hikimmo

Dh and I will be going to Chicago October 16-20. We'd like to stay downtown, but I don't know whether it matters if we stay in the NMA or Millenium Park area. I don't know the city. We prefer 4*. Since we're coming into town on a Thursday, will we have problems getting a midweek room? I've had that happen before in other large cities. (Or it's just really expensive to get a midweek room.) And any hints on cheap overnight parking? We'll have a rental car. TIA, Kim

I actually bid 4*. When I tried my first rebid, I noticed that the "Resort" star rating had become grayed (indicating that I was now bidding in both 4* and Resort zones. I didn't particularly want a resort, so for all future rebids, I exited out of Priceline and began fresh for each rebid after that, choosing only 4*. All that to say that I don't really know how I ended up with a resort when it wasn't my intention to bid on one--but in the end, I'm quite happy with the outcome! And today I got another pretty sweet deal. I was hesitant to use PL for Kauai, so on the advice of a few folks here (maybe you were one of them?) I decided to try using my Entertainment Book. I got the Hilton Kauai Beach Resort for $95/night! No joke! I'm wondering if it was a mistake--you're supposed to get 50% off the rack rate at the listed hotels--but they gave me 50% off the discounted room rate. But I have a confirmation email from Hilton, so I'm just thrilled!

Started bidding at $110, added free rebid zones in increments of $5, won at $130. Hyatt Regency, Waikiki Beach Your Offer Price: $130.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 4 Subtotal: $520.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $79.56 Total Charges*: $599.56

I just won the Hyatt myself for $130 (3/14-18). I have stayed there before--very nice hotel and just across the street from the beach. I saw another win at this price yesterday, but it was also for a March stay. Don't know if this makes any difference. Kim

Began bidding at $70 for a 4* hotel in the Downtown-Harbor Island zone. With so many rebids, I figured I'd give it a try! Downtown-Harbor Island - $70 rejected Added zone - $75 rejected Exited, added zone - $80 rejected Exited, added zone - $85 rejected Exited, added zone - $90 rejected Exited, added zone - $93 rejected Exited, added zone - $95 accepted Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $95.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $18.82 Total Charges*: $113.82 Got the Manchester Grand, though I was really hoping for the Omni. The Manchester gets mixed reviews, with fairly poor ratings for the rooms. Still, it's better than paying retail for a hotel on Point Loma (our actual destination)--they're awful!

Curious...what's wrong with the Outrigger? I'm planning to travel around March 8, 2007. Do any of you recommend bidding now or waiting till the date gets closer? Thanks, Kim

Tried bidding last week and was rejected all the way up to $66. Tried again today and had better luck. Bid $45 - rejected Added rebid zone $48 (PL told me to add $14 at this point) Added another rebid zone $51 (got same $14 message) Added another rebid zone $54 - accepted Your Offer Price: $54.00 Extend Your Stay Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $108.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $22.50 Total Charges*: $130.50

3* Dallas (Arlington/Grand Prairie), $45 5/11-5/14/06 I tried unsuccessfully three weeks ago for a hotel in the Arlington TX area. I specifically hoped for the Hilton. I began my bidding at $40 and ended at $63 when I ran out of rebid zones. Today I tried again, beginning my bid at $45 and intending to add $3 each rebid...but I got it on the first try. Go figure. Priceline said the avg. price for a 3* hotel in Arlington was $111/night. I can't always figure this thing out. But I'm not going to complain about a Hilton for $45/night, either. Your Offer Price: $45.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $135.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $28.44 Total Charges: $163.44 By the way, Thereuare, I just made a donation to your site through PayPal. Thank you for all the help I've received over the years from the info shared here. Kim (WriteShop)

I'm wondering whether I should change my strategy. I tried bidding for a 3* hotel in Dallas (Arlington/Grand Prairie). By backing all the way out each time, I had 7 rebids instead of 3. Began at $40, went up by $3-$4 each rebid. Final rejection at $63. The Hilton seems to be the hotel that comes up in this zone, and their desk rate is $119/Thurs and $101/weekend. 1. Should I wait and try again as the date gets closer? 2. Should I try again now, aiming for the weekend only (5/12-5/14)? If I do this, how successful would I be in adding a room for Thursday 5/11? 3. Should I rebid in 72 hours but go up by $5 instead? (topping out at $75) Thanks in advance for your help. Kim

Yep, I just got the Hyatt Regency myself, but I paid $65. Got anxious because all my previous attempts to snare my weekend climbed to $63, so I just started at $65 this time. I wonder if a lower bid would have gotten me the Hilton instead of the Hyatt?

