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This is fantastic news, and very long overdue since Hotwire has always separated the Embarcadero (Financial District) from USE. Priceline's former USE zone was too large.

Do a Hotwire vacation package (air + hotel) search and enter SFO as your origin and SBA as your destination. Enter dates 9/21 to 9/23. In the display of hotels, you will see the Harbor View Inn is a match for the amenities you listed. Good luck.

The Hyatt Pier 66 (Ft Lauderdale - Beach zone) appears to have been downgraded back to 3.5 stars per a Hotwire vacation package search Nov 8-10. Vacation package amenities appear identical to what is currently showing on the hotel list: Resort Near Beach Fitness Pool Restaurant Business Center Hi-Speed Internet Golf Tennis Spa

Prior to check-in, I had no real disappointment staying in the Atlantis concierge tower, but was merely hopeful it would have been the Tuscany Suites (sold separately on other third party websites) at Peppermill. But after checking into the Atlantis, Hotwire's $79 concierge rate vs $28 in the main section of the hotel was definitely not worth the extra price. In the end, however, a real surprise from Hotwire. I filed a double-the-difference claim against a website that was offering a regular room for $49 with a free upgrade to the concierge tower if paid with an America PRICELINE EXPRESS card. I fully expected Hotwire to deny the claim, thinking they would consider the AMEX payment requirement as a rate not accessible to the general public. However nearly three weeks later, I discovered a $120 credit from them on my credit card statement. Odd I never received an email with their decision, just the credit to my card. Also strange it took nearly three weeks, but I'm not complaining as I never expected them to honor the claim in the first place! So in the end the room wound up costing $19 per night before taxes/fees. This was my second successful double-the-difference claim in Reno in two months. From my observation, there are a few websites that casino hotels liquidate rooms in Reno at low rates. Rates they don't necessarily extend to Hotwire, making these claims fairly easy to accomplish.

Welcome aboard, IrishRed. Glad you found out about this forum. Hopefully you'll like it here. It's a much more relaxed atmosphere, and I for one appreciate the fact free speech and ideas are not only accepted, but welcomed here. A nice change from the more dry and mechanical nature of TOBB.

As info, PRICELINE offers 5-star bidding in two of the Las Vegas zones.

While the main part of the Atlantis is still rated 3.5 stars by Hotwire, this is the Concierge Tower and is rated 4 stars. This section of the Atlantis is currently not listed on the hotel list, so please note. These rooms have access to the Concierge Lounge which serves complimentary continental breakfast as well as evening appetizers, etc. Amenities: Casino Fitness Center Restaurants Hi-Speed Internet Tennis Airport Shuttle Pool Business Center Golf Spa Note: The Hotwire vacation package displays resort and complimentary breakfast in addition to the above amenities. Because complimentary breakfast didn't display in the hotel-only product, I was thinking/hoping this 4 star property might be the new Tuscany Tower (all suites) at the Peppermill as the main hotel (like Atlantis) is rated 3.5 stars. The amenities for this property were also an exact match of the Peppermill's, which added to my assumption. But such is not the case. Hotwire is working overtime here to keep us guessing! Atlantis Casino Resort Spa - Concierge Tower 3800 South Virginia Street Reno, Nevada 89502 Check-in date: Wed, Aug 27, 2008 Check-out date: Fri, Aug 29, 2008 Hotwire rate per night $79 Hotel rack rate for Concierge Tower is $139. Purchased through the BetterBidding link to HOTWIRE.

Note to thereuare: The title of this thread isn't doesn't reflect the winning bid data of the OP (travelingal), but rather poster basic was posting information about his/her win since the dates are similar (although not exact) to the OP's. As info, basic already posted his/her winning bid info in a separate thread earlier this month. I assume travelingal is still attempting to bid these dates, but hasn't had success.....yet!

Glad the Kimpton sale was of help. Too bad, though, the $129 non-club level rooms went so quickly. As info, the Prescott is now coming up as sold out on Kimpton's site for your travel dates, so I'm glad you reserved the club level room when you did. Keep us posted if you're ultimately successful with either 4 star or boutique on PRICELINE. Enjoy your weekend!

Welcome to Better Bidding! Hotwire prices for both Boutique and 4 star hotels in San Francisco are $200-$300 per night. Those prices are a pretty good indication that SF is very heavily booked this weekend, and probably the reason you've been unsuccessfull on Priceline for $125. It's simply going to take a higher bid, in my opinion, before you'll find success. Kimpton Boutique Hotels, however, is having a summer SF sale. The Prescott Hotel, which is a 4 star hotel on both Priceline and Hotwire is currently available for $129 per night for 8/22 to 8/25. Here is the link. Be sure the promo code SF5 is entered in order to get the discount pricing. As info, I checked the Harbor Court hotel first, however they are sold out. The next best option is the Prescott. The Prescott is right in the heart of Union Square. http://www.kimptonhotels.com/landing-pages...e_2008.aspx#TRI Incidentally, the Prescott is $279 per night on Expedia, which indicates what a terrific sale Kimpton is having! Good luck and I hope you get to make your weekend trip to San Francisco for that mental health break!

It could be a combination of both bidding too early and/or SF is busy during your travel dates. Historically, October is a busy convention month in SF and I recall from years past people having trouble getting accepted bids this far out at "normal" Priceline rates. The $85-$100 rates people have been posting the past few weeks are mostly for bids made within about two weeks (or less) before their travel dates. This is simply a case of hotels not releasing inventory, and/or lowering their PRICELINE rates until much closer to the travel date. In other words, liquiding unsold space at the last minute. With that theory in mind, it's too early for hotels to "resort" to having to liquidate rooms two months away from now at cheap prices. They're hoping to get rack rate for their rooms and are "holding out" for late October. Don't be discouraged or confused why you're not successfull with two months still to go. It's going to take some patience!

