celere1

Or along the lines of the previous poster, as an alternative to walking, Portland is a GREAT biking town, and most public transport includes bike racks or will let you take a bike on board. Bikes run pretty cheap on Craigslist, so with that and a helmet and the great public transport system, you can broaden your range substantially. For alternatives to Priceline, check out www.airbnb.com as a resource for private homes and rooms to rent. I have used elsewhere with good success (especially when I have been on a budget), and Portland has 35 listings for $50 and under a night.

First bid, no issues. Possibly should have started lower, but this is a very good price.

Got the Westin on the first bid. Probably bid too high, but waited late to book and reported bids for New Years Eve were pretty limited. Figured New Years Eve downtown would be a tougher sell. We stay here on PRICELINE bookings nearly every time we stay downtown and normally pay between $68 and $80. The Westin is just a great hotel, spectacular beds, great views, and centrally located to most of our favorite restaurants in Seattle. Looking forward to it!

We regularly stay at the two Marriott Courtyard's down by the airport (nearer Southcenter area actually). They have free parking in an outdoor lot. Incidentally, the Courtyard closest to Southcenter has a great fly and drive program, and if you don't book a room normally (e.g. use rewards points instead) the airport parking is just $30 for up to two weeks and they have good, free shuttle service every hour. We stay there whenever we fly out of Seattle for a vacation. In general, free parking downtown is difficult because space is at a premium. There are lots of open air public lots right downtown where overnight parking runs about $10 - you just have to be out early in the morning. You can also find street parking if you are very patient.

Rate is $59. Date is 11/5/09 for one night at HI Express, Earl's Court. Amenities include breakfast and internet. Booked just after midnight on the day prior (Wednesday, 11/4). Thought it was interesting that I nearly booked this last night just before midnight for $69, and tonight at about 11pm, it had dropped to $62, and dropped another $3 just prior to midnight to $59. Have stayed at HI Express in the UK pretty regularly and they are always predictable, pleasant and comfortable (though not lavish). For $77 in walking distance of the Earl's Court tube station how can you go wrong? I am convinced now, that for quiet times in London, waiting as late as you can is the way to go. You'll never be left high and dry, you might just pay a bit more than you hoped to if you have to book through other avenues.

The 4* hotel in Docklands is showing $99 for Nov 4-5 with the following amenities: Fitness center, pool, restaurant, business center, laundry, internet, and spa. Any chance it is the Marriott West India Quay, which has come up on PRICELINE as a 4* at $99?

I would guess its the Radisson. But I got it the other day for $87 (Oct 23-26) - same amenities and approx the same number of trip advisor reviews. I have see the same amentied hotel for $119 in the last few days.

The amenities shown for the Radisson Edwardian Vanderbilt are: Fitness Center, Restaurants, Business Center, and High Speed Internet Access.

Was surprised to find this good a rate for a 3.5* in Kensington. The Radisson Edwardian Vanderbilt is about 2 min walk from Gloucester Road tube station and appears to be convenient to all the museums. I didn't see this on the list of 3.5* hotels for Kensington, and was pleased to get it for this rate. Looked for the same for our return through London and it appeared to be priced at $119. Trip advisor gives pretty good reviews at http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1...on_England.html. Will keep trying for this rate on our return nights in early November!

I was going for two rooms, one for a friend from 10/23-26/09 and one for us for just the one night. Failed at $92 for the three nights but got the one night at $92 on the first bid. It looks to be new on PRICELINE, and gets pretty good reviews on Trip Advisor (reviews). The location is great - very close (1 block) to the Gloucester Road tube station. We have always used Priceline for our London stays, and have always gotten Copthorne Tara or Millenium Bailey. Looking forward to trying a new location (and not walking so far to the tube).

My mistake. It is indeed a 3*. Should stay away from the late night postings......

We have just returned from two nights at Hotel Max (end of January 2009). We had a King room on the ninth floor. The overall experience at the hotel was fabulous - probably the best we've had in Seattle, and we stay there often. The hotel is very, very hip and arty, and even my husband, who doesn't normally pay attention to decor and art, is still talking about what a great place it was. The staff were all really personable and attentive - I felt like they really wanted to make sure we enjoyed our stay. Same for the bellhops - very nice and helpful. Sure, the rooms are small, because it is an older hotel (apparently people need much more space now). It might be challenging for a two week stay, but there was plenty of work space, a great flat screen TV, Aveda in the bathroom, and exceptional photography and art throughout the hotel (this was a real bonus to me). The bed was incredibly comfortable, too. The valet parking is expensive ($30), but enclosed and perfectly secure. There is also a pay lot across the street. The best thing about the Hotel was their restaurant, the Red Fin. Best sushi I have had in years, great bar, and an excellent breakfast. The service, food, and ambience were all excellent (check out their scores on Zagat!). We would definitely come back - besides the great location (access to most everywhere), the whole experience was great. BTW, we are not 20-somethings - we (and the friends traveling with us) are 50-somethings, so you don't need to be one of the young, chic, uber-hip to have a memorable time.

Got this last week on the 14th, first bid. Good price and a very nice location.

Finally got something after numerous days of trying in $5 increments from $70 on up. Hadn't seen this hotel come up recently, but from the reviews it looks a nice place. Fees and taxes were $41.69 for a total of $241.69.

3.5* Harbour Towers Victoria, Downtown, 6/11-6/13 $82. Bid for a 4* at $82 was rejected. Added 3.5* for same bid amount and it was accepted on first attempt. Also received offer to extend. Duplicate win for one night, 6/12, at same rate. Did not use link for this bid, which was placed on 5/12 (didn't know about it then), but have been using the PRICELINE link for all bids since.

We booked rooms through Priceline last week in Victoria. I will post what we got separately - but FYI, it was Harbour Towers 3.5* (right on the water) for two nights 6/11 and 12 for $82 a night with a total of $198.05. Also got the offer to extend for the same rate.

For the next few days, I will probably try to keep it below $100. I'd be more than happy with a 3.5*, just have to figure out the correct price point. I have not made a back up booking yet, but will probably do so in the next day or so. The reservation is actually for my 28 yr old son and his wife, so we are trying to keep it around $100, and will just drop the star level as needed. He stayed at the Westin Bayshore a few years back, and loved it, so I was hoping to get them something comparable. Will be patient for a bit longer...... thanks for the feedback.

Also rejected at $95 for a 4* and $80 for a 3.5* in downtown Vancouver (both today and yesterday). I'm approaching Hotwire pricing pretty quickly......

Have been working on this bid for the last 4-5 days with a rejection at up to $85. Have not yet risked any free rebid zones yet, since we have a bit of time, but I'm a bit surprised that nothing has come up. My husband calls it the Priceline dead zone - not real early, but not close enough to the date to get any new last minute availability (not sure if it works that way, but seems a good theory).

Got it on the first bid.