wsj3200

Started at $40 3*, rejected but got the $12 rebid thing. :) Added Laguna Beach for a free bid @ $42, accepted. Used the PRICELINE link to start. :) Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night............................$42.00 Subtotal........................................................................$84.00 Taxes & Service Fees....................................................$18.03 Total Charges.............................................................$102.03 This is the hotel I was shooting for, only about one exit on the freeway from where I'll be. Excellent!

Used this board to determine bid point and used the PRICELINE link to initiate the purchase. I tried several lower bids to see if things had changed, but no dice. This trip is for business so free internet access and complementary breakfast was just what I was looking for. This board certainly played a big part in making that happen. Thanks. Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night.....................$41.00 Subtotal................................................................$82.00 Taxes & Service Fees............................................$16.06 Total Charges.......................................................$98.06

First bid $38 3*, added free bid area @ $40. Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night........................$40.00 Subtotal...................................................................$80.00 Taxes & Service Fees...............................................$18.21 Total Charges...........................................................$98.21

All bids were for a 3* starting with Laguna Hills - Mission Viejo @ $39, and two free bids at $41 and $42. Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night............................$42.00 Taxes & Service Fees....................................................$12.51 Total Charges...............................................................$54.51

Started at $34 and used free bids in $2 increments. I like this hotel. On previous visits they have offered a free breakfast that was far better than most and fresh baked cookies in the afternoon/early evening. Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night..........$40.00 Subtotal.....................................................$40.00 Taxes & Service Fees.................................$12.46 Total Charges............................................$52.46

Thanks for clarifying.

I just wanted to bring this to the forefront again. San Diego dominates California other cities category and I'm wondering why the reluctance to give it it's own heading?

Ontario is down to only one free bid at the 3.5* level as of this posting date. First bid was for $38, Ontario, 3.5*. :) Second bid was for $40, added Corona/Riverside West, 3.5*. :) Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night..........................$40.00 Taxes & Service Fees..................................................$12.09 Total Charges.............................................................$52.09

I've always liked this hotel. The free breakfast is better than most. $40 is the cheapest I've seen this property in a long time. A good value.

This is a new one for the area. You may want to add it to the list.

Started at $34 and worked my way up over two bidding sessions including a try for a 2.5 * @38............$40 is the magic number for now. Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night................................... $40.00 Taxes & Service Fees.......................................................... $12.08 Total Charges..................................................................... $52.08 As always, I used the PRICELINE link from this site.

Update: I was not asked on this visit whether I was parking a car or not. Either the concept has been dropped or it is being applied unevenly. Also, I found out that the top 3 floors are concierge levels and include plush robes in the rooms and a complementary concierge lounge on the top floor that serves some breakfast items during the week. These rooms were available for the asking on my recent visits. Rooms on the top two floors have balconies.

$40 bid was accepted on the first try. With the worsening economy and the glut of rooms in the area, I would usually try lower for this area, but I bid this at the last minute. This hotel is in the process of remodeling the common bar/restaurant/lobby area. Should be completed by the end of December. The rooms were refurbished 2 years ago. They will now apply a $12 charge for overnight parking even though the lot is not secure and there is no overnight security guard. Cars are free to come and go as they please. When you check in they will ask you if you have a vehicle. Valet parking is also available. I suggest not using it. Parking is abundant and you will get much closer to your room just using the general parking around the building. Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night................$40.00 Taxes & Service Fees.......................................$12.08 Total Charges..................................................$52.08

Used the PRICELINE link and bid as follows: Ontario 3.5*....................................................$38 rejected :) Ontario 3*.......................................................$40 accepted :) Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night................$40.00 Taxes & Service Fees.......................................$12.08 Total Charges..................................................$52.08

Unless the Holiday Inn lowers it's PL rate to below that which the 3.5* hotels are willing to accept, it will be very hard to get via PL. If you definitely want the Holiday Inn, you'll probably have to purchase it through HW.

This sounds like the Marriott in the Ontario area? Could you please post the whereabouts and details of your win.

Wow, the trend continues. I've stayed here many times and was shocked to learn that as of Aug. 4, 2008, they have instituted a parking fee. The Ontario Airport Marriott became the first in the area to institute a parking fee about a year ago. The lot is not secure (at least not yet according to the front desk). Not that there's a shortage of parking in the area. On occasion, when there have been special events at the hotel, I have parked in the neighboring lot without problems. So now the Hilton and Marriott can offer a lower price and undercut the Holiday Inn because of the parking fee and still come out ahead. This stinks IMHO. I know not everyone drives a to a hotel. But in an area where it's customary to not charge for parking because there is abundant parking everywhere, this is particularly disturbing because it prevents PL customers from finding the best deal. The only way to get the new Holiday Inn is to hope Hilton, Marriott or Doubletree are sold out 'cause you'll always get upgraded. I assume the Doubletree is or will be playing the same game as it is a Hilton property. I have the same issue with resort fees. I'll be writing to PL to express my displeasure over these acts of PL treason. :)

