acchang4

The hotel didn't have laundry facilities, which earned me a refund. The hotel has a pool, but it was not in HOTWIRE listing. They confirmed this later, but I'm not sure if it would have earned me a refund.

I pulled the trigger. Alas, suspicions that the hotel in question was the SLO Holiday Inn Express were correct. However, I made my case that the amenities were inaccurate. They listed laundry facilities and no pool. To their credit, they said they would check -- but it could take 10 days. When I protested, they expedited, and confirmed the lack of laundry facilities. They offered me $50 Hotwire credit to keep my reservation. I asked if they would raise the compensation, but they declined. I asked them to cancel my reservation. I've decided to try elsewhere. And that's the end of my journey! Shoulda known San Luis Creek was too good to be true. Nevertheless, I think Hotwire comported themselves well (Pending cancellation of my reservation).

What was the name of the 4* and what was your total with taxes?

Oh, that's sneaky. But are you sure? They list an outdoor pool among their amenities, but do not list laundry facilities. San Luis Creek lists laundry facilities I'm very close to pulling the trigger!

I'm back at searching for a hotel in SLO area from Sat Aug 7 to Mon Aug 9. I see a hotel in Hotwire for $134. It features breakfast, fitness, laundry and internet. All other 3* in the area have pools. The only one that doesn't is The San Luis Creek Lodge. I've gone down a level to 2* and checked if any of the those fit the mold, in case Hotwire over-rated. Only the Rodeway Inn and the Los Padres lack pools, but they lack gyms too. So, chances are the Hotwire property is The San Luis Creek Lodge. What do you think?

Indeed, nice job. I had similar dates -- off only by 1 day even -- and could not get a room for $140!

Oh, and I should say: Despite the dead end, I appreciate all the feedback and guidance. Thanks!

Closing off this thread too. I repeated the previous recommended guidelines for PRICELINE, and bid up to $140. No luck. A bid for $145 would have brought me to a total of $335.28. There's a 4* on hotwire that's going for $146/night or $335.70 total. Not much of a difference! Going with PRICELINE, I could get one of the four 4* in Monterey. However, I wanted to avoid the Hyatt, which is further inland. The one on Hotwire says oceanfront, so I thought Hotwire would be the better choice. The Hotwire choice also says pool, which eliminates the Monterey Plaza -- leaving us with the Portola or the Intercontinental. The Portola shows up more often, so I'm guessing that's the Hotwire choice. I decided not to go with the Portola... the TripAdvisor reviews are only so-so. Right now, I'm leaning towards retail or Hotels.com. The Best Western Victorian Inn is lower stars, but higher rated, and would put me around the same price. Or the De Anza or Colton Inns, which are also lower stars but higher rated, but a little more out of town.

Closing off this thread too. I repeated the previous recommended guidelines for Priceline, and bid up to $140. No luck. A bid for $145 would have brought me to a total of $335.28. There's a 4* on hotwire that's going for $146/night or $335.70 total. Not much of a difference! Going with Priceline, I could get one of the four 4* in Monterey. However, I wanted to avoid the Hyatt, which is further inland. The one on Hotwire says oceanfront, so I thought Hotwire would be the better choice. The Hotwire choice also says pool, which eliminates the Monterey Plaza -- leaving us with the Portola or the Intercontinental. The Portola shows up more often, so I'm guessing that's the Hotwire choice. I decided not to go with the Portola... the TripAdvisor reviews are only so-so. Right now, I'm leaning towards retail or Hotels.com. The Best Western Victorian Inn is lower stars, but higher rated, and would put me around the same price. Or the De Anza or Colton Inns, which are also lower stars but higher rated, but a little more out of town.

Update -- I bid as advised, up to $125 in Monterey. Still no luck, alas. I'll try up to $150 in another 24 hours, or resort to HOTWIRE. I will update. Thanks!

Closing this thread -- I've finally booked this portion of my trip. I decided to go with a PRICELINE special, Somerset Inn for $109/night. I tried bidding the same price ($110) for a 3* in the area, but was turned down. I did not feel comfortable going lower in star rating, since hotels there can be so variable, and would thus be a bit of a risk. I didn't think it was worth the extra cash for a 3*. After all, I was hoping for $100/night! I'm pretty comfortable with this choice, especially since I know what it is and there's a flexible cancellation policy. I'm staying hopeful that I'm right! Thanks for the guidance!

Oh, I didn't know it was important to use the links for searches too! I thought only for purchases. Y'all have been such great help, I will do so. About identifying properties, do you guys just use TripAdvisor stats? I've been cross-checking features with Hotels.com and the assembled lists on this site. If that's all it takes, I suppose I can stop asking and do the work myself... at least until I get stumped! That said, a property I had my eye on previously has returned, if only for one day. I found it upon Colfax's suggestion that I break up the days. It's tempting -- lots of features, and not a bad price. Any ideas what it might be? 2* Pismo Beach Condo for 8/8 to 8/9 with resort, near beach, studio, smoke-free, daily housekeeping, pool and front desk. $119. (85% recommended)

Phew, still working on this reservation... haven't even gotten to the Monterey portion of this trip yet. The good news is, prices seem to be dropping. The 2.5* in Pismo Beach that was $164 is now $124. But since suspicions are that it's a Holiday Inn Express, I don't think I'll make the bid. Instead, can you help with another that's shown up? Pismo Beach - Shell Beach area Hotel, 2*, $96. Near beach, no smoking, and Internet. The 2* level in Pismo beach varies wildly, so I'd like to get a definitive ID before I bid. Otherwise, I might go retail .*gulp!*

Can you help identify this HOTWIRE hotel for the same area? Pismo Beach - Shell Beach area Hotel 2.5* -- Breakfast, pool, internet -- $164 95% recommended in HOTWIRE reviews

