MikeBHR

I bid for this on the morning of the stay. The Express Deals list had something in this zone/star combo for $26, so I dropped a few bucks off of that for the NYOP bid. This is a new property for the list. It was passable, but far from perfect. The "high"light, as it relates to this audience, was the manager arguing on the phone with a Priceline rep as I arrived to check in. Apparently, another customer had an issue. The manager was infinitely more polite to me than she was to the Priceline rep. P. S. Fredericksburg now has three zones, based more or less on Fredericksburg's three I-95 exits.

This was a PRICELINE EXPRESS Deal win. I didn't expect to save more than a buck or two with NYOP in this situation, so I booked it and went on. Based on the folio I was handed as I checked out, a bid at $23 might have worked. I believe that this used to be a Studio Plus before the chain's renovations. A light breakfast is now included. The street address is 2504 NC Hwy. 54, Durham, NC 27713, as there are several of this chain in this area.

This was a PRICELINE EXPRESS Deal. I tried bidding 34, 36, and 38, adding the various zones as I went and came up empty. So I took the Express Deal price here. The property was acceptable, but cheapest in the region for a reason or two.

Final of the late reports. A new property for the lists. This was won on the first bid after seeing this zone/star combo available for $45 on PRICELINE EXPRESS Deals.

Another late report. They've improved their breakfast and fixed some business center items, so it was even better than a stay last year. PS. I hit a wrong button. This is only 2 star.

Sorry for the late update. It's been a crazy summer. I did pick up this deal along the way. This is an old Mom-n-Pop motel that has been very well maintained and is in great shape. Very well worth the price in this remote area.

I pulled up Strasburg VA and got a list of 12 towns that also included Woodstock, New Market, Luray, Mount Jackson, Front Royal, Ruckersville (southern of the range), and Martinsburg WV (northern of the range). If your target is a three-star in Front Royal or Martinsburg, this list will give you 10 re-bids to play with. I think I had three re-bids at 2.5 stars. And Mount Jackson only showed a one-star property, giving two-star shoppers a rare free re-bid at that level. Larger cities, such as Winchester and Harrisonburg, were not on this list, but shown as neighboring areas. Started at 2.5 stars at $38. Used the free re-bids to increase to $45, but came up empty, as expected based on what was showing on the regular and express deal lists. Restarted at 2 stars at $35. Counter-offer at $45 (the Express Deals price for this star/town/dates). Used the free re-bid to get this property at $39. Six under the Express Deals price seems to be a magic number for now. Property is getting decent reviews as of late. The main downside of this property is that, according to some reviews, the pool and gym listed in the description as on property may actually be a neighboring recreation facility with free privileges but much shorter hours than motels usually offer (and guests expect) for these amenities when available/listed. This won't affect me on my trip, but it may be worth considering if such things are important to you.

Started at 3 stars in this zone. Bid $44. Counter at $61. Added Chester (not free, but acceptable) to bid $48. Nothing doing. No other zones suit me for this particular trip, so .... Restarted at 2.5 stars in this zone. Bid $40. Counter at $51. Added Chester again to bid $45. Got this property, which is on the west edge of the oval on the map. It's also new to the forum. It seems to be newly renovated and favorably reviewed, so we'll see how it goes. Both counter-offers from the site were the posted prices for those zone/star combinations on Express Deals.

It seems as though they only show the guest score rating when it's high, such as above 9 or 8. That makes some sense as low ratings aren't much of a selling point. My wins have only come $6-$10 below what Express Deals shows, but I'm probably bidding lower star ratings in cheaper parts of the world than the OP. When the Express Deals are already in the $40s, you can only go so much lower with a NYOP bid. The full price of the hotel is shown as a comparison (here's what you're saving) to the Express Deals price, and finding that number on PRICELINE's regular price list has been as helpful in determining what property a listing might be as the amenities list. Express Deals has been a fairly good resource for me so far, especailly in an area that doesn't have a lot of wins posted on this site.

