dahammer

Do you have the total charges for this win?? Taxes and fees, what was your "walk out the door price for this property?

Thanks!!!

The fee is actually more, because PL does not pay the hotel the entire bid amount. As an example, I recently bid $56 for a room but the hotel was paid $50.60 for the room, Taxes were $7.08. I figure that the PL fee for this one night was about $13.89; more than a 20% !!

you know your steaks and hoagies!! Leo's was mentioned as having one of the best in the Philly area, but not too many folks know where Folcroft is. It is not far from the Philly airport. I was going to mention Wawa for hoagies, they are pretty consistant across all of their 500+ locations. I think its because they use Amoroso rolls. As for Big John's in Cherry Hill, I understand that they had been sold recently and that the cheesesteaks are not up to previous standards. There is a place called Chicks on Rt. 70 near the Ellisburg Fire Company that is pretty good for cheesesteaks. If you are driving into NJ across the Walt Whitman bridge, get to Carmines Deli in Bellmawr for a great hoagie, almost too big for one person to eat, I have to pace myself if I go there!!

Postscript...... Tastykakes, get the Coconut Custard pie, or try Peanut Butter KandyKakes, kind of like a Reses Cup and a small cake mixed together....

The Big Two for cheesesteaks are Pat's (who claims to have invented the Philly Cheesesteak) and Geno's, both on Passyunk ave and within a stone's throw apart. There are devotee's of each, but Geno's uses Rib Eye steak and for me, this gets the nod. If you get to the counter, you need to know that it will come with a slap of Cheese Whiz, if you order it "with" then it comes with fried onions. You can get it with American or Provalone cheese, but for goodness sakes, do not dare order it with Swiss or you will be heckled from the joint. One of the Presidential candidates did so and an entire website was created to chronicle the gaffe!

For the best Cheesesteak, you should head towards John's on Weccacoe street, down near the Delaware river, kind of near the intersection of Columbus Boulevard and Oregon Ave. Or near Oregon Ave. and Front Street, there is Tony Lukes which serves up a good cheesesteak but a better Roast Pork sandwich, get it with Provalone and sauteed Broccoli Rabe (bitter greens as it is called) and you will not regret it!!

Can't help with the best Hoagie because many of my haunts are in South Jersey, where they are still torn between calling them Subs or Hoagies.

Trucker, this property is connected to the airport, if you are flying in, you could walk from the gate into the hotel itself. Not sure what the parking situation is like if you are driving in though.

Check out the Mummers Parade in Phila on New Years Day, it is an all day event starting at 9:00 am and going up Broad street.

Getting a Marriott for $50 is sweet!!!

couldn't resist....stopped for lunch at La Bella Roma Pizzaria in Paramus for a famous Chicken Parm Hero....it is worth the trip if you are in the area or just passing through in the vacinity of Rt.17 and the Garden State Parkway.

Hotwire charges a whopping $9.95 in taxes and fees for this $23 room bringing the "walk out" price to $32.95 If booked directly with Extended Stay using the $19.99 promotion rate, and with taxes estimated at 12%, the final cost is $22.39.

This might be one of the properties in the Extended Stay America chain, they are offering a $19.99 rate at selected properties for the rest of the year. If you book the room using Hotwire, then you could ask for double the difference within 48 hours. Double the difference is only $6.02 per night, but the way I look at it, you could stay here for $16.98 plus tax and fees. It would be interesting to compare the final "walk out" prices with taxes and fees between the two sources.b

http://www.extendedstayhotels.com/holiday1....asp#stateTable

I can always get chinese bufffet anywhere, but great pizza is worth travelling to and so I ended up going to Kinchley's Tavern in Ramsey and had one of the best pizza's ever! Very thin crust, baked crisp on the edges, great balance of sauce and cheese, I had mine topped with fresh mushrooms, not the canned variety. Didn't have ask for a box to bring back the leftovers because there was nothing leftover :)

Queen, you might get a double the difference back from Hotwire because thanks a posting from flyme2, there is a promotion from the Extended Stay Hotel chain that offers rates of $19.99 per night for the rest of the year. It looks like the Studio Plus in Mt. Laurel is offering this rate, so you should call or email Hotwire's customer service department the following link:

http://www.extendedstayhotels.com/holiday1....asp#stateTable

I know we are only talking about a few $$ here, but a buck's a buck in my book......

