calla

May 22/11 - 1 night - 3 adults Icons: near beach smoke free fitness center business center high-speed internet golf tennis spa The 4* Portola shows no availability for this night. Any ideas what hotel this might be? Thanks.

I bid up to $130 and still got the "slight chance" message. With $18/night for parking, fees, etc., I gave up. Can't afford to stay in Waikoloa! I was able to get a 2 BR Gold Crown condo in Kona for $110/night from a timeshare owner. Wanted to let you know so that you can close this thread. Thanks for your advice. I used the BB links for all my PL and HW searches.

I bid $110. The Hapuna Prince is retailing for $195 and the Marriott $229. Priceline quotes "average retail" at $234. Others got the Marriott for $110 in the past but I realize that depends on a lot of factors. When I up the bid to $135, the "slight chance" message disappears. There's resort fees to be paid as well, so I didn't want to bid too high. Hotwire's prices have not budged for weeks. High demand area I guess. Any suggestions, other than to lower my * rating? I was hoping for oceanfront so that excludes anything less than resort rating.

I need 2 nights in Waikoloa, Big Island - March 26-28/11. When I placed my first bid on resorts I got a Priceline message saying that there was only a "slight" chance of my bid being accepted and they recommended increasing my bid. I didn't and of course my bid was not accepted. When I get this message next time, should I just keep increasing the bid in increments until I no longer get this message?

I tried mrquoi's strategy to try to get the Hilton PHX Airport location. I was rejected twice. Today my $48 bid was accepted on the first try, but to my surprise I got the Embassy Suites Hotel Phoenix - Airport at 24th Street. Trip Advisor rating is 3/5 and only 52% recommend the hotel. However, the newest reviews and their website indicate that there have been recent renovations. Best Advance Purchase rate on their website was $169/night. How bad can it be for 1 night pre-flight?:) Used the link for the purchase. $48.00 + $14.29 (taxes & fees) = $62.29

Neglected to mention that I did all my searches and made my bid using the PRICELINE link. Happy to support such a great site. First time that I've been upgraded, so now I'm aware that this can occur with any bid. Still learning!

I did all my searches and booked this hotel through the HOTWIRE link above. Love to support this great site.

Booked this on HOTWIRE Jan. 28th. Amenities - Complimentary breakfast, fitness center, pool, business, high speed internet Cost - $57/night x 3 nights, + tax $26.92 = $197.91 Hotel is a few months old. Clean, friendly staff, convenient location to I-75. Best web rate was $91/night. Good value and would highly recommend.

On January 31/11, I bid $60 for a 3* in Fort Lauderdale (Airport zone) for one night (Feb. 1/11). My bid was accepted but I was upgraded to a 3 l/2* and got the Hilton. I purposely bid 3* because I did NOT want the Hilton (previously reported here). The Hilton charged $14 + tax for parking. Buffet breakfast was $15 (didn't eat there). We got a room on the 7th floor (Hilton Honors floor), double beds, non-smoking, and it was the very last room at the end of a long hallway. Neatly folded white towels had previously been used as there were make-up stains on them. Dirty cup on the counter. Lamp was broken with bulb hanging from it's socket (Maintenance said they would have to repair it in the shop after we checked out). Front desk staff was condescending. Positives were that they had comfy beds and a 5 minute drive to the airport. Hilton rate for the same night was $175. Bid $60 + tax = $74.58 (plus $14.56 for parking if you have a car).

Just won this hotel for 2 adults, 2 nights pre-cruise stay. Shuttle, Breakfast, Pool, Fitness, Smoke Free, Hi Speed Internet, Business Centre Rate: $67 x 2, plus fees $20.69 = $154.69 for the 2 night stay. Hyatt Place website offering these dates for $189/night + tax. Generally good reviews (3.5-4.5/5). I'm happy! Used the BB HOTWIRE link and hotel list so that I was 99% sure I was getting the Hyatt. Thanks so much for this wonderful site.

Sorry, I thought I had posted this in the Fort Lauderdale page. We're cruising from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. Priceline map shows about 3-4 different areas that are surrounding the port and airport. I just don't want to pick the wrong part of town in terms of safety.

I'm looking for 2 nights pre-cruise (January 13-15). I would like to be close to the cruise port but still be in an area where there are things to do, since we will have a full day to explore. Which zones should I be bidding on?

Based on previous bids last summer, I bid $56 on this 2 l/2* hotel (the highest rated hotel in this city) and won the Holiday Inn with my first bid. With taxes and fees of $13.02, my total cost is $69.02. Best web rate is $113 + taxes = $124. Reviews are decent, so I'm happy with these savings. Of course I always wonder if a lower bid would have been accepted! Used the PRICELINE link to do my bidding. When doing a "Quick Search" on this site for Marquette, the results show the Marquette hotel in Minnesota and Louisiana but very few hotels for the city of Marquette. Any way of cleaning up the search so that the results are for the city and not the name of a hotel?

I didn't book this room early enough and the rate kept going up and is now $119. I tried PRICELINE and got rejected with an offer of $80. I won 2 rooms at $65 in Laval (reported in another Priceline post) for 1 night. For the 2nd night I reserved a Travelzoo special at the 3.5* Hotel Cantlie Suites in downtown Montreal for $109 which included 2 buffet breakfasts ($32 value). Median retail price on PRICELINE was $217, so I'm happy with the Travelzoo special. Thanks for your assistance.

