flyme2

Well, I guess I won't be enjoying any surf and sand this time 'round, especially at this 2* airport property. I just needed a bed to get a few hours shut eye while I waited for an early flight after a late arrival. Those HNL connections to Asia can be brutal. Because I'm a cheap SOB, I thought I'd bid a buck lower than the lowest winning bid, and I won. I guess I'll treat myself to a pack of gum. Your Offer Price: $49.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $49.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $13.31 Total Charges: $62.31 Best rate I found on Best Western's own site was $95 ($105.87 all in), so I saved $43.56. Now, maybe I'll buy a Mai-Tai to celebrate. My hats off to thereuare for his tireless efforts. I used the S-B link to help out.

I wanted to stay downtown in my hometown to catch a ride to the airport for an early flight. I began bidding for a 3* DT at $42. I received a counter-offer to add $12, which I rejected. Began the bidding process over again using my wife's account and won the 3* DT Hyatt for $45. Sweet! Your Offer Price: $45.00 (US dollars) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $45.00 (US dollars) Taxes & Service Fees: $10.46 (US dollars) Total Charges: $55.46 (US dollars) Thanks to thereuare for his tireless efforts and thesqueegeekid, whose Montreal strategy influenced mine. Of course, I used the SB link.

I don't know if there's a glitch in HW's system, but whenever I enter more than 2 adults in the ADULTS field I get the following error message: Please correct the following fields(s): Hotwire's hotel partners allow a maximum of 2 adults and 2 children per room. To continue, please modify the number of occupants or the number of rooms. So I wonder which version is correct?

I needed a single night's lodgings as a bridge between two separate stays I have planned at the Hyatt. I didn't want to spend a lot because, quite frankly, I was only planning to sleep there for a few hours and then return to the Hyatt. The cheapest rate I could find on HW was $57 for a 2*. Too much for too little. Trouble is, I really didn't want to get the Park Shore. My back was to the wall, so I grit my teeth and went ahead to bid $50 for a 3* within the Waikiki South zone where the Hyatt is located. Rejected. Raised my bid to $56 and added Ihilani for a free re-bid. Rejected. I then added the Honolulu Airport zone for my last re-bidding opportunity and raised my bid to $58. Won the Radisson, the property I was hoping to score. Your Offer Price: $58.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $58.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $13.54 Total Charges: $71.54 The best price I could find was $129, except HW's rate of $72 ($86.95 incl tx & s/c's). So I guess I could say I saved at least $15.41 and as much as $72.18. My gratitude to thereuare and his great site. Used the SB link.

The best deal on a meal I think I've ever had in NYC is the early bird special at the Dallas BBQ chain of restaurants. For $8.95 (website's $7.95 price is outdated) you get 2 meals: 2 chicken vegetable soups 2 rotisseried half chickens cornbread choice of baked or french fried Idaho potatoes Monday thru Friday: Noon to 6:30 p.m. Sat. & Sunday: Noon to 5 p.m. Must be seated by this time, dining room only. The portions are HUGE! Even the veggie soup contains plenty of good sized chunks of boneless chicken breast. They also feature Pina Coladas and Margeritas that most people seem to like, but a 20 oz. Sam Adams for $4.50 is especially appealing on a hot summer's afternoon. They've got 6 locations in and around Manhattan, a few of them with outdoor terraces. It may not be gourmet fare, but I really don't think there's a better bang for the buck in all of NYC. Even better is the fact that they participate in the Dining For Miles (formerly I-Dine) programme.

If you simply want to be near a "T" station, try PL aiming for the 4* Hyatt Harborside at Logan. There are constant free shuttles to the "T" and the hotel has most often been going for $50. Bid $50 for a 4* in the Revere/Logan zone, and if they have assigned inventory to PL, you should get it. The only other 4* in that zone is the Hilton, which is also an excellent choice but goes for more $$ on PL.

