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Welldone Rumproast

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Everything posted by Welldone Rumproast

  1. Hi cmf, and welcome! What Saturday date are you looking at? A couple of factors that might explain high demand (and therefore less PL availability) are: 1) An event being held at the Javits Center (even though the Javits Center is technically in MT South, many attendees prefer to stay above 42nd street) 2) A Fashion Week-type event in Bryant Park 3) Another high-demand week such as a Saturday in December (many hotels are already sold out for December weekends - some shoppers come every year and reserved their Dec. 2003 stay when they checked out in Dec. 2002)
  2. The reason: T-minus six days until VAY-KAY-SHUN :o :) This time next week I'll be in Italy (no PL stays - I'm using Hilton points) :)
  3. Bidding Strategy A couple of weeks ago, in *THIS BID*, I helped a friend get a local room. This morning, the same friend called and told me about a freind of hers who is having some sort of pipe work done on his house on Monday morning. So she suggested the Miramar "trick". I was drafted to do the bidding :) Everything else was pretty much the same as last time. Best rate on the hotel site was once again USD 89 Bid Progress Following standard Priceline bid operating procedure, I approached the entrance to the famous *SAVINGS BARN* - I gave the secret password ("Go Wolverines") and was admitted! Initial Bid in the FLL-MIRAMAR Zone First Bid: $33 - ACCEPTED!! Bid Results Hilton Garden Inn Sw Miramar 14501 Southwest 29th Street Miramar, Florida 33027 Check-In Date/Time: Sun, August 3, 2003 / After 03:00 PM Check-Out Date/Time: Mon, August 4th, 2003 / 12:00 PM Your Offer Price: $35.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $35.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $9.45 Total Charges: $42.45 HGI website lists a tax rate of 11.00 percent
  4. Of course, the real question here is, Cheeze Whiz or Provolone :)
  5. This may have no bearing on the question, but ...... In last Sunday's Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, there was a color insert of travel specials for different Florida regions (I guess it was aimed at the people wanting a close-by getaway). The Swan and Dolphin had a large ad advertising rates "as low as $129". I don't remember the date parameters, however, it seems like many properties are disocunting heavily. Another possible contributing factor is the fact that two brand-new upscale/luxury hotels have just opened at the Orlando Lakes development - the Ritz-Carlton and the J.W. Marriott. The latter, especially, might well be seen as a direct competitor to the Swan & Dolphin...
  6. Scorp - Interesting..... We all know that Suite and Comp. Breakfast *often* is Embassy Suites (no guarantee of course) Checking ES website - the ES Monterey Seaside does show availability for those dates - AND - the first rate listed on their site is $274 (king bayview), If my math is working right, 137 is exactly half of 274. Maybe just a coincidence? Also, TOBB shows some Priceline hits on this property at 3* ranking..... ** UPDATE ** Amazing how great minds think alike :) :) :o
  7. How about the nearby town of Salinas (the lettuce capital of the world) - no more than 20 miles from Monterey proper. Salinas is also the home of Nobel lauerate/writer John Steinbeck, and there is a very worth-visiting Steinbeck center there. There are also some interesting Claes Oldenberg outdoor scluptures in the shape of cowboy hats (he also did the "Batcolumn" sclupture in Chicago that is shaped, you guessed it, like a baseball bat) :o *Steinbeck Center Website* *Oldenberg Sclupture Wesite* Your dates coincide with the Concours d'Elegance car show and the Historic Car Races at Laguna Seca raceway - I don't know if those are the only events that are making rooms scarce (Monterey County Fair also runs during your dates). Expedia shows a HI Express at USD 90.10 per night for your dates (and a Days Inn for USD 74.00 - many others are sold out) Priceline only shows 1* in Salinas. ***UPDATE*** Just checked the Holiday Inn website. They show a rate change for the 14th, 15th and 16th, up to USD 213.35 :) :) The 13th shows availavble at the lower rate. Also - Days Inn website also shows rate change - total rate for 4 days at DI Salinas is USD 557.10 (I can't see the individual date breakdown) I don't know if Expedia would honor the lower rate for all 4 days.
