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TravelGuy

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Everything posted by TravelGuy

  1. New York Ave. is quite long, and the the bad 1 to 2* hotels with the bulletproof glass are toward the far end of it, leading out of the City, in a completely different part of town from any of the Priceline zones. I generally wouldn't worry about safety when bidding in Washington. Although using some extra caution late at night might be advisable if staying at some of the hotels in the Downtown/White House or Convention Center/Capital Hill zones - but no big deal.
  2. Saw this priced low on vacation packages and decided to take a chance. $179 on Hamptoninn.com. $47 failed. Hampton Inn Newark-Harrison-Riverwalk 100 Passaic Avenue Harrison, New Jersey 07029 Your Offer Price: $52.00 Extend Your Stay Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $52.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $15.87 Total Charges*: $67.87 This place is within walking distance to the PATH and gets excellent reviews from Tripadvisor.com. Decent pool, exercise room and free hot breakfast. Has to be the best budget option for New Year's Eve in NYC this year. I'm glad I got it.
  3. A 4* should run around $65. Priceline does not offer 5* bidding in DC. Hotel occupancy is quite low Christmas Eve, so you should have no problem. Enjoy your trip!
  4. $99 on Radisson.com Hotwire wanted $56. $38 failed. Radisson Hotel Providence Harbour 220 India Street Providence, Rhode Island 02903 Your Offer Price: $39.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $39.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $12.52 Total Charges*: $51.52
  5. $189 on Hyatt.com $64 failed. Your Offer Price: $69.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $138.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $31.09 Total Charges*: $169.09
  6. $209 on Hilton.com First bid, same day, upraded from 2.5*. Hilton Arlington And Towers 950 North Stafford Street Arlington, Virginia 22203 Your Offer Price: $49.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $49.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $14.08 Total Charges*: $63.08
  7. $169 on marriott.com First bid, same day, for someone else. Courtyard By Marriott Arlington 1533 Clarendon Blvd Arlington, Virginia 22209
  8. Some additional information along the same lines in this 12/12/06 USA Today article.
  9. Interestiing 11/9/06 USA Today article. By Barbara De Lollis, USA TODAY The steep run-up in hotel room rates and occupancies in the USA's biggest cities is slowing as discouraged travelers seek alternatives to high-priced stays... Don't expect hotels to give you a break anytime soon. Industry forecasters such as Smith Travel Research expect rates to jump again next year. But there is some good news: Demand for rooms is stabilizing, so hotels won't be able to boost rates... Growing resistance from consumers indicates that hotels are nearing "that magic ceiling" for rates.
  10. Hyatt Regency Miami 400 S E Second Ave Miami, Florida 33131 Check-In Date: Saturday, November 18, 2006 Check-Out Date: Sunday, November 19, 2006 Your Offer Price: $65.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $16.30 Total Charges*: $81.30 Showing sold out on hyatt.com but $219 in various other places. $59 failed.
  11. Century Hotel 140 Ocean Dr Miami Beach, Florida 33139 Amenities: Boutique, Near Beach, Complimentary Breakfast, Tennis Nearby (vacation packages has above amenities + fitness center) 1 room(s) @ $52.00 per night x 5 night(s) SubTotal: $260.00 Taxes recovery charges and fees: $37.87 Total: $297.87 Have stayed here before - just about ideal for my needs. Check-out is 11/18 and not 11/15.
  12. Welcome to BetterBidding! What is the most you'd like to spend per night on a hotel+parking?
  13. I would second San Francisco. There are a large number of boutique hotels there that would be perfect for a romantic getaway in one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. I was there for a weekend recently and got the Harbor Court for $68 and loved it. Public transportation is superb, so you can easily do without the expense of a car. As someone living on the East Coast, I find flights to the West Coast enjoyable. The time usually goes by quickly with some good music and a movie, and with the time zone difference, you only lose 2 1/2 hours on a 5 1/2 flight. Returning on a red eye allows me to spend the whole last day of the trip out there, and I'm sometimes nearly startled to wake up to an arrival announcement after what seemed like maybe just an hour spent in the air.