For Sep 21-23, there seem to be a fair number of sold out properties. The hotels that you seem to be aiming for are at least $100 more than your budget allows, any future PL inventory not withstanding. Here are a few choices in the $250 range: 3* Affinia Dumont: gets rave reviews from Travelocity.com/hotel/HotelDetail.do?propertyId=18369&startIndex=15&showMap=0&sortOrder=ascPOSPicks&sortAlpha=-1&SEQ=1094652043062882004&hotelQKey=3171766079830241140"]Travelocity and Tripadvisor. Travelocity has it for $247.99. Hotels.com/process_search.jsp?paging=1&inout=&destination=usertyped&usertypedcity=NEW%20YORK%20CITY,%20NEW%20YORK&destination=null%7C1&property=&searchProperty&propertyName=AFFINIA%20DUMONT&searchPropertyName=AFFINIA%20DUMONT&CIMonth=9&CIDay=21&CIYear=2004&COMonth=9&CODay=23&COYear=2004&numrooms=1&numadults=1&numchildren=0&PSRC=TAZ&isRedirect=true&searchProperty=251708"]Hotels.com has it for $429.95 and Expedia.com/pub/agent.dll?flag=q&qscr=dspv&hwrq=EX012E82BC58JGDCzMfz%243F%248Dfz1%2170%214%24FF%21P01000%24E0%2480%24E9H%24E0%2480%24E9H0000%21O%24FF%21R010003%21901000200010110000JGDCzMfz%243F%248Dfz1%2170%214%24FF%21O01000%24E0%2480%24E9H%24E0%2480%24E9H0000%21O%24FF%21R010003%21901000200010110000&htid=16970&itid=&itty=new&itdx=&from=m&igrq=&pkdr1=0&pkdr2=0&pkdr3=0&down=0&subm=1&crti=3&pidx=&feng=0&pmde=0&favl=1&fgds=0&ihtl=&smgt=0&rfrr=-30455&date1=9%2F21%2F2004&date2=9%2F23%2F2004&crom=1&cadu1=1&ckdr1=0&cadu2=2&ckdr2=0&cadu3=2&ckdr3=0&ages1=-1&ages2=-1&ages3=-1&ages4=-1&ages5=-1&ages6=-1&ageb1=-1&ageb2=-1&ageb3=-1&ageb4=-1&ageb5=-1&ageb6=-1&agec1=-1&agec2=-1&agec3=-1&agec4=-1&agec5=-1&agec6=-1&infs=2"]Expedia has it for $351. 3* or 4* Lucerne: gets stellar reviews on Tripadvisor and average reviews on Travelocity.com/hotel/HotelDateLessListDetail.do?propertyId=25556"]Travelocity Travelocity offers a 2 room suite for $230. 4* Wales: gets rave reviews on Travelocity.com/hotel/HotelDetailExtended.do?propertyId=20649&startIndex=15&showMap=0&sortOrder=descRating&sortAlpha=-1&showAllRates=Y&SEQ=1094648990699882004&hotelQKey=2293695446673246686"]Travelocity and average reviews on Tripadvisor. Goes for $239 on Travelocity. 3* Warwick: gets great reviews on both Travelocity.com/hotel/HotelLanding.do;jsessionid=D355349641A17AE468166BEFBF0D92BC.p0217?Service=Travelocity&searchMode=propertyId&propertyId=26360&dateLeavingDay=21&dateLeavingMonth=9&dateReturningDay=23&dateReturningMonth=9&pax_cnt=1&SID=T0040002729161962208002510615951243881&SEQ=109465112982508409082004"]Travelocity and Tripadvisor. Travelocityhas it for $259 Naturally, PL or HW are going to be the best $$ deals. However, if there isn't any availability, these are attractive alternatives. When I see the 2* Howard Johnson's going for $243 during your time frame, the Affinia Dumont becomes especially appealing.

Today I discovered a sister site to Skyauction. It's called OffPeakTraveler and it has similar offerings to its sibling, but with a twist. Instead of bidding, prices are fixed. Some of the deals are attractive as they aren't being overbid by overzealous bidders. Others, such as condo/resort rentals are overpriced. They currently have a number of well priced air/hotel packages: Europe: London $299 / Malaga $479 Asia: Bangkok $599 Latin America: Cancun $499 South America: Buenos Aires $549 / Rio $549 Hawaii: Honolulu $599 It might prove interesting.

This is the last night for the relations' trip. Phew. Tried bidding $35 for a 2* in Essex-Williston and got shot down. Added Montpelier-Barre and raised my bid to $40 only to get rejected. Then added Burlington South-Shelburne for the same bid and got the same answer. Finally added Burlington while raising my bid to $45 and got the Fairfield Inn in Colchester. I'm surprised that PL only offers 1* properties in the Burlington South-Shelburne and Montpelier-Barre zones. There are plenty of better properties in those areas. Goes to show how high occupancy levels in northern Vermont must be. Does anyone know if PL varies its * offerings according to demand and/or season? For example, would it offer 2* or 3* properties in these same zones during times between leaf peeping and skiing? I've never considered it. Thanks to all of thereuare's dedicated efforts. They aren't going unappreciated, although I wasn't able to gain access to the SB link to help support them. :)

