mkiwama

Thought I would share my experience of a Priceline stay in Prague, Czech Republic, (have also added a review to another forum). :) I just returned from a WONDERFUL 7 night stay at the Moevenpick Hotel in Prague. I was there for a conference which was situated in the Smichov Prague 5 area on the West bank of the Vltava River. Though the hotel was situated close to the conference venue, I want to say that this would be a great location for anyone wanting to spend an extended period of time sightseeing in Prague. On the map, it looks like it is away from the popular tourist destinations of old town, Wenceslas Square, Josefov (Jewish sector), Charles Bridge and the Prague Castle but it really isn't far at all. Prague is a compact city and has an excellent public transportation system. Within a 5 minute walk is the tram (Bertramka station), Rail Station, Metro (Andel station), and a gigantic new shopping complex that has a massive Carrefour store, called Novy Smichov. At Carrefour, I could get practically anything i needed at reasonable prices- stuff like Czech Beer, wines, bottled water, bread, cold meats and cheeses, and even hot take-out like Beef Goulash and other local delicacies. On the top floor is a food fair that serves everything from MacDonalds to fine Greek and Chinese food. Many of the eateries around the Andel station (including fastfood giants KFC and Macdonalds) are open til 2am. In other words, what i am saying is that the Movenpick Hotel is situated just far enough away from the tourist traps but close enough to good amenities and all of this beautiful city's main tourist attractions. 5 min.s walk to Metro, a short wait on the platform and then 5 minutes on the metro and you're at Wenceslas Square. The hotel itself is a fairly new, well-staffed large complex at the foot of a hill, separating the bustle of the city and beautiful nature. The main hotel complex's two wings are situated at the bottom of the slope. There is a another hotel complex at the top of the hill accessed by a special funicular rail car that departs from the hotel lobby. Great views of the city from atop this hill. Right next to the hotel is the Beautiful Bertramka Villa, where Mozart reportedly stayed from time to time and finished composing Don Giovanni. One thing about this city is the incredible history and culture that is everywhere around you. Rooms are spacious by European standards. I don't know whether it was because of Priceline or not but me and a friend were assigned 2 rooms on the 7th floor (non smoking floor; there are 8 floors- 8th flr is executive rooms) facing the rear of the hotel. This was great because the rooms facing front only had windows which looked over a new expressway overpass that was being built, wheras rooms facing the rear had verandas that looked toward Bertramka Villa. The veranda doors were great because they also swiveled vertically allowing cool air to enter below and the warm air to circulate out. Rooms are equipped with all of the usual appointments and this being typically European, was designed with comfort and efficiency in mind. High ceilings. Beds had real down feather pillows and down duvets. Desk is built into wall but has lots of space and lots of space below to enable free movement of your legs. Lots of alternative lighting. Green carpet, rosewood closets and doors, burgundy coloured counters and tabletops. Bathrooms had oversized deep soaker tubs, large toilets with built-in-wall plumbing push panels. Hair dryer on wall but no coffee making facilities in-suite. Also, they don't have in room irons and boards; you call housekeeping and they bring you one quickly. I found the rooms to be clean and functional, and an oasis to return to after a long day of walking. The other thing worth mentioning is that the rooms are virtually soundproof. I couldn't hear my neighbor fill the bathtub, nor ever hear any toilets flushing. To get to the Movenpick from the Airport, you can avoid the taxi mafia by taking the 179 bus to a tram stop called 'Motol', then taking the tram to Bertramka station. The hotel is within 2 blocks; whole trip took about 20 minutes. FRom Hotel to Airport, I could have just taken the tram and bus but decided to splurge and take one of the hotel cars (brand new black Audi sedans) for a cost of 580 Czech Crowns. The downside? internet is dial-up and although they can provide you with an account, you still pay for each unit of telephone time. Also, the restaurants are kind of pricey. Most guests are on a buffet breakfast plan but as you guessed, Priceline guests don't get a breakafst plan included. Not an issue as everyone else is paying at least double of what Priceline guests pay (60-65/night). The Padova restaurant next door is a great little place for italian meals at reasonable prices. I had a beer, greek salad, pasta, espresso and a tartufo layered cake, all for about $10. I would recommend this as an excellent value and location; an absolute steal for $65/night :)

You're welcome Zebnye! Actually, Thank YOU. I have benefitted a lot from your posts and reviews of PL hotels around SFO. :)

This hotel is in the West Region, in Prague 5. I have searched again, and $120 per night is the lowest to be found for these dates. $65 is a wonderful deal and when multiplied over 7 nights, the savings are substantial!

