Yagermeister

The Sheaton Read was the most likely hotel and I did, in fact, get it. I tried a few times on Price.line for a little lower and just went with the Hot.wire price. I went through Better Bidding HOTWIRE link for this trip, as usual.

Check-In Date: Sunday, Nov 24, 2013 Check-Out Date: Tuesday, Nov 26, 2013 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $46.00 Subtotal: $92.00 Taxes & Fees $23.08 Total Charges for Reservation*: $115.08 First try, but I'm sure it was a good price, as regular rates are $135, and it's the second time in a month I've worked this location. I always start my searches with Better Bidding's PRICELINE link.

Put in first bid of $45 and was offered a counter to $53. I added another zone and rebid at $46 for a winner. The cheapest advance purchase I could find was $134. Offer Price: avg. per room, per night $46.00 Rooms: 1 Nights: 1 Room Subtotal: $46.00 Taxes & Fees: $14.91 Total Charged to Card: $60.91 I began and booked my search through the Better Bidding PRICELINE link.

In my opinion, the two "City Center" zones are 3 & 8.

Thanks, Romelle. That's a handy guide. I was close, but I missed a couple.

I need to book a room in Stockbridge, GA. I want to make sure I place the most bids possible in one session Stockbridge is Zone #20, and free rebid zones 4, 14, and 22 for a 3*. Is there a generic strategy in the archives I can employ to get the maximum bids out of each day? I don't want you to spell all of them for me, but I know that I'm not using the zones to get the most bids. If you have an example you can point me to, I can work around a previous attempt. Thanks

I just noticed this hotel graduated from a 4* when I stayed at this hotel on Priceline last May to 5* two months later. I can't really say this is a five star hotel, but it is sure a good bargain at $82-$92 for anywhere in Switzerland.

I got reimbursed by my company, so I'm glad I had this in my back pocket. Worked from home that day.

Summary of Charges Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $51.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Room Subtotal: $51.00 Taxes and Fees: $16.01 Total: $67.01 Purchased through Better Bidding PRICELINE link. Bought this on Christmas Eve in anticipation of midwest blizzard. Didn't use it, but nice knowing it was there just in case.

I had been casually trying bids for a few weeks, and today I hit a winning bid for $9 + $3 bonus cash for RSW. Bonus Cash Per Day: $3.00 Your Offer Price Per Day: $9.00 Total Offer with Bonus: $12.00 Sub Total: $54.00 Taxes and Fees: 45.24 Total: 99.24 I faithfully used the PRICELINE link from Better Bidding.

If you set up your email with your dollar limit, you'll only see when a bid has hit your number. You won't see anything above the price you set. I agree that viewing the Priceline "View Winning Bids" is not very helpful. When I have a target price in mind, I'll set up an alert to see winning bids $10 higher or so, then I know if there is traffic close to what I'm looking for. I used in on the trip I'm leaving for in just a few minutes for Zurich-Glattbrugg for $85. When I got an alert, I went in and bid $75 or $78 (I don't remember which one exactly) and got it, so the tool worked well for me.

Since you have some time before your trip, it may be helpful to set up a Priceline alert for Sydney using your parameters. You'll get an email when a bid has been won at or below your specified target.

Although I'm a faithful Better Bidding, Priceline, and Hotwire participant, there are times when I find an absolute gem of a hotel. In Prague, I stayed at Arcadia Residence Old Town for about $140 per night. It is one block off the main square. Arcadia is the #1 hotel in Prague according to TripAdvisor reviews and won a Best Service award in 2010. If you read the reviews and look at the location, I don't believe you can do any better. I don't want to step on any toes by recommending a hotel outside of a Priceline bid, and I apologize if I have overstepped my boundaries, but in the spirit of good traveling, I wanted to give a suggestion.

You might want to entertain the thought of flying into London and out of Paris. It would save you a lot of time by not having to train it back to London and getting to your hotel for one night. Time is a precious commodity to me on vacation. Just use your allotted days in Paris on the end and fly home from Paris. Just a thought.

Room Cost: $75.00 (USD) Number of Nights: 1 Room Subtotal: $75.00 (USD) Taxes and Fees: $13.80 (USD) Total Room Cost: $88.80 (USD) As always, I started my search through the Better Bidding PRICELINE link.

Tried for a couple of days for Historic District, but I was running our of time and went with Midtown at $60.00 Always start with Better Bidding's PRICELINE link.

