MelP

I wanted to go to the Shaky Knees music festival but was waiting for some hotel deals - bit on a PRICELINE EXPRESS Deal for this Atlanta hotel, looking at the rating and number of reviews, I correctly sussed out it was this one. Total for the three nights including taxes and fees was $335.88, I had also used a 5% off Priceline Coupon to get additional savings. Amenities listed were: Free Internet In Public Areas Indoor Swimming Pool No Smoking Rooms/Facilities Fitness Center Handicapped Rooms/Facilities Business Center Spa Restaurant Outdoor Swimming Pool Free Internet Access Swimming Pool

Just checked - amenities are the same, but accessibility gives a bit more: Accessible for visually impaired, Accessible for hearing impaired, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom

Decided to hit the U2 show there since flights were crazy cheap and still plenty of tickets to be had. After looking at PRICELINE EXPRESS and Hotwire, this 3.5* downtown on Hotwire seemed to be the best deal and after investigating the options, I was pretty sure this was the Crowne Plaza, and it was! Bed choice was a big plus as well since I needed two beds. Did not see the Hotwire coupon before so this is w/o it. I did use the HOTWIRE link though! Identifying characteristics were: 85% recommended 4.5 rating across the board (212) Tripadvisor 4/5 (501-1000) Complimentary Free Internet Amenities Business center Fitness center Indoor pool(s) Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Accessibility Accessible for visually impaired Accessible for hearing impaired Bed choice Free internet and bed choice were the only things listed on the first screen. Saved $55/night! Thanks as always for the guidance.

Going to Miami for a couple of days to go to the Radiohead concert, at the end of a longer trip to Florida, and I got this as a PRICELINE EXPRESS Deal. In the first page list of deals it says Very Good 8+ and has Free Internet the only amenity, but clicking through to the full list of amenities gives: Business Center Restaurant Free Internet Indoor or Outdoor Pool Fitness Center No Smoking Rooms/Facilities Cheapest price on the hotel site was $203, and Miami in general is expensive during that time, so I am very happy with this deal. I used the PRICELINE link.

Just double checked - that is everything listed under Amenities. Under Accessibility it lists: Accessible for hearing impaired In-room accessibility Accessible bathroom

90% customer satisfaction Hotel Amenities: Smoke-free rooms Fitness center Restaurant(s) Business center Internet access I was going to grab another Hotwire deal for $74 (now $73) that I am positive is the Sheraton University City, so netted me a nice little upgrade in location and hotel for just a few bucks more. Rate per night $102.00 Nights 1 Rooms ( 1 adult ) 1 Subtotal $102.00 Tax recovery charges + fees $27.45 Hotwire total $104.45 I have used your links many times before and will use it again, thanks as always for the data. :)

Actually I know where both Sheratons in central Buenos Aires are and looking at the PL zone map right now, they are both in the San Nicolas - Monserrat - San Telmo - Puerto Madero zone!

Heading down for the Made In America Festival, nabbed my two day pass early this afternoon - the festival, combined with the Labor Day holiday weekend means hotels are not cheap! Even with setting a high bidding threshold, I didn't have much hope of hitting something but I did see a PRICELINE EXPRESS Deal at $145 for a 3.5* in Rittenhouse Square, so I gave it a shot to see if I could shave a bit off that price. Did one round of a whole load of bidding from $90 up in $10 increments for 3.5* in variety of acceptable zones - Convention Center - Mid-City, Rittenhouse Square, University, and Penn's Landing-Historic District - combined with free rebid zones. Was getting close to going for the Express Deal, but on my 10th bid (which included all of the above zones), I hit for this: 3.5* Radisson Warwick Philadelphia Check-In: Sat, Aug 31, 2013 Check-Out: Mon, Sep 2, 2013 Offer Price: $130.00 Rooms: 1 room Nights: 2 Room Subtotal: $260.00 Taxes & Fees: $47.68 Total Charged to Card: $307.68 VERY likely that this hotel was also the Express Deal, so at least I saved $15/night over the Express Deal, saved $260/night over the lowest rate on the hotel website - and at least $100+/night over any other hotel at that level that weekend. So I am very happy to have scored this. I did use the PRICELINE link. As always, thanks for the insight. ;)