Finally had success. Third time's a charm, I guess. Got the 4* Santa Clara Hyatt Regency (formerly the Westin Santa Clara) for $65. After all my failures, I made the mistake of starting my bidding at $65 and got it right away. Sigh. But it's better than the $99/night I'd pay for the convention rate, anyway. I've stayed here before (when it was a Westin) and it was really nice. 4* San Jose (Sunnyvale-Sta Clara) $65 4/20/06-4/23/06 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $195.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $30.27 Total Charges: $225.27 Kim

Well, I failed again at my attempt. This time I began bidding at $55 and went all the way to $75. Priceline says the going rate for a 4* hotel in this area is $110. At that price, you'd think $75 is a reasonable bid. Last year I got the Santa Clara Hilton thru PL for $54 (same weekend). This year, no luck. I've tried Fri-Sun and Thurs-Sun. I can get a convention rate of $99 with both the Westin and the Hilton, so I'll keep trying PL. Even if I have to pay $85 or $90 for a room, I'll still save a few bucks. But this is frustrating!

Following up with a review of the Toledo Wyndham. Let me start by saying that for the price ($35/night) it was a wonderful buy. Both bedroom and bathroom were spacious and clean. Overall, it was great for a 3* hotel. Not as nice as a Hilton or Hyatt, but we were pleased with our bargain. Since we were in town to visit our kids/grandkids, we didn't take advantage of any of the hotel amenities, so I can't comment on the restaurant, fitness room, etc. My complaints: 1. The sheets weren't great. They were on the rough side and wouldn't stay put. I'm not a restless sleeper, but my feet ended up on bare mattress several nights of our stay. 2. The faucet in the bathroom dripped hot water into the sink as well as onto the tile below. I notified the front desk on our third day so they could have maintenance fix it. Upon checkout, it still wasn't repaired. 3. Valet parking costs $16/day. But there's a parking garage about a block away that's only $6/day. It was worth the walk to save $60 over the course of our stay. Be aware that although valet parking offers in/out priveleges, the parking garage does not. Oh, and on weekdays, there's a safe underground tunnel that connects the garage directly with the hotel. 4. My dh is a Wyndham By Request member. The hotel wouldn't honor it because we used Priceline. So we didn't get a morning newspaper and couldn't access the wireless internet. That bugged me. I didn't like being made to feel like a second-class citizen. In all my years of using Priceline, every other hotel we've stayed at allowed us to use our member privileges. For example, whenever we stay at a Doubletree, we always get free breakfasts because we're Hilton Honors members. They never deny it because we made our reservations through PL.

From everything I've read, the Wyndham is the only 3* hotel in Toledo. I confess I was a little nervous after reading a bad review further down this board. I'm already in Toledo visiting my daughter, so earlier today I stopped into the hotel and told the front desk that I'd heard mixed reviews about their hotel on various online sites. They kindly offered to show me a room, which turned out to be just fine, though I didn't inspect it with a fine-toothed comb. The hotel offered me the AAA rate of $89/night. I came back to dd's house and placed my bid and got it right off. I needed the room beginning tonight so I didn't want to risk starting the bid too low. I can see that I might have gotten it for even less. Wyndham Hotel Toledo 2 Seagate Summit Street Toledo, Ohio 43604 419-241-1411 Your Offer Price: $35.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 6 Subtotal: $210.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $40.43 Total Charges: $250.43

Palo Alto now has a 4*, so it cut down my rebid options quite a bit. Trying for the Santa Clara Hilton. A = Sunnyvale/Santa Clara B = San Jose South C = Redwood City D = Milpitas A $40 A+B $44 A+C $47 A+D $51 A+B+C $54 A+B+D $57 A+C+D $60 A+B+C+D $63 I may be bidding too soon. I'll try again in March and see if I have better luck.

