Mike624

Had a good rate at a nearby Hampton Inn, but was looking for a slightly better property so I rolled the dice with a Priceline Express Deal at a similar rate. Listed amenities included: 8+ user rating, pet friendly, free parking, business center, restaurant, airport shuttle, free internet, free breakfast, indoor or outdoor pool, and fitness center. Probably could have saved some additional money by doing "Name Your Own Price," but I needed a few specific amenities that were not guaranteed via the NYOP option. The only 3-star Express Deal property currently listed on BetterBidding for ATL airport hotels is Drury's, so I think that list needs to be updated.

Needed one night at a downtown Miami hotel on December 10th and was targeting 4.5 star properties due to their proximity to the Viceroy (I have an event there, but don't want to pay their rates -- even if discounted by 50% to 60%). Saw a 4.5 star listing on Hotwire for $91 and a Priceline Express deal for $96... Based on information available on BetterBidding, I was reasonably confident that both listings were for the Intercontinental. With those numbers in mind, and with 11 free rebid zones, I started my initial bid at $60 and worked my way up from there. Winning bid was $84 (last rejected bid was $82, and I was realistically hoping to end up at somewhere between $75 and $85). All-in price after taxes and fees is $102.xx, which is about $10 less than the Hotwire price (although obviously I don't know 100% that it was for the same property). The lowest "retail" rate I've seen for this same hotel on 12/10 is $186.xx ($210.xx with taxes), so I'm very happy with the savings of about $108 for one night. The Intercontinental is one of the top rated hotels in Miami, located exactly where I need to be, and I am paying significantly less than the going rate at many "inferior" nearby hotels (i.e. 3 starts, much lower user ratings, etc). I should note that this property appears to charge a resort fee of $15 (up from $10 starting today, 11/15/2015)... As much as I hate to pay fees like this, I was aware of this going in and the total price with the fee is still way less than what I would have paid through other channels. I gladly used the BetterBidding PRICELINE link, as this site continues to be a great resource in assisting with my "opaque" hotel bookings.

95% sure this same hotel was just available on Hotwire for $70. Wanted HGI but would've been fine elsewhere, so I decided to give Priceline a shot first to see if I could get something cheaper. $51 was initial bid. Would have used Toronto East as a free rebid zone at $60, and if that didn't work would have moved on to the Hotwire offer of $70. Again, based on the amenities listed on Hotwire, I'm pretty sure that $70 listing was also the Hilton Garden Inn Toronto/Mississauga. Happy to save the $19 (using the PRICELINE link here) and thankful as always to BetterBidding for making the research so easy. -Mike

Was looking for a 3-star property in Riverhead, which gave me one free re-bid in Stony Brook/Port Jefferson. Started at $70 in Riverhead and was rejected. Added Stony Brook/Port Jefferson and raised to $83, which was successful. I could have probably raised by a smaller amount, but I wanted to get the reservation done and didn't want to have to wait 24 hours to try again. Best "regular" rate I could find for Hotel Indigo was $169, which came out to $188.xx with taxes. My bid came out to $98.xx all-in, so I'm happy. I had a back-up reservation at the Hilton Garden Inn for $142 (all-in), so the Priceline deal is still a good one. At the time of my bidding, Hotwire had a 3 1/2 star property for $98 and a 3 star for $114. The $98 would have been $118 with taxes and fees, so again, Priceline came out ahead. As always, I used the BetterBidding PRICELINE link.

9/5-9/6, Marriot Riverfront, $85 Started at $60 and had to go through multiple rebids to get to $85.

Successful bid for Holiday Inn Beacon Hill for one night (10/30) @ $70 Had been hoping for 4* and tried unsuccessful bidding (with multiple free re-bids) ranging from $55 to $77. Repeated the same process with 3 1/2* hotels with no success. Saw a 3* listing on Hotwire for $83 that would have been $100.xx with tax, etc. Based on information I got from the Hotwire board, I gather it was likely the same hotel I won through Priceline or very similar. Since my winning bid came out to $87.xx with tax/fees I feel it was worth the effort to bid rather than just go with Hotwire. Cheapest rate on HolidayInn.com was $228.xx, so I'm pretty happy. I've usually been able to get Hyatt Regency's in that $55 to $75 range and would have preferred that, but the Holiday Inn fits my needs for this short trip. Used the PRICELINE link via your site. Provided much help (as usual) for my bidding strategy. Thanks, Mike

First off -- GREAT SITE! First bid was $100. Was rejected and I was offered the chance to raise my bid by $22 and bid again. Had read previously that this isn't the most efficient way to go and already knew that I had 4 free re-bid zones in Puerto Rico, so I opted to pass on the $22 offer. Second bid (also for a "Resort" in Rio Grande-Humacao via a free re-bid) was $107 and was successful! Advance purchase rate direct from the hotel was $188 and rack rate was $269, so I am very pleased. Also looked at Hotwire and, based on amenity information I saw listed on the Hotwire forum of this website, I think the same hotel was $137. Frankly, I would have been happy paying even that. This forum helped me get a rate $30 cheaper/night from what I already considered a great deal! (Happily) used the PRICELINE link via this site to make my purchase, and will do so again in the future. Thanks, -Mike