rachael_9667

6/10-6/14/12 Lake Buena Vista, FL for the search 90% of people recommend 4 star property Lake Buena Vista- Downtown Disney area condo $134 listed as $94 Amenities: Resort Free Parking Free Internet 2 Bedroom Suite Fully-equipped Kitchen Washer and Dryer in Room Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) 24-hour Front Desk High-Speed Internet Access Spa Services Condo I thought it was the Sheraton Vistana Resort (which I want to extend our exchange stay) BUT Hotwire says that this property charges a resort fee and I called the Sheraton Vistana Resort and the Vistana Villages and neither charge a resort fee?? Then, I was thinking Lake Buena Vista Resort Village and Spa since I see the Spa word mentioned in the amenities, but I don't see a resort fee listed on their website either. I'm so confused.

Wanted to update that this was a very nice place to stay - I think $38 is their bottom acceptance bid b/c I asked the staff about adding a night (when P/L told me none were available) and he said sure - I gave you the Priceline rate, you paid $38 right? It was a very nice place - business center, little convenience center, nice breakfast area and good breakfast, nice comfy room with a comfortable bed. Overall, I would very happy to get this place again.

I'm very grateful for this website and the ability to have so much knowledgeable help at my fingertips - it makes bidding so much easier and cuts down our travel costs considerably. I'm glad to be able to support BetterBidding by just clicking a simple link rather than having to PAY for the service even though it would be well worth it.

This may sound crazy but I really loved the Aston Aloha Beach that we stayed at in 2010. It has the perfect location for protected swimming (my DH is not a good swimmer) and getting to everywhere easily as it is really centrally located. It is adjacent to Lydgate Park and right down the road from Smith's Tropical Paradise/Waimea falls. The room was fine, not a lush paradise but I wasn't in Hawaii to stay in the room. The pool and hot tub were very nice and the breakfast (which is included in some packages) was amazing. The banana macadamia pancakes w/coconut syrup there are so incredible, I could cry. Anyway, the reviews are always either love or hate on that place but I can tell you first hand, it was a great place to stay and I am going back there the same time you are for 2 weeks w/a minivan for about $2100 via Orbitz (it was cheaper to bundle the hotel and car rather than bid both from what I could see). I don't know if you have children, but kids stay and eat free there so breakfast buffet for 2 is around $30 incl. tax and kids. Can't remember menu prices but similar to anywhere else we ate & food was good every time. I'm just throwing it out there for your consideration, I know there's a large difference between the Hyatt and a more budget-friendly resort but it was a great place for us and the location was superior to any. We could walk right down to the beach or walk along their jogging path and then stroll back to the hotel to eat or swim in the pool and then back again. So much less hassle than getting in a car to drive to the beaches (although we did do that one day just to see them all).

Oak Brook - Downer's Grove Staybridge Suites Oakbrook Terrace 200 Royce Blvd, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181 $40.00 Rooms: 1 Nights: 2 Room Subtotal: $80.00 Taxes & Fees: $17.58 Total Charged to Card: $97.58 This was my first bid out of the box based on previous experience in the area so not sure if I did good or not. LOL Started here with the PRICELINE link of course and bid $40 in Oakbrook-Downers Grove hoping to get the Hyatt Place in Lombard but was shocked when my first bid was accepted. I am happy with the proximity to U of Chicago Med Ctr & shopping/food. The only downside I can see is there is no pool at this property. Otherwise, perfectly acceptable and will suit our needs nicely since we are traveling with kids this round. It's more of an extended stay property so geared towards long term business men but the upside is that it includes a kitchenette and a pull out couch/separate living room area. I hadn't seen this property mentioned for a few years so thought I'd better post my win so people know this hotel is back in the rotation. :)

Used the PRICELINE link, started at $30 Arlington Heights North, PL offered reservation for $44, declined. Re-bid with $32 same date & adding Arlington Heights and was accepted. Very happy since this is the hotel (all suites, close to airport & shopping, etc) I was hoping to get. :) Sheraton Suites Elk Grove 121 Northwest Point Boulevard Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 $32/night $11.11 tax $43.11 total