This is a work booking for two of our upstate members for a training in lower Manhattan this weekend. Put in several bids yesterday from 100-125 for 3* up in this zone and Soho-Tribeca, to no avail. Thought I would hit in that range based on Hotwire, PRICELINE EXPRESS Deals, and non-opaque deals pricing as low as $151 for a 3.5* but nothing came up. After 24 hours, I bid again, first at 3* in Downtown - Financial District only, and hit for this upgraded star level: Andaz Wall Street - A Hyatt Hotel **** Check-In Friday, March 22, 2013 Check-Out Sunday, March 24, 2013 Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $135.00 (USD) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Room Subtotal: $270.00 (USD) Taxes and Fees: $63.22 (USD) Total Charged to Card: $333.22 (USD) Cheapest rate on the hotel's site for these dates is $195/night, so there is a good savings anyway. I used the PRICELINE link to make the bid. As always, thanks for the data points. :)

Have decided to finally visit New Orleans! Researching rates and such, I was finding that hotels were pretty cheap that weekend, and Hotwire already had good availability at low prices, so I booked a flight being pretty sure I'd be able to nab something good on PL. Started out with a $60 bid at 4* with two zones - French Quarter, and Convention Center and Warehouse - Arts District. Hit this on the first bid: New Orleans Downtown Marriott At The Convention Center 859 Convention Center Boulevard Check-In: Fri, Mar 29, 2013 Check-Out: Tue, Apr 2, 2013 Offer Price: $60.00 Rooms: 1 Nights: 4 Room Subtotal: $240.00 Taxes & Fees: $46.96 Total: $286.96 Rates for my nights were $129/night for the first two and $89 for the other two, was giving a total of $500 incl. taxes for the four nights on Marriott's website. Pretty pleased with this and looking forward to it! I used the PRICELINE link for the bid. As always, thanks for the data. :)

A couple of work colleagues are in SF now and had some plans change so they need to be close to the airport for an early morning flight. Bid $55 at 3* this zone and got it right off the bat. Probably should have started lower, but hey... Cheapest online appears to be $95. With the taxes and fees it totaled $71. I think I used the PRICELINE link, although I'm not 100% sure...sorry! But as always, thanks to this forum for the data points. :)

Nevermind, didn't see the follow-up.

I am going to San Juan in October for a little break - was going to wait til later this month or September to Priceline a hotel but got a $5/night bonus money offer in my email for today only, so I jumped on bidding today. I bid Resort only, as follows: San Juan $60+$5=$65 Rejected Add Hatillo $65+$5=$70 Rejected Add Aguadilla $70+$5=$75 Accepted! Conrad San Juan, Condado Plaza Check-In: Fri, Oct 12, 2012 / After 03:00 PM Check-Out: Wed, Oct 17, 2012 / 12:00 PM Rooms: 1 room Nights: 5 Room Subtotal: $350.00 Taxes & Fees: $53.25 Total Charged to Card: $403.25 I used your PRICELINE link. Best available rate on the hotel website was $179, with a special at $159. It worked out PERFECTLY. The Condado strip was my ideal because it's so central and I don't drive - I knew I might have gotten something in Isla Verde, or highly likely the Caribe Hilton (fine but a hike to anything), and was willing to accept that - but I was really hoping for something on Ashford Ave. or close in Condado - and I got lucky, I am very pleased. :) Thanks once again to this forum for the data. :)

Out of town staff member came to me last minute needing room in-town for tomorrow night. Didn't think I was going to get her anything within our limits because prices are very high for tomorrow night, but bidding 2* the whole time, starting at $115 in Chelsea and adding on zones each time in $10-15 increments(Empire State Building, MSG, Upper East Side, Midtown East) I finally was able to hit on the last bid I was going to make, 2* at $175 adding Times Square/Theater District. *** The Time Times Square - Theatre District 224 West 49Th Street, New York, NY 10019 1 night Room Subtotal: $175.00 Taxes & Fees: $43.88 Total: $218.88 Should note that my confirmation definitely says 3*, while the hotel list says it's 3.5* so you should note the downgrade. Lowest special last minute rate on the hotel's website (non-cancelable) for tomorrow is $255 so Priceline did net some significant additional last-minute savings. I used the PRICELINE link. Once again, thanks for the data!

List of amenities was just: Fitness Center, High Speed Internet That was it.

