cytoguy

My girlfriend's alma mater (Boston College) just made the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA tournament, so we're headed to Minneapolis for next weekend. I started bidding at $50 for a 3* in the Downtown zone, and raised $5 for each rebid until I got a counteroffer at $70 (to raise the bid $22). So, my next bid was $73, which was accepted. A bit more than the usual rate for the Marquette, but for a NCAA regional final weekend it's more than worth it to be only a mile from the Metrodome with less than a week in advance...and what sounds like one of the best hotels in downtown. We're happy :) Anyone have any suggestions of must sees/dos in Minneapolis?? (we've obviously never been there) :o Here are the winning bid details: The Marquette Check-In Date: Friday, March 24, 2006 Check-Out Date: Monday, March 27, 2006 Downtown Minneapolis 710 Marquette Avenue Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402 612-333-4545 Your Offer Price: $73.00 Extend Your Stay Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $219.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $36.00 Total Charges: $255.00 Thanks! :)

Wow, what a real pain it was bidding for our winter escape (from VT) to Austin this weekend. My girlfriend and I've been bidding for over a week for this one, topping out at $70 for 4* hotels, and up to $65 for 3* in Downtown, Austin-North and Austin-South-Airport. All bids rejected, with many giving counteroffers, so I knew that we were close. But, after spending only $158/RT for our plane tickets, we didn't really want to spend over $80/night total for a room. 4* rooms downtown were anywhere from $103-180 during this bidding period on Hotwire, and after seeing winning bids in the upper $40 range for 4* hotels as little as a month ago in Austin, I didn't think the rates would be so high. Must be a conference in town this weekend... Anyway, after trying select 2.5* bids, which were rejected, I tried a lowball bid of $30 for a 2* in the airport zone, and it was accepted. Mixed reviews on this place, but it sounds like they're remodeling. Hopefully the beds are comfy at the least :) We don't plan on spending much time in the room anyway, with so much to do in Austin... Oh yeah, one more for the hotel list :) Woodward Hotel And Conference Center (http://www.woodwardaustin.com/) Check-In Date: Friday, January 27, 2006 Check-Out Date: Monday, January 30, 2006 Austin South - Airport 3401 South I-35 Austin, Texas 78741 512-448-2444 Your Offer Price: $30.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $90.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $21.65 Total Charges: $111.65 Thanks!

Been bidding on this one for a few months. Multiple bids of $12/13/14 for economy, $13/14/15 for compact and $14/15/16 for mid-size were all rejected. Saved $22 total over the cheapest price that I could find (reserved a couple of months ago through Thrifty) This bid accepted this morning: Compact (unlimited mileage) San Diego Arpt National Car Rental San Diego Lindbergh Field Arpt 3280 North Harbor Drive San Diego, CA 92101 Pick-Up Date and Time: Friday, November 4, 2005 - 10:00 PM Drop-Off Date and Time: Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 10:00 PM Your Offer Price: $15.00 Total Rental Days: 8 Subtotal: $120.00 Taxes & Fees: $23.84 Total Charges: $143.84 Thanks! :)

Heading up to Palm Springs/Joshua Tree for a couple of nights after my conference in San Diego ends. Previous bids of $70/75/78 were rejected for Resort level, for both Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage/Indian Wells/Palm Desert. The Miramonte Resort Check-In Date: Wednesday, November 9, 2005 Check-Out Date: Friday, November 11, 2005 Rancho Mirage-Indian Wells-Palm Desert 45000 Indian Wells Lane Indian Wells, California 92210 760-341-2200 Your Offer Price: $80.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $160.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $27.37 Total Charges: $187.37 Thanks again thereuare! :)

I have a conference at the Town & Country during these dates, but everything I've read told me that Mission Valley isn't my area to stay (plus my girlfriend is going, and she's definitely a beach person). I've been trying 4* bids for the downtown zone for about a month and a half, bidding all the way up to $110/night at one point. I had also tried a couple of bids for SD Coastal zone in the last month, both up to $90 that were rejected as well. This bid of $87 was my first in the Coastal zone tonight, and it's perfect because I have $500 in hotel reimbursement for the conference from my job. Oh, and I used the savingsbarn.com link for my bid too :) Hyatt Regency Islandia Check-In Date: Friday, November 4, 2005 Check-Out Date: Wednesday, November 9, 2005 San Diego Coastal 1441 Quivira Road San Diego, California 92109 619-224-1234 Your Offer Price: $87.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 5 Subtotal: $435.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $61.79 Total Charges: $496.79 Thanks again thereuare for such a great board. Oh, and I just noticed the maps feature. Extremely cool (and helpful too!) :)

