Sutter

This Holiday Inn was much like a typical Holiday Inn Express, thouh with a restaurant. Paid $45 plus taxes and fees for a 3-night stay in late October. Ended up having to extend our stay by one night, but Priceline said they could not extend the stay-- I'd have to take pot luck by bidding on the whole general area again-- so I paid the hotel's standard senior rate for that last night. The room was nice, with plenty of space. Since the hotel is located next to Hwy. 50 (a freeway), I asked for a room facing the other direction, towards the small street on which the hotel is located. Priceline customers, unlike those paying the hotel's standard rates (as we did our last night), do not receive the continental breakfast or two free drinks (during happy hour) at the bar. Dinner in the restaurant is okay. There are other restaurants within a short drive, but nothing I saw within walking distance. Laundary facilities (one washer, one dryer) are free for guests. Front desk even gve me a packet of detergent (though no fabric softener or dryer sheets). In-room Wi-Fi was free, and there was also a small business center (3 computers and a printer) nearby. We purposefully stayed in Rancho Cordova since we were looking at real estate in the generl area and eastward. While it's not the most convenient location from which to visit downtown Sacramento's tourist sites, the rates here are lower than one would pay downtown, and parking was free (we'd paid $17 for self-parking at a downtown hotel the night before our first night at the Holiday Inn).

Price of $49 plus taxes/fees (total $60.94). November 6. We had been hoping for the Hyatt Place at Ontario Mills, where we'd stayed through Hotwire the previous June. Some of the reviews of this hotel, such as on Tripadvisor, made me wary, especially concerning the noise. The hotel, and our room, turned out to be nice, and noise not a factor within the hotel itself. Only noise problem arose from a gardening crew servicing the grounds of an adjacent office building decided to start its work-- complete with branch choppers-- at 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning (not the hotel's fault, but I would hope they'd pass on a friendly request to the office building's managers). The hotel is of a somewhat offbeat, very modern, design. For the most part it worked quite well. The room had plenty of space for us. You do really need a car. There are no restaurants nearby (I didn't see if the hotel lobby bar had any food; breakfast items-- apparently all cold items to be microwaved-- were not cheap). We got to the hotel too late to use the fitness room, and it was too cold to use the pool. Parking and Wi-Fi were free. We would return. 4

I'm confused. Where exactly do I go to add a review of a hotel not yet reviewed? For example, to add a review of a hotel in California, do I go to the list of hotels by letter "C"? If so, then what? I don't see "add new topic" on that page. If I wanted to add a review of a hotel already reviewed, things look simple.

Winning bid was $45 per night for 4 nights (Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday). Weeknghts were showing as higher so we wer epleased with what we got. Room was basic, comfortable Hilton Garden Inn room. Never did get the mattress dials to affect the bed comfort but we slept just fine. Breakfast buffet, at about $10, seemed a little pricey for what one got (we did use it the last day), but the room had a refrigerator and we purchased items at a supermarket about a 10 min. drive way. There are at least two nice restaurants within a very short walk of the hotel, which is generally surrounded by trees, offices and small busineses. Did not have a problem with noise. One day we forgot to take the "do not disturb" sign down when we left, and by the time we returned, about 3:30 or 4. housekeeping had departed for the day. Manager on duty brought us some fresh towels but did not take away the old ones (we put those in the hallway and eventually they were taken away). The next day, housekeeping did not bring us any towels (we did phone and they were brought to our room). Parking was free, as was Wi-Fi (there is a business center downstairs with two PCs and a printer). We did not make use of the fitness room or indoor pool. Items in the small store were sometimes pricey (e.g., $5.50 for a bottle of beer; same price as in the restaurant). Hotel is not close to a light rail station, but is close to major highways, including I-5 and state highway 217, so accessibility was not a problem. I might want to stay elsewhere if spending most of my time in Portland's central attractions, but we were mainly looking at real estate in the Lake Oswego/Tiger area, so the location was good for us. Front desk was helpful in giving directions, and recommendations (e.g., which "haunted maze" to go to on Halloween).

Bid up to $66 for 4-star, denied. Bid $57 on 3 1/2 star. Got Crowne Plaza. Hoped for the Hilton, but c

Hilton now listed as 4-star and not 3 or 3 1/2 star? $57 is excellent. I ask because I'm currently bidding on LAX hotels for a later date. I'm up to $60 so far, without success, but, of course rates can vary widely by exact date. We have stayed at the Hilton and liked it.

Turned out to be aloft Ontario. No free breakfast listed on the hotel's site so apparently it's a different hotel than that coming up for 4 people. Only after I got the aloft did I think about trying different combinations, such as 2 adults and 2 chidlren, to see if I got one clearly with free breakfast (e.g., Hyatt Place), and then tell the hotel the kids couldn't come after all. Hotel looks okay and it's only for one night.