Headed down for an overnight to see Radiohead in Camden... Seems like a busy time in Philadelphia, prices are pretty high - I've been striking out on Priceline up to $115, even for 3*s, and Hotwire pickings have been extremely slim. I suspect it's lack of availability - if I waited, it might open up more, but I wanted to lock something in. Anyway, this morning I checked Hotwire and saw a 4* in this zone for $121 with High Speed Internet, Fitness Center and a 4.5 rating on Tripadvisor. I did another quick round of bidding on Priceline just to ensure nothing cheaper popped up, but struck out again. So I went for it on Hotwire, based on checking this forum's hotel list for amenities and then Tripadvisor, I was 99% sure it was going to be the Rittenhouse 1715 A Boutique Hotel - and I was right. :) Best available web rate on the hotel's site was $179, so there was some good savings there. I did use the HOTWIRE link - thanks to this forum for all the data, as always. :)

Co-worker comes to me 20 minutes before I'm supposed to leave, saying they need to book a hotel NOW for two of our upstate members for Sunday night in the city before catching a bus to DC. And she was very particular about keeping it to the area roughly between Union Square and the Empire State Bldg./MSG. Plus we are a not-for-profit so we need to keep it cheap, not easy in NYC. Since I live here, I don't book here so I had to do some quick research, but didn't really come up with many price points. So with a bit of trepidation I winged it - first bid was 2* Chelsea at $100...and in two seconds we had a hotel, with an upgrade to 2.5*. :) Fairfield Inn & Suites New York Manhattan/Chelsea Check-In: Sun, Nov 6, 2011 Check-Out: Mon, Nov 7, 2011 Rooms: 1 room Room Subtotal: $100.00 Taxes: $19.55 Fees: $8.78 Total: $128.33 We were very lucky! Plus it's marathon weekend, which I didn't even remember until afterwards. Pretty new hotel with good ratings on Tripadvisor, should work out well. NOTE: This is not on the hotel list in this forum, so it should be added. Thanks to the forum for the data points, I did use the PRICELINE link.

Headed up to Montreal for the U2 shows there, with a little side trip to Ottawa (which I've already have won a priceline bid). Was going to wait a bit to bid this, but decided to try now rather than add a night to the backup res that I would've ended up canceling anyway. Decided to go for the Downtown and CC-Old-Latin zones at 3.5*+ (each zone had one 3* I didn't want, which is why I went to 3.5*). Yesterday was my first round of bidding - first bid using both zones was $80, rejected. Added Laval as a free re-bid and upped to $85, nothing, then Longueil at $90, rejected, and then Point Claire at $95, rejected. Waited 24 hours, and then tried again this afternoon. Bid both Downtown and CC-Old-Latin 3.5* at $95 and received a counteroffer of $120. Rejected that and added Laval at $100. That was rejected and I added Longueil at $105, and hit for this: 4* Hyatt Regency Montreal Check-In Date: Wednesday, July 6, 2011 Check-Out Date: Sunday, July 10, 2011 Your Offer Price: $105.00 (US dollars) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 4 Subtotal: $420.00 (US dollars) Taxes and Fees: $85.92 (US dollars) Total Charges: $505.92 (US dollars) Lowest advance rate for my dates is US $211 for the 6th and US $174 for the other nights. Would have I gotten something cheaper if I'd waited...maybe, but probably $10-15/night at most, so I am fine with the hotel and the rate. Anyway, that's the last of the bidding for now. I used the PRICELINE link - thanks once again for the guidance. :)

Hitting Ottawa for one night to attend a night of the Ottawa Bluesfest before heading to Montreal for the U2 shows... Although there did not look to be a run on rooms because of Bluesfest, I figured it was probably better to bid this night early on rather than bothering with a safety reservation. Settled on bidding at 3*, Ottawa (central) zone only - first bid was $65 yesterday, which was rejected but it said if I raised my bid to $85 right, there was a room. I did not do the $85, and sat out 24 hours since there were no free re-bids. Tonight I bid $71 3* Ottawa and hit for this: Radisson Hotel Ottawa Parliament Check-In Date: Tuesday, July 5, 2011 Check-Out Date: Wednesday, July 6, 2011 Your Offer Price: $71.00 (US dollars) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $71.00 (US dollars) Taxes and Fees: $17.30 (US dollars) Total Charges: $88.30 (US dollars) Lowest rate for that night is $115 US. Thanks once again for the info on the board, I did use the PRICELINE link. It seems better to wait for Montreal so I will probably be bidding for those nights in June (already have a cheap backup res there).

Neither is *that* far. The Marriott is across the street from the Metro while the Omni is a block away (and actually a block closer to Dupont). I just stayed at the Omni this past weekend on a priceline win and really liked the neighborhood, there are some good restaurants right there as well. The Dupont strip is walkable from there as is Adams Morgan.

