blindman

The London Marathon is taking place on the 17th April so that's why the 16th is expensive (if not fully booked) as a lot of runners will stay the night before. Can you come another weekend (or are you running!) As Theruare says splitting the bid will help.

:) :o If you reverse the numbers you almost get to my age! so I'm not into the nightlife anywhere! Clubs and bars on NYE had pay on entry at really stupid prices and are usually packed (or so I've read :) ) Glad you got some accomodation booked. I only know the city as a tourist, been there only three times. Spent a while last year planning the NYE event Look at Tripadvisor for general and specific info. More recent posts PM me if you want more information.

Welcome to BetterBidding. To be honest I don

Welcome to Betterbidding :) Somewhat of a FAQ :) Look at this post and the link to another thread. The stock answer is bid when you have: 1. Finalised travel arrangements 2. Have done research to determine likely hotels and winning bids. Every city\hotel\ has different criteria. Sometimes you can bid up to 12 months out and get a bargain, sometimes you have to wait until a few weeks :o Put your request etc in the correct thread as to where you are actually looking at and someone will assist.

I've just done a search in HOTWIRE for a 4* 2A and 2C check in 18th Dec for 3 nights. I got one for the City Financial district for $49 Restaurant, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business :) Can you see that?

IIRC the consensus is that the HOTWIRE TA rating is usually .5 out BTW The Hoxton Hotel are having their

The 5* Marriott West India Quay comes up at $99 on Priceline. Good for the O2!

I've not used PRICELINE or HOTWIRE for a while in London but the Novotel Bloomsbury used to be a cheap option for a four star and as it's near to tube stations. I'd still wait for a while before committing, gives you more time to research (or get confused!). BTW I've edited my earlier post to include links etc.

Not necessarily true! Both PRICELINE and HOTWIRE sometimes book into what appears to be "full" hotels. WillTravel is probably the best guy (?) to give that answer. I've stayed at the Hilton Islington and its good for local shops\restaurants and not far from the Tube. Not sure how it fits into the O2 visit :) I've stayed at the Hoxton (for a

Have a look at the reviews for this hotel. I have stayed there twice for "business" The location for a tourist is ideal. The rooms are very small The price of everything in the hotel is very large The staff are very friendly! Enjoy the stay

IMHO I'd take theruare's advise and book a cancellable backup that's at an acceptable price\location. I think you are looking too far ahead for HOTWIRE or PRICELINE at the mo as in the run up to Xmas some 3\4* hotels (around October maybe) will have some kind of deal on if they are not filling their rooms. Have you been here before? Are you flying in from somewhere? In London (as in most major cities) if you are out sight seeing then the location of the Hotel is usually more important than its facilties (IMHO)

Won this $40 priceline bid for a one night stay at the end of the holiday. Arrived around midnight and check-in was quiet, quick and friendly. Advised to use the airport shuttle as opposed to walk back from the car rental place (only 1/2 mile) and I agreed. The surrounding area is dodgy at night (sex bars and their client

Won this $45 priceline bid for a one night May 09 stay. Arrive late evening (20:00) and the shuttle took about 20 mins to arrive at the airport after I'd 'phoned. Staff very friendly, no mention of Priceline and I was soon in a comfortable room. IIRC it was a suite with kitchen,microwave, sofa etc. Breakfast was good with fruit, pancakes cereal juices etc. The airport shuttle driver offered to take us to the Dollar rental place instead of the airport-but this turned out to be a little hassle as he did not know where to go...Got there in the end though. Overall a good cheap and friendly place with an airport shuttle about 15 minutes from the airport. There is a BART station nearby and a few shops so possibly feasible to stay here for a visit into the city, though obviously I did not do this.

Needed a cheap stop over on our way South to Lake Tahoe\Yosemite. Will have had a long day so just want a bed and some cheap food 24\7. Saw some good reviews of this place on Tripadvisor and the amenities matched perfectly. Amenities Near Beach. Casino, Airport Shuttle, Restaurant(s), Laundry Facilities, Golf Nearby Total was $34.87 including taxes. Cheapest on their web-site is $60 +taxes = $68/09. Previous PRICELINE wins are not this cheap. Went through the HOTWIRE link.

No Once your bid has been accepted the hotel name will be revealed and you've paid with no refund! Sounds like you are mixing up with HOTWIRE.

Unfortunately it's the former (sort off) PL make you aware before you bid that there may be a Resort fee but they can't tell you what\if it will be charged. So if you win and the hotel charges a fee it's your problem not theirs. :) This is where good research is important. Look at what is the likely hotel and research what\if there is a resort fee. Where are you bidding?

When you choose a star rating at which to bid that is the MINIMUM you are willing to accept. If your area has a Resort it WILL show up in the star rating but as a Palm tree. You could be upgraded to the resort as this is classed as a higher star level. Where are you looking to bid, we can help with a strategy.

Priceline rates like hotel rates can go up and down on a daily basis. You could bid the exact same bid ad infinitum after each 24 hour period but you may be wasting valuable time. Before your repeated bid you should check the hotel rates to see if there's been any fluctuation in price. also check HOTWIRE for their "opaque" rates. (Also check to see if anyone else has made a successful bid for your dates and at what price.) If there is no change, then it's odds on your bid will lose again. Your research should tell you what the minimum bid should be and also you should have set yourself a maximum. Where are you bidding? Someone here will give you a strategy if you give the details

Congratulations on your success. Excellent price! The web-site rate is $110 per night Thank you for using the HOTWIRE link. Have a look at the Wikki if you've not been here before to get some (hopefully) useful tips

Congrats. Hopefully you used the PRICELINE link Out of interest was $135 (

There's a Gig on at Earls court from 21-23 May inc which may affect the rate. Also May 25th is a Bank holiday here so rates may be lower. The next gig is on the 27th. Good advice about splitting the dates and also about changing browsers\computers

Your "Free" rebid zones are areas where there the maximum star level is lower than 5* That is: 1) Bloomsbury - Marble Arch) 2) Finsbury-Islington 3) Hammersmith 4) Nottinghill-Bayswater 5) The City and London bridge This gives you a multitude of free rebids. For simplicity we'll say you have 5. (there are actually 32, trust me!) As your first bid of

If either of the 4* at Jersey city is where you want to be then use PRICELINE. A 4* bid of minimum $71 may get you the Hyatt. The Westin minimum is around $85. Either way it will be cheaper than HOTWIRE.

From the Hotel list this is probably the Westin Similarly this is either the 4* Grand Hyatt New York or the Intercontinental The Barclay