This was a same day bid, about 2:30 pm...as I found out that morning that the Rolling Stones tickets that I won on the radio were in the FRONT ROW! :) So, instead of driving back to VT after the show, we decided to celebrate a bit and stay the night :) I tried all the other 4* zones in Boston, bidding $55-75- all were rejected. Then I added the Logan zone and bid up from $55 in $5 increments, and hit at $70. Hilton website wanted $179/night... Hilton Boston Logan Airport Check-In Date: Tuesday, August 23, 2005 Check-Out Date: Wednesday, August 24, 2005 Revere - Logan Airport 85 Terminal Road East Boston, Massachusetts 02128 617-568-6700 Your Offer Price: $70.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $70.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $16.65 Total Charges: $86.65

Hi thereuare, Thanks for the info. Hopefully they'll give us a room with a nice view, like others have posted on tripadvisor. I'm not counting on it though... I started with lowball bids at $150, using all the 4* zones, and bid in $5 increments up to $170. All rejected (which I knew they would be, based on the other Hotwire rates, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try, knowing the Hotwire rate for the Millenium UN). Then I bid 3*, starting at $140, adding 3 other zones to bid up to $155. All rejected. Then I bid 2.5* MTE for $160 (knowing the Courtyard was the only reported hotel in this zone, which I would have been happy with too), and got bumped up to the 3* Millenium UN. Thanks again for running the board for our benefit :) Cheers, Rob

Heading to NYC to watch the Red Sox take on the Yankees. This was a great deal, especially for the 9/11 weekend, where rates are completely ridiculous. I saw this hotel come up on a Hotwire search (for $172/night...$406.95 total w/taxes and fees). I saved almost $25 using Priceline... Interesting mix of reviews on this place, most of the recent ones are good though... Millennium UN Plaza Hotel New York Check-In Date: Saturday, September 10, 2005 Check-Out Date: Monday, September 12, 2005 Midtown East One United Nations Plaza New York, New York 10017 212-758-1234 Your Offer Price: $160.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $320.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $62.48 Total Charges: $382.48

After having countless bids rejected for Downtown, Cambridge/Brookline, Logan, Copley and Newton/Waltham I decided to stoop to the 2* level, as we need a room for next Saturday, and I'm tired of bidding this one :) I'm sure that things will only get worse, as it's Patriot's Day/Marathon Weekend... $44 was my first bid at this level, so it could be had for cheaper I'm sure. The same hotel is showing up for $53 on Hotwire right now ($64.95 w/taxes and fees)... Holiday Inn Express Waltham Check-In Date: Saturday, April 16, 2005 Check-Out Date: Sunday, April 17, 2005 Newton - Waltham 385 Winter Street Waltham, Massachusetts 02451 781-890-2800 Your Offer Price: $44.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $44.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $11.94 Total Charges: $55.94 Another hotel to add to the list...

Hi footloose, I bid the Saturday before the stay, so 4 days in advance. Good luck with the trip planning! cytoguy

Saved about $20 total over the previous reservation that I made with Thrifty a few months ago (which was $145/week + taxes/fees, etc for an economy car). Hotwire currently shows $58.95/day for a standard, and other websites are well over $200/week BEFORE TAXES, even for ecomony cars! :) Here's the skinny: Standard (unlimited mileage) St. Louis Alamo Rent a Car St. Louis Intl. 10124 Natural Bridge St. Louis, MO 63134 Pick-Up Date and Time: Thursday, March 31, 2005 - 8:00 PM Drop-Off Date and Time: Tuesday, April 5, 2005 - 5:00 PM Your Offer Price: $25.00 Total Rental Days: 5 Subtotal: $125.00 Taxes & Fees: $41.35 Total Charges: $166.35

