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bhp_dad, any idea on if you win on Priceline, if you can upgrade to a 1 Bedroom unit on arrival? Looks like most winning bids in this zone and class are this hotel which we are good at staying at, but would like the 1 bedrooms. Thanks.

Carpinteria is nice in it's own right and the drive is easy, just not southbound on Friday evening.

I think most 4* hotels in this zone have $15-$20 parking fees if that makes you feel better. At least I remember the Hyatt Regency was in that range last year when we went. I am a bit bummed this hotel was bumped into the 4* zone, since before the upgrade one could pretty solidly get either the Hyatt or the Westin in this zone. This Hilton is certainly not in the class of those so it makes me pause before bidding on an upcoming trip. Do report back.

There are not a whole lot of hotels in this area, and the ones that are there are really swanky or really divey. It is a very nice town, but if you are trying to get a deal, you'd be better off staying 15 minutes away in Ventura or Oxnard to open up your selection.

I ended up using PRICELINE in this area and got a 4* with a $50 bid. Full rate is $139, UC Irvine Graduation code I had was $99. I saw a $68 winning bid and thought I'd try lower. $45 was rejected, they offered free re-bid if I added $15. Declined that and added Laguna Beach for a free re-bid and upped to $50. Bingo. This is the hotel we wanted to stay in, so that was great. Used the BB PRICELINE link to book. Booked two rooms, one for the in-laws so I hope the Hyatt comes through!

Did you bid anything lower than this before it was accepted? For the following Saturday (6/11) I have a backup reservation at this hotel for $99 using a UC Irvine Graduation group code, so any help in your technique is appreciated.

On further research, this probably isn't the Ayres because that has a TripAdvisor rating of 4.0 while the other 3 have 3.5 (like the Hotwire listing)

Of the 4 hotels on the BB list I can't figure out which this would be as they have the same amenities: Airport Shuttle Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center High-Speed Internet Access 3.5* Hotels in this area: Crowne Plaza Irvine Ayres Hotel Costa Mesa DoubleTree Santa Ana Wyndham Orange County $54 seems too good to be true for these properties based on recent wins I've seen. The cheapest cancelable reservation I've seen 3* and up in this area is $99 before tax.

As a follow up to this trip, we had a great time at the Hilton, no complaints at all. Would stay there again, especially at that price.

I played around with 5 nights for $61-$67 with no luck in either zone from Resort down to 3.5*. I had thought the 5th night being a Friday was making it difficult so I made it 4 nights and was accepted at the 3.5* Hilton Palm Springs for $67 night ($62/night to me using $5 rewards). The Trip Advisor reviews on this property are pretty bad, but hopefully it will be nicer than the the beater hotels we usually stay in. Kayak rate is $146/night after taxes, so this is about half of list price. Thanks for the help. I used the BB PRICELINE link. Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $62.00 Total Offer Price Per Room, Per Night with Bonus: $67.00 Subtotal: $248.00 Taxes & Fees: $50.88 Total Charges*: $298.88

Thanks for the assistance. I was late in my reply because somehow my subscription did not email me, I must have viewed an older reply while not logged in, and thought the thread was dead. Stupid of me to suggest bidding backwards on star class. Based on what I've seen from previous wins, I'd like to cutoff my bidding at $70 for now. I've seen wins as low as $57, although that could of been a seasonal thing. Also there is a Hotwire 3* hotel for $67 which I think is the Indian Wells Resort Hotel. I don't like the other 3* enough to PRICELINE at 3*, but I would accept the HOTWIRE offer if it was that hotel. I also don't mind waiting 24 hours and trying again. Based on your tip, this is what I think I'll try today: Select 3.5* Palm Springs... Bid $60, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3.5* Rancho Mirage-IW-Palm Desert... Bid $60, if rejected add Palm Springs... Bid $65 (where x+y is a bid amount larger then $x) Then tommororw I could bump it to $70 if need be. Thanks.

Thanks for the clarification on the resort class. I am trying to get the least expensive hotel 3.5* and up. Since PS and Indio are rebids for the Resort class, it sounds like I have a lot more options testing out pricing in Resort. Also, it seems like RM-IW-PD does not have a 3.5* hotel. So may I could: start with 3.5* PS add 3.5* RM-IW-PD 4 star PS add 4 star RM-IW-PD add resort PS add resort RM-IW-PD Then try again using Indio but leave out 3.5*?

