spiffycalgal

I appreciate that Betterbidding is still available as a resource! It's been awhile since I've used Hotwire. I need to book a room for this weekend (Fri-Sun) and this hotel (I know it's the Crowne Plaza) was available for $70/night yesterday. Looked again today and it's now $95/night. Kicking myself for not completing the booking when it was $70. What are the chances that prices might drop before Friday, or should I suck it up and book it at $95 (or risk it going up even more)? Attracted to this particular hotel because it has free parking and isn't too far from Downtown. Don't want to pay an arm and a leg for parking on top of what I'm paying for hotel.

Used the BB HOTWIRE $15 off link. Very pleased with this rate! Hotel amenities Pet friendly, Smoke-free rooms, Fitness center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business center, Internet access, Golf nearby, Spa services, Children's activities, Accessible for hearing impaired, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Accessible parking, Roll-in shower Price summary (USD) Room price: 120.00 (120.00 per night) Taxes and fees: 31.68 Promo code: - 15.00 Total (USD): 136.68

Got a room thru Betterbidding's HOTWIRE link for the $15 off coupon. Glad to snag a good deal, considering there will likely be a World Series game in LA that day! 4-star New To Hotwire Hotel in L.A. Live - Staples Center area 95% recommend Amazing! Hotel Indigo Los Angeles Downtown 889 Francisco Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015 Amenities: Free Internet, Pet friendly, Boutique hotel, Smoke-free rooms, Fitness center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business center, Internet access Price summary Room $151.00 ($151.00 per night x 1 night x 1 room) Coupon applied$15.00 Taxes & fees$39.24 Trip total (USD)$175.24 Trip total per night (USD)$175.24

4.5-star hotel in Downtown Los Angeles area 90% recommended Favorite! Love It! Amenities: Pet friendly, Smoke-free rooms, Fitness center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business center, Internet access, Golf nearby, Spa services, Children's activities Accessibility: Accessible for hearing impaired, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Accessible parking, Roll-in shower Price summary Room: $153.00 ($153.00 per night x 1 night x 1 room) Taxes & fees: $39.97 Trip total (USD): $192.97 Trip total per night (USD): $192.97

Used BB's Hotwire link to book. Rate per night $86.00 Subtotal $86.00 Tax recovery charges + fees $21.80 Hotwire total $107.80

Attempted to get a 4* in Pasadena (hoping for the Westin Pasadena) for 7/18-7/21. Used BB's Priceline link. Started with 4* Pasadena at $70. Added other areas that don't have anything higher than a 3* or 3.5* each time (Hermosa Beach/Redondo, LAX-East/Inglewood, Miracle Mile/Koreatown/Mid-City, and Santa Monica) and bid 75-80-85-88. Might try again later with other combinations of areas. Want to stay under $100 if I can.

Wyndham Chelsea 201 Everett Avenue, Chelsea,MA,02150 Check-in Sat, Nov 3, 2012, 3:00 PM Check-out Sun, Nov 4, 2012, 12:00 PM Rate per night: $98.00 Nights: 1 Rooms: 1 Tax recovery charges & fees: $21.27 Subtotal: $119.27 Trip total: $119.27 Amenities Free Parking Indoor pool(s) Airport Shuttle Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center Accessible for the blind Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Accessible bathroom Handicapped parking Roll-in shower

Howard Johnson Plaza - Portland 155 Riverside Portland, ME, 04103 Check-in: Tue, Nov 6, 2012 Check-out: Wed, Nov 7, 2012 Hotel Rate per night: $58.00 Nights: 1 Rooms: 1 Tax recovery charges & fees: $10.39 Subtotal: $68.39 Trip total:$68.39 Amenities: Free Parking Free Internet Indoor pool(s) Airport Shuttle Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center Laundry Facilities (self-service) High-Speed Internet Access Accessible for the blind Accessible for the deaf Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Accessible bathroom Handicapped parking Roll-in shower

Thanks so much; I re-bid and got the Park Inn by Radisson at $47. It looks like this property recently converted from a Four Points Sheraton to the Park Inn by Radisson. TripAdvisor reviews are mixed.