I guess it's my lucky day :) I just got a rental car for $25/night (overall about $20 less than the total amount for a reservation that I had previously made with Thrifty). I'm sure that I could have done better if I waited until they lowered car rates at the last minute, but now I don't have to keep checking rates every day, and making bids every week :) I've noticed in the past that when you make a hotel reservation on Priceline that the "Add a Rental Car" daily rates constantly change. When I originally got the hotel confirmation the cars were all over $60/day. I just checked the confirmation for the St. Louis hotel again (when I won a Priceline hotel for Boston), and here's what it gave me: Compact Car - $67/day Full-size Car - $71/day Standard - $27/day Economy Car - $66/day So, I underbid the Standard rate by $2/day and it was accepted: Standard (unlimited mileage) St. Louis Alamo Rent a Car St. Louis Intl. 10124 Natural Bridge St. Louis, MO 63134 Pick-Up Date and Time: Thursday, March 31, 2005 - 8:00 PM Drop-Off Date and Time: Tuesday, April 5, 2005 - 5:00 PM Your Offer Price: $25.00 Total Rental Days: 5 Subtotal: $125.00 Taxes & Fees: $41.35 Total Charges: $166.35 I'll post this as a separate thread on the Rental cars board too, but wanted to attach it here just in case anyone else is going to the Final Four too :o

Going with friends to see Artie Lange (from Howard Stern's show) Sat nite and catch a Red Sox game on Sun. I first tried 3 lowball bids on a 4* in the downtown zone (trying for the Hyatt, but not too confident since it's Mother's Day weekend) of $57/60/62, all rejected. My first bid of $55 for a 3* downtown was accepted: Boston Park Plaza Hotel Check-In Date: Saturday, May 7, 2005 Check-Out Date: Sunday, May 8, 2005 Downtown Boston - Charlestown 64 Arlington Street Boston, Massachusetts 02116 617-426-2000 Your Offer Price: $55.00 Number of Rooms: 2 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $110.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $22.18 Total Charges: $132.18 Just when I thought I'd stayed practically everywhere in Boston already :) The reviews are all over the place for this hotel, so I'll make sure to chime in with mine after we're back. Thanks again thereuare for hosting this great board! :)

Yeah, I couldn't agree with you more Lonestar. I'm too cheap to spend $175/night to stay in a hotel EVER, but with my girlfriend running the marathon it worked out perfectly (especially since it starts at 5 am there!), since it was about a 10 minute walk back to the room after she finished. She paid the $175/nt for the room, and even though I'd always rather save some $$ myself, I'd admit that if I were the type to drop that kind of cash on a room then the Hyatt was worth the expense. A really nice place. I'm definitely from the same school of thought that you are, and would gladly pay $50 or so to stay in a Courtyard or Residence Inn, Summerfield Suites, etc, no matter where I am, as they are almost always pretty nice and spacious. But, on the other hand, if I saw these same hotels in Kauai or Maui it would be a very sad day, as it would mark the fact that Hawaii had turned into the same cookie cutter landscape as most of the rest of the US :) I rarely ever stay in the room at all, as vacations for me usually involve outdoor activities like backpacking, cycling, etc. Which explains why $60 for a 2* in Kihei works for me. Or $50 for the 1* Kauai Sands Hotel too. Given said outdoor activities, sometimes you just need a clean room with a bed and a bathroom. I don't ever want to be the smelly guy on the plane! :)

That definitely depends on your definition of "good" :) You're totally right about the prices on Maui. After spending a couple of days at the Maui Hyatt for $175/night (my girlfriend ran the marathon there so we wanted to stay somewhere nice for her to recharge a bit) we went to Haleakala National Park to backpack for a couple of days. That's a guaranteed way to spend a couple of nights in Hawaii for $5/night, and also see how unbelievably beautiful the crater of the volcano is :) Since we're not filthy rich we just wanted somewhere to be able to crash cheaply (my bid was $60/night) and buy some food before beginning our backpacking trip. This place wouldn't probably fit anyone's definition of nice by Maui standards, as it's still permanently stuck in the 70s. It's definitely off the beaten path a bit (especially compared to the western coast of Maui), close to many small houses and not far from a couple of strip malls/restaurants. The main building is at the end of a long driveway on the opposite side of the road from the beach. But, we stayed here another night ($57/night I think) after our backpacking trip (to clean up before flying back to Kauai the following morning), and they offered us an oceanfront room for an additional $20. That room had 2 levels with a small fridge, couch and small balcony overlooking the water and the West Maui mountains. Both of these bids were placed the day before our stay, which was nice, as we didn't have any definite reservations for those two nights :o So, the place fit our needs perfectly and was clean, which is all I look for in a cheap room. Someone wanting a room to be the highlight of their trip to Maui would probably be quite disappointed here.

