TravelGuy

I'd be careful when bidding 2* in South Beach. The Days Inn is frequently listed in PL vacation packages as a 2*. I've stayed there on a free night and can say that it might be suitable for a group of fraternity guys on Spring break and that's about it: a small step above a dive. I't also very popular with the biker crowd - they love to rev their engines in the early a.m. I've never seen it reported as a winning bid, but it appears to be surely out there.

Gone.

Gone now.

$88 all in r/t JFK/LGA-MIA on AA. Tue.-Thur. in Feb. & March. Amazing fare for peak season.

Yes, I think it's the Hilton. It's an exact match with what's showing in the vacation packages so it must have been downgraded.

No free rebids at 2.5* unfortunately. You could start with 3/21 and then rebid or try add a night if successful. You could also try to use Dupont/Woodley at 2.5*. The only 2.5* that's ever come up there is a Courtyard by Marriott, which is not bad. I think you're going to have a tougher time than the winning bid you're referring to though because the Residence Inn rates for your dates are $329 vs. $299 and you're asking for two more weekday nights than they were. No harm in trying though. If were to split your bid, bidding 2.5* DT/WH for 3/23-25 @$55 (or less), I think you'd have a high chance of success.

Be sure to select "Triple Room" under room type. It's available for any night in June. You can have the entire month if you want - 30 nights for $246.50. :)

Rates from hotel website: 3/14 ~ 3/15 $ 269.00 3/16 $ 249.00 3/17 $ 179.00 With your savings perhaps you'd care to buy yourself a great meal at Citronelle, one of the very best restaurants in town and located in the Latham.

Sofitel Maadi Towers - $8.50/night from June to end of August on Octopustravel. Must select triple room. hot breakfast buffet included.

I would start at $70 with a new bid for Georgetown only, which you can do immediately. The 3*'s in Dupont/Woodley Park have better Metro access than those in Georgetown, would you consider that zone? Splitting your bid might make it easier if that's an option - although you still have plenty of time. You might also want to consider staying across the river from Georgetown in Arlington, where I would start at $55.

Hotwire has what is almost surely the 2* Captol Hill Suites for $55 with 1 person selected, $75 for 2. Gets pretty good reviews overall on TripAdvisor and Frommers recommends - the location is quite good. Perhaps a little less than what you had in mind, but at $55 I think this is an excellent deal and would book it if it were my trip. May very well be available on Priceline for even less. BTW if you have a tip or two on what is selling for high after buying it for low these days please PM me. :)

I stayed at this Omni for a couple of nights this summer and liked it very much. Be sure to sign up for Omni Select Guest if you haven't already. For about $2.50 I added a bagel to the free fresh squeezed orange juice and coffee delivered to the room. I loved having breakfast for practically nothing in my Omni robe, reading the newspater with a view onto the harbor and the brilliant California sun. Ahhh luxury :) .

Nothing going on that I can think of offhand. All the 3* rates seem to me to be in the normal, average range. I don't know why those 2.5*'s are so high. I think it will take at least $70 for a 3*, so your next round of bidding should be more productive.

None of the Priceline hotels are in a particularly bad part of town. With some of the hotels in the Downtown/White House and Convention Center/Capital Hill zones you would probably want to exercise some extra caution late at night, but no big deal.

I would say that safety in Negril is no problem at all really during the day. The biggest concern is probably if you have to cross the main drag through town - Normal Manley Blvd. - as there's a lot of traffic and drivers can be pretty crazy. Also, while sunning/walking on the beach it's quite common to be approached by vendors, who can be aggressive. But a polite "no thanks" or two will almost always be sufficient to dispel them. At night it's advisable not to walk alone on the beach, although I did it anyway and didn't experience any problems. Cabs are plentiful and cheap. The cliffs of Negril are quieter, offering greater privacy than the beach and virtually no hassle from the vendors. On my next trip, I'll probably split the stay, spending half the time on the cliffs probably at Xtabi (where rooms start at just $65 in season). In addition to the lively nightlife, the smell of ganja is frequently wafting around, topless sunbathing is common, and I believe there are brief stretches of nude beach. Nevertheless I hear Negril is becoming increasingly popular as a family destination. Indeed there was no shortage of young children during my visit -- and they all looked quite happy I might add!

If you make the request in advance, become a member of the hotel

Unfortunately Priceline doesn't offer bidding for Jamaica. Hotwire has a thin selection that may not represent the best deals. But "no problem mon", Jamaica offers good value, so finding a relatively inexpensive place to stay without Priceline and Hotwire is definitely doable. I returned just yesterday from Negril. It's perhaps not for everyone, but it has a near perfect Carribean beach, a funky nightlife, and the locals will welcome you like family. I stayed at White Sands for $64 a night, which was a better deal than anything comparable Hotwire was offering - a bit "rustic" but more than adequate for my needs.

Welcome! Awesome deal - $355 on hyatt.com - on the best hotel in that area.

I've made Best Rate Guarantee claims for Cendant hotels booked through BB Ramada and HoJo links. Unfortunately the claims were denied even though I had clearly found a better rate because it's their position that a reservation made through the BB affiliate link is not actually made through howardjohnson.com, ramada.com, etc. According to the HOJO T&C's, for example: "Guarantee applies only to reservations made at the howardjohnson.com web site or the Howard Johnson toll-free number...". No problem though as I just cancelled and rebooked directly. Thank God for these guarantees, as what an uneventful year 2005 was for Priceline. I've also been treated consistently well during all free night stays. Sometimes they think you're there on a TripRewards free night, and I've actually noticed that the reservation was noted as such a couple of times for some reason. Once the hotel where I had a free night was sold out, I was walked to a much better place, and easily got full reimbursement from Cendant.

I didn't get mine either. I also also signed up for another offer directly through Starbuck's and no luck with that either. I did get the $10 Office Max Gift Card though.

That's a great price for a decent room in that area. Just $75 on ichotels.com so these people are really looking for business :) As you may know, it's sandwiched between Tysons Corner Center and Tysons Galleria, two large upscale malls, so if you've not finished your Xmas shopping you're in luck. An easy walk to both. Another interesting thing about this hotel is that it has an exceptionally large 5 lane indoor lap pool. It might be the largest indoor hotel pool in the entire metro area.

I would suggest an airfare consolidator that specializes in flights to Africa such as Premier Tours.

Marriott Key Bridge 1401 Lee Highway Arlington, Virginia 22209 Check-In Date: Mon., December 5, 2005 Check-Out Date: Tue., December 6, 2005 First bid. Your Offer Price: $61.00 Number of Nights: 1 Taxes & Service Fees: $15.91 Total Charges: $76.91

Unfortunately the last winning $35 bid was in August of '04. Please note also this failed $48 2.5* bid at prevailing rates identical to those on 11/27/05. I've seen elsewhere a relativey recent successful 2.5* bid of $50 after a failure at $45, also at identical prevailing rates, which is why I suggested $50. There are in fact 3*'s in C'ville, 2 of which are listed on this board's Priceline hotels list, however they'll run over the $50 maximum - probably closer to $60.

$50 for a 2.5* should work.