SavannahMacGuy

Fitness, Restaurant, Business, Tennis Any chance this is the W? I'm not aware of many midtown hotels with Tennis, even if they're not showing the Spa. What else could it be?

Customer Favorite. Restaurant, Pool, Fitness Center, High Speed Internet, Business Center

The hotel was the Hyatt Regency. Very pleased at that price. Got two rooms @ $67 each, will make a fresh post as well.

Apparently, for Atlanta, Priceline has added a TON of new suburbs, just in the last week or so - radically increasing the number of free rebids for both 3* and 4* hotels in Atlanta. Before, bidding 4* Buckhead was much easier than bidding 3* Midtown, because you had virtually no free rebids for Midtown. Almost every other suburb, save one or two, had a 3 star property. Now there's also Stockbridge, Kennesaw, Morrow, Forest Park / Union City. I have made hundreds of bids in the Atlanta area and these suburbs have never come up before. None of these areas have 3 or 4 star properties, to my knowledge, and none were available when I checked area by area. This is creating many new opportunities for Priceline bids in Atlanta.

I would much rather have any 3* Midtown than the Sheraton Downtown. To that end: I have bid up to $72 on Priceline 3* in Midtown, no luck thus far. There is a $98 3* on Hotwire. I suspect it is the Sheraton Colony Square, but don't know for sure. Incidentally, for your future knowledge: on Priceline Atlanta has added a TON of new suburbs, apparently just in the last week or so - radically increasing the number of free rebids for both 3* and 4* hotels in Atlanta. (I will post this info in the Priceline forum if you prefer). Before, bidding 4* Buckhead was much easier than bidding 3* Midtown, because you had virtually no free rebids for Midtown. Now there's Stockbridge, Kennesaw, Morrow, Forest Park / Union City. All with no 3 or 4 star properties. This is completely changing the landscape of Priceline bids in Atlanta.

To update my information for this particular stay, I stayed at the Jekyll Inn (now the Clarion Resort) via a half-price Entertainment Book Offer that offered rooms at 50% off rack rates. I was advised by the hotel list on another board at the time that the Entertainment Book values would often beat Priceline prices for a couple of properties on Jekyll, and that proved to be the case. I have spent many years traveling to this island for a family gathering (I prefer a hotel for a little extra privacy while most of the family rents a house). Many of the hotels on this island are sadly in very shabby, deplorable condition. It is exceedingly hard to find a nice room on the island. From my Priceline experience, the 2.5* odds are overwhelming that you will get the Holiday Inn. This is an awful, awful property. The last time I stayed there there was vomit in the hallway that the staff didn't bother to clean up for two days. For this reason, I can't in good conscience recommend that you make a 2.5* bid here, unless you see that people are having consistent, recent success at another property. There are other, non-chain alternatives that are far better choices. The Jekyll Island Club, The Beach Club, and the Jekyll Oceanview Resort. If you must stay at a chain hotel on this island - shoot for the Clarion Resort (recently renovated but still feels like a government housing project) or the Days Inn (barren but relatively clean).

I ended up at the Park Central Hotel on this stay, via a Priceline bid of $128.

Unfortunately, this post is so old that I am having difficulty accessing information from Priceline. I believe that my successful bid ended up being through Priceline, not Hotwire, and that the 4* hotel I received was the Metropolitan Hotel. I am sorry that I can no longer access the price to share it.

That's fair. I have not become a regular user of this board, but will try to contribute more fully in the future. However, I have used your links to support your product.

It's for the night of February 17, listed at $67. Customer Favorite! Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business Center I fear it's the Sheraton (I used to stay in that hotel in the 70s as a grade school student when it was the Marriott Atlanta). But would that be a Customer Favorite? Thanks.

I read negative reviews on another board, which have me afraid I'll get the King Edward if I bid 4* on Priceline. I'm normally a fairly skilled Priceline user and see that people are getting far better Priceline than Hotwire rates at the moment. Here's what Hotwire shows for my dates. I would consider a 3* if I knew that it were very nice. Would you recommend a Priceline or Hotwire bid? Any idea what these hotels are? Thanks. Downtown Toronto 4.5* Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Spa Services, High-Speed Internet Access, Business $97 Downtown Toronto 4* Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Spa Services, Tennis Nearby, Business Center. $81 Downtown Toronto 3.5* Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Spa Services, High-Speed Internet Access, Children's Activity Program, Business Center. $86 Downtown Toronto 3* Boutique Hotel, Restaurant(s), Fitness Center. $81 Downtown Toronto 2.5* Restaurant(s). $102 Downtown Toronto 2* Complimentary Breakfast, Fitness Center, High-Speed Internet Access. $76

Thanks. More or less what I expected.

Properties on the island in general are pretty dated/shabby. Would love to get the Jekyll Island Club hotel, but not sure it ends up on the discount sites. I have Pricelined the Holiday Inn in summers past for about $43. Not sure what other properties come up. Any suggestions, insights appreciated. I would love to get the JIC for say, $60 or $70, but not sure if that's ever an option.