Another old bid that I found, for a hotel not on the Maui (Kihei) list: 2* Aston Maui Lu Check-In Date: Monday, September 20, 2004 Check-Out Date: Tuesday, September 21, 2004 Kihei 575 South Kihei Road Kihei Maui, Hawaii 96753 808-879-5881

I've had a lot of Priceline hotels in the last couple of years :) In scrolling through 'My Trips' on Priceline I noticed these old ones, for hotels not currently on the Boston Priceline Hotel List: 2.5* Boston Metro-South (Needham-Dedham) Residence Inn Dedham- $38 3/20/04 2.5* Boston (Downtown-Charlestown) Residence Inn Boston Harbor On Tudor Wharf- $50 3/3/04 3* Boston (Downtown-Charlestown) Club Quarters Boston- $70 4/18/04 (the Sunday night before the Boston Marathon/Patriots Day game with the Yankees last year, so $70 was a bargain :) Just an FYI for some hotel list padding :o

Another old bid from last week, for a hotel that you don't have on the Priceline hotel list yet: Summerfield Suites - Waltham Check-In Date: Wednesday, March 2, 2005 Check-Out Date: Thursday, March 3, 2005 Newton - Waltham 54 Fourth Avenue Waltham, Massachusetts 02154 781-290-0026 Your Offer Price: $50.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $50.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $12.66 Total Charges: $62.66

I realize that this booking was over a month ago, but I noticed that you didn't have the Red Lion in the Hotwire hotel list for SLC. I looked at my Hotwire history and the hotel amenities are: Airport Shuttle, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness Center, High-Speed Internet Access and Golf Nearby. I'm sure that the price seems high, but this was for the Outdoor Retailer tradeshow downtown, and I can't tell you how many Priceline bids I had rejected before this hotel popped up on Hotwire. Most places are well over $100 retail during this time, probably one of the few times during the year that you can't get a nice room cheaply in SLC...

Luckily I was one of the lucky ones who got tickets through the lottery this year. I guess it was worth letting the NCAA "borrow" $2640 for 3 months or so :) Now all I have to do is get a deal on a rental car. Doubtful though, given that compacts are going for more than $60/day now. .. Thanks thereuare for having such a friendly and inviting board to post my bids on :) I'm sure you don't hear that enough on here...

I've been looking for a hotel for the Final Four (at the end of March) since November or so. This place is a bit of a haul from downtown (~20 miles), but all of the hotels that are close to the stadium have been long gone for a while. I had the Hampton Inn Florissant reserved for $109/night, but it was still 15 miles away. After checking Hotwire 2x per day for a few months I finally noticed this place on there last night (listed as a 3* on Hotwire) for $43. I can't remember the exact hotel amenities on Hotwire, as it's no longer available there, but I know that pool, restaurant, fitness center, hi speed internet access, business center and laundry were all there. My first bid of $37/night was accepted. Hotel rate was $79/night late last night, but it's showing up 'Sold Out' now. Whew, I feel lucky :) Hilton Garden Inn St. Louis/Chesterfield St. Louis West - Chesterfield 16631 Chesterfield Grove Road Chesterfield, Missouri 63005 Check-In Date: Thu, Mar 31, 2005 Check-In Time: After 03:00 PM Check-Out Date: Tue, Apr 5, 2005 Check-Out Time: 12:00 AM Your Offer Price: $37.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 5 Subtotal: $185.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $36.86 Total Charges: $221.86

Heading down for the Belmont, so looking to save some $$ so I can lose it at the track :o Bid JFK zone only, started 3* bid @ $37, then 2.5*- $41, and finally 2*- $45...all rejected. Cleared cookies :) , then tried new bid (with diff email address and CC #), bid 3*- $48, and 2.5*-$50...both rejected. FINALLY bid 2*- $52, and was accepted :) "Upgraded" to 2.5* Doubletree Club JFK, which has an "internet only" rate of $107.10 on the Hilton website...so basically 50% off :) Your Offer Price: $52.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $104.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $20.31 Total Charges: $124.31 FYI- Formerly a visitor of TOBB, and steered here via x. Hope your site grows, and I'll certainly be posting future winning bids here (and bidding using savingsbarn link). Cheers, Rob