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4* PVR 5/3-5/10 Fiesta Americana $58 I had tried several days this week at $55 and resort, added 4* and $58 -- hit first try. HOTWIRE was showing a 4* at $77 -- not sure if it was Westin or Sheraton. m

Excellent price -- great hotel. I usually find my airfare first then nab the property -- airfare deltas can easily swamp any hotel deal. good luck. m

Wow -- you are going to love that place for $82/night I'm heading at the end of July 28-Aug 1 I'd love to get that at $82 for then -- but nothing is hitting, even up to $100 for resorts. May have to wait until the last minute. I paid $123/nt for the Gran Melia (through an offer on Sol Melia Club) 2 years ago -- everything was awesome -- note pool gets very hot -- drinks were typical 4* pricey. We never ate there. Expect a lot of steps going up from the Kulcankan Blvd -- so be prepared. All in all -- you did fantastic. m

To be clear -- there are two Hilton's in the central area -- to the best I understand there is the Hilton Munich (which is supposedly more Central) and Hilton Munich Park -- which is next to the Englischer Garden Park. The address is here M

There is a Trade Show going on the later part of the week that is setting hotel rates through the roof. No other rate was even close for 3* and above....... Hotel Amenities Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) High-speed Internet Access m

Does anyone know what is going on that weekend that would have the entire city booked? If there is a part of town to avoid I just want to be prepared -- :-) m

well -- it's not for the faint of heart -- but basically you place a bid for a 4* for the area you want to be in. Any 4* could hit -- you don't have the choice of which to choose. There are things called a free-rebid zone -- basically PL has zones that define an area -- NYC has about 9 of them, in this case 2 of them do not have 4* offerings at this time -- these are considered free rebid zones as they can be added to your bid choices for 4* allowing you to bid again -- but they will not show up. One has to be careful to know -- at any time PL could add a 4* there, and they could then accept your bid and you would be stuck in that zone. Another thing to note - is some folks bid for lower * ratings, PL is free to award you a higher * rating if they desire at your Bid price -- so you need to realize that free-rebid zones do not include zones which have hotels at ratings above your requested level. Got all that -- Ok so now onto your next Q -- I want to extend my stay -- there are two methods (well maybe more -- but only 2 under PL (bribery is not one of them)) Up to a certain point -- you might get the choice to add a night -- there is no guarantee your price will be approved -- but I do believe that they will give you the same hotel you are in if your bid is acceptable. Search on this board or check the PL FAQs for adding a night Alternatively -- you can bid for follow on nights as seperate bids - however you might get a different hotel completely. A few years back I bid for rooms in San Diego for a business trip - a colleague's wife was flying out later in the week and they wanted to extend their visit. The front desk would have none of it -- So my colleague had his wife PL from back home -- they got they same hotel -- but the front desk made them change rooms. I have in the past bid using the concierges computer for the same very hotel to extend my visit, or to get the hotel for a night on my return as I ended up knowing my flight was arriving later than planned and I didn't want to drive home. In these instances it is a calculated gamble - and you have to be willing to change hotels if another finds your bid to be acceptable. I'm sure this and more information can be found throughout this website -- you'll soon find yourself bookmarking it for sure. m

Having no luck for 2 months bidding on PL for NYC. Needed a back up plan -- used the Quickbook and secured the Mela Hotel at $252/nt. Way more than I'd care to pay (I'm cheap!) -- but I'll take it as it appears to be a great price compared to anything else Ive seen on a ton of sites. I'm still hoping to find something that works better -- but I can live with this if I have to. Only 48hrs left on my window to cancel..... so the clock is ticking. thanks to this site -- I at least have options. m

Was hoping for DoubleTree as that had been the only 3* showing up. Classic Shell bidding -- even when you think you know -- you don't! used HOTWIRE link John F. Kennedy Intl Airport JFK - Jamaica Midscale Hotel Amenities: Airport Shuttle, Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business Center, Laundry Facilities Internet

I would say yes -- but not for the reason you state. What I have seen is that Priceline can be cheaper than Hotwire for the same inventory. I don't know how it works behind the scenes. But let me speculate that if the Embassy Suites releases inventory to Priceline and Hotwire they'll do so at some (probably very similar) price point - -and it has nothing to do with the star rating on those sites. Either by contract, or maybe by the shells themselves, the end price differs. It is likely that the $$ coming into Embassy Suites are similar. Just my casual opinion, Mike