Thanks for the tip about trying 4 people to see what appears. Now looks bit more like Hyatt Place at Ontario Mills. Ayres Suits would, I believe, be in the "Ontario Airport- West" zone, but others also sound like possibilities. I will follow up with whateer we decide.

I delayed due to some possible changes to our itinerary, and now the aforementioned choice had disappeared. Now there's a 3-star Ontario Airport- East for $49 for the same date (11/6) showing just pool and high-speed Internet, plus bed choice, as amenities. I'm assuming this could be the Hyatt Place or Aloft or Hilton. Based on bed choice option and lack of breakfast icon, I'm guessing Hilton. If so, I'll likely go with PRICELINE.

Sorry, initial bid was $40, not $45. Accepted bid was $45.

10/25-10/28. 3 nights. First bid $45. Denied. Offered chance to rebid right away at $55. Turned that down. Next day, bid $45. Accepted by Holiday Inn Rancho Cordova. Subtotal $135. Total, with fees/taxes, $162.15. I'm pleased with the results. I did link to PRICELINE from this site, of course.

Lake Oswego, Oct. 30, Oct. 31, Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 (check-out Nov. 3). Ontario, Nov. 6.

Priceline showed the average price of a 3-star hotel for the Lake Oswego-Tigard (Oregon) area for 10/30-11/3 as $129. Out of curiosity I checked on just the weekend, and the average rate was $66. Average rate for just 11/1-11/3, the two weeknights, was $129. -In this case, could I just split the difference between $129 and $66 in deciding what to base the bid on (i.e., start at maybe 60% off that), even though Priceline is giving the average weeknight price ($129) for the entire period if I bid on all 4 days at once? Or would it be better to first bid on the two weekend nights and then bid separately on the two weeknights, with a higher bid, recognizing that we may not get the exact same hotel (though there aren't that many 3-star hotels in the area)? -If I do bid on just the weekend to start with 40% of $66 seems like an awfully low starting point. I do have time so I guess I can start anywhere. (p.s. we have not yet made a decision re Ontario, California, subject of earlier post re Hotwire- California; will follow up on that thread).

I was in a similar situation for a late October trip and gave up on downtown during the week. Prices are, as in most cities (I think San Francisco may be an exception), much higher during the week (business travelers) than on weekends. I did book a room for two for a Sunday night at the Hyatt Regency directly with the hotel for about $120, but the rate would have been much, much higher the following day. We'll likely go through PRICELINE or HOTWIRE for a hotelin an outlying burb for the weeknights we're there, but we'll have a car.

We have stayed there. Nice hotel, big rooms, excellent free breakfasts (where you can also buy dinner), and a shuttle bus that will take you to nearby locations, not just the airport. Try to get a room away from the road in front (not due to traffic noise, but due to train tracks just the other side).

Just thought of doing a Google search for 17 floors 802 rooms hotel san francisco embarcadero (duh-- should have occurred to me right away), and it came up with the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero. Wow. Is LMT reliable? Not the best weekend location, but at that price, just fine. We're actually arriving at SFO that day after a 24-hour trip (from Brazil), and at first we were going to stay by the airport, since we'll likely sleep most of the day and night, but the rental car is so much cheaper downtown I thought of staying there. And Budget Car Rental has a location at the hotel. We will be staying in several cities on this trip, and plan on using PRICELINE and HOTWIRE in many locations (always using the link from this site, of course).

I've never used LMT. I'm in a similar situation as OP, but for Oct. 23 (just one night), and I've bid "just" up to $105 so far on PRICELINE. LMT shows a 4-star (well, 4 1/2 star on the first page, then 4-star in the description) for Downtown/Union Square/Nob Hill/S for $95. Seems awfully low. Does say it's actually in the Embarcadero waterfront, across the street from the Ferry Building Marketplace. 17 floors, 802 guestrooms. Is the method with LMT to look at various hotels in the area and try to narrow down the possibilities by the details? The price is similar to what I've found for the airport area for the same night. Thanks!

Yes, Ontario Airport- East. Sorry for the brain freeze.

Just high-speed Internet.

$46. Amenities: suites, non-smoking, airport shuttle, complimentary breakfast, fitness center, pool, business center, laundry. This looks like the Hyatt Place Ontario Mills, though I didn't remember it offering an airport shuttle before (when we stayed there in June, also using Hotwire). Thanks!

(note: this review is the only one for the Hotel Deluxe; the others are for the Hotel Mallory).