  8. The "challenge" with these kinds of situations is that some hotels may release blocks of unneeded rooms at the convention deadline, while others (especially the "official" hotels) might hold back rooms in order to handle late registrants. In this case, the NAB Radio Show website shows a hotel registration deadline of August 27th. Therefore, it's *POSSIBLE* that some currently-blocked rooms may be released, but then again, there's no way to be sure. The show's hotel booking page is at the link below: http://www2.expobook.com/evt/evt_home.asp?eventid=34 Good luck and let us know how it turns out.
  9. Although PL definitely uses cookies and other tracking mechanisms, their host system also "knows" your bid activity (even those just a couple of minutes old). A couple of weeks ago as an experiment, I did the following: after an unsuccessful bid in the MCI area, I cleared all of my cookies, URLS and other tracking files both via the browser delete buttons and vial Norton Internet Seciruty's "Web Cleanup" function. I then re-entered the same bid with the same credit card, and received a message that I had made a previous bid within the last three days. To further test, I shut down my notebook computer and logged onto my desktop and tried the bid again. I once again received the same "cannot bid again" message. So, PL's host definitely keeps interactive records of bid activity.
  10. Some great responses so far. I agree with the concept of tipping for *true* service received, especially when someone goes out of their way to be helpful. Here are some of my "rules" (noting that on all of my trips, whether business or leisure, I am in the room by myself): Housekeepers - I usually don't tip for an overnight stay. For two or more nights, USD 3 or so, with a note with any special requests (such as extra towels) Bell staff - Unless I have more than two bags or parcels, I prefer to carry them myself. USD3 for a couple of things on a cart, more if it's something heavy like equipment for a trade show (I always keep my briefcasecase/laptop bag in my possession). Valet parking - I'll only valet park if self-parking isn't an option. usually USD 1 for each in/out if it's an easily accessible lot, USD 2 or 3 if it's a hot day and the kids are really hustling to get the cars out. Front Office personnel - I've never had occasion to try the $20 trick because I'm usually not that picky about views etc. and I'm a heavy sleeper so "noisy" rooms etc don't usually bother me. But I'd give it a try if the circumstances ever dictated. Room Service - USD 1 or 2 on top of the included gratuity. Restaurant servers - 20% for good to very good service, 25% for excellent-outstanding (or if they flirt) :) :) I think that zbenye's point about basing the tip on the value of the food/drink when using a voucher is very important. In Europe, I also add
  11. I just received an e-mail from Ballys Las Vegas listing some pretty low rates, including USD 49 for this coming Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (7/29-31) and also USD 49 on the weekdays AFTER Labor Day. Other days range from USD 59 and higher. *RESERVATIONS LINK* Ballys is part of Park Place (also includes Caesars, Paris LV, the LV Hilton and the Flamingo). Park Place has a check-in desk at the airport (good for avoiding long check-in lines) and their slot club card can be used at any of the above hotels. And (as of today) - they give HiltonHHonors points :) Disclaimer: I have *NO* connection to Ballys or to Park Place except as a past customer
  12. zbenye - To me it sounded like the woman in the article may have been having VPN client problems - all of the high-speed locations I have used so far have been pretty mych plug-and-go (essentially open the browser and log in for example at Wyndham, you immediately get a screen with a place to enter your Wyndham By Request number and password). I've never encountered a need to install a software client (and frankly I wouldn't - I'm VERY wary of installing third-party software of any kind, much less from untrusted media) :) Frankly, I hope that the Wyndham model is copied by more frequent-stay programs. Given the choice between unlimited free long-distance voice calls and highspeed access, versus points and sometimes denied upgrading benefits, I'd pick the telecom options every time. I was in Las Vegas last week