Will be flying into JFK -- don't land until 10PM would it be wiser to get a hotel near JFK, then transfer to Jersey City next day? what is the best way to get from JFK to Jersey City? BTW, good to note that the rack rate was $309 and HW had what is likely the Hyatt at $117 for 4/22. m

FYI, I've been rejected up to 90 3* Jersey City for 4/27-4/29, and the rates for the hyatt have been consistant at 199/249 for Fri/Sat for at least 2 weeks (checking every other day). Wed/Thurs are $349/nt each M

Bummer that $101 didn't hit the Hyatt -- I'm travelling the same weekend and I've been eyeing that but have not had much success so far Playing PL chicken at the moment. mike

While I can say from personal experience - my research here and other places suggest that the Jersey City -- and the Hyatt in particular are good off Island accomadations with good access via PATH (across the street) Do a search on Hyatt on the Hudson. I might be staying there doing the same thing the following week depending on how the bidding on the island and Jersey City goes. So the real question is -- How much would I have to save to cover the hastles and transportation costs to stay in Jersey City? How long does it take to go from the Hyatt to say Central Park? m

You might consider splitting your stay. What I mean by that -- if the last day is causing issues for booking normally, it will also cause issues with Priceline. You can bid up to Thursday through priceline and then either book the same hotel conventionally (ouch! but better to pay for one night at higher rates, than your whole stay) or priceline and expect to move hotels -- but just for that one night. mike

Well I'm jealous :-) You should more than be able to meet your financhial limitations, you could practically do that with rack rates. THEREUARE will be a great asset with New York -- read his some of his notes here..... NYC PL Zones I can't seem to find his general notes on NYC -- I'm sure he'll chime in himself. Also take the time to understand how priceline and effective bidding works. You might save enough money on hotels alone to take 12 weeks instead of 8 -- and then I'd really be envious :-) Link to General Priceline Discussions

For historical purposes -- The Hyatt.com rates for FRI 4/20 & SAT 4/21 are $169 & 179 respectively. (Thurs 4/19 is $349). I'm leaning towards pulling the same splitting game the following weekend. However the rates there are 349/199/249 at the moment. mike

There is a HW hotel at Newark Airport for 3.5 starts at $49/nt Is it reasonable to stay there and rent a car and do Manhatten each day? Surely even if paying parking and rental car and a little driving, that has to pan out reasonable compared to $200/nt on the island? 2 adults and a 7yr old just there for food/fun/and sightseeing. thoughts? M

Ok -- wow -- sticker shock -- The most I've paid for a 4* was $90 in Downtown San Fran -- I figured NYC would be a little pricier -- but........ Might have to make me a shanty to sleep under -- but the wife won't be too thrilled with that option :-) hmmmm, Mike

What do you mean by based on current pricing? What pricing -- I'll be traveling there on the same dates. thanks, mike

I'm assuming you have played with combinations of dates beween 8/20 and 8/24 starts on the hilton.com site. From experience - if the rate on the website gets to $109 -- $60 seems to hit. Can you play around and see what date combinations on hilton.com are lowest. As far as splitting hotel rooms -- I have yet to see any other resort (since the Wyndham got booted from resort level) hit anywhere near $60 other than the Hilton. So I would guess you would be safe breaking up you days. However do keep in mind -- I think PL charges something like $6.95 per successful bid. You might want to book something cancelable -- and still work on PL -- you're running low on time - but you still have a few days left. I've even used hotel computers to connect to PL and extend my stays in the past :-) So as long as you are before 6pm of the day you are bidding for -- you can use PL. m

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They are not available via name your own price -- they can sometimes be found under vacation packages. Many of the (resort?) properties offered in Cancun via PL do have all inclusives, but you can not specify all inclusive -- although you might be able to buy an all inclusive add-on at the front desk. I doubt you will obtain priceline like savings on their front desk AI upgrades :-) I personally have not found AI to be cost effective -- especially in Cancun where there is an abundance of dining choices. YMMV mike

been trying every 3 days -- Resort to $80, 5* to $111. Nothing yet. m

I want to say it was $62 or $63. sorry I did not keep explicit track. I was doing this for someone else and they were getting antsy. mike