My wife and I have been here a few times, always on PL stays. Due to my Hyatt Diamond status, we are always given a harbor view room on a high floor, a Diamond amenity of our choosing and breakfast coupons entitling us to the full hot/cold buffet ($16.95 p/p value). I would have to assume that non status members would not benefit from these perks. Nontheless, I have found it never hurts to vocalize requests. A harbor view room overlooking the Boston skyline is certainly worth asking about. The public areas and general overall appearance of this hotel are quite good and well maintained. Staff are professional, friendly and generally competent. Rooms are average size and are beginning to need some sprucing up. I would rate them below the usual Hyatt standard. An annoying thing is the spring tension on the room door closers that causes them to slam shut with a loud bang. This can be a little disconcerting. Furnishings are still in good condition without too much sign of wear and tear. There are no in-room safes. Bathrooms are not overly large, but relatively clean. Signs of mildew were apparent on some of the grout surrounding the tub, but I've seen much worse at many other Northeastern hotels. The best feature of the room was the spectacular view of the Boston skyline, especially at night. Restaurant staff are a little more disorganized. Breakfast offerings are the normal hotel buffet fare, as well as a la carte choices. I've been very happy with the steak and eggs ($12.95) I usually order. I've never had dinner there. Overnight parking is $22 compared with about $16 at economy airport lots. The hotel provides a free shuttle service to and from the airport terminals and the nearby "T" station at 20 minute intervals. Fare for the short ride into town on the "T" is $1.25. Water taxis and the Harbor Express can be boarded at the pier directly adjacent to the hotel, and fares to Long Wharf are about $10 one way. MBTA also provides a free shuttle bus (66) between this pier and the airport terminals. Overall, I like this hotel because of the cheap PL rate (usually around $50 at the time of writing) and because of my Hyatt status perks. I think a 4* rating is a bit of an overstatement. A solid 3* would be more accurate.

I was hoping to avoid the Hilton because of my loyalty (re: status) to Hyatt. First bid $38 and was rejected without so much as a counter-offer. Re-bid using the wife's account as there weren't any re-bidding opportunities, and raised my bid to $42. A few anxious moments later I got the Hyatt. Here goes: Your Offer Price: $42.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $42.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $12.34 Total Charges: $54.34 My appreciation to thereuare and his great board. Used the SB link.

After having bid on behalf of others, I decided to treat my wife and I to a weekend in NYC. The Hyatt JC was sold out on Sat 09/11, so we used the Hyatt as bookends to a 3 day stay. Accepted on the first bid at $37. I wish I could have been this lucky when I was bidding for the relations. Best rate at Hyatt was a AAA rate of $182.04 (all taxes in). Savings of $133.56 are probably amongst the highest in PL's 5 year history. The details (same for both dates): Your Offer Price: $37.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $37.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $11.48 Total Charges: $48.48 Thanks to thereuare. Used the Barn.

This just about completes the paid portion of the relations' North American odyssey. The other portion is...well, you know...the spare room. The only other PL bid I've yet to make is in Burlington, VT. They're not sure of the exact date, but it'll be smack dab in the middle of leaf peeping season. Here's the scoop. Your Offer Price: $30.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $60.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $12.88 Total Charges: $72.88 As thereuare is well aware, I tried to get the Tage Inn of Medford-Somerville without success. So for $30 they'll have to drive 10 miles and pay for Boston pahking. Marriott offered a $69 rate, which was really quite good, but we still managed a $78.51 savings after taxes and fees over the 2 nights. Again we saved more than we paid. Dang, I should do this for a living. Again, thanks thereuare for your wisdom and guidance. Used Savings Barn and left the door open for others to use.

Well, I proved my hypothesis. Priceline rejected this bid when using my relatives' Euro MasterCard and then immediately accepted the same offer when I used my Canadian issued card. PL gave no notification of any problem other than reverting to the old "15 minute answer" page before ultimately rejecting the Euro card bid. Being Canadian myself, I am aware that certain cards (Visa, for example) cannot successfully be used on PL. However, MC and Amex have never been a problem. Even with the Canadian Visa cards, there was always a notification from PL asking for a different c/c on otherwise successful bids. Puzzling. Okay, back to business. Here are the details, which I won on my first try: Your Offer Price: $45.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $45.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $12.00 Total Charges: $57.00 Best price I could find was $144.48 (all in). Savings: $87.48. I love saving more than I actually end up paying for the room! Thanks to thereuare for all his patience and help. I bid through Savings Barn.

I concur that this is indeed a fine property, one of the best in the Princeton area. Their recent $11.4 million renovation gave the rooms new carpets, wallcoverings and furniture. The large atrium enclosing the lobby, public areas and restaurant is very inviting and even features a koy pond. Parking is free, and the hotel has a shuttle service to nearby offices, malls, train station, etc. A very professional staff. I'm sure you'll be happy staying there.