If you get a chance, good Philly Cheesesteaks (and their Chicken Cheesesteak bretheren) were sighted recently at Chick's in Cherry Hill, just off Rt. 70, not too far away from this hotel. They have been listed as a "best of" in South Jersey for having the best Philly Cheesesteaks. BTW if you are going south on the Turnpike or I295, there is another "best" in Bellmawr, NJ: Carmine's Deli. They have the best hoagies in South Jersey, very tough to eat one by yourself; they have a website for directions. You will also be close to the Flying Fish Brewery in Cherry Hill, they offer tours on weekends, but might be closed during the Holiday.

Pulled into one of my known WiFi Hotspots, free of course, and started my Priceline bid through Savingsbarn.com. Selected Mahwah Ramsey Allendale zone and bid $51.00 for a 3*. Got a message back: If you are willing to raise your price by $14, you can try the same request again right now. I added a 2.5 star and increased my bid to $56 and received the following message:

Congratulations, you got your price of $56 for a 2

can you change your departure date to Christmas Day, Dec 25? I seem to recall that this is a slow travel day for the airlines and you might be able to pick up a low airfare on this day. I flew to Jamaica on Christmas Morning and got a cheap flight many years ago. Maybe you can catch the last flight of the day from Denver. Also, how about another airport near Talahassee? This may involve more ground travel but may save you some bucks.

No, not from NYC, but if you can, you should try to get into the Jersey City Hyatt @ the $37 rate that is often available and you will have more time to check things out in the city that doesn't sleep!!!

Never been to Hawaii.....but we have rented several condos in Florida (Marco Island, Sanibel, Cocoa Beach) and these have always been through Brokers or Realtor web sites. I am always concerned about renting a vacation property directly through an owner, in case there is a problem, it could be difficult to resolve with an absentee owner hundreds of miles away. At least if you are working through a broker and there is a problem, you may have some leverage to get things made right or even get placed into another unit. Brokers sometimes charge 30% or more to handle a listing, a big fee for a $2000 weekly rental, but some property owners feel that they can eliminate the middleman and handle the rental themselves, pocketing the commission. I would only consider renting directly from an owner only if it can be had at a savings of at least 30% from a rate available from a broker, this will compensate me for the added risk. I have also found that sometimes in the off season, brokers know their inventory and know property owners that will negotiate a little just to keep the condo full and the rental rolling in to pay the mortgage.

it looks like t-mobile has a current promotion for $9.99 a month for the first 30 days, this will give you access at all of their 5000 WiFi hotspots. You must cancel before 30 days or the next month will be $39.99. This is a month to month plan and you should find a location near the Sheraton as just about all Starbucks locations feature T-Mobile hot spots; along with over-roasted coffee that must be mellowed with lots of cream and sugar that turns an item costing about 25 cents into a $4.00 necessity......Give me Folgers from my percolator, black of course, anyday. :) Also, many of the McDonalds in the city have WiFi hotspots too, not sure what the fee is.

https://selfcare.hotspot.t-mobile.com/accou...?promo=TM999104

Yes, the Rye Town Hilton is a better property than the Tarrytown Hilton, no doubt. The bathrooms here are small and feature a rubber stopper on a chain in the sink! I don't think the 100 year old Palmer House Hilton in Chicago still uses this ancient bathroom amenity! I also checked the Hampton Inn in Elmsford for tonight, and the rate was $159; this rate includes the Hampton Continental Breakfast. I'll take the $80 savings and pay for my own breakfast.

The Tarrytown Hilton is a decent, not great property, in a great location, has a full restaurant and room service for those in need, a pool for the kids, and is a great value through Priceline. Only some of the rooms have high speed internet, and I asked to be moved to such a room but informed that none was available. I would never pay rack rates for this property, but if your travels take you to the Westchester, NY area, this is a fine Priceline choice.

