kathylu

Needed a room in Cambridge, close to MIT. Traveling with husband and 6 month old baby, so I was bidding for (hoping for) the Marriott Residence Inn in Cambridge, because of the full kitchen feature. Started a 2.5* bid (no free re-bids at this star level) for Cambridge at $69 and voila! Accepted and "upgraded" to the 3* Doubletree Suites. Their best nightly internet rate is $269 for those dates. Fortunately, it's close enough to MIT to work for us, but I am a bit sad about the lack of a kitchen. Tripadvisor mentions that you can request a microwave and cribs, so I'll make do. Great savings though! Sorry, but it's been so long since I needed to do a PL bid, that I forgot to use the savingsbarn.com link! I won't forget again, promise.

Well, hmm...the above strategy worked for me. However, I'll ask my husband when he comes home from a business trip. He's the real "computer dude" in the household. If I get any additional info, I'll post it for you.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Been there, had that done to me too! So, of course I just post here now and lurk at TOBB. Ok, here's the secret. The way you are banned from the board is by blocking your unique IP address. So, what you need to do to get "unbanned" is to get a new IP address. All you need to do is to "cycle" your modem to get a new IP address. Kiddies, that simply means turn your modem completely off for 1 to 2 minutes (unplug it, so no power goes to the modem). When you turn the modem back on, your IP address gets changed. Bingo, you can go back to whatever site you were banned from. This works for dial-up, DSL, ISDN, cable, satellite, whatever. It probably wouldn't hurt to clear out your cookies first, but it's not critical. If you don't know how to delete cookies, go to the help screen on your browser, search for "deleting cookies" and follow the directions. If you still want to post at TOBB, I suppose you could re-register using info different from your original registration. Personally, I don't feel they deserve our help any longer, so I just visit there as a guest.

Hmmm...maybe too many opinions here, but there is another thing worth mentioning. The star rating system is NOT THE SAME in Europe as it is in the US. In Europe, stars are assigned according to the amenities that are available at a hotel, but it is NOT an indication of the quality of the hotel. For instance, in the US, for a 3* hotel you would expect all the basics plus some luxury features and generally excellent quality. Good examples would be the Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt (even Holiday Inn can be really nice) chains of hotels. In Europe, 3* will get you a hotel with a seperate reception area, elevators, private bathrooms, heat (no a/c), possibly a bar/restaurant on site. However, the facilities could be charming and in excellent condition with ambiance and great views...or it could be an ill-maintained dump that you would never stay in if you had a choice. Basically the star rating system is a government checklist that determines a hotel's tax rate...and it varies from country to country. So, you have to do some additional research to determine a hotel's quality. Tripadvisor.com is a good place to start. I have noticed that since Americans are used to more standardization in hotel quality, that it is very easy to be upset with hotel quality in Europe. Also, interestingly there is not always a good correlation between star level and price in Europe. Of course, a 4* will always cost more than a 1*...but a 3* may sometimes cost more than a 4* in the same city. Again, you have to do your homework. The bottom line for me is that I never bid on less than a 4* hotel in Europe...and I don't expect it to be the same as a 4* hotel in the US (although there are always exceptions). So, I would never take a chance on a 1* or 2* hotel...it could be truly awful! So please, be patient with your bid and try for a higher star level. Also, there have been a number of 3* wins in La Defense for less than $65...that would be a much better choice. Good luck!

Bid $18 for an SUV ... no luck Bid $18 for Luxury ... no luck Bid $16 for Premium ... accepted by Budget Rent-a-Car 8 days X $16 = $128 Taxes & Fees = $60.84 Total = $188.84 Premium is a Buick Park Avenue, Lincoln Town Car, Mercury Grand Marquis or similar. I'll feel a little guilty driving a gas guzzler, but it will be very comfortable for four adults with luggage and skis! Great price. Lowest Premium price on Orbitz is $497 for 8 days.