I've been trying to get this property or the 3* Hyatt for about a month without any luck. I've been bidding on behalf of some of my wife's young European relations using their credit card. After many rejections, for this region and others in the Boston area, I began trying my own c/c. After a couple of initial failres, I finall managed to score with the 2* Candlewood Suites for $55. Details are as follows: Your Offer Price: $55.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $110.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $22.71 Total Charges: $132.71 I'm beginnning to wonder if their Euro MasterCard is being rejected out of hand by PL? I did notice that every one of the bids I made using their c/c resulted in the old "wait 15 minutes" PL page popping up before the rejection, whereas bids using my c/c were handled in the normal manner. I'm going to co-ordinate future bidding using my c/c immediately after any subsequent rejections using theirs. I'll report back.

I would be, but as luck would have it, the property isn't coming up for my dates anymore. I'm getting a 2.5* for $83 with 2 listed amenities: fitness center laundry facilities The Tage Inn website still shows availability at $109. Unfortunately, that exceeds the budget of my young visiting relations. I guess I'll have to move them over to the more affordable Woburn area.

While I'd have to agree that the Westin is the best hotel in Providence, I'd also have to admit that it's been resting on its laurels for more than a few years. My wife and I were among its first guests when it opened in 1994. They hadn't even received their Club Floor furnishings at the time. It was posh, and we were treated like royalty. Fast forward to our last stay in 2002 (after their renovation) and it seemed as though the hotel had regressed to the status of a mid-tier chain. No more Club Lounge or floor, just busloads of conventioneers and weekend wedding receptions that seemed to overwhelm a lot of the staff. A pity, really, but they lack incentive to improve or even maintain their original standards due to a steady income flow and no real competition. I haven't a clue as to why Providence or Newport don't offer some of the same higher tier properties one sees in Boston or New York. I think its time for a Vanderbilt to step in and up the ante a bit.

Interesting. I just assumed that if they participated in the opaque product, they would also be marketed with the package. Dates are Sep 18-20. As always, thereuare, thanks for all your help and guidance.

Thank you, dahammer!. That's exactly what I needed to hear. I'd still like to get the Hyatt on PL for $37, but PL doesn't want to play ball. The Candlewood will be a viable Plan B until about 3 weeks before the in-laws arrival. I checked out the property a couple of weeks ago during a stay at the Hyatt, and it looks fine. The parking lot had a key slot entry system that wasn't in use. Looks like they'll have the option to either beef up security or charge for parking.

I need help identifying this property: 4.5* Customer Favorite Restaurant(s) Fitness Center Business Center I've tried matching it up with properties from the packages, but have yet to see a 4.5*. How much of a customer favorite can it be if they don't even offer it with their packages?

Way to go thesqueegeekid! I've been trying to get the Hyatt for Sep 22 & 23 for the last week without any luck. I'm glad to see the $37 bids are still being accepted. Hotwire shows the Hyatt at $116 for the 23rd and not at all for the 22nd. When I try for both days, Hotwire is asking $205. I've tried bidding them separately, thinking that the 23rd should be a shoe in, but no luck. Arrgh! Like you, I'm doing this on someone else's behalf, so it's all the more frustrating, esp. when I've been talking up the Hyatt to such an extent that they don't really want to stay elsewhere. When I was there last month, I was tempted to street park just opposite the hotel, but thought better of it. After reading your parking mis-adventure, I'm glad I did. We have enough of that type of activity here in Montr

Price them out on a hotel booker website, and see which one goes for more $$. Chances are HW's prices will differ in the same direction.

By far your best bet would be trying to stay at the Hyatt in Jersey City. Priceline bidders have been winning this fabulous hotel with killer views over the Hudson to the NYC skyline for quite some time now for only $37. More recently however, it appears that $55 may be the lowest bid. Either way it's a bargain. The PATH train is adjacent to the hotel and will get you to lower Manhattan in just minutes (it's only 1 stop) for only $1.50. Self parking at the hotel is $15 (overnight, indoor garage, 24 hrs. max, no in/out privileges). You must get your parking stub validated. The area around the hotel is clean and brand spanking new...office towers and condos, and there's a North Bergen Light Rail (trolley, $1.50) stop nearby that you can use to get to Hoboken or Liberty State Park for boats departing for Liberty Island (Statue of Liberty) or Ellis Island. Do a search for Hyatt Jersey City or peruse the New Jersey board for more info.

If life were only always this good!