zbenye

Here is a photo, so you'll know if you run into me at a hotel. I spend summer weekends in SJ. http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/arieby/detai...jpg&.src=ph

I envy you. Too bad we don't have a few of this chain's hotels here around San Francisco. It's been a long time since I paid under $42. You don't spend all your days in hotels, if I noted correctly from your posts. Where are you when not in SV, if I may ask? Is there a real home?

The high amount of taxes/fees bothered me, so just now I went through the process of bidding again for the same itinerary. I entered the exact same dates, hours, location and car type. What do you know, this evening the $7 bid only gets $19.40 taxes/fees attached, for a total of $33.40. I emailed Priceline to request a refund of $4.72.

Sharon, once 24 hours have passed, never again check rates for dates you've already booked. Prevents heartache... I've always gotten a room with a king bed. I think you can expect the same. And if they will have a two-bed room available, I don't think they will refuse a polite request when you check in.

Check-In Date: Friday, February 9, 2007 Check-Out Date: Monday, February 12, 2007 Hotel Name: La Quinta Inn San Francisco Airport 20 Airport Boulevard San Francisco, California 94080 Your Offer Price: $42.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $126.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $26.48 Total Charges: $152.48 $41 rejected for 2* in SFO, SSF, USE, FW $50 rejected for 2* in Pinole, San Pablo $67.50 on the hotel's website with AAA discount. $46 on Hotwire.

Pick-Up/Drop-Off: San Francisco Intl Rental Car Company: Hertz Car Class: Economy (unlimited mileage) Pick-Up Date: Friday, February 9, 2007 Pick-Up Time: 7:00 PM Drop-Off Date: Sunday, February 11, 2007 Drop-Off Time: 7:00 PM Your Offer Price: $7.00 (per day) Total Rental Days: 2 days Subtotal: $14.00 Taxes and Fees: $24.12 Total Charges: $38.12 The amount of taxes/fees is obscene! $6 for Compact was rejected. Hotwire: $11.95/day, $46.25 total. Hertz.com: $31.99/day, $93.74 total. Expedia: $15.48/day, $52.64 total (Payless).

Here's an instance where Expedia beat HW and probably PL as well. 4 nights @ $59.25 Tax $9.67/night Total $275.68 Priceline rejected bids up to $56, which would have totaled $265.87. At that point I decided to take the Expedia offer rather than risk getting the Cathedral Hill hotel or the Holiday Inn. Hotwire ($59) totaled $279.43. The hotel's own website: $276 before taxes.

Great looking hotel on the outside, nicer in appearance than the next-door Courtyard. It's an actual hotel (internal corridors). Only five years old and very well kept. Definitely 2-star quality. The front desk folks were very nice. The room was clean and in the best shape of all hotels of this chain that I've stayed at. It had a queen bed, two tables with chairs and one reclining armchair. The kitchen had a refrigerator, microwave, toaster, coffee maker and range. Minimal plates and utensils. Annoyingly, the walls were paper-thin and I could hear the conversations and TVs of the adjacent rooms. The neighbors must have had an early morning engagement; I woke up at 6am because of their TV noise. For this reason I don't want to stay here again. Free: parking, local and 800 calls. Internet is available for a small fee per stay, I didn't ask how much and didn't take it.

This location is a motel (external corridors, park in front of the room). The room was clean and of comfortable size and had two double beds; desk; dresser; closet; iron and board; coffee maker. Free: parking, local phone calls, 800 calls, high-speed Internet (wired), Continental breakfast. Large outdoor pool. Quiet and uneventful stay. The hotel is right on I-10 so ask for a room facing away from the freeway. All my favorite restaurants were in the immediate area: Outback, Black Angus, Claim Jumper, Mimi's Cafe and many others.

Check-In Date: Saturday, February 3, 2007 Check-Out Date: Sunday, February 4, 2007 Hotel Name: Residence Inn Manhattan Beach 1700 North Sepulveda Boulevard Manhattan Beach, California 90266 Your Offer Price: $50.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $50.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $14.45 Total Charges: $64.45 My usual hotel in the LA area. When $45 was rejected, I went up to $50, forgetting that last time I got it for $46 and being too busy today to do the $1 increment game... let Priceline make some money... ;-)

I arrived at the resort just after noon today. Went up to the front desk and asked if I could hang by a pool until check-in time. The clerk asked for my name and after looking up my record, greeted me warmly and offered to check me in right away. She had a room with two queen beds ready. She gave me a check-in form to sign that indicated a room rate of $197 or so. I asked if the record shows that the stay has been prepaid and she confirmed. There was no mention of any resort fee so we'll see on check-out. Also no mention of Priceline, no bad attitude, totally normal everything. I am not staying here; the second reservation I made for my friends got cancelled, so I volunteered my room. Still had to stop by to check them in under my name. I went to the room with them and it is just grand. Large, beautiful, both bath (with jets) and a separate shower, all the amenities, in a quiet area right in front of a pool. My friends' jaws actually dropped in amazement. They are so pleased, they're insisting on paying for my hotel room (I'm staying at an Extended Stay America for twice what they are paying for the resort...) on top of treating me to lunch and dinner. All of you heading that way, just be nice and courteous and you'll have a wonderful time at the resort. Oh, and try a grapefruit off the trees all over the resort - they're delicious!