I added Pinedale-UC Fresno last because it is my least favorite. I hadn't thought about overpaying for this zone. I'd prefer to stay in Fresno proper and wouldn't mind spending up to $60. Thanks

Tried to bid for a 3* in Fresno with no luck (yet). Used BB's PRICELINE link. Fresno has four neighborhoods on Priceline: Clovis, Fresno, Fresno West and Pinedale-UC Fresno. Only two of these neighborhoods have 3* hotels (Fresno and Pinedale-UC Fresno). My bidding strategy: Fresno - 3* - $35 - failed Added Fresno West (kept at 3*) - $38 - failed Added Clovis (kept at 3*) - $41 - failed Added Pinedale-UC Fresno (kept at 3*) - $44 - failed Will try again in 24 hours.

You might consider the Marin Headlands hostel, located inside a national park on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. They have special rates for family dorm rooms. It's clean and lovely. You can drive to San Francisco or take the ferry from Sausalito. There may be other public transit options. Their website has all the info. http://norcalhostels.org/marin/rates/ As far as staying at a Courtyard-like hotel for less than $100/night... that may be tough unless you stay out in the 'burbs. Considering you're only going to be around for two days, the time you spend getting to/from San Francisco from the 'burbs might not be worth the savings. Gas, toll, parking and the aggravation of driving in San Francisco will cost you. And a BART ride from the 'burbs for six people will be pricey ($9-11/person round trip) as well. You should factor these costs into your decision-making. You should check out the hotels in South San Francisco (near SFO airport). Those are about a 20-minute BART ride from Downtown San Francisco. I especially like the Larkspur Landing Hotel (very similar to a Courtyard, but nicer). Their 1-bedroom suites might work well for your family because the couch in the living room pulls out and is like a queen bed. They have locations in other Bay Area suburbs (Pleasanton and Milpitas) but those locations are a tad far. Hope this helps you!

$70. Got it on my first try thanks to BB. Used BB's PRICELINE link to bid. I called the Westin and the Pasadena Hilton to inquire about their parking fees before bidding. The Westin has self-parking for $9 (no in/out privileges) and $14 for valet while the Hilton charged $18 for self-parking and $23 for valet. So glad the nicer hotel has cheaper parking!

This was a last-minute booking so I didn't have a whole lot of time to research and strategize. I started out trying to bid for hotels Downtown (started at $70 and ended up at $90for 4* and 3*) and was rejected so I waited a day and settled for a 3* by the airport. I should have started lower (not sure why I picked $61) since other folks on BB have gotten this hotel at $47. In any event, $61 was still a good deal compared to the hotel's website rate ($130+). Used BB's PRICELINE link. Courtyard By Marriott Midway Airport 6610 S Cicero Avenue Bedford Park, IL 60638 708-563-0200 Check-In: Friday, November 11, 2011-03:00 PM Check-Out: Sunday, November 13, 2011-12:00 PM Summary of Charges Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $61.00 (USD) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Guests Per Room: 2 Number of Nights: 2 Room Subtotal: $122.00 (USD) Taxes and Fees: $27.04 (USD) Total Room Cost: $149.04 (USD)

Used BB's HOTWIRE link: Hyatt Santa Barbara Check-in: Sun, Nov 20, 2011 Check-out: Tue, Nov 22, 2011 Amenities Near Beach Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) High-Speed Internet Access Spa Services Hotel Rate per night: $118.00 Nights: 2 Rooms: 2 Tax recovery charges & fees: $65.99 Subtotal: $537.99 Trip total: $537.99

My back-up was St. Christophers Inn at Mosaic House, which is supposed to be a very nice hostel. I had reserved a private room with bathroom ensuite but realized after I booked it that their rate is $56 PER PERSON rather than PER ROOM. There's no way I'm paying $112/night for two people for a room at a hostel. So I cancelled the reservation at St. Christophers and made one at Movenpick instead. I reserved a room through Movenpick's website for 440 euro, the price for 5 nights under the "stay 3, get 1 free" deal. It comes out to roughly $128/night. Found a better deal on Venere.com where the same room only cost 371 euro. I e-mailed Movenpick to take advantage of their "best price guarantee" deal and they matched the price and gave me an extra discount, bringing it down to 341 euro for 5 nights, making it about $98/night. This is more than I want to pay for a room at Movenpick (knowing ppl have recently gotten it on PL for $40) but it's a rate I can live with if all else fails. But I'd rather spend the $98 (or a little bit more) for a 5*, more centrally located room... or get a 4* for substantially less. [bTW, I looked at Hotwire and they have a 5* room at what appears to be the Mamaison Riverside Hotel Prague for $114/night. Looked at the hotel's website and direct booking is $128/night. Taxes and fees on the Hotwire price bring it up to $129/night. Not a "deal" at all.]

