across the way at Civic Plaza. All towns have bums, and I wouldn't let that deter you from staying at this hotel, just ask for a higher floor.