Bonus Cash Per Room, Per Night: $5.00 Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $78.00 Total Offer Price Per Room, Per Night with Bonus: $83.00 Subtotal: $156.00 Taxes & Fees: $34.28 Total Charges*: $190.28

Tried $14-16 over the last few days, and hit a winner today. Your Offer Price:$17.00 (per day) Total Rental Days:5 days(4 days and 16 hours) Subtotal:$85.00 Taxes and Fees: $41.53 Total Charges:$126.53 Lowest Published Price:$563.13 (USD) Total Savings:*$436.60 (USD) (You saved 78%) I did my shopping, as always, through the Better Bidding PRICELINE links.

I stayed at the Budapest Sofitel in September through a win on PRICELINE, from the Better Bidding link. The Intercontinental is right next door. I paid about $85 a night. I think your budget may have to increase to the $70's or $80's for a 5*. It looks like the past five or so posted winners is the Hilton. The Sofitel was previously the most common 5* win. You're right about the Inter-Continental: the length of time for a reported win is almost a year. The dollar has weakened since I won my bid, so you may have to increase the previous numbers a few dollars for a win, but I would start around $55 for a 4* and $70 for a 5*. I know Buda is a free bid zone for a 5*, but I don't remember about the 4*. I didn't see the Hilton while I was there, so I can't speak for the location, but I think the Sofitel and Inter-Continental are perfect locations. Since the Hilton is winning with lower bids than the Sofitel, you might end up there. I suppose if it were my trip, I would try to win the 4* first. Good luck and keep us informed.

Rate per night $39.00 Tax & Fees 30.39 Total $147.39 Used Better Bidding HOTWIRE link Amenities: Complimentary Breakfast Fitness Center Pool High Speed Internet Access

OceanAnnie, You have a long time before your trip, so there's no reason to panic. Since you obviously know how to use the computer, you should have plenty of time to figure out what you will want to see and where things are. Go to the library and pick up a London travel guide. Winthin your time frame, you should be able to figure out nearly everything you want to see in your three days. With the Metro, you're never far from anything. Look at the sights you've picked out and try the zones that you'll most likely spend the bulk of your time. Getting a London book is really your best start. This is your trip, so don't count on others' experiences to match your own. Relax and enjoy the planning; it's one of the favorite parts of my trips.

For another comparison, I found the 4* Mercure Lyon Centre Grand Hotel Chateau Perrache for $109 on Hotels Combined for your dates.

Since I didn't go into the Intercontinental, it's hard to say if I would spend $100 plus tax more for the Sofitel over four nights. That will probably be the only time I go to Budapest, so I'm glad I stayed at the Sofitel. The reviews are pretty similar on TripAdvisor. I paid about $300 for my three nights, including all taxes and fees, and I wrote a letter to the manager saying it was my 10th wedding anniversary and my wife's birthday during this trip and asked if I could get a little nicer room. I got upgraded to a suite. What a treat! It really was the anniversary and birthday, so I don't advocate saying these things if not true just to get upgraded, but I got way more than my money's worth. HOTWIRE has a 5* hotel for your dates for $64. In the past, the 5* wins in Budapest have been the Intercontinental, so if you go that route, keep that in mind. My trip was Prague, Vienna, and Budapest, so spending an extra $100 on a $3000+ trip was worth it to me. I don't know if this helps or not, but I'm trying to give you my perspective, but please remember, I did not go in the Intercontinental to make a comparison. I just know the way I treated by the Sofitel made my decision worth way more than $25 a night. I can't say what anyone else will experience.

I'd have to agree with mrxnow. I got back from a Budapest priceline win on September 18, and I had won the Sofitel for $74. The Intercontinental is right next door, and I mean you could throw a baseball from the Sofitel and hit it. I didn't go in the Intercontinental, but if the worst thing that happened is winning the Inter at $50, that would be really be just fine. I really enjoyed my stay at the Sofitel and certainly think highly of it, but I wouldn't overpay just to avoid the Intercontinental. If you stay at the Sofitel, don't let them arrange transportation services for you. The extra cost they charge will eat up a lot of the savings from your win. Zona Taxi has a flat rate of 3600 HUF (about $18, plus tip) to the airport, and you can set up a reservation on their website. I think it's a few dollars more from the airport, but cheap for a 30-45 minute trip. Good luck.

Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: US$55.00 Subtotal: US$55.00 Taxes & Fees: US$12.42 Total Charges: US$67.42 I used the Better Bidding PRICELINE link.