whplanet

I used the support page to book the Embassy Suites directly.

I'll do a bit more research before risking getting this hotel. I'll report back if I find out what the property is.

It can't be Embassy Suites since they charge ($25/night) for parking.

Wow... I totally forgot about that post. Looks like I had questions about the same property.

I've added my reply to that thread.

Thanks.

I ended up booking directly with Hilton Garden Inn for this trip.

I can't find this hotel in the forum list.

Would someone help? Thanks!

May 9-10 $129

3.5 Stars with the following amenities:

Free Parking

Airport Shuttle

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

High-Speed Internet Access

I don't see Holiday Inn Express on the list of 2.5* hotels here on the boards.

Considering there are so many flavors of Holiday Inn in the area, would you provide the address to confirm exactly which one it is?

Thanks.

This one doesn't look like it's the Embassy Suites mainly due to the free parking.

$90 for October 20th

Amenities:

Airport Shuttle

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

High-Speed Internet Access

Free Parking

I tried up to $90 for 3.5 star in both Downtown and Convention Center areas with no luck.

Restarted my bidding at $70 in Downtown 4* and worked up to $115 until I was accepted for Le Centre Sheraton.

Room Subtotal: US$345.00 ($115 x 3 nights)

Taxes & Fees: US$74.13

Total Charged to Card: US$419.13

Per Night post tax: US$139.71

Used the PRICELINE link:

Had no luck for the previous week up through $80/night.

Bid on the new dates starting at $55 for Convention Center and 4*. Was counter-offered for $64. I used a free rebid to bid at $56 and voila! Accepted.

Rooms: 1

Nights: 2

Room Subtotal: $112.00

Taxes & Fees: $24.44

Total Charged to Card: $136.44

BTW, if anyone with an Amtrak Guest Rewards account would like to refer me (we both get 500 bonus points), PM me with a code.

Airlines in the USA may involuntarily bump you to another flight as a result of overbooking, but they must compensate the passenger per regulation. The amount of compensation depends on the situation, but airlines prefer to find volunteers under their own terms to avoid the regulated penalties.

http://airconsumer.dot.gov/publications/flyrights.htm#overbooking

In general, European regulations are much more customer friendly.

Thanks for the info. Of all the times I've used Priceline, it's only "almost" happened to me once. I arrived to the hotel early and got a room, but the manager was mentioning how they would have to turn many away because they were overbooked due to a college graduation that weekend.

It's disappointing to hear that there is no "law" on the books, unlike the airline industry.

I apologize if this has been covered previously, but nothing came up when I searched:

I've heard of complaints from people who've used Priceline and been refused at the lobby due to overbooking. In these complaints, Priceline offered a refund of price paid, but the customer ended up booking at a different hotel, often at much higher rates, in order to have a place to sleep.

What is Priceline's official policy and what have your experiences been?

Sorry for forgetting the star level. I was bidding 4*. Can you change the thread title to reflect this?

Rittenhouse and Historic are also acceptable. It's just that I saw people winning the Marriott Downtown for $60-70, so went for that.

Used the PRICELINE link:

Started bidding at $50 and incremented to $75 until running out of free re-bids.

I've read recent wins for $60-70 ($85 for Labor Day), so that's why I started out so low.

I will re-evaluate my dates or maybe try again tomorrow where I left off.

I am happy to report that this property did not charge me a resort fee.

Does Radisson Ambassador have a resort fee? It doesn't show up when I price out a reservation directly on their site like it does with other hotels that charge one.

I'm not sure why my Hotwire ID question thread and my Priceline winning bid thread were combined here... did someone make a mistake?

Started bidding at $70 and worked my way up until $75 was accepted.

I got the following:

Radisson Ambassador

1369 Ashford Avenue, San Juan, PR 907

787-721-7300

Offer Price: $75.00

Rooms: 1

Nights: 3

Room Subtotal: $225.00

Taxes & Fees: $35.76

Total Charged to Card: $260.76

I've been using priceline, with BetterBidding's help, for years and this is the first time I didn't get the hotel I wanted/expected. I was hoping for the Sheraton Old San Juan, but I knew the Radisson was an option and accepted the risk, so of course I can't complain. My winning streak has come to an end, but I'll just have to hope it works out for the best. :-)

Can someone help me ID the 3.5* hotel that comes up for $90/night on 8/26-8/29 in San Juan?

Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business Center, High-Speed Internet Access, Tennis Nearby

The amenities seem to match Sheraton Old San Juan, which would be a good hotel for us, but "casino" is not listed. This makes me worried that it's the Sheraton Convention Center like another poster found out the hard way.

Also, if it's the Sheraton Old San Juan, are resort fees covered in the Hotwire "Tax recovery

charges & fees"?

I've read that this hotel charges an 11% resort fee. How does this work with priceline bids? Is it 11% of the winning bid or 11% of the going rate? Usually resort fees are flat fees...

Mother-in-law coming to visit for the birth of my first child (wow... I was still just a poor unwed undergrad student when I started using betterbidding.com). I've used this site to book vacations, hotels for family members attending my graduations, hotel rooms for 3 weddings so far (including my own)... I could go on... but I'll spare you the nostalgia. :)

Started bidding using PRICELINE link on site.

I was aiming for either the Hyatt Place Sterling or the Marriott Courtyard Dulles Town Center. Only one free rebid zone available for 3* in Northern VA, so I had only 2 shots per 24 hrs.

Successful bid of $44 on 5th attempt:

Here are the details:

Hyatt Place Sterling / Dulles Airport - North

21481 Ridgetop Circle

Sterling, Virginia 20166

703 444-3909

Check-In Date:

Fri, Jul 9, 2010 / After 03:00 PM

Check-Out Date:

Thu, Jul 22, 2010 / 12:00 PM

Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $44.00

Subtotal: $572.00

Taxes & Fees: $77.22

Total Charges*: $649.22

Total (incl. tax and fees) = $49.94/night

I haven't contacted Priceline about changing the name because it's clearly against their policy if you search their site. So, I wanted to get other people's experiences to be better prepared before the inevitable fight on the phone.

Are there any general tips when dealing with Priceline customer service? I assume calling will be more productive than email... it usually is with any company.

I recently bid and was confirmed a room in Honolulu for 3/7/10 - 3/12/10 as you can see in a recent post of mine.

Now, another person has decided to join the vacation and I want another room for the same dates. Ideally, I want to use the same credit card, but Priceline is blocking my bids as being duplicate within 24 hours.

Am I extending the 24 hour block every time I try to rebid? Why does priceline block rebids on successful bids... it doesn't really make sense.

This is really frustrating, but the person I booked this room for cancelled on me. The roommate is still coming, so I still need the room.

Priceline's site says that name changes aren't allowed, but has anyone been able to either change the name on a hotel reservation or check in with someone else's ID? Or can I check in since I paid with my CC?

Any help to save losing $500+ would be very much appreciated.

Thanks!

I used the search bar on this site to bid on PRICELINE and got the following:

Area: Waikiki Beach Area

Hotel Grade: Resort

Dates: 3/7/2010 - 3/12/2010

Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort And Spa

Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $95.00 (USD)

Number of Rooms: 1

Number of Nights: 5

Room Subtotal: $475.00 (USD)

Taxes and Fees: $77.30 (USD)

Total Room Cost: $552.30 (USD)

I started at $75/night since I've seen winning bids as low as $80.

I believe the night of 3/11 forced the price up a few bucks since a friend was able to get 3/7-3/11 for $88.

I didn't get as good a deal, but even beats the $135/night I spent in 2006 to stay here. Great location!