downlikedisco

this is hard to answer because if i was visiting the city personally i would be choosing the same two areas that you already have, and i would fork over more money to stay in them. our transit system to me seems so archaic in comparison to places like nyc. the subway service and some bus routes shut down completely between 2am and 6am. streetcars might seem like a fun way of traveling, but are constantly at the mercy of traffic congestion, accidents, etc. there are hotels in further out zones that might be near transit, but you're looking at a minimum of 30+ minutes to get downtown from any of them it seems. toronto west seemed like an option, though puzzling because almost the entire zone is comprised of high park. the hotel listed to be in this zone is the four points which is literally right beside the expressway with fairly undesirable reviews. as for the views, definitely scratch the 360 restaurant off your list, but you might enjoy the views from the observation decks. the film festival might squash more then a cheap hotel deal for you. most impressive rooftop views are hotels (thompson, park hyatt..) and unless you are bono's "+1" you will have a difficult time getting on them. at least in the later afternoon/evening hours. wish i could help more, but have no knowledge when it comes to restricted rooftops and how to get on them.

there is unfortunately no speedy direct public transportation service from pearson to downtown toronto. if you choose to take public transit, it will involve a bus ride (airport route, meaning most people will be travelling with luggage of some sort) to the subway and then a subway ride to the downtown area. it's definitely an option, but i would caution taking this route during morning rush hour with any sort of luggage. you'd be better off looking into a hotel shuttle, or forking over the $45+ dollars for a taxi. the film festival will definitely make this a challenging time to find a bargain! at least you will be arriving during the closing portion of the festival as most stars seem to trickle out of the city as the final weekend approaches. most of the downtown core is as safe as any large urban city. there are some less desirable pockets in the eastern part of the downtown north zone, but relatively few hotels there that i can think of. you can get a weekly pass for the ttc (our transit system) for $36. a day pass is $10. on weekends and stat holidays the day pass is good for either a single person, two adults, or two adults and up to 4 children. the cn tower is of course the most popular observation lookout. if you're looking for fine dining, you can eat in the revolving 360 restaurant on top of the cn tower, but it's not cheap! entree's are at least $40+. the horizons cafe (also at the cn tower) is a on a separate level and a little more affordable ($20+ a plate). the other popular place that i can think of is the 180 panorama at the manulife centre. plates are $10+, cocktails $10-$15 and i believe it's open much later than the cn tower if you're looking for a late night drink/bite to eat. hope any of this has been helpful. enjoy the city!

Just wanted to follow up. After seeing the low rate on Hotwire, my partner decided to give Priceline a try with some similar bids. We started with a 4* bid in MTE at $110, which was not accepted. We then tried a 3* bid in the MSG area for $100 and that was immediately accepted by the new(ish) Four Points by Sheraton Midtown-Times Square. We are familiar with the area, and it should work quite well for our needs. Not sure if I should repost an entirely new thread on the Priceline forum, or if this thread can be moved over there? Thanks again for the help!

I had a feeling this was an unreported property. My concern is the discrepancy between the price and the traveller rating. Would Hotwire ever provide an accommodation where the TripAdvisor ratings were different from what was actually the case? I would definitely not go forward with this if it could potentially result in a lower star level/trip advisor rating. I have used PRICELINE before, but never HOTWIRE, so I'm not sure how valid my concern is. Our plans are slightly unconfirmed, but I will report back. Thanks again!

Wondering what this hotel might be. Seeing it for the dates 06/19/10 - 06/21/10 3* Chelsea/MSG non smoking, fitness, restaurant and business centre. 20+ reviews on trip advisor, with rating of 4/5. Apologies if it's been ID'd already! Thanks in advance! :)

It took a few days, and we had to watch the prices rise on Hotwire, but our bid was finally accepted. We were looking to stay in either the MSG or Chelsea area. Started bidding with MSG and Chelsea at 2.5* and up with bids up to $110. All rejected. Bid again tonight $115 for 3* MSG and was given counter-offer for $22 increase. Declined and bid for 3* Chelsea at $115, rejected. Added MSG for $120 and that was accepted for the New Yorker hotel. Wish we could have scored the hotel for cheaper like some others have recently, but we were not able to confirm our dates until Sunday and the hotel prices for (I suspected) the New Yorker on HOTWIRE jumped almost $30/night since last Friday! Used the PRICELINE links, as usual :)

My lack of patience got the best of me, so after about 2 weeks of unsuccessful bids I went up to our max of $150 and got the Wyndham Garden Hotel Times Square South. This is the exact hotel that we were hoping for, so I am quite pleased with the outcome. The rack rates for our dates at this particular hotel are about $250 per night, so the discount is not as big as what others seem to be reporting for other properties. I bid today 3.5* MSG $145, rejected. Added 3* MSG $150, accepted. Used the links, as always!