Last year I got the Hyatt for $33/night. Oh, well--who can complain at $46? :) Here's how I bid: A - Disneyland area B - Anaheim Hills C - Fountain Valley D - Laguna Hills E - Seal Beach Each time a bid was declined, I closed the browser and opened a new window before placing a new bid. ZONE/BID A $38 rejected with offer to raise by $12 A+B $40 rejected A+C $42 rejected A+D $43 rejected A+E $44 rejected A+B+C $45 rejected with offer to raise by $13 (this seemed weird to me, since I'd already had an offer at $38) A+B+D $46 accepted Your Offer Price: $46.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $92.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $18.47 Total Charges: $110.47 Kim

Am I missing something? Subject line says $63 but post says the winning bid was $105. Is it just me? Kim

We're back from our stay. The Hyatt Grand Champions is a nice resort. We were given a golf course view in a very spacious room, which at the Hyatt website comes up at a higher price than the mountain/garden view rooms I assumed I'd end up with. The bathroom was enormous, with both a bathtub and a roomy glass & tile shower stall. The way comfy bed and dresser occupied the middle third of the room. Then there was a step down into a large sitting area, which made up the last third of the "suite." It had a couch, chair, coffee table, desk, and TV. Plus there was a covered patio with a table and chairs overlooking the greens. Anyway, it made for a nice getaway. CAVEAT: Upon checkout, we were presented with a $14/day resort fee (Priceline does warn that a resort fee may apply). But we also received a $100 certificate good on lunches and dinners if we return to a Hyatt resort before the end of January. So if we do this again, we'll get some free meals out of the deal. Finally, my dh found a tidy sum (in bills) under the table in the restaurant where we ate dinner one night. He left our phone number with the manager in case anyone should come it looking for it. So far, no calls, so we can pretty much say we got a free trip! Kim

Yes, it is classified as a resort. Meant to include it in the subject line--sorry! Kim

Well, I'm bummed. I bid $67 because I hadn't seen any lower winning bids and I'm going in two days (no 72 hr window). I got it on my first try. Never even got to try any of my rebids. Not that it's a bad price. I should have checked the hotel site first. They have rooms going for $89/night. Kim Hyatt Grand Champions Resort in Indian Wells, CA Your Offer Price: $67.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $67.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $14.85 Total Charges: $81.85

The continuing saga of my attemps to get a hotel at Logan Airport, since we have to catch a VERY early flight the next day. I've bid several times since the fall with no success, but struck gold tonight. I waited 72 hours since my last bidding attempt and rebid similarly to thereuare's suggestion. Revere-Logan - $55 REJECTED add S. Boston - $60 REJECTED add Medford - $66 ACCEPTED Note that Chestnut Hill is no longer available as a bidding zone. This reduced my rebid zones to 2, since the remaining zones all have 4* hotels. $66.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $66.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $16.07 Total Charges: $82.07

First bid of $33 was accepted. That was just too easy! Your Offer Price: $33.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $99.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $20.52 Total Charges: $119.52 Internet price is $145/night. Kim

The Westin's internet rate was $209 for Friday 5/13: First bid of $77 was rejected. Priceline countered with $99. Added a new zone and rebid $81 with success. (FYI, I was up to $89 the first time I tried bidding for both Friday and Saturday nights.) Kim

I bid for a 4* hotel at Logan Airport for 4/30/05. 1st bid = $47 2nd bid = $51 added S. Boston 3rd bid = $54 added Chestnut Hill 4th bid = $57 added Medford Yet I notice that others are getting this hotel for these prices. Am I bidding too soon? Should I wait until March to place my bid? TIA for the advice. Kim

There are only 4 zones in Huntsville, but three of them have 3* hotels, making rebidding difficult. So I had to wait out the 72 hours two different times. Room rate at marriott.com $89.00 First try: 3* Huntsville West $44 rejected add Huntsville $49 rejected After 72 hours: 3* Huntsville West $55 rejected add Huntsville $58 rejected After 72 hours: 3* Huntsville West $59 rejected (but got an "offer" to increase the price $17 to guarantee the booking). add Huntsville $62 Bid accepted Marriott Huntsville (Huntsville West) 5 Tranquility Base Huntsville, Alabama 35805 256-830-2222 Check-In Date: Fri, Mar 4, 2005 Check-Out Date: Sun, Mar 6, 2005 Offer Price: $62.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $124.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $23.41 Total Charges: $147.41