I live in this area and you are showing up during "Fiesta" which is the busiest weekend in an already busy tourist season. It is really hard to get a hotel for any decent price during Fiesta. I have tried to PRICELINE Santa Barbara for guests visiting us, and if it is during the high season it seems there are NO PRICELINE rooms at all. There are two routes from Santa Ynez to SB, you can take the pass which is hilly but very scenic, or you can take the coast which is more of a straight shot but also very scenic. Your only other choice besides paying up the nose is to find some last minute VRBO condo that is discounted (unlikely), stay in one of the hostels, or consider staying in Carpinteria or Ventura (also a drive). I hope you have a good trip, Santa Ynez has some great wineries and you might enjoy coming down from the crowds of SB's Fiesta.

The title says San Diego, but the post says Palm Desert. I'm confused.

Looking to bid on a 3.5*, 4*, or Resort property for Monday 3/28 for 5 nights (can downgrade to 4 nights if the Friday night becomes an issue). Would take either the "Palm Springs" area or the "Rancho Mirage - Indian Wells - Palm Desert" area. This is my first time bidding in an area with the "resort" class and I'm unsure how it works. Is it above 4*? I read on here Indio is a free re-bid for 4*, but not for 3.5*. Is Indio a free re-bid for "resort?" Also, is there anywhere I can get a list of what the resort fees are at some of these places? My search on here has shown people getting 3.5*, 4*, and Resort classes for as low as the mid $60's and would like to do the same. Edit: Full rates (for 4 nights) as seen on Kayak.com start at $111 for the 3.5* Ace and go to $223 for the Resort Weston Mission Hills. I will be using the PRICELINE link on this site and will be posting my win, should I get one. Thanks for any help.

$8/day ($14.35/day after taxes) for Full Size from Alamo. Tried all car classes starting at $5 over several days. At a $7 bid they countered with $8.

I was never able to ID the 2.5* Morro Bay hotel for $79 so I booked "The Breakers Motel" for $67.50/night instead. It is a 2* with really good reviews for the price on Yelp, Trip Advisor and Kayak. Wish I could of pulled the trigger on the HOTWIRE hotel to add some info for the hotel list, but alas it was too risky for me.

I have two options for Morro Bay for 11/20/2009 for two nights: 2.5* $79: Restaurant, Pool, Laundry - This might be the Inn at Morro Bay but if I'm wrong it could be a seedy hotel. If I can have a high level of confidence this is the Inn at Morro Bay I'll book it, using the BB link of course. 3.5* $118: Near Beach, Smoke Free, Breakfast, Golf Nearby - I think this is the Ascott Suites May people on this board have booked the 3* Embarcadero for good rates but sadly that is not popping up on my dates.

I'd lean towards Crowne Plaza on this one based on the ratings similiarites and the beach location.

Thanks for the reply. I've also found this nearby one in Morro Bay: For 11/20/2009 for 2 nights. Hotwire shows a 2.5* for $79 with these amenities: Pool Restaurant Laundry Facilities I'm thinking this might be the Inn at Morro Bay, which would be a good deal.

This is a good deal, that hotel is $99 retail. I may be bidding on it for a weekend coming up here which has a retail of $135. Hopefully I can get $40 off also.

Sorry I may have found the answer. This is my first venture into hotwire, I usually use the Priceline side of this site. Didn't know there were two different hotel lists. So using the Hotwire Hotel list I think this is the: 3.5* Apple Farm which has: Amenities: Boutique, Shuttle, Restaurant, Pool, Hi-Speed Internet, Golf, Spa If so, this hotel is $139 retail price.

For 11/20/2009 for 2 nights. Hotwire shows a 3* for $122 with these amenities: Boutique Hotel Airport Shuttle Pool(s) Restaurant(s) High-speed Internet Access Golf Nearby Spa Services Using Trip Advisor I thought this might be Sycamore Mineral Springs since they are a spa place, although I'm not sure that hotel falls within the San Luis Obispo zone on Hotwire. I will for sure be booking something those dates in one of the three Central Coast zones for those dates, so I'll pass along any info I learn to help ID hotels.

I don't know how to edit the title but I was finally accepted at $72 at the 3* level and got the Courtyard. I have been trying for several days and even last night went as high as $75. Today I was working with my wife's account and it didn't work at $50 or $60 so I went to $72 and it took it. I would recommend for this area to make a backup reservation and then wait until a few days before with Priceline. Both times I got accepted on a Thursday for a Sunday reservation.

Tried 2.5* at $45 for Atascadero and Paso Robles and was denied. Tommorrow I'll try 3* Paso Robles $65 3* Paso Robles and Atascadero $70 2.5* Paso Robles and Atascadero $60