The back-up reservation (via Quickbook) is at the Hampton Inn Chelsea (6th & 24th). It was $192 per night, and after looking into the favorable reviews on trip advisor, it seemed like the cheapest 'best' deal I could find. The pro's for this hotel would be the location (walkable to penn station, near a few subway lines/a path station) and that it includes complimentary internet and breakfast. It is only a 2* property, but we're not interested in room service, indoor pools, or overpriced bars/restaurants. Using the hotel list not as a definitive guide, but as a reference, the rack rate various hotels in the areas that I am interested in range from $250 to $330 and beyond. With that in mind, I'm guessing that unless inventory changes..a bid of $150 would be the very minimum that would be accepted right now. I could be wrong (and I hope I am!).

I have been trying for about a week now to bid for something in the 3, 3.5 or 4 star range. My bids are probably too low, considering the going rates for these dates. I have been trying to "lowball" as much as possible, as I have to take into account the currency conversion. In case it's of use to anyone else trying for these dates, here is a breakdown of my bidding process thus far: First attempts were single day bids for 3.5 and 3 star MSG (this area works the best for our plans). Have bid now up to $140 with no luck. Bid 4 star MTE, ESB, TS (using 5 free rebids) up to $145, no luck. Bid 4 star SoHo (added other areas, free rebids) up to $145, no luck. Bid 3.5 star for MSG, MTE and ESB (using 3 free rebids) up to $145 , no luck. Was not given any counter offer for these bids either. Right now I've noticed a refundable backup in Chelsea for $197(+taxes+conversion)/night, but am still slightly hopeful that I can win something less than that on Priceline. Any advice would be appreciated. I know the waiting game is risky, so at some point we're going to have to cough up the cash and deal with these rates! Ideally we would like to max at $150. This is probably unrealistic at this point. Our area goals/star level minimums: 3* MSG, Chelsea 3.5* MSG, MTE, ESB 4* TS, MTE, ESB, possibly SoHo

Bid last night for downtown Ottawa using the dates 08/01/09 - 08/03/09 for 4* up to $60 with no success. Then bid *3.5 (again, downtown) up to $55 with no success. Bid again this morning with different dates for 4* (downtown) for $65 and that was accepted! Might have been worth starting lower, but I'm happy with the price!

Thanks for the advice! We followed the strategy given, and our first bid of $55 was accepted for the Courtyard by Marriott (Tremont). I am taking the trip advisor reviews with a grain of salt, especially given the price we are paying. We used the PRICELINE link. Thanks again!

I would very much appreciate some insight and advice regarding a bidding strategy for a first time Boston trip. I am not at all familiar with the different zones, but after some brief investigation have seen some decent wins for both the Copley Square and Faneuil Hill areas. We will not have a car, and will be relying on public transportation. Our only confirmed activity so far is to take in a game at Fenway. We are not picky about fancy hotels and amenities. So long as we are in a safe area and within reasonable distance of public transit (a pub or two wouldn't hurt either!) we will be more than satisfied. Basically we don't need a 4 star hotel and would definitely be interested in a lower star rating if it meant staying within our desired budget. In sum: Our dates are Tuesday May 19th to Thursday May 21. We are arriving via bus from NYC. Preferably a maximum bid of $80 per night. Would like a minimum star level of 3, but would definitely consider lower level if the chances of a real dive with bedbugs was slim. Thanks in advance for the help. Will definitely be using the PRICELINE link!

First time PRICELINE user here! Thought we'd make a last minute effort to find a room in Manhattan for our trip this weekend, and we ended up with a room at the Grand Hyatt for $180/night. I've seen some lower prices being reported, but I still feel like we scored a good deal here. Especially considering our other booked room was in Jersey City for an even higher price. Definitely going to use this board and PRICELINE again! One question to any Priceline experts out there. Will there be any more upcoming fee's or 'there's the catch...' issues? I don't know why anyone would pay full price for a room when this kind of thing exists.