Paid $46 plus taxes/fees through Hotwire. Listed as 3-star, Ontario Airport East, but I'd give it 3 1/2. Room was large and comfortable, with two Queen-size beds and a separate sitting area. Large flat screen TV. Free in-room Internet. There are two computers and a printer in a small business center downstairs you can use (handy for printing out airline boarding passes). Free Continental breakfast (there's a full kitchen, and larger food items can be purchased). Drinks and, I think (but am not sure), some small food items can be purchased in the evening. Front desk personnel (very friendly) said washing machine and dryer were free for guest use, and detergent and dryer sheets available for purchase, but they had run out of detergent so we didn't use the machines. Hotel is a very short walk to the Ontario Mills Mall. It is also close to the intersection of I-10 and I-15, but we were not generally bothered by traffic noise (the street in front of the hotel, at the edge of the mall parking lot, is pretty much deserted late at night). There is no free shuttle to/from Ontario Airport, but with hotels closer to the airport you can have noise from planes, and in some cases, trains.

Great value at $80 plus taxes/fees through Priceline. Room was modern and comfortable. Based on posts I saw on this Web site, I joined the Omni rewards program and, as a result, received free Internet, and free breakfast drinks delivered to our room (need to pay extra for food). Based on reviews I'd seen on Tripadvisor.com, I requested a city-side room, rather than one facing the bay, since the latter would be closer to the trollery/train tracks (noise from trains is a problem mentioned in reviews of several area hotels). Glad I did. We did have a nice view of Petco Park. Not sure if noise from the park would be a problem on game nights (though on the plus side, if you go to a game you have a special causeway to the park just for Omni guests), but the games usually don't last that late. Hotel is easy walking distance to restaurants and shops in the Gas Lamp Quarter, though we walked along the bay, by using the steps that go up and over the convention center, and at at a seafood restaurant near the USS Midway.

It's an historic hotel in a great location. You pay a premium for that. The rooms are small and the walls thin, the hallway floor creakey, and prices (for rooms and food/drinks) high, but that comes with the territory. It helps to read up about the hotel's history in advance, so you can appreciate it. Rooms in the main building have shared bathrooms. We got a room in the annex with a private bathroom. It ostensibly had a Queen-sized bed (for $154 plus tax), though the bed seemed just a double bed and the room designed for one person (price is the same forone or two people). We may have ended up with that room due to a late check-in on a holiday weekend. The next day we saw a larger room being vacated and managed to switch. The room had two beds, each equal in size to that in our first room, albeit with a smaller bathroom. Meals in the main restaurant weren't outrageous in price, albeit inconsistent in quality (e.g., excellent prime rib, and pasta, but fairly poor trout, and buffalo meatloaf). The convenience store by the lodge at Longmire has the cheapest food and liquor we found inthe park. The large lobby, with vaulted ceiling, is probably the nicest part of the Pioneer Inn (the view outside tops that, of course). There were ranger lectures there each night. On weekends there is a free shuttle down to the lodge/restaurant/shops at Longmire, near one park entrance, with stops at places of sightseeing/hiking along the way. Parking is limited. While there is an area set aside for hotel guests, that can be full so you need to find a space elsewhere. Note: the hotel's Web site advises you that there is no Internet or cell phone access, and no TVs or phones in the room, though there are pay phones near the reception desk and at the nearby visitor center.

We stayed here in June 2010. $80 plus fees through Priceline. Hotels in downtown Portland are not cheap, so price was good. Although this hotel is on the "edge" of downtown, a little further from shopping and parks than some others, such as the Marriott, the location is still good (and, at least through Priceline, a lower price than we would have paid elsewhere). There's a light rail stop next to the hotel (some noise for rooms on that side ofthehotel). This is an historic hotel, with lots of movie-related posters and photos, to give it a sort of old Hollywood feel. This is nice, but be advised that the rooms are smaller than in typical hotels of this level, and the walls a bit thinner. We asked to be moved from our first room, due to noise from our neighbors. While the other room had more street noise, all in all it was fine. The restaurant is nice, albeit pricey. You can find lower-priced restaurants, and some convenience stores, by walking 5-10 minutes. The bar does have some good specials, on light food and drinks during their late "happy hour" starting at 9 p.m. There is a fitness center, and a business center with free Internet access. Service at the front desk wa a little uneven, but generally good. Parking is expensive (valet only), as seems to be the case for most downtown hotels. The hotel was, all in all, just fine, especially for the price, but the prepondous of reviews gushing praise about how luxurious the hotel is, etc., on Tripadvisor.com surprised me. It semed than if a less than 5-star rating ws given by a reviewer, a 5-star review immediately appeared. The hotel is best for those who want something different, especially in the way of a hotel that is historic and boutique/trendy, and who doesn't mind smaller than usual rooms and thinner than usual rooms. For $80, I'd consider it a good buy, especially for the location, even if not luxurious.