Yesterday, I tried bidding for a 4* room in all zones but west (wanted to avoid Hotel Bellevue) at $85, $90, $95 and didn't get anything. Given the postings on BB, I figured there was not going to be a huge price difference between a 4* and 5* in Vienna so I started over today and bid $105, $110, and won at $115. I am pleased with the price and location of this hotel. Of course, used BB's PRICELINE link. Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $115.00 (USD) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Guests Per Room: 2 Number of Nights: 6 Room Subtotal: $690.00 (USD) Taxes and Fees: $99.12 (USD) Total Room Cost: $789.12 (USD)

Just realized I put down the wrong dates. The stay is for 10/7 - 10/14, not 10/1 - 10/7.

Used BB's PRICELINE link and got $65/night on the first try. I am one very happy camper. :) Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $65.00 (USD) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Guests Per Room: 2 Number of Nights: 7 Room Subtotal: $455.00 (USD) Taxes and Fees: $116.48 (USD) Total Room Cost: $571.48 (USD)

Still no luck. I've tried rebidding several times, going up to $65. I've booked a room elsewhere just in case and will re-bid in a week or so and see what happens.

Thanks, much. I re-bid again (using the PRICELINE link) at $48 and then $51 and both bids were rejected. Will keep trying!

Per recent winning bids on this forum, I tried to get the 4* Movenpick - Prague (West) for $40/night. Used BetterBidding's PRICELINE link for bidding. Attempt #1: Chose 5* and 4* hotels in Prague (West) and $40 bid was rejected. Attempt #2: Chose 5* and 4* hotels and added Prague (East) and $45 bid was rejected. Interestingly, I went to the hotel's website and checked out their rates for various dates (including the dates when another BetterBidding.com traveler was able to get a room @ $40/night, which is just a few days before my trip) and the prices quoted for those dates was the same as for my travel dates-- $128/night. What gives? :) I don't want to go down to 3* and risk getting the Hotel Albion, as the TripAdvisor reviews for this hotel are lackluster. Planning to try bidding again in 24 hours.

AUS (Austin Bergstrom Airport) 7/1 - 7/4 $15/day - $89.30 incl. taxes and fees Hotwire's lowest rate was $101. I looked at a bunch of car rental websites using Costco's codes and they were all at least $110, so I'm a happy camper.

I placed a $45 bid for a 4* in SFO and was rejected. I selected 4* and 3* in SFO and bid $47 and was accepted. Same hotel was offered on Hotwire for $61, and the hotel's website has it going for $95. Holiday Inn Sfo Intl Arpt San Francisco Airport (SFO) 275 South Airport Blvd South San Francisco, California 94080 Your Offer Price: $47.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $47.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $14.04 Total Charges*: $61.04 Amenities: Television Radio Alarm Clock Business Services Telephone with Voicemail Iron and Ironing Board Hairdryer 24 Hour Front Desk Restaurant Room Service

Hilton San Francisco Financial District 750 Kearny St. San Francisco, California 94108 (415) 433-6600 1 room(s) @ $103.00 per night x 1 night(s) $103.00 Hotel Taxes and fees: $21.31 Hotel Subtotal $124.31 Total Price $124.31 Some hotels may apply additional charges for incidental fees such as parking. Prices are in $USD I checked the Hilton website and their internet rate was $199 for the same night. :) Amenities: Restaurant, Fitness Center, Spa Services, Business Center, High-Speed Internet Access, Laundry Facilties. I had tried to bid for hotels in the USE and USW area for the same weekend a few months ago Previous post and didn't have much luck getting something within my price range. Glad I waited and continued to search for the best deal. The Hilton is just a few blocks away from where I need to be in Union Square, so it works out well.