and continue to be surprised that so many hotel rooms in a city that hosts huge tech conventions like Comdex and the CES have nothing in the rooms beyond dial-up. My room at the Bellagio had a RJ-45 port on the wall but I called to ask if it was active and they told me there is no connectivity - that the jacks were installed "for future expansion" (this in a hotel built in '98) - makes you wonder... The paid T-Mobile HotSpot service is useful for me because of my travel patterns, about 95% on AA and the Admirals Club service is very conveinent. Plus, as I'm limited to dial-up at home, easy access to many local Starbucks and Borders locations makes for a nice high-speed option (thank god for decaf)! FLL is still limited in free hotspots - I'll see how it is when the time comes to renew the T-Mobile commitment next year. Here's another HotSpot finder site Click Here
  13. There was a good article in today's New York Times about high speed access (including wireless): Hotels' High-Speed Internet Often Has a Catch http://nytimes.com/2003/07/22/business/22INTE.html
  14. RandyM - when you drive from LGB down to San Diego, consider using the San Joaquin Toll Road (Route 73) - it moves much faster than I-405 as you make your way through Orange County http://www.tcagencies.com/home/maps.htm (Toll roads are a fairly new concept in California)
  15. I received a similar e-mail with a different code. The terms and conditions say: eCoupon Terms & Conditions eCoupon terms: This eCoupon is valid for SkyMiles Members only (if you are not a SkyMiles Member, please visit delta.com/skymiles for free enrollment). It is not transferable and is valid for the eCoupon recipient and up to six guests who are ticketed at the same time and are traveling on same itinerary. It is valid for use at delta.com only and also Miscellaneous: Fares and rules are subject to change without notice. Third party purchases of tickets are not permitted at delta.com for non-SkyMiles members. The credit card/check card holder making the purchase must be a traveling passenger or have the same last name of at least one passenger. Special offers issued at delta.com may not be applied to other Web fares. These special offers are not combinable with other Delta fares. eCoupons may not be applied to other Web fares. Other restrictions may apply.
  16. bturner13 - the T-Mobile HotSpot service is a paid service. My main reason to have it is for Wi-Fi access while travelling - the AA Admirals Clubs have HotSpots in many of their locations, as do Borders Books and of course 1000's of Starbucks (came in very handy in Las Vegas last week) It's $29.99 per month for unlimited use (with a year commitment, the plan I have). $39.99 monthly for unlimited month-to-month, and they also have "pay-as-you-go" plans. I also got 3K AAdvantage miles for signing up :o I can't get DSL at home (BellSouth = ANTICHRIST :) so when I'm not at work I just head over to Starbucks (less than a mile from home) and have some decaf or (today) some of their black iced tea :)
  17. I'm writing this message from a Starbuck's in Ft. Lauderdale using the HotSpot wireless service - greatest thing since sliced halvah!! :)
  18. Sorry - my native-Californian car-bias is showing :) Many of the SD attractions *are* accessible via public transport - the site posted by Scorp should be especially helpful. One of the great attractions of the San Diego climate is its year-round, mild-temperate nature. You don't get a lot of 90+ days unless you go inland (like to El Cajon etc). In areas like Anaheim, air inversions and other climate "quirks" keep out the moderating ocean breezes and allow the temps to rise. Keep in mind that last January's Super Bowl, the temp at kickoff was 80 degrees :) BTW, there's quite a controversery about the La Jolla seals - there's a historical swimming area that the seals are "encroaching" on: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/2..._1m24seals.html http://www.cnn.com/EARTH/9706/06/seals.beach/