This is a very nice hotel at a price point I haven't seen for at least a year. The economic slowdown combined with competition from new product in the area means lower pricing. With four free bids, try $36, $38, $40, and $44. One of these should get you into a nice 3* or greater hotel. If none of these hit, reset and try Ontario 2.5* @ $44 for the new Holiday Inn. Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night:............$40.00 Subtotal:........................................................$40.00 Taxes & Service Fees:....................................$12.03 Total Charges*:.............................................$52.03

+1

Yes, I was looking at Priceline yesterday and noticed that the Hilton, the Doubletree and the Marriott are all now classified as 3.5*. This effectively give us at least two more free bids when bidding for a 3* and above hotel in this area as Riverside west only offers 2.5*. The Holiday Inn would be excluded from these bids.

Update for Ontario hotels: Priceline has added a 3.5 star option. Unless you want the Marriot which is just across the street for this hotel, and is very nice BTW, but they do charge an $11 parking fee. It is currently the only Priceline hotel in this area that charges for parking at this time. Winning bids for the Marriot are in the same ballpark as the Hilton, the Doubletree and the Holiday Inn, but by selecting the 3.5 star option, you eliminate the other preferable hotels from consideration.

According to the front desk staff, this hotel opened in March, 2008. We thoroughly enjoyed out stay here. The staff was very friendly and helpful. From 5 - 7 pm there is a "happy hour" in the nicely appointed restaurant/lounge featuring $2 well drinks, wine and beer. Finger foods are available for purchase from a menu of about 12 items for $3 each. This ended up being our dinner. The pool / hot tub area is first class with plenty of room to stretch out. Televisions are all high def flat screens including 10 or so in the booths in the dining room just in case your dining alone of with someone with which you have little to say. Beds are very comfortable and the rooms are large. Bathrooms feature granite surfaces and the Moen shower heads still work perfectly. There is a non-stocked refrigerator, micro wave, coffee maker, and safe in each room. The heating/cooling unit mounted under the window was quiet. There is a Marie Callendar Restaurant a stones throw away. Parking is free. This is now our new favorite hotel in the area even though is only a 2.5 star. Even though we loved this hotel, it did a couple of problems. Sound proofing wasn't up to par. There was a noisy guest somewhere adjacent to our room. I was too tired to investigate, but if your a light sleeper and there's a party nearby, or a loud TV, you're likely to hear it. The interior of the hotel including the rooms are decorated in very dark colors. Not all will like look. Lastly, be careful when leaving the bathroom. I inadvertently pushed the lock button with the door open. When it closed, the lock didn't release and we were locked out of the bathroom for 20 miniutes or so until house keeping came and opened it. It may have been possible to open it without assistance, but it was 5 in the morning and I was still sleeping. I didn't want to be bothered figuring it out. All in all, I highly recommend this hotel.

To update my previous post, I had my friend continue to bid each 24 hrs starting at $40 in an attempt to find the bottom line price for this hotel. Turns out his bid wasn't accepted until his bid reached $44.

This is a brand new hotel for this area. The website rate is $99. Normally, I use 2.5* Ontario as a free bid as I usually get upgraded to a 3*, but the 2.5 * hotels in the area have been quite acceptable. As this is a new listing I was caught by surprise on this one and I have no idea if this is the bottom for this hotel. Because there are no free bids at this level, you will only will be able to test the bottom if you have several days to do your bidding as you will be limited to one bid per day. I would suggest that the next person bidding this area start at $41 and increase $1 per day in an attempt to find the bottom price. I say that because right after getting this win, I called a friend who will also need a room on the same day and had him bid $40. It was declined. Remember to please post your win and bid history. Despite the fact that this is only a 2.5* hotel, I think it preferable to the Marriot across the street which goes for about the same price but charges $12 per night for parking, although the Marriot does have the most comfortable beds in the area. Be sure to access PRICELINE using link on this site. Bid history Ontario 3*.........................................................$40 declined Added Corona, Riverside West............................$42 declined Reset, Ontario 2.5*............................................$44 accepted :) Taxes and service fees......................................$12.48 Total................................................................$56.48 I will review the hotel after my stay.

I have been trying for a couple of weeks to get a room in Topeka. On this sitting I started with $50 for a 3* room, then dropped to $45 for a 2*. I suspect a lower price is possible. With no free bids other than changing star levels, finding the bottom is impossible without your help. That's why we post our wins. Hopefully this will help you in your bidding process. Make sure you post your win. :) Your offer price.....................................$45 Number of nights......................................6 Subtotal.........................................$270.00 Taxes and fees................................$48.15 Total charges.................................$318.15