Bids were made followed by a 72 hour wait since no parameters could be changed (Hamburg has only one bidding zone and we didn't wish to lower the star level). First bid $85 2nd bid $90 3rd bid $95 4th bid $105 5th bid $110

I know that other recent bids for this location have come in around $90, but March 10 seemed to be a tough weekend for some reason. Perhaps their occupancy rate was higher than normal. The best internet price available for this hotel was $269 euros ($322 per night). On other weekends, the price was $189 euros ($226 per night). Anyway, it's certainly a spectacular deal! # of rooms: 3 # of nights: 2 bid price: $110 (90.9 euros) with taxes and fees: $124.63 (102.5 euros) Total price: $747.78 (618 euros) Using PL saved a total of $1184.22 (979 euros) ... WOW!!!

Hi Ozgirl. I have some advice for you for Paris. I stayed there last summer on a PL bid. Knowing what I know now, I would have radically altered my bid strategy. I'll give it to you straight...if you bid ANY other area than Opera Quarter East-Les Halles, you are taking a huge risk that you will get a hotel in the suburbs of Paris. I was trying for OQE and I got impatient after a few bids and I added Eiffel Tower-Montparnasse to my bid and I won immediately (if you can call it a "win"). I got a 4* hotel (the Sofitel Porte de Sevres) on the extreme outer edge of the 15th arrondissement. Now, the hotel was fine, very comfortable. No complaints except that it was extremely inconvenient to the tourist areas of Paris. It was a 15 minute walk from the last metro stop on the line (Ballard). That extra walk is pretty miserable when you are already exhausted from a long day of sightseeing. From there it was a minimum 30 minute subway ride to get to the areas you want to be in. That 45 minute each way commute makes it almost impossible to return to your hotel each day to freshen up or take a rest before going out for the evening. I would much rather have taken a 3* hotel that I could book directly, see photos of it and read reviews about it and KNOW THE LOCATION in advance instead of using PL. Just my two bits, but if you look at the locations of a lot of the hotels that come up frequently in bidding areas other than OQE, many of them are pretty far out. Remember that Paris is simply HUGE and that the PL bidding areas cover all the outer arrondissements. I'll certainly try PL again for my next trip to Paris, but I will only be bidding OQE. I'll just start as far in advance as I can and be willing to pay more for the convenience of being close in. Well, ok. I might try Batignolles-Montmartre-Republique as well. Even the outer edges of that zone are not are not a ridiculous distance out. But nothing else.

I am helping a friend place his first PL bid (how exciting!). He wants a 5* hotel in Hamburg, Germany for 3/10/06 to 3/12/06. The only catch is that he needs three rooms. After researching here, it appears that there have been recent winning bids in the $85-90 range. He bid tonight at $90 and was not successful. He wants to know if he should raise his bid price on the next try. My feeling is no...I think the reason he didn't get it is because this is still almost seven weeks before his trip. My guess is that the inventory is not there so far in advance. I think he needs to stick to his price and just try again every 72 hours...do you agree? Or would you suggest another strategy? He does have a cancellable back-up reservation, just in case the PL gods are not smiling on him. Thanks.

Thanks for the help...I've got it figured out now. :)

Hi all. I just wondered if anyone knows if bid price levels are equivalent among all the priceline sites? For instance, let's say I bid on a 5* room in Hamburg for $85 and win. Would a person in the UK bidding 47 GBP (that's roughly $85) be successful? Or a person in Germany bidding 66 euros ($85)? Just curious. Also, is it possible to bid on more than one priceline site for the same room? Or do you have to live in the country you are bidding from? Just curious...thanks! Also, what if you live in a country that doesn't have a priceline site (Luxembourg, for example)? How would you place bids then?

Bid at $55 a few days ago...no luck. Tried $59 this time, accepted on the first bid. Your Offer Price: $59.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $118.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $25.64 Total Charges: $143.64 Yahoo! Let's hope the weather is good next weekend...