Started with 4* East @ $60. Rejected Added West and upped the bid to $65. After a prolonged period of watching the white screen with the moving arrows, the Movenpick screen jumped up. Then, I tried to get this same hotel for a colleague, on my credit card. Same routine... bid $65 in Prague East; Denied duplicate request within 72 hours. Added West region and stayed at $65. Again, a longer wait for a verdict but luckily the Movenpick came up again. Lowest rates for this hotel were $140 for weekday and $160 for weekend during this period. Have yet to see this property come up. Had to find a hotel in Prague 5 (attending a conference in this sector) which is located in the West PL region. I was resigned to staying in Prague East when I started bidding, but was pleasantly surprised to land this hotel, just a short stroll away from where I need to be a well as the Andel Metro Station.

Going to Asia in September and needed 2 separate nights for overnighting thru SFO. With the stay still relatively far in advance, I decided to start my bidding now with the lowest bid for a 3* in the area. When I got the Hyatt on my first bid of $25, I immediately went back in and bid for the second night. I don't care if they give me the boiler room by the elevator- it seems like a nice property. The best rate I could find for my nights was $139/night. Seems like one of the best deals out there right now. :) Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport San Francisco Airport (SFO) 1333 Bayshore Highway Burlingame, California 94010 For each night: Your Offer Price: $25.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $25.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $8.86 Total Charges: $33.86

:) Hi I am back and decided to post this review of my stay. If I should have posted this elsewhere, my apologies. For a three star hotel, this turned out to be a wonderful bargain. I was attending a conference at the Winnipeg convention centre about 4 blocks away and it was an easy, safe walk. I checked in at 10pm. and I was told that the hotel was getting full with several conventions in town- (perhaps the front desk clerk's way of saying that on a Priceline booking, my chances of getting a decent room were slim. As with some other priceline stays I have had, it was obvious from the staff's demeanor that Priceline guests inhabit a lower tier of status. You can't expect good professional treatment at the 3 star level when the clerks are essentially college students working part-time and haven't had extensive training. This clerk had a fully visible sheet in front of her listing all of the names of Priceline guests, and it seemed obvious that there are certain tacit rules about what rooms are 'released' to Priceline bookings. For example, I asked whether I could have a non-smoking room and was reflexively informed that there were none available. I am not complaining. Like I said, I have come to reconcile this level of treatment with SOME priceline booking receptions. When you are paying half of what the hotel can make off most other customers; from a manager's point of view, it doesn't make sense to lock up a marketable room for 4 nights to a priceline booking. Having said that, I was lucky this time as the clerk conferred openly, in a loud voice with her Manager in the next room, whether she could "give away the King on the 9th floor to a Priceline". So I was granted a non-smoking room on the 9th floor (hotel has 11 flrs), which turned out to be excellent. It was a corner suite with direct southern views up the boulevard to the Legislature Buildings and the river. Room was a standard, spacious, and very clean, with lots of big furniture (Chair with ottoman, business desk and ergonomic chair). King size bed, small empty fridge, and the usual 27 inch television with pay per view movies and games. Spotless bathroom with all of the usual amenities, and with coffee maker.Noisy but efficient heat/cool system situated underneath the window. Small, white marble lobby with limited sitting/waiting areas with entrance to family-style hotel restaurant. Staff, in addition to what I wrote above, was casually friendly and very helpful with directions. I felt they knew the city very well. Location was very good, making downtown shopping and the University of Winnipeg (one block West) quite convenient. This hotel is situated in the Western edge of the downtown core. Across the corner is a large Hudson's Bay department store. One block East is the beginning of the Portage Place shopping mall which also has several fastfood options. Guests having business in the downtown core (Portage and Main Street) may find the Sheraton and other properties a bit more convenient. It is only about a 10 minute walk away though so this hotel is really not a bad choice. Hotel has a postage stamp size pool that would be great for kids to work off several hours cooped up in a car, but I found the nearby YMCA (one block) an excellent facility with indoor pool, gymnasium, extensive exercise areas and an indoor track. First timers get a complimentary pass. The hotel is located right next to the greyhound bus depot which has its plusses and minusses. I found that the downtown core was not the nicest amongst Canadian cities- I got the sense that it wasn't a good place for children to stay. IMHO Winnipeg has a problem with pan-handlers and they are everywhere downtown. Stores close early and there just isn't a lot to bring people into town in the evenings and weekends. Despite being initially reminded (with the front desk clerk's assistance) that I was Priceline Trash, I have no complaints as the rate I paid was truly a bargain. The Holiday Inn & Suites delivered all that you could ask for in a 3* booking.

First bid $25 failed, then $31 when prompted to increase bid by $6. Dates: May 24 - May 28, 2003 (4 nights) Bid Amount: $31 Total Taxes: $14.78 (4 nites) Total Charge: $138.78 Tried eeebe35's winning bid at $25 at Sheraton (thanks eeebe35!), but still very happy with this rate. Attending a conference downtown and the best I could do through other discount hotel sites for this hotel was was $75/night not including taxes. Will try to report/rate this hotel on my return.