Bid $40 for 3 star in Hillside area (need to be close-ish to U of Chicago) rejected and was offered it for $47 if I bid right then. Clicked to change some reservation details and added Willowbrook/Burr Ridge and raised my bid to $43 and it was accepted for Hyatt Place Chicago Lombard. Used the PRICELINE link from here to start, of course. Room Subtotal: $43.00 Taxes & Fees: $12.58 Total Charged to Card: $55.58

This was a startlingly nice hotel for a Best Western. Right off the Eisenhower expressway, close to plenty of restaurants and shopping and really beautiful inside. No free breakfast but they did have free wifi and a really nice restaurant inside. Saw the sign for the breakfast buffet & it was $9.99. Comfy beds and clean room, too.

Did some research and see that AAA gave them 2 stars and their own website (the hotel's parent co) gave it a 1 star but couldn't find it again when I clicked the link but either way, not a 3 star and traveler reviews were dismal. Argued it up the chain at Expedia and all said no and the last guy at corporate acted all condescending and rude saying he was sorry about the rating I saw on "AARP" and that he used to work in the travel industry and reviews are subjective blah blah blah. Anyway, he called me back 15 minutes after I told him I wanted a call back from his supervisor and said he saw what I was referring to and he'd "make an exception to the rules". Hope they get in changed before someone else ends up here.

New hotel to add to the Chicago area Oakbrook - Downers area: Best Western Plus Chicago Hillside 4400 Frontage Road, Hillside, IL 60162 I used every re-bid opporunity I knew and when I exhausted my 3.5 star efforts I added 3 * and kept trying. Nearly out of area w/in 30 mi of the city when I added Aurora and went from $52 to $54 and finally got the 3 star Best Western Plus. Reviews are out on this one. Used the PRICELINE link to start. TA says it used to be Chicago Hillside Motel but one reviewer says it was a Holiday Inn until 3 years ago. At any rate, I didn't see it on the list so new to me.

Expedia Unpublished Rate Hotel Burr Ridge - Hinsdale - Willowbrook Area Hotel, 3.0-stars QUALITY INN - based on reviews there is NO way this is a 3 star hotel. Contacting Expedia to see what they will do as I'm not staying in a roach motel but wanted other bidders to beware. 1 Night: Nov/15/2011 - Nov/16/2011 $47.00/night +$10.67 Taxes & Fees Total: $57.67 Amenities: Airport Shuttle Complimentary Breakfast Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) High-speed Internet Access Golf Nearby Burr Ridge - Hinsdale - Willowbrook Area

I can't even find anything around 3.5* for $50 in the burbs on TUESDAY - SO frustrating, at least now I know why.

I am *so* excited to see this hotel added! They have an awesome indoor/outdoor pool and hot tub area, great breakfast (biscuits & gravy, waffles, cereals, juices, bagels, etc), a fridge/freezer & microwave in every room, comfy beds, & clean rooms. After we stayed a week there I will not stay anywhere else in Peoria and had been paying full price.

Excellent advice as always - you are SO helpful! :)

Used the PRICELINE link and started bidding at $35/night - all bids were rejected until I got up to $42/night. Used Hazelwood for a free re-bid. Originally tried Eureka but bids went too high to justify the expense, then tried for the Springhill Suites in Chesterfield but hadn't seen a winning bid from that hotel in years so maybe not on the list anymore. Finally decided on the Fenton/Kirkwood area & got the Fairfield Inn in Fenton for $42 which is the one I was hoping for in the end. Total for the week 7/5 - 8/1: $42.00/night Rooms: 1 Nights: 7 Room Subtotal: $294.00 Taxes & Fees: $59.01 Total Charged to Card: $353.01

Yup, buddy I think you did pretty good. There are no other hotels with the same star level in that area so I bet their prices stay high. I'm guessing you could have probably got it for around a hundred bucks but you really didn't have a lot of time to mess with it so I'd say you got a good deal for the time frame you needed! (and you saved me lots of time so thanks lol)

Thank you - you just saved me 5 more days of hair pulling. I have been bidding this uncharted area, too and was only up to $67 lol. This is the best place to stay for Six Flags and they do have a shuttle to the park which will save you $15/day. Thanks for reporting your experience!