Tried several bids. At $121 I got a counteroffer of $22. I closed my browser, reopened it to start a new bid and won at $126. I'm very happy, the reviews say this is a terrific hotel! Check-In Date: Fri, Nov 25, 2005 Check-In Time: After 03:00 PM Check-Out Date: Sun, Nov 27, 2005 Your Offer Price: $126.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $252.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $40.64 Total Charges: $292.64 :)

We stayed at the Radisson Plaza in Myrtle Beach for two nights, 6/6/05 to 6/8/05. The hotel is very nice in some ways, a little deficient in others. First, please note that the location is not oceanfront or oceanview. It is two very long blocks from the beach. It is physically attached to the Convention Center, so it might be the best choice for business travelers. Check-in was a little rough, but that is because they were training two new employees. We were assigned a King room on the 3rd floor, near the pool and entertainment area. The desk clerk made that sound like an advantage, but it was not. We were looking directly at the air conditioning plant, which was making a rather audible noise. Since I am a light sleeper, I called the desk and asked to be switched to a higher floor on the other side of the building. They said "no go" to switching sides because the other side was oceanview (hard to believe) and was a $20 upgrade. They did give us another room on the 6th floor, away from the air conditioners. That was just fine. The room itself was quite nice. Large room, comfortable furnishings (great bed), a small refrigerator and the bathroom was marble and tile. Housekeeping was ok, except that they replaced the bath towels, but didn't leave any fresh hand towels. I'm sure they would have brought some up, but I did'nt bother calling them. We did have breakfast in the restaurant.... to be continued....

This is a solid 3.5 star hotel. All suites, consisting of 2 large rooms, king size bed and a sleep sofa, wet bar and a mini-fridge. The only slightly weird thing is that the bathroom sink/vanity is in the bedroom. I was fine with that, but it bothered my husband. The hotel lobby is attractive, check-in service was efficient and polite, no mention of PL, only that reservation was "pre-paid". Hotel desk asked for my Marriot Rewards number (for incindentals, not the room itself). Parking is $8, but for some reason I was not charged for parking. I had 2 meals in the bar/restaurant and the food was pretty good, large portions and reasonably priced (for a hotel). This hotel is in a suburb of DC, but it is VERY convenient to the city. It is right on a spur of the Beltway (Rt. 495) with quick access to the GW parkway. So, if you have a car this is a great alternative to higher priced hotels downtown.

Ok, ok. So I'm oblivious most of the time. Who's perfect? I just saw the reviews board. Will write and post there. Thanks.

I'd like to review this hotel. How do I do that? Thanks.

Hi...I have been bidding on 3* and 4* in DC for 2 weeks or so with no luck. That's probably because it is Valentine's day weekend and my upper limit was $50. So, I decided to move out to the MD suburbs because I have a car, so no transportation problems. Also, Bethesda is chock full of good restaurants and it is still convenient to downtown DC. I was hoping for the 2.5* Marriot Residence Inn Bethesda, because of the free weekend parking and breakfast is included...but PL upgraded my bid to a 3* and I got the Marriot Suites Bethesda instead. I wish PL wouldn't do the upgrade thingy...it kind of throws a wrench into one's bidding strategy...but in this case, I certainly can't complain...it's still a great hotel at a fantastic price! My first bid was $45...they gave me a $13 counteroffer. I started a new bid, adding Laurel as a free rebid and offered $48...bingo! The best internet price for this date is $129 plus tax ($144.48 total)...I got it for $61.24 total, a savings of 57.6% !!! Went through savingsbarn.com of course. Your Offer Price: $48.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $48.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $13.24 Total Charges: $61.24

Thanks! The strategy is very clear. I'll try it as soon as I can (I have to get that other problem solved first).

I have a room reserved at the LaQuinta Inn Cypress Creek as a backup for $79 plus tax. I would like to get something closer to the cruise terminal and/or airport if possible. Thanks!

Hi! Please help me bid for a 2* or better hotel in the Airport/Downtown/Beach zone. I need a 1 night pre-cruise stay on 1/1/05. Can bid up to $75 plus tax and fees. Normally, I think I could get something in the $50 range, but it seems like there is no availability for that date. Hotwire is showing one 2*hotel at $64...I think it is the Days Inn South Airport...should I just go for that? Thanks so much.

Check-In Date: Sunday, January 9, 2005 Check-Out Date: Monday, January 10, 2005 Hotel Name: Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Airport 1825 Griffin Rd Dania, Florida 33004 954-920-3500 Your Offer Price: $49.00 Number of Rooms: 2 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $98.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $19.58 Total Charges: $117.58 First bid was rejected at $47, added Downtown zone, accepted at $49.