I followed your bidding strategy and got rejected all the way to the $60 bid. So I waited a few days since I was out of town. Today I bid $65 and my bid was accepted. I got the Radisson Hotel Laval. July 16, 2010 - 1 night $65.00 per room x 2 rooms = $130.00 Taxes & fees 30.44 Total $160.44 USD Compared to the Radisson website where the best rate is $139.46 USD for 1 room ($278.92 for 2 rooms) with all taxes included. A savings of $118.48. The Radisson doesn't get the highest ratings but the location is perfect for us as it is across the street from the largest shopping centre in Quebec and I promised my daughter one day of power shopping. I certainly appreciate the help and friendliness this site offers. Thanks once again. I used the PRICELINE link to do my bidding and searches.

On Priceline, the median retail price is $104 so my maximum bid would be $60 (?). The "pay in advance" rate at the Radisson is $86 so I would like to at least do better than that. I'll wait for your advice before bidding. Thanks again.

I usually use HOTWIRE for my bookings (through BB link). This will be my first attempt with PRICELINE. I am hoping to get 3* Sheraton or Radisson for July 16 (2 rooms, 2 adults/room). The BB lists only the Radisson but this is from 2009. At the top of the PRICELINE page it indicates that "Laval is located within the Montreal region". Does this mean I can get a 3* anywhere within the region or will I get a hotel in Laval? Also, if my bid is accepted, what extra fees and taxes can I expect to have added to my winning bid? I also plan to bid on a 4* for the next night in downtown Montreal so I have printed out the bidding strategy from BB. Thanks!

Rate is now $99 and "Bed Choice" no longer shows up with the icons.

July 16-18, 2 adults. Rate $97. Icons are: Fitness, pool, restaurant, business centre, high-speed internet, spa. An additional icon that I rarely see is "Bed Choice". When you click on this icon, you can select a King or 2 Doubles at a rate of $113. Le Centre Sheraton or Omni Mont Royal are my guesses.

I just confirmed this reservation. It was the Quality Suites Montreal Airport. The price went down to $53 + taxes $17.11 = $70.11. The best rate on the Choice Hotels website was the AAA rate at $98.99 + 16.66 = $115.65. I also had $25 in HotDollars that was about to expire, so this 1 night only cost me $45.11. Not a luxury hotel but it will meet my needs for the overnight stay. Thanks for your help once again. I used the BB site to make my booking. Please add this hotel to your Montreal hotel list.

I'm looking for a hotel near the Fairview Mall and YUL airport. Hotwire has this 2 l/2* listed for $55 - 2 adults, 1 night, July 15. I think it is the Quality Suites but you don't have that hotel on your list. Icons are: Suite, shuttle, fitness, restaurant, business centre, laundry, high-speed internet, and golf. I usually avoid anything less than a 3* on Hotwire but the Quality Suites gets better reviews than the Holiday Inn 3*.

Very little info on Mazatlan so I'm not sure you'll be able to help me with this. Dates are Mar. 27 - Apr. 3/10 for 2 people. 4* resort, beachfront, studio, full kitchen, daily housekeeping, air conditioning, children's activity program, fitness center, pool, restaurant, business center, front desk, high speed internet, tennis nearby, spa, condo. Rated 4.5 on Trip Advisor. $89/night. 3.5* resort, beachfront, children's activity program, fitness, pool, restaurant, business center, tennis nearby, spa, golf nearby, laundry, smoke-free. Rated 4 on Trip Advisor. $69/night. Any ideas?

Decided to take your advice and not gamble! Except I chose the 3* La Quinta Suites in Bloomington because it is also pet-friendly with no additional fee, includes breakfast for $55.80 on La Quinta website. HOTWIRE price for this hotel was almost identical. Ratings are good. Used the Travel Link above. Thanks for your help once again.

Need one night in Minneapolis Aug. 21 for 2 adults. I am hoping to win the 3* Sheraton Minneapolis West. Hotwire has a 3* that shows these icons: smoke free, pool, fitness, business center and high speed internet. Rate is $56. This is not a perfect match with your list of 3* hotels. Your best guess please? This hotel also shows up on your Priceline list as the only 3* in that area. The AAA rate for this hotel is $71 which seems very reasonable. I'm thinking I should play it safe and book directly on-line with Sheraton. Is it worth gambling on Priceline or Hotwire?? I've narrowed it down to this hotel because they are pet-friendly and we will be traveling with our dog.

I did contact Hotwire by phone and gave the details of my purchase and requested a re-evaluation of the star level. Hotwire responded by e-mail that they felt it was a fair rating based on their research. I replied to their e-mail with my research and asked that it be forwarded to the individual's supervisor for review. I pointed out that Orbitz was the only site that rated this hotel a 3* and they had no customer reviews. End result - Hotwire appreciates my business and offered a full refund or a $25 credit on my Hotwire account. It may have helped that I mentioned I would be posting their response on this website. I tried to find a better deal and couldn't, so I opted for the $25 credit. 2* Days Inn, Comfort Inn, Best Western, etc. were all over $150/night. Hotwire has forwarded my e-mails to the department that rates hotels for a full review. They also acknowledged that Hotwire seems to work differently in smaller Canadian communities because so many of the hotels are privately owned franchises, which is different than the US hotel chains. I'll give this hotel a fair chance and will post a review when I return.