alaskanjackal

While looking at other options, the price on this went up from $79 to $87, so it's no longer price-competitive with some of the other (admittedly less glamorous) options where we can guarantee 2 beds. Unless it comes back down, we'll go with something else. Might want to look and see, though, if the Melrose should be reclassified as a 4* based on this info.

Looking for a 2-night stay tomorrow night (5/6-5/8), and there's a 4* in Georgetown for $79. I'm having trouble matching the amenities. The biggest thing that's throwing me for a loop is the fact that it's being advertised as "pet-friendly." As far as I can tell, from HW's regular listings, only two 4* hotels even allow pets (for $100 and $250 per stay, respectively): the Melrose and the Global Luxury Suites at Foggy Bottom. But none of the BetterBidding 4* results (http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?app=hotel_lists&tid=91) even mentions pets. The Melrose is listed there as a 4.5* and does mention being pet-friendly--perhaps did the Melrose get re-flagged as a 4* on HW? Also, what are the chances of getting a room with 2 beds? From the Easy View tab: FULL AMENITIES: Pet friendly, Smoke-free rooms, Fitness center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business center, Internet access, Accessible for visually impaired, Accessible for hearing impaired, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Accessible parking, Roll-in shower

Rate for 3* on HW was $66.

Same-day booking. Cheapest retail via Kayak/hotels.com within 10 miles was $59; cheapest HW in area was $48.

First bid for same-day stay, and pleasantly surprised, as the cheapest room in the surrounding 25 miles on Kayak was $15 more for a mediocre Red Roof Inn; cheapest HW booking was $50+tax for an unknown 2*. :)

Finally coming through DC on a weekend and was looking forward to staying in a nice 4* at a bargain basement price. :) Was hoping for the Grand Hyatt or at least the Renaissance (my traveling companion loves Renaissances), so was focused on the CC-CH area. Tried CC-CH 4* for $60 (for grins and giggles--that's what I would pay for a double room at my preferred hostel) yesterday; obviously no-go. Rebid for $75--still nothing. Tried again tonight for $75 and rebid at $90; at the last second, I decided to go for $99 (having seen a couple of winning bids at $97 posted here). Surprised to get the Hotel Monaco. My heart sank when that happened, not because it doesn't look nice but because a smaller hotel like that can be a bit inflexible with room type, and we'd really like two beds (we're family, but not THAT close). That is, we are probably booked in a basic Queen room, which the hotel's website shows as a 325-square foot room. The only Doubles they list on their site are in 475-square foot rooms and are $30 more on their website. In other words, the Double rooms are larger and nicer than the Queen rooms, so I'm not optimistic about getting a room with two beds. That said, I called the front desk (after calling Kimpton's central reservations line and being told they can't even leave notes in a PL reservation) and she gladly (if hurriedly) said she'd put a note in and also added my brand-new Kimpton InTouch member number. The fact the front desk--who would be the ones responsible for making the room selection--was willing to put a note in the reservation made me feel slightly better. In any case, my traveling companion likes the idea of boutique hotels, so hopefully we have a nice experience, even though it wasn't necessarily what I was hoping for. Looks like it's missing a review, so I'll try to post one after our stay. I did use the PRICELINE link on this forum to make my reservation.

Same-day bid (just overnighting on a road-trip). $45 bid failed for 3* and then 2.5*, succeeded for 2*. I used the PRICELINE link to start my bid.

After attempting the same series of bids (up to $150) every other day or so, I finally gave up and this morning and bid $150 for a 3.5* and then a 3* (all in CC-CH and WH-DT). Ended up with the Courtyard By Marriott Embassy Row. Not a bad place, and I probably could have gotten it for a lower bid with better planning (had I not held out hope for a nicer place as long as I did), but I'm reasonably happy. Thanks for all the advice! And yes, I did use the PRICELINE link. :) (The Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins may need to be updated--it currently has my old information from above.)

Just an update: I tried $120, $130, $140, and $150 (guess my courage is going up the more I do this!) on CC-CC, WH-DT, NE, and MV. No luck. Will keep trying until probably the middle of next week, unless someone thinks I'd have better luck locking in a 3 or 3.5* now because prices may go UP on those as the date gets closer.