Check-In Date: Friday, February 2, 2007 Check-Out Date: Saturday, February 3, 2007 Hotel Name: Esa Palm Springs-Airport 1400 East Tahquitz Canyon Way Palm Springs, California 92262 Your Offer Price: $55.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $55.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $13.53 Total Charges: $68.53 I've been bidding up to $60 every day for a couple of weeks and was already resolved to staying at a Motel 6. But tonight a new 2* popped up on Hotwire for $57, so I thought I'd give Priceline one last chance. Not many rebid options here, so started at $55 like previously, expecting to be rejected, when this came back. Possibly a slight overbid. I'm sure it's the same hotel seen on Hotwire due to the amenities: Suite, Laundry. $117 on the hotel's website after AAA discount. Good reviews on TripAdvisor.

Check-In Date: Sunday, February 4, 2007 Check-Out Date: Monday, February 5, 2007 Hotel Name: La Quinta Inn San Francisco Airport 20 Airport Boulevard San Francisco, California 94080 Your Offer Price: $42.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $42.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $13.36 Total Charges*: $55.36 $40 for 2* rejected in SFO, SSF $49 on Hotwire. $62 on the hotel's website after AAA discount. I've shunned this hotel for a few months due to bed bugs. Hopefully this one-nighter will go OK.

Pick-Up/Drop-Off: Los Angeles Intl Rental Car Company: Alamo Car Class: Economy (unlimited mileage) Pick-Up Date: Thursday, February 1, 2007 Pick-Up Time: 8:00 PM Drop-Off Date: Sunday, February 4, 2007 Drop-Off Time: 8:00 PM Your Offer Price: $10.00 (per day) Total Rental Days: 3 days Subtotal: $30.00 Taxes and Fees: $8.19 Total Charges: $38.19 I tried this same bid every three days for the last two weeks. This evening it was accepted. Alamo website total: $93 Hotwire lowest total: $48. Lowest published rate total: Fox for $61

Check-In Date: Thursday, February 1, 2007 Check-Out Date: Friday, February 2, 2007 Hotel Name: La Quinta Inn San Bernardino 205 East Hospitality Lane San Bernardino, California 92408-3411 Your Offer Price: $42.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $42.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $12.37 Total Charges: $54.37 $40 rejected in all zones. $89 on the hotel's website after AAA discount.

I've been in six rooms at this hotel, four of which had a problem of noise from the air-conditioner (even when it's off!). If you're a light sleeper like me, check for noise as soon as you go into your room and ask to change rooms if there's a problem. Do not be afraid of rooms facing the street - the double-paned windows block the noise well. Breakfast has been downgraded. No more eggs or any hot item. I think they also switched to cheap coffee, it used to be a good roast but not anymore.

Priceline zone: San Francisco Airport (SFO) Hotwire zone: San Francisco Airport North - Oyster Point This is a very ugly and tired motel. Several two-story buildings spread over a large area along the freeway. The rooms smell bad. The ones facing the freeway get a lot of noise. Some small rooms with one king bed, others are larger with two beds. Everything feels unclean. No renovation in years. Many unpleasant occupants. Feels like a seedy housing project. Charge for local calls. High Speed only in the lobby and terribly expensive. Tip: since you have to get out of your room and go to the lobby, might as well walk over to the lobby of the Holiday Inn or the Grosvenor hotel where there's free wireless access. Parking is free. Very few free USA Today copies in the lobby. No breakfast. IHOP is right next door to the lobby. Free SFO shuttle serves many hotels and can take 25 minutes to get to the airport. Not at all recommended but travelers on a tight budget can often get this for under $30.