Thanks for the explanation of the re-bids and the tip on the 3* in Carmel via Hotwire. You're right -- the Carmel Inn and Suites has a pretty low rating (#14 out of 14 in Tripadvisor). I guess I can do a little better in Monterey for a 4*... Maybe $125 for a maximum bid? Let me see if I got the hang of this. My bidding strategy would then be this? 4* Monterey 100 + Carmel $110 + Marina $120 + Pac Grove $125

More data points here, as I'm still trying to book two nights for this area: 3* SLO 80 + Pismo 90 + Morro 100 - No luck 2.5 Pismo 105 + Morro 120 - End

Wooh, spent an hour on PRICELINE, no luck! I will try from a higher starting point tomorrow. I did as advised: Select Carmel-Carmel Valley and bid $50 for 3* Add Pacific Grove and bid $55 If rejected close browser and reaccess PRICELINE. Bid $50 for 3* in Monterey Add Pacific Grove and bid $55 If rejected close browser and reaccess PRICELINE. Select Carmel-Carmel Valley AND Monterey and bid $60 for 3* Add Pacific Grove and bid $65 Then I went in my own direction: Monterey 4* $80 + Carmel $85 + Pacific Grove $90 Monterey 3.5* - $80 + Carmel $85 + Marina $90 + Pac Grove $95 Monterey 3* - $85 + Carmel $90 Monterey 4* $95 - duplicate request Added Marina $95 - duplicate request went to Monterey, Carmel, Pac Grove 3* - $95 ... rejected come to think of it, those last series of 3* bids for Monterey should have been dismissed as duplicate requests, but funny they weren't. Just as a benchmark, I went to hotwire to see comparables: 4* in Monterey for $139 near beach, oceanfront, no smoking, exercise room, pool, restaurant, biz ctr, Internet 3* in Carmel for $112 with breakfast, pool, Internet, golf 3* in Pacific Grove for $129 with boutique, no smoking, breakfast, internet, golf So my next strategy will probably be: Monterey 4* - $95 + Carmel - $100 + drop to 3.5* - $105 + Seaside - $110 + Pac Grove $115 restart Monterey 3* - $90 + Carmel - $95 + Seaside - $100 + Pac Grove $105 At this point, it's probably not worth the effort... the 3* in Carmel for $112 in HOTWIRE seems like a decent pick. Anyone have an idea what it might be? Thanks for the help so far!

Cool, thanks! I guess I'll start with #2.

Thanks for the feedback guys! I don't have a preference between Monterey and Carmel. Most of the stuff we're aiming to do will be with the car (17-mile drive, Point Lobos, the Aquarium and visiting Santa Cruz) so I think either will be ok. Given the choice, I'd prefer a 4* in Monterey for $100 over a 3* in Carmel for $75, but if it were a 3* in Carmel for $80 versus a 3* in Monterey for $85, I'd gladly do Carmel for less.

Shoot, the condo was there when I checked this afternoon, back to $119. It's no longer there. It seemed like a pretty good deal, maybe someone snatched it up.

I'd like to do better than the America's Best Value Inn and Suites! It's good to know LMT's 3* is actually a PRICELINE 1*. Does this apply in general, that LMT's ratings are "easier"? I'd prefer a PRICELINE 3*. I'm willing to bid on PRICELINE for a 3* or 4* ... can you explain what you mean by "pay a little more to have an educated guess as to the property"? Does that mean HOTWIRE?

Oh yes, my apologies. Sloppy post -- forgive me. I searched HOTWIRE for 8/7 to 8/9. We plan to stay in the SLO area for only two days. Then we'll head up to Monterey (thanks for your response there too!)

My girlfriend and I are planning a Highway 1 road trip from Aug 7 to Aug 11. I was hoping to find a nice place to stay in the San Luis Obispo - SLO area for around $100. It's a weekend, so I know I'm facing some challenges -- but I've also found some options, and I was hoping y'all could help give me some idea before I make a move. I'd like to stay close to the coast, so Pismo Beach is my first preference, Morro Bay less so because it's more of a working waterfront, and SLO least of all because it's a bit city. Smaller areas like Cambria and San Simeon are somewhere in the middle. To wit, I've come across: 2* Pismo Beach Hotel with pool and laundry for $124 (70% recommended) - Holiday Inn? 3* Morro Bay Hotel near beach, no smoking, pools, restaurant, Internet and golf for $129 (60% recommended) - Embarcadero Inn? and most intriguing of all 2* Pismo Beach Condo with resort, near beach, studio, smoke-free, daily housekeeping, pool and front desk. It was $119, but seems to have risen to $139. (85% recommended) Also lastminutetravel has a 3* hotel in Pismo Beach for as low as $87. Is there any way to find out what that is, or if it's worth it? Thanks!

Hi there, I'm booking a summer road trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco with my girlfriend, and I'd like to spend two nights in Monterey from 8/9 to 8/11. I was hoping y'all could help me find for the best deal at around $100. A look at HOTWIRE reveals: 3* Carmel area hotel with breakfast, pool, Internet and Golf for $109. I think this may be the Carmel Mission Inn. 3* Pacific Grove area hotel with boutique, no smoking, breakfast, Internet and golf for $133. Lastminutetravel.com also reveals a 3-star hotel for $88 in Monterey, but no other details. All of those could be fine by me, since we'll have a car -- but I'm open to other options too, so I was wondering if Priceline might turn up a better deal. Can you suggest a bidding strategy? Thanks!

Bid accepted! 4* USW -- Parc 55, for $90 a night. Not the place I'd set my hopes on, but it looks like a good deal, so I'm happy. Thanks!