Bid this for a colleague headed to the area on a personal trip. He is not a big traveler, is used to budget places and wanted cheap as possible by O'Hare airport, so I suggested Priceline. Looking at recent past bids, I saw $38 was the low bid for a 3* + hotel by the airport. So that was my first bid in Airport South zone only (would've added Airport North next bid) - and won the Four Points Sheraton right away. Total including tax for the 3 nights was $139. Hotel website shows lowest cancelable rate at $149/night and lowest non-cancelable pre-paid at $78.63/night, so nice savings either way. I used the PRICELINE link. As always, thanks to the board. :)

Heading to DC for a music festival on 5/1. Took a bit of work this one. Started bidding low at $60 for 3.5* for three nights (including 4/29). When I hit $75, I dropped the nights down to two, and bidded up to $85 in $5 increments to no avail. Active zones I included are Dupont, White House, Georgetown Foggy Bottom, Convention Center Cap Hill, and then included free rebid zones. When I struck out I waited 24 hours and tried again, dropping down to 3* and starting at $60 a night for three nights in the same active zones. Again, at $75, I started a new bid, dropping down to two nights and bid up to $90 in $5 increments. Still nothing, and sat out another 24 hours. Tonight I started at $95 for a 3* for two nights in Dupont and Georgetown/Foggy Bottom. With this bid, I got a message that if I increased my bid $25 they had a hotel. I didn't do that, went back and added White House and increased by $10 to $105. And finally I scored... Omni Shoreham Hotel 4 Star Dupont Circle - Woodley Park Check-In Date: Sat, Apr 30, 2011 Check-Out Date: Mon, May 2, 2011 Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $105.00 Subtotal: $210.00 Taxes & Fees: $38.72 Total Charges: $248.72 Current Best Available rate for the hotel on those dates is $259, with the Advance Purchase Rate $220, so definitely a savings there. Not sure why rates are so high for DC lately, but at least this is affordable! Thanks to the site for the continued tips...I did use the PRICELINE link.

Headed to Denver in May for the U2 concert on the 21st and decided to give this an early shot for the heck of it since I see in the past that others were able to score relatively early. Started at $60 and 4*, was rejected, stayed at 4* and added Aurora and upped it to $65, rejected again. Added Denver SW Lakewood and did what was going to be my final bid (for now) at $70 and dropped the * down to 3.5 and hit for this: 3.5* The Burnsley All Suite Hotel Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $70.00 (USD) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Room Subtotal: $210.00 (USD) Taxes and Fees: $38.01 (USD) Total Room Cost: $248.01 (USD) Probably not my best strategy and maybe (just) a tad farther than I wanted, but pleased it's within budget and am looking forward to visiting Denver for the first time. I did use the link - thanks as usual for the data and tips! :)

Past years' history says not necessarily, and conventionally booked prices are currently not unusually high. It looks like it's more the hotels holding onto their inventory longer because it's a holiday weekend with some special events, so it may be more like patience is in order. If you are set at that star level, then perhaps get a cancellable backup reserved - I bet you will be successful eventually at under $100 but it may not be until it's a lot closer to the dates you need. I was bidding DT Toronto 3.5* and 4* for those exact dates too with no joy, dropped down to 3* because I have no patience :), and did manage to score something that actually works better for me. :)

I am heading up to Toronto for the U2 concert on the 3rd and just generally to experience how Canada does a festive time. :) I know it is usually advantageous to wait until it's closer to the time of one's stay but with Canada Day, concert, and Toronto Pride, I was getting a bit antsy about securing someplace decent on my budget. Conventional prices overall were not too bad, but I am on a tight budget and the only decent backup I could find in my under $90 price range required a non-refundable deposit. So I started bidding Priceline now. Over the past week I did three rounds of bidding Toronto Downtown, both South and North, at 3.5* with many free re-bids, starting at $50 and going up to $85, with nary a nibble - I figured there most likely isn't inventory yet. This morning, after perusing people's bidding histories some more, I decided to take a chance and bid 3* with precisely this hotel in mind (I do know there is no way to guarantee what you get though). I started with Toronto DT South at $65 - no dice, but I got a message saying that they had a hotel in that zone if I bid $17 more. I know you can usually hit it with less than the suggested, so I ignored that, added Toronto East (the only re-bid at 3*) and bid $71. Turned out to be a little low, and I was rejected. So I added Toronto DT North (not a free re-bid but acceptable), bid $76 and, bingo! Got the Residence Inn, exactly what I was eyeing. :) Taxes/fees added $40 to the total. Could not be more perfect for this trip (well, except for the Renaissance but with the concert, I knew that wasn't going to come up)! Great that it has free hot breakfast and internet as well. Lowest rate on the Marriott website was $189. Could not be more pleased! I did use the PRICELINE link to place my bids...thanks again for all the tips and tricks. :o