Another one that I forgot to post at the time, but it's another new one for the list. Started in this zone for a $38 bid. Counteroffer was either $48 or $50. Added Martinsville as the 2nd choice (not free) zone to rebid and get this for $42. Rooms were a little small, but still clean and comfortable. Breakfast was good, and wifi was strong through the stay.

I forgot to post this as it happened, but since it's a new one for the list... Started at $32 in this zone. Counteroffer of $40. Added a zone (not free, just a passable 2nd choice) to bid $35 and got this property. Place was generally clean and comfortable with a decent breakfast. Outdoor pool was a little cold. Wifi was free and consistent.

Got it on the first bid. Hotel website shows $89 as the low price. Remembered to use the site's PRICELINE link this time.

I'm surprised that PRICELINE dropped this from two stars to one, as I've never had a problem when I've gotten this property in the past. While it doesn't provide a WOW experience, it's been consistently good for a no frills stay, which is the agenda this weekend. Hopefully that'll hold for this visit. Seeing a high number of first time reviewers on TripAdvisor over the last few months is a bit curious. I remembered to use the board's PRICELINE link this time.

$45 total.

Using a bonus cash offer, I started at $40 and worked my way up the ladder adding zones (free and/or also acceptable) until this hit. The property was good before when I stayed there last year and they were improved for this visit.

Sorry for the late post. Started at $42 in this zone. Got a counter offer for $52. Tried $45 with a free rebid zone, then added a non-free rebid zone and hit this property at $47. A good quality property and a fun stay.

Used a bonus offer to get this for $33+7. I bid $37 in the airport zone first at 2.5 stars, then went up to this price level, added this zone, and got upgraded. Website price was about $110. It's only three or so minutes from where I was aiming and still handy to the places I'm going to visit, and it'll be fairly empty as it's in a heavy business zone on a holiday weekend. This should work out OK.

Here is a new one for the list. I got this on the first bid. Two rooms for two nights for $164.xx. This stay was on the weekend. The Howard Johnson website was giving a rate of $57 for the same nights. The roadside coupon books have a rate of $34.50 during week, so bid much lower or use some scissors during the week. I've stayed at this property before and it was great in the past. This time, the rooms were still decent as was the breakfast, but pool was dirty and the internet was down about half the time. The manager was unresponsive to the complaints. PL's Troutville zone is simply the area around Exit 150, which has a large collection of truck stops, motels, and restaurants on both sides of the highway. The area northwest of the highway along US-220 is actually Daleville, while the area southeast of I-81 along US-11 is Troutville itself.

$34 + $6 in bonus cash for this deal for a total of around $87.

That's the right one. Glen Allen must be a pretty big post office to cover the ground from Glen Allen itself to the Innsbrook and Short Pump areas.

I selected most of the zones in Richmond at this star level and price, and Old Faithful showed up again. This place has been good in the past for a no-frills stop and go, and that's all I was looking for this time. I remembered to use the forum's PRICELINE link for this one.

Started with a 2.5* bid at this price in the Midlothian zone and came up empty. Added the West End (a usually reliable choice at 3*), and was upgraded to this property. It's new to me (I usually get the Ramada/old Sheraton), but I've seen it on the board before.

Aiming for the Midlothian zone, which has a Hyatt Place that I won once last year. Bid $35, got a counteroffer for $45, added Downtown Richmond (which I had never seen won at such a low price before, so I was treating is as a free rebid when it really isn't), and got surprised. Website price was $139. The hotel is excellent so far, although the lack of free parking is a bonus that I could have done without.

I know the feeling. I got this property for a stay on August 17, bidding the day before, and just now have the time to post as well. I started at $35 in this West End zone. I got a counteroffer of $45. I added a zone (Downtown, not a free rebid, but not a likely choice either) and successfully bid $38. This was property was a Sheraton until a few weeks ago. Local calls and wifi access are now free (these were charged items before). I've been satisfied with this property every time I've stayed there.