  19. WillTravel - Nothing wrong with Old Town as a base to explore the area - it's just north of the airport and downtown, very close to Mission Valley and Qualcomm, and access to La Jolla and DelMar is just a few miles up I-5. Many of the hotels are near (or even along) I-5 so if ambiance is important (as Scorp points out) it may not be your first choice. The Mexican restaurants in OT are OK, not spectacular. The Hyatt LaJolla (Aventine) is indeed a beautiful hotel - it was designed by the prominent architect Michael Graves. RandyM - in your first post you mention an "off-season" time for San Diego - actually, there is year-round demand. Because it is a fairly easy drive away, many residents of "Greater Los Angeles" make weekend getaways down to SD. My personal favorite for coastal ambiance is Coronado, but it is a bit of a hike for the other attractions, so for your chosen attractions Coronado might be better for a subsequent trip. Lots more visitor info (and even some discount coupons at the Visitor's Bureau website: http://www.sandiego.org Totally unrelated trivia concerning the Sheraton San Diego: If you're an old fogey like me you may remember the 1972 Dita Beard/ITT scandal. ITT had bought the Sheraton hotel chain but was having trouble getting final approval for the deal. Richard Nixon wanted the '72 Republican Convention held in San Diego (so that he could helicopter up from nearby San Clemente). So ITT gave the Repubs. $400,000 and built the Sheraton Harbor Island Hotel to serve as the headquarters hotel for the convention. Unfortunately, ITT lobbyist Dita Beard had written a memo detailing the arrangement. The memo was leaked to the press, everything blew up, and the '72 Convention was moved to Miami Beach.
  20. The suggestions for downtown are equally valid - access to the attractions is very easy - the 163 freeway takes you from downtown to Balboa park in just a couple of minutes and also leads (a couple of miles further north) to Mission Valley and Qualcomm (via Interstate 8). The Manchester Hyatt at the rate listed by TravelGuy is a great value. It's a 40-story tower with great views, across from the convention center and right next to the almost-finished Petco Park (where the Padres will play beginning next year). And their construction (addition of a new tower) will be done by the end of this summer, therefore no construction noise :) Keep in mind for most downtown hotels you'll need to factor in parking charges - for example at the Hyatt self-parking is USD 15, valet is USD 22 per day (includes in-and-out priveleges). In contrast, some Mission Valley hotels charge (like the Marriott USD 10, Hlton USD 8 ), some don't (Radisson, free). BTW I've stayed at all three of these within the last five years or so and all are fine. About the Zoo - keep in mind that in addition to the main Zoo in Balboa Park, there is the Wild Animal Kingdom, an "open-style" wildlife preserve in Escondido (about 30-35 miles north of downtown SD). The Zoo website has all the info (there's even a combo ticket fol 5 days unlimited to the Zoo, the Kingdom and to Sea World): http://www.sandiegozoo.org
  21. Hi and welcome to BB, How about the Mission Valley zone? This is where Qualcomm Stadium is located (and traffic can be pretty bad on game days). Mission Valley is also within close proximity to the Mission Bay/Sea World area and to Old Town, Balboa Park (the Zoo) and is within pretty easy drive of the coastal areas (La Jolla, etc.) and the Gaslamp District (downtown). The light rail system also stops in MV which can get you to San Ysrido/Tijuiana if you don't want to drive (if you do drive, you would park your rental car on the US side and walk across the border, as US rental cars usually can't be take over the border). There is good shopping at the upscale Fashion Valley Mall as well - BTW I highly recommend Junior Seau's restaurant in the FV Mall, even if Junior is now with the Dolphins :) It's one "celebrity-owned" restaurant that actually has good food (a sushi bar too). Admittedly as Mission Valley is a commercial/retail area, it is NOT scenic :) Also - for La Jolla I highly recommend the restaurant GEORGE'S AT THE COVE: http://www.georgesatthecove.com/ It's really two restaurants - a fancy one downstairs and a more casual one with outdoor terrace upstairs
