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OK, did that. The areas I am shooting for are 4* in Philadelphia (Convention Center - Mid Center City) or Philadelphia (Rittenhouse Square - Business District). I think either will be fine for my purposes. A backup area would be Philadelphia (Historic District - Penns Landing), but it doesn't seem like the prices there are any cheaper so I'm hoping I don't have to settle for that. Thanks.

I've generally had good luck in other cities waiting until the week of my stay, but I noticed that 4* rates are fairly cheap right now on Priceline. I'm wondering if now is a good time to bid. List prices for areas I'd consider are: Sofitel - 160* Omni - 160 Marriott - 180* Loews - 180* Hyatt Penn Landing - 185 Hyatt Bellevue - 190* Sheraton - 200 Le Meridien - 205* Westin - 230* Palomar - 250* Asterisks indicate my preference towards Center City rather than Independence Park. It looks like success is all over the board for June/July based on posts on this board. $60-$110/night. I don't have a budget just don't want to leave money on the table. Any advice is appreciated. Thx.

My biggest issue was that I really wanted a 3.5* for under $80, which based on others' posts is totally achievable. But considering 3.5*'s weren't biting on bids as high as $105, I decided to spend the extra $20 on a 4*. It is a good deal for a 4*, but not really what I set out to find at the outset of this adventure. It's cool though, this has been a learning experience and now I know how to "negotiate" like Shatner. Hopefully I'll make up the difference on future bids! If the economy stays like this, hotels are going to be giving away rooms in 2009...

Looks like the Downtown LA Omni got smart and caved-in to my $125 bid today. Not a bad price for a 4* hotel, but you can get a rate of $179 just by going to the Omni website. I guess it was worth going through Priceline for the savings (although add on $45 for taxes and fees, not sure how much of that is Priceline related). Overall not a great experience though. I'll probably use the service again, as a first option anyway.

I dunno! I think I'm going to try PRICELINE one more time this evening. If that fails, I'll probably go with this $134/night 4* I just found on HOTWIRE: This hotel features the following amenities: Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center High-speed Internet Access As I approach the midnight hour on my dates, it seems like some prices are dropping while others are going up. Whatever this hotel is, I hope it's still around later tonight in case my final PRICELINE bids fail.

tell me about it. And it didn't stop there, latest rejected bids were $125 & $105. What a joke. With the economy in the crap and nothing going on in LA this weekend, this is ridiculous. These hotels will all be half empty.

Incredibly, the rate just jumped to $159. Anyway, the amenities are 4-star hotel in Downtown Los Angeles This hotel features the following amenities: Fitness Center Fitness Center Guests have access to exercise equipment; an additional charge may apply. This hotel features the following amenities: Pool(s) Pool(s) Property offers at least one pool area; hours and dates of operation may be seasonal. This hotel features the following amenities: Restaurant(s) Restaurant(s) Property offers at least one restaurant on the premises; hours and days of operation may vary. This hotel features the following amenities: Business Center Business Center Guests have access to business equipment and services; an additional charge may apply. This hotel features the following amenities: High-speed Internet Access High-speed Internet Access Guestrooms are equipped with high-speed Internet access; an extra charge may apply.

Used the same strategy as above, upping my final bids to $120 & $99 for 4* 7 3.5*, respectively. No dice. On Hotwire there is a $149 4* Downtown. Any ideas what that hotel is?

I've never used Hotwire, how do you know that (HOTWIRE has a 4* Downtown for $129 and a 3.5* Downtown for $129) without participating in the bid process? I'll probably try again tomorrow and see what happens. "It's not everyday you can buy something priced at $179 for only $110..." True, but William Shattner keeps telling me that I can "save up to 50% if I name my own price." That would be $90. $110 is only 38.5% off, which I don't think is too much to ask considering I'm blind-bidding on a website. William Shattner is a liar!

If I were to book normally through Priceline, I can get the Omni Downtown (4*) for $179 (fee chop) or the Westin Downtown (3.5*) for $199. However, most hotels are quite a bit more expensive for those dates. What is fee chop? Anyway, if the Omni is $179, how come $110 didn't go through? Thanks! PS. Not really interested in the Westside - even if I stayed in HW, I'd spend my time closer to Downtown than I would be to the Westside.

PS. I should note that I didn't really expect to be successful on my 4* attempt, but I tried just in case. I thought for sure my 3.5* would work though.