  14. Very pleased with this. Looks just about perfect for me. I saw this on Priceline Vacation Packages priced low for such a nice place, about the same as a couple of Holiday Inns and substantially less than other boutiques. So I decided I would try to maneuver myself into it. Started at $64 for USE/Boutique, which got a counter offer to add $17. $66 failed. $159 on hotel's website. Hotwire wanted $108. Harbor Court Hotel, A Kimpton Hotel 165 Steuart Street San Francisco, California Check-In Date: Friday, August 25, 2006 Check-Out Date: Sunday, August 27, 2006 Your Offer Price: $68.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $136.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $27.84 Total Charges*: $163.84
  15. Glad everything worked out to your satisfaction. Have a great trip!
  16. It's a direct match on the vacation packages for Hotel Helix, so I bet that's what it is.
  17. It's also the weekend of Street Scene, the largest music festival in California. Unfortunately I think it's quite possible you're going to have a very tough time with this. In addition to the questons asked above, I was wondering what star levels you've been bidding on, and which ones you'd be willing to accept. Also, do you have a back-up reservation if Priceline doesn't come through for you, and if so, how much is that?
  18. If they make you check in twice they're not offering good service in that regard. Even a small, independently owned 2* I stayed at a few months ago was able to "combine" the two back-to-back Priceline reservations I had after using Add a Night so that only one check-in would be necessary. I've been told that Hilton and Hyatt will do it (even when the two reservations are one from Priceline or some other third party supplier together with one booked directly with Hilton or Hyatt). The software capability is definitely out there. Guests in such circumstances clearly deserve the convenience and peace of mind of not having to check in and out twice.
  19. You might want to try 4* in Arlington up to $70 starting with $60, because there is a nice, new Westin very close to a Metro there, which is the only known 4* in that zone. Otherwise, for Arlington, Crystal City and Alexandria/Old Town I would suggest biding 2.5* instead of 3* because the 2.5*'s are as good and often better than the 3*'s in those zones. The Residence Inn Old Town/Alexandria is a terrific 2.5* whose lowest Priceline rate is I believe $55. I would be tempted to try for that, however there is no guarantee it will come up. It's a shame your 4* $70 bid for the Convention Center/Capitol Hill zone didn't work. I see that the rate for the Hyatt Regency Washington, a 4* in that zone, is only $119 for your dates.
  20. If you'd be willing to stay in the Woodley Park/Dupont Circle zone at 4*, I'd try $70 for that. If you go that route and don't get a win (unlikely), I'd start completely new bids for your 2 preferred DC zones up to $75 if that wouldn't bust your budget. For the 2.5* I would increase to $55, and for the 2* to $49. Good luck!
  21. I wouldn't worry that much about parking, as you'll probably be able to find a free space on the street somewhere for Saturday and Sunday if you look around enough. For Friday and Monday, you could use a metered space for the portion of the day you'll need it. I'd be very surprised if you couldn't get a 4* for $70 at the most for those dates - just $10 over budget. If you'd like to go with 4*, I would bid Convention Center/Capital @ $60, then increase by $5 up to $70 adding a couple of free rebids (Alexandria/Old Town & Crystal City). If that doesn't work, I would close the browser, open it again and start a completely new bid for White House/Downtown at $60, again increaing by $5 up to $70. 2.5* in the Downtown/White House zone can be an excellent value on the weekends. There are two Marriot properties, a Residence Inn and Courtyard, and both are very good. Usually the Residence Inn comes up and their free breakfast can be great if you're trying to cut costs. If this interests you, I would try $52 in that zone. Another interesting option I see is that Hotwire is showing the Capital Hill Suites for $57 with one person selected. This is a 2*, and while not perfect, I think it's underrated and a very good value. I think the reviewer from Martinez, CA got it just right in his/her review on Tripadvisor. If this interests you, I would bid 2* for Convention Center/Capital Hill @ $46 on Priceline, as it's probably also available cheaper there than Hotwire. Lastly, Tourmobile and Old Town Trolley Tours are two of the most popular tour companies.
  22. Parking will be substantially cheaper in the Arlington, Crystal City and Alexandria/Old Town zones than in DC - $12-16. Free parking becomes plentiful once you get further out into the Virginia suburbs than the above mentioned zones. All Priceline hotels in the Tysons Corner/Falls Church, Fairfax and Dulles Airport zones have free parking.
  23. I believe the lowest Priceline rate for the Residence Inn these days is $55.
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