  22. Note: I was not the person making this stay - but I went over to the hotel to have a look around and "inspect" it, so that I could post this review :) To see the bid information for this stay, please click *HERE* Hilton Garden Inns are another mid-level properties primarily aimed at the business traveler. This class of hotels focuses on individual guest needs and dispenses with things like grand ballrooms and concierge service, and typically only have one restaurant, but they can be very comfortable (often of recent construction) and also very nice values :). They are often (but not always) located in commercial/office areas, many times away from central city locations. Hotel Location and Property The hotel is in a rapidly-growing suburban commercial area in the southwestern suburbs of Broward County. Freeway access to the Weston, Sawgrass Mills/Sunrise areas is easy and fast - and sort of hidden is a fast link to the Miami Lakes area via I-75 south). The hotel is very new (about a year or so). Five or six stories, with an outdoor pool and nice lobby area with big-screen TV. Airport Access The hotel is 20 miles from FLL airport and 22 miles from MIA airport. As public transportation in South Florida is a sad joke (essentially nonexistent) a rental car ia a necessity. Check-In and Check-Out My friend reported no problems with Check-In. Room The modern room In fact it looked a lot like my room at the Doubletree Club in LAS that I reported on a few days ago. King bed, alarm clock-radio, desk with ergonomic chair, chair with ottoman. 27" TV with web-tv style internet. Not sure aout Ninetendo. Pay movies. I saw a sign for HBO. Dataport-equipped phones were on the nightstand and also on the desk. Iron and board and coffee maker. Neutrogena stuff in the standard bathroom. Good Things: :D This hotel provides free high-speed wired internet access. My friend said that the desk lent her a Cat-5 cable for use during her stay. A good thing I noticed was that the RJ-45 jack and power plugs were mounted on the wall right next to the desk at desk-level. meaning that you wouldn't have to crawl on the floor to plug in your cable and your AC power supply. There is also a business center on the ground floor that has a PC, laser AND inkjet printer and copier. This is free for guests (you use your room key to get in). :P The room had a small microwave and a dormitory-size refrigerator. Perfect for popcorn during a movie night :o A sign next to the microwave said that there was a "pantry" that sold frozen dinners and snacks (I didn't check it out). There is a Publix supermarket a couple of blocks away that is open until 11:00 pm with all your microwave and beverage needs :) Restaurant There is a small lobby restaurant that was deserted when I was there. My guess is that they do most of their business during the breakfast hours. Go one freeway exit north to the PINES BOULEVARD exit for lots and lots of dining and fast food options (more upscale restaurants can be found in Weston, go notrth on I-75 aabout 6 miles to the ARIVDA PARKWAY exit). There's also a 24-plex movie theatre (with an impossible-to-miss Egyptian decor scheme) two exits north (SHERIDAN AVE). Hotel webiste: Click *HERE*
  23. There are also on-again/off-again negotiations with Hyatt (the Pritzker family), which seem to have hit a snag as of now. I think it would be the perfect marriage since the two chains would fit together nicely (especially internationally). And better for those of us who bid for rooms, Hyatt consistently grants Gold Passport stay credits and points for incidentals :)
  24. Hi N3 - If you're going to be making your weekly trip on a consistent basis for a extended period, another approach is to go in and talk to the Candlewood's sales manager (or equalivent employee responsible for negotiated rates). If you demonstrate (via past receipts etc), your ability to deliver lots of room nights, you and the sales manager should be able to negotiate a special rate. This way, you are always certain that you'll have the CW, and the staff will learn your preferences etc. The CW benefits because they know that an otherwise empty room/suite will be filled, and better for them, they don't have to split the revenue with PL or HW! From your description of your stay patterns, I think it would be worth a shot. Plus, you're protected if the CW decides to stop participating in HW and/or PL (even temporarily) Good luck and let us know how it turns out
  25. Hi - This hotel is the re-flagged Nikko Hotel Paris, so it is/was definitely an upscale property. One definite advantage (especially for Paris) - it has a swimming pool with retractable roof :) - also a Japanese restaurant on-site.
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