Had other people in the traveling party try to bid as well - they bid up to $75 for a 2 1/2 star and $80 on a 3 star changing the dates up and back but still rejected. Will keep you updated but I guess we may need to think about staying in Fenton or someplace like that and just driving the 15+ miles there and back.

Yup, going to Six FLags St. Louis the entire time. I'm surprised that based on the proximity to the theme park that more people haven't encountered this zone or that it isn't more popular. *shrugs* Anywho, I don't think we'll make it to the Zoo or Magic House this trip but if so, would you recommend a different area to look in? Oh and I think the Motel 6 is now America's Best Inn based on the reviews at Trip Advisor maybe. I always start my searches with the PRICELINE links here. :)

Tried bidding $65/night (avg price they showed was $149) for 3 star, rejected - changed dates, still rejected. Added 2 1/2 star but dropped price to $60 for original dates (avg price they showed was $119 for 2.5*) and was rejected. Will keep trying and let you know what happens.

Hi Aaron! I put the dates in the subject line but forgot to mention in the body - I'm looking at July 10-16th that's why I'm freaking out a little. I don't have the time to spin the wheel like I usually would. They show hotels in the 3 star and below range. When I looked on TA I only saw 2 hotels listed for Eureka and P/L lists 3: The Holiday Inn which is the 3 star but the other 2 they list in Eureka are both 1 star (Americas Best Inn & Super 8). I widened a search on TA to 5 miles from Allenton and it included Pacific, MO which brings up a 2.5 star (TA's star rating) Comfort Inn and a 2 star Quality Inn also in Pacific. Do you think it's safe to assume that those are the hotels that P/L includes in that zone? I don't see where any other hotels even exist in that area.

:) So confused - I looked at the hotel list and tried to determine what area of their bidding zones around St. Louis would be closest/cheapest and determined a couple zones but when I went into P/L to do a search I decided to type in Eureka, MO since that is technically where we needed to be for Six Flags St Louis and it gave me one zone: Eureka, MO. I went back to the hotel list we have here thinking I must have missed something but couldn't find any mention. Used the search function and all I came up with is Eureka, CA. Hated to even start bidding in the dark. Did they add a new zone or have I missed something obvious?

Used the PRICELINE link to begin my bidding and got the Ramada Bettendorf for $50 a night which is the hotel I wanted. Started bidding at $45 and was rejected. Tried with $50 same dates, only Bettendorf selected and 2.5* and up and was accepted. For anyone traveling with kids this is a wonderful hotel. Their indoor pool area/setup is awesome - zero depth entry, splash pool, little geysers, a big raining mushroom looking thing, a literal whirlpool that spins you round and round and the biggest hot tub I have ever seen. Breakfast isn't bad, they have computer and printer access for guests, free wifi, comfy beds and a fridge and microwave in the room. Anytime we are in the cities, we stay here. If I couldn't get it on PL/HW I would probably pay full price - I like it that much. :)

I used to live in Geneva and it never occurred to me to go on to Wisconsin lol That might be a good way to spend a rainy day - certainly better than wasting it at Gurnee Mills. Thanks Aaron!

Oops, didn't see this before I started a new thread in the P/L part of the forum. I did end up getting my bid on Priceline using the links here, of course. I think this thread staying in the Hotwire forum might help someone else who is trying to identify these Gurnee area hotels as we only have a few "knowns" on the Hotwire list and there are at least 3 in the immediate area (<5 mi) that are unidentified. Add some surrounding zones and there were lots more. Thanks for all your help!