Hi again. So I used your link and participated in the bid process. I have thus far been unsuccessful even though I feel I've done everything right and even bid significantly higher than other people that have posted success stories on this forum. My strategy follows: Fri 10/17-Sun 10/19, 1 room Acceptable Zones = Hollywood or Downtown ATTEMPT #1 4 stars Bid 1: Downtown+Hollywood @ $85 Bid 2: added Culver City @ $90 Bid 3: added Lawndale @ $95 Bid 4: added Santa Monica @ $100 Bid 5: added Redondo @ $110 REJECTED ATTEMPT #2 3.5 stars Bid 1: Hollywood @ $75 Bid 2: added Downtown @ $75 Bid 3: added Lawndale @ $85 Bid 4: added Culver City @ $90 REJECTED This is irritating. How on earth did all these people get 3.5* Downtown for $60-$75??? The website says I have a 24 hour wait period (unless I go down to 3 stars, which I don't want). So I guess I will try something tomorrow? Suggestions are appreciated. Thanks, Anthony

Based on all your suggestions, I think I'm going to try the following: 1. $75 for 4* downtown, if fail... 2. $85 for 4* downtown, if fail... 3. $65 for 3.5* downtown. The only 3.5* I don't want is the Marriot because I've been there before and think it's nothing special (but I wouldn't be totally devastated if I got it for $65). Otherwise, I'm fine with any Downtown 3.5* or 4* hotel. Given that strategy, would I need to change my zones during those rebids? LA Zones w/o 3.5* or 4* hotels are listed below (from your forum list): Los Angeles (Culver City) 3* Radisson Westside 2* Extended StayAmerica LAX-- (yes, in this zone) REVIEW Los Angeles - San Fernando Valley (Simi Valley) 3* Grand Vista Los Angeles - San Fernando Valley (Studio City) 3* Radisson Valley Center now a Courtyard, unknown if Priceline participant 2.5* Sportsman Lodge Los Angeles - San Gabriel Valley (Monrovia - Duarte) 3*(??) Four Points Sheraton (3* bidding not currently offered in this zone anymore) 3* Residence Inn Arcadia Thanks!

"I suggest bidding $65 for a 3.5* Downtown. Then add your two free rebids at $70 and $75." Don't I have to change zones to rebid? Or does "free" rebid imply that I can just increase the price a bit? I ask because most zones in LA have 3.5-4* hotels. "$75 almost certainly won't be enough for a 4* in Hollywood. $125-150 would be more realistic." Agreed, but what pricing stages would you give for a 4* downtown? Remember this is a weekend and downtown LA is basically dead on weekends (especially since USC football is away that week). Thanks!

hmmmm. I guess that depends on what hotels are in the 3.5* class. I'm quite unfamiliar with how hotels are rated. My instinct tells me that a 3.5* is perfectly suitable, so I'm tempted to say that that I'd rather stay @ $75 and go to 3.5* i see your list on another post, I've deleted a few hotels from the relevant areas. I'd be perfectly happy staying at any of the below: Los Angeles (Downtown) 4* Hilton Checkers tripadvisor review 4* Omni Hotel tripadvisor 4* Park Hyatt (wrong zone??... same hotel as current Inter-Continental??) 3.5* Westin Bonaventure REVIEW / tripadvisor review 4* Wilshire Grand-- 3.5* Millenium Biltmore (previously 4*) REVIEW / tripadvisor review 3.5* Sheraton Hyatt Regency REVIEW / tripadvisor review Los Angeles (Hollywood) 4* Renaissance (previously 3*) 4* Roosevelt Hotel REVIEW So I guess if I was going to stay Downtown and my initial bid failed, I'd go for one of the 3.5's listed above. I assume by your last post that it is unlikely I'll get any of the 4* hotels at $75, so if I was wanting to stay in HW, I'd have to increase my bid. I guess the three questions I have are: 1. What is the best timing for bidding, assuming that I'm not stressed at all about waiting? 2. What is the lowest winning bid I can expect for one of the 3.5's Downtown on a Fri/Sat? 3. What is the lowest winning bid I can expect for one of the 4's in HW on a Fri/Sat? Thanks!

My priority is finding the best hotel possible for approximately $75 per night, regardless of which area I stay. I am flexible for about $20 in either direction if it means either: 1. a noticeable improvement in hotel, or 2. bigger savings for the same hotel ...but my priority is the aforementioned. Thanks!

I've seen a lot of posts on here for Westin and Omni (Downtown) rates in that price range. I guess those are 3.5-4*? Something like that would be ideal as both hotels are way better than what I'm used to. I suppose it wouldn't surprise me if Hollywood was a bit more expensive on the weekends. In that case, if I were going to stay in Hollywood, I'd probably be willing to downgrade the hotel in an effort to stay in that price range. Thanks for the help!

Hi all, This is my first post since discovering this extremely helpful board. I was hoping to get some veteran advice on using Priceline (or Hotwire, don't care either way) with regards to hotel hunting in Los Angeles. The nights I need a room are Fri & Sat, Oct. 17 & 18, 2008. My preferred location is Downtown, but would also consider Hollywood. Something within stumbling distance of night life ;) I would prefer something in the 3.5-4.5 star range, ideally spending between $75-100 each night. I've seen a lot of posts about success stories, but some information is missing from most of them, such as when the bid was placed in relation to stay and whether or not you can choose a King bed, non-smoking, etc... Any advice before I wing it on my own? Thanks!