An unattractive small motel situated between a gas station and a filthy canal. A front desk in a small office where breakfast was also served. The room was spacious, clean and in good condition. King bed, table with four chairs, very large dresser, two night stands, an alcove with a rack and hangers in place of a closet, safe (no key, might need to get it from the front desk), coffee maker. Large TV with a good selection of channels. A mid-size bathroom with towels for two. Soap, shampoo samples, hair dryer. The air-conditioner was the old kind that goes through the wall protruding into the outside. It was weak and loud. Soundproofing was not great but I must have been tired enough (or drunk after the New Year's Eve party) that I fell asleep with no problem in the comfortable bed. One phone line. Free 800 and local calls. Free parking. Free wireless Internet. There was a good signal, but no Internet connection could be established... Free continental breakfast: merely coffee and a danish. I didn't bother. There's a Starbuck less than a half mile north, an IHOP a quarter mile south. Priceline had specifically indicated a smoking room in their reservation (the agent showed me the form!). He was kind enough to change me to a non-smoking room. The next morning the agent handed me a $48 charge slip to sign when I checked out. She did notice that the Priceline form had the Priceline Mastercard number on it, and was hesitant about it. Eventually she did run a credit transaction on my card. I'll keep watch on the account nonetheless. Funny thing, my winning bid was only $46... It was much nicer than the nearby Travelodge. But I'd rather not stay at either again if I can help it.

Here again after almost two years. The room was quite nice, seems to have been renovated a bit. Breakfast is now free for all and it is very nice, including scrambled eggs and meats. There's still the annoying 30-minute limit on free local calls, but high-speed internet access is now presumably available. The signal was there, and strong, but an internet connection could not be made except for five minutes now and then during my two-night stay. The front desk was unable to help and tech support on the phone were totally clueless and pathetic. A newspaper is available free at the front desk. They are no longer charging any additional taxes at checkout.

Oh my God, there's a zbenye fan club?! LOL a famous homeless dude :-)

The weather turned wet in the area, so parked the motorcycle and logged on to hire a car. The earliest Priceline would accept is two hours ahead. Pick-Up/Drop-Off: San Francisco Intl Rental Car Company: Hertz Car Class: Economy (unlimited mileage) Pick-Up Date: Sunday, December 31, 2006 Pick-Up Time: 12:30 PM Drop-Off Date: Monday, January 1, 2007 Drop-Off Time: 12:30 PM Your Offer Price: $7.00 (per day) Total Rental Days: 1 day Subtotal: $7.00 Taxes and Fees: $10.27 Total Charges: $17.27 Hotwire had a car for $4.95, but their total with taxes and fees was $24.67.

First got 11 nights at $49 (jumped bid from $47 to $49), then used "Extend your stay" to add 10 nights (PL wouldn't let me add 11 nights because they limit to 21 nights total), then bid for another 10 nights starting at $47 and this time raising $1 on the rebid. Might have saved $21 on the first 21 nights if I hadn't jumped from $47 to $49... I haven't spent an entire month in one place in quite some time... Check-In Date: Monday, January 1, 2007 Check-Out Date: Friday, January 12, 2007 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 11 Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $49.00 Subtotal: $539.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $92.03 Total Charges for Original Reservation: $631.03 Check-In Date: Friday, January 12, 2007 Check-Out Date: Monday, January 22, 2007 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 10 Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $49.00 Subtotal: $490.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $84.27 Total Charges for Add. Nights Res.: $574.27 Check-In Date: Monday, January 22, 2007 Check-Out Date: Thursday, February 1, 2007 Hotel Name: The Opal San Francisco 1050 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, California 94109 Your Offer Price: $48.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 10 Subtotal: $480.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $82.68 Total Charges: $562.68

Check-In Date: Sunday, December 31, 2006 Check-Out Date: Monday, January 1, 2007 Hotel Name: Howard Johnson Express Inn South San Francisco Sfo 222 S. Airport Blvd South San Francisco, California 94080 Your Offer Price: $46.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $46.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $13.98 Total Charges: $59.98 New hotel for the PL list. Bad deal: could have booked this on the hotel's website for just $1 more after AAA discount. Bad reviews on TripAdvisor. Hotwire had a $48 offer for 2* - I should have taken that. $60 bids for 2* in USE, USW, CC, CH, FW failed. $58 bid for 2* in SSF failed. $45 bid for 1* in SFO failed.

Check-In Date: Friday, December 29, 2006 Check-Out Date: Sunday, December 31, 2006 Hotel Name: Best Western Grosvenor Airport Hotel 380 South Airport Boulevard South San Francisco, California 94080 Your Offer Price: $46.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $92.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $21.31 Total Charges: $113.31 $45 rejected in SFO for 2.5* $50 rejected for 2* in CH, CC, USE, FW, SSF $79/night on the hotel's website. $56/night on Hotwire. Couldn't get New Year's eve. Will try tomorrow.

Wow, that's really low. When you saw this rate on HW, didn't you think you might try bidding $25 on PL first?