Thanks. Tried again through the PRICELINE link. This time, I skipped the $130 bid and went straight for $140 ($60-$80-$140). Two interesting things: Now, the displays "Median retail price for a 4 star hotel in the areas selected: $329," and also the Melrose is down to $249 retail (though it is in the Georgetown zone, which I don't want to chance, since other properties are much farther from Metro stops). Don't know how reliable those indicators are, but it looks like rates at at least some hotels are dropping, so I'll keep aiming for the 4* until maybe later next week.

Tried again this morning through the PRICELINE link. Bid $60, $80, $103, $130...and then took a chance and threw in Silver Spring (which has a 3.5*--it would ruin my trip if I were somehow given that hotel in Silver Spring when bidding for a 4*) at $140. No dice. Will keep trying. Thanks for the help. :)

That's the big thing about DC: I hear weekends are easy, but weekdays are MUCH more difficult. I'll keep trying for now, though! That's what I feared and the advice I was looking for.At what point would you recommend I decide to pass on the 4* and start looking for the 3.5* (and then, failing that, the 2* in Crystal City for $60ish)? I certainly will! :)

Buoyed by the reports of some midweek 4*s for $60-$80 in late May/early June, I figured I'd shoot for the stars. No luck for now. FIRST BID: 4*, CC-CH, $60...failed SECOND BID: 4*, CC-CH+WH-DT, $80...failed THIRD BID: 4*, CC-CH+WH-DT+NE Suburbs, $103...failed FOURTH BID: 4*, CC-CH+WH-DT+NE Suburbs+Mt. Vernon, $130...failed It appears that free rebid zones on a 4* are Alexandria West, Bethesda, DC Suburbs-Northeast, Mount Vernon, and Silver Spring. I really don't want to get caught in the latter two (the first two would be bad enough, but the third and fourth would ruin the trip). Arriving by train around 11am and would really like a place not far from the station so as to be able to drop our bags and run out for a half-day of sightseeing. As I mentioned above, I thought I'd aim my sights high, since I have a couple of weeks to play with here. About $130 is the tops I'm willing to go for a 4*. (The PL homepage is actually now telling me "Hotel winning bids you might like: White House - Downtown Washington,DC $140"--is this something to believe may apply to me or to ignore?) However, I've read that 3.5* in DC (CC-CH and WH-DT) are quite nice, so I'd be happy to do one for $100 or less. Otherwise, I am OK with looking at Crystal City--less convenient to our day in DC (we have computers, etc., we don't want to leave in baggage storage at Union Station, so we'd have to schlep them all the way out to Crystal City and come back in for sightseeing, wasting over an hour round-trip), although it is more convenient for our morning flight out of DCA. To make it worth that hassle, I'd like to spend less than $80 ($60, ideally, or even less), but I'm also perfectly happy in a 2* out there, since we won't be spending much time in the hotel. For a Monday night, what would you recommend? 1. Hold out for a 4* and keep bidding the above sequence of the four bids I already tried; they're likely to open up inventory later 2. Bid $100 for a 3.5*--that is likely to win 3. Forget the above two and go straight for Crystal City. [What would I be able to get for $80? $60? Hard to tell, since most of the wins in CC are weekend days.] 4. Fughedaboudit. Ain't going to happen on a Monday night. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Book the Hostelling International DC. Hotel prices as listed on PL retail booking: 4* Liason: $429 W: $419 Willard IC: $599 George: $465 JW Marriott: $419 The Hay: $395 Mayflower Renaissance: $469 Monaco: $449 3.5* Hyatt Regency: $369 Crowne Plaza Hamilton: $252 Rouge: $288 Madera: $328 Doubletree (Rhode Island Ave): $449

Just thought I'd drop by to report the results of my bid: Encouraged by some reports I'd seen of $95 wins on Maui resorts, I started bidding on Ka'anapali-Lahaina resorts at $75 (figured, what the heck). Increasing by $5 each bid with two free rebids (three bids per day) adding in the Kahului and Kihei areas (no resorts in either, from what I could see), I finally got the Hyatt Regency this morning for $140 (good, because I wasn't going to go any higher than that!). Here are the details for the Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa: 9/27/09-9/28/09 Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $140.00 (USD) Number of Rooms:1 Number of Nights:1 Room Subtotal: $140.00 (USD) Taxes and Fees: $26.81 (USD) Total Room Cost: $166.81 (USD) Terrace view rooms are going for $240 per night on hyatt.com (prepaid, nonrefundable) for the dates I need. Not as good of a deal as I was hoping for, but I'm happy. :)