Being in a bit of a hurry and a fading cell battery I bumped up the amounts a little. Started at CPS $160/175/190 and added MTW on the 190 bid. Got the Millenium Broadway. Will do it more methodically next time when I have more time. Happy to get a 4 star! A little R&R before heading downmarket later this week. Thanks for the strategy. I used SavingsBarn.com.

Working on a deadline today, so not much time to bid until late this evening. Open to all possibilities for those two nights.

Followed your UM/CPS strategy precisely. Cycled through all prices and star levels starting on the 19th and 20th, and all the 4* cycles for the 21st. When I made the $110/3*/21st offer, I got a counteroffer of $132. Given what I've learned about counteroffers, I ignored it, and also felt confident dropping just a bit from $125. (I wanted to do $120, but I didn't have the cojones). So I got the Park Central for $122. I've never stayed here and have no expectations good or bad. We'll just see. If there are any specific things to avoid or ask for at this hotel, I'd love to hear them, given my lengthy stay. Thank you for the very detailed bidding strategy. I bid thru SavingsBarn.com. Park Central New York Check-In Date: Wednesday, July 21, 2004 Check-Out Date: Friday, July 30, 2004 Upper Midtown - Central Park South 870 Seventh Avenue At 56th Street New York,

Wow. That bidding strategy is a thing of beauty. I feel like I should frame it or something. Some last minute back-and-forth about whether I'll be around next weekend, but I think I'm going to go ahead and start giving this a try. Thanks so much for the thoughtful strategy.

You should have seen the 20 bids I did on Priceline before I Hotwired the Sheraton! I'm a persistent guy. And, let's say my maximum bid is $150, given my chronic underbidding lately.

Thanks much for your thoughts. I was extremely successful finding NYC hotels on Priceline in the early months of this year but this summer have been far less successful. I know I can stay at the Alex for $200 on Expedia and would happily do that before spending $175 at the Hilton, etc. via Priceline. But I do think my lack of PL success this summer has been due to low bidding. The hotel environment is a lot healthier for operators in NYC ths summer. On PL, I have had good luck in the past w 3* in MTE. Love the Radisson and the Marriott. And I'm not afraid of the Grand Hyatt as far as 4* as some people are. However, the UN Plaza would be really inconvenient. (That explains my new interest in Hotwire - the chance of guessing specific hotels and avoiding a UN Plaza, for example.) I avoid 3* in MTS because I've often gotten the disappointing Jolly Madison. CPS is certainly acceptable. Less familiar with hotels in this area. So I would say 3* CPS 3* MTW 4* MTE ( ? - pushing my luck) 4* MTS (a good deal at Morgans would be worth a cab ride) Is probably what I would shoot for on a Priceline bid.

I would like to be within walking distance of 53rd and 5th. Say roughly, Central Park South to around 45th, Park Ave to 7th Ave... I'd prefer a 4* but am willing to compromise to a 3.5 if necessary. 3*? Maybe, but they do seem to be less consistent once you drop to that level... I'd like to stay in the $100 range, but will spend 20-30 bucks more if the difference delivers tremendous value. High-speed internet is a big plus, but not an absolute.

Amazingly, changing the dates to July 19 - July30, this identical hotel still shows up as $128! It concerns me that this place might be a real dog, given the long-term discounting.... or maybe it's in the middle of renovation or something?

Dates are July 19-check in, July 23-check out. Price now shows as $126. Midtown (Central) Amenities are Restaurant and Fitness center. And it has a blue BEST VALUE listing....

Thanks very much. I actually need to book other stays during this trip, so I'll be scouring for information. My current reservation ends Monday, and I need rooms through July 30. Trying to stay convenient to 53th and 5th. I suspect I'll have better luck splitting it up into a couple of stays? As an alternative, I'm also talking with someone about subletting their apt for one week of it - but frankly, I think I'd miss the maid service and fresh towels! Priceline and Hotwire spoil us, don't they.... ; ) And yes, I believe those were the amenities listed for the Sheraton. Can't seem to pull the icons back up now. I see now that reporting amenity icons is way important for Hotwire reports. Will remember that in the future.

Customer favorite. Sheraton Manhattan Hotel 790 7th Avenue at 51st Street New York City, NY 10019 (212) 581-3300 Check-in: Wed, Jul 14, 2004 Check-out: Mon, Jul 19, 2004 1 room(s) @ $154.00 per night x 5 night(s) $770.00 Taxes and fees: $121.95 Total Price $891.95 Pleased w/ my room and location. I have been on the "other" Priceline board, just joined here to discuss Hotwire with you all! I value this kind of information and hope to contribute much here as well. Best, SavannahMacGuy

I show it as $128 for next week. Seems like whatever it is, it's been showing cheap rates all summer long. Is it something scary? :)