I stayed at the Candlewood last year, they have a controlled lot and you need a room key to get in and out. Even at the Doubletree, a block away from the Candlewood, has an open lot but you need to get a parking pass from the front desk and hang it on your mirror, or your car could get towed. At any rate, these hotels are not that close to the Hyatt. The $15 self park does not allow for in-out privledges, and it is about a block away from the Hyatt. I will leave the question about parking meters on Saturday to thereuare, but I doubt that it is free. Park the car for your entire stay and add the $15 parking fee to the room rate of $55 and at $70 you still have a terriffic deal. :)

I recently bid for a same day room in the Westchester, NY area through Savingsbarn.com. This area has 4 rebid zones and only Rye-White Plains and Tarrytown have 3* properties. I used Hotwire to check prices, they had a 3* in this region for $127.00 plus taxes, which may have been the Hilton. The Travelocity rate for this property is $175.00 plus taxes.

Selected Tarrytown, 3* and bid $80, received the following message:

Congratulations, you got your price of $80 for a 3-star hotel room.

Hilton Tarrytown

Tarrytown - Elmsford

455 South Broadway

Tarrytown, New York 10591

914-631-5700

Your Offer Price: $80.00

Number of Rooms: 1

Number of Nights: 1

Subtotal: $80.00

Taxes & Service Fees: $16.73

Total Charges: $96.73

Check-In Date: Wed, Dec 15, 2004

Check-In Time: After 03:00 PM

Check-Out Date: Thu, Dec 16, 2004

Check-Out Time: 12:00 PM

Presented my Hilton HHonors card at check in (what's with the two H's anyway!) and I was immediately told by the efficient and curt desk clerk that I would not get Honors Points on my stay. Although I wanted to reply that the savings of $95 will salve my wounds, I bit my tongue.

This is a grand dame property that was probably built in the late 1950's or 1960's and is a bit worn around the edges, but has a nice pool and whirlpool that will be welcome on a sub freezing night. Exercise equipment is in the same room as the pool. This is a great location, just next to the Tappan-Zee bridge, not far from West Point and the beauty of the Hudson river, its no wonder why the Rockefeller family built a mansion just up the road.

Stayed at a Holiday Inn in St. Catherines a few years ago, an older property a few miles away from the falls, but with an indoor and outdoor pool. I think the outdoor pool will be closed on New Years day :) but there is something special about an indoor pool when it is zero degrees outside. Check out the links above, Holiday Inn

There are two Courtyard properties in this general area. In the area labeled Secaucus-North Bergen, this would be the Marriott Courtyard Secaucus that is in the Harmon Cove or Harmon Meadows area closer to New York City. In the Priceline Meadowlands-Rutherford area is the Marriott Courtyard Lyndhurst. I have stayed at both properties. Both offer free parking, but if I were to chose, I would select the Secaucus property as it is closer to the city, has more dining options nearby (an Outback steakhouse is in the lobby) and it is, of course, closer to Hoboken and its nightlife :)

CK's Steakhouse is just across the street at the Renissance Hotel, I was concerned that my dinner check for one would be higher than my Hotel Rate!! :) It looks like a nice place, but I knew if I had dined here, I would be comparing the dinner to Arthurs in Hoboken!!

I haven't stayed in this area in awhile and I would like a bidding strategy for the Rye NY area, I would prefer a 3* property, but would settle for a 2.5*. It looks like these have been identified as the Hilton and Marriott Courtyard, respectively. I would like to bid up to $70, if possible.

Made another last minute bid for a Hotel room in the Meadowlands area; as before, I ducked into a hotel that had a free hotspot and accessed the PL website via Savingsbarn.com and started bidding at 5:45 PM

Selected Secaucus-North Bergen area, Bid $55 for a 3*, rejected

Added 2.5*and bid $57, but rejected

Added Meadowlands-Rutherford, bid $62 and won

Congratulations, you got your price of $62 for a 2

I stayed here about 3 weeks ago and made the same request, I asked the clerk for a room with a nice view, and was accomodated. My stay was during Thanksgiving week and the hotel was not full. I might call on your arrival day, just after the "morning rush" of guests checking out have gone as the clerk will have more time to check the room inventory. I would mention that this is a special occasion, your first trip to NYC or something like that and ask for room with a view of Manhattan. It can't hurt!!