You are correct. If you're trying to bid 4* USW, you can add any zone that doesn't have 4 star bidding as your "free" rebid(s). Once you place a bid, you cannot repeat the same exact bid (same zone, same star level) for 24 hours. And Priceline means 24 hours, not the next calendar day. For example, you can't bid at 10:00pm Tuesday and then repeat the exact same bid at 6:00am Wednesday, but rather wait until 10:00pm. If you're trying to bid 4 star in USW, you can bid the following combinations once every 24 hours: Bid 1 - USW Bid 2 - USW + Civic Center Bid 3 - USW + Lombard Bid 4 - USW + Cathedral Hill Bid 5 - USW + South SF Bid 6 - USW + Civic Center + Lombard Bid 7 - USW + Civic Center + Cathedral Hill Bid 8 - USW + Civic Center + South SF Bid 9 - USW + Civic Center + Lombard + Cathedral Hill Bid 10 - USW + Civic Center + Lombard + South SF Bid 11 - USW + Civic Center + Lombard + Cathedral Hill + South SF Bid 12 - USW + Lombard + Cathedral Hill Bid 13 - USW + Lombard + South SF Bid 14 - USW + Lombard + Cathedral Hill + South SF Bid 15 - USW + Cathedral Hill + South SF In order to have as many bidding opportunities as listed above, you have to go the PRICELINE home page and start your bidding from scratch after Bid #2. That is the only way to allow for bidding different combinations of zones without duplicating previous bids. Continued good luck!

If you added non-4 star zones to your USW boutique bid, then you really weren't bidding 4 stars. The non-4 star zones were simply free rebid zones on your boutique bids. When you bid today, did you independantly bid 4 stars USW at $130 (without selecting boutique)?

Very interesting development. An interesting "test" would be for Travelingal to bid 4* USW at $130. If accepted, I would tend to think her previous $130 boutique bid would have been accepted/upgraded to 4 star. Of course her previous bid was yesterday, and we all know what a difference a day can make in the life of PRICELINE bidding!

A did a quick check of retail prices on Expedia and most all of the usual USW/USE 4 star hotels are going for $300 and up on your travel dates. These prices indicate high occupancy, and my guess would be they aren't releasing inventory to Priceline. At least not yet. Either that, or their Priceline rates are much higher than you've bid thus far. While I know you're bidding boutique category, I mention the pricing on the 4 star hotels merely as a gauge to try to determine if the city is "busy" that weekend (which it appears to be). Prices on Hotwire for 4 star hotels are $200 and above, which is another indication it will be difficult to "score" on Priceline in the low $100s. Hotwire is not selling any of the 3-star and above boutique hotels that weekend, another indication occupancy levels are high. The only exception to any of this is the Hilton in USW. They are going for $187 for Sept 19-21. Priceline wlll not upgrade a boutique bid to a 4 star hotel, so even if their Priceline rate is lower than $130, they will not assign and upgrade you to the Hilton. You'd have to book 4 star USW outright. Despite the Hilton's low rate in comparison with all the other hotels, Hotwire isn't selling anything in the 4 star category in USW. I think it's just going to take some patience on this one! Good luck and keep us posted.

Priceline is once again offering 4 star bidding in the Palo Alto-Mountain View zone (and the 4* Westin Palo Alto is also appearing in the vacation packages).

Since PRICELINE only guarantees one bed accomodating two people, I think Hotwire might be the way to go in your situation. With Hotwire, you can enter the number of adults/children in your search. I did a Hotwire search for your dates entering 2 adults and 2 children (guaranteed two beds) and a 3.5 hotel in the Sunnyvale zone (a match for the Sunnyvale Sheraton) is coming up at $69 for all three nights of your stay. In my opinion, this is going to be your best bet in terms of price, guaranteed bedding and star level you're looking for. As to location, beware HOTWIRE and PRICELINE zones are not identical in this region. On Hotwire, the Sunnyvale zone includes Sunnyvale & Cupertino. On Priceline, there is a separate Cupertino/Campbell zone as well as a Sunnyvale/Santa Clara zone. Cupertino/Campbell (Priceline) is the absolute closest to Los Gatos, however I doubt you'll be successful getting a 3 or 4 star hotel for equal or less than the $69 3. 5 star on Hotwire in the Sunnyvale (Cupertino) zone. Good luck and let us know if we can assist further.

P.S. I just checked some random dates on Hotwire and noticed the 4 star Hotel Los Gatos is still rated 4 stars. However I'm also seeing a 3.5 star (also a boutique hotel) which I suspect is the Toll House. I check/monitor this area fairly regularly, and it's the first time I've seen the 3.5 property listed. The dates I sampled were Sept 2 to Sept 4. The Hotel Los Gatos was coming in at a whopping $319, however the 3.5 hotel for $119. Following normal HOTWIRE / PRICELINE stategy, a hotel listed at $119 on Hotwire could possibly be won on Priceline for $90-$110 (give or take).

Although Priceline has a Los Gatos zone, and offers up to 4 star bidding, there have yet to be any reported wins in this zone. I believe this is due to a variety of circumstances. 1. The Los Gatos zone is small, with only one real 4* candidate, that being the Hotel Los Gatos. (As info, Hotwire also sells the Hotel Los Gatos -- also rated 4 stars). This hotel isn't large (considered a boutique hotel on Hotwire) and doesn't have hundreds of rooms. So with that in mind, the amount of inventory the hotel releases to Priceline can be very limited, and certainly not on a daily basis. 2. I suspect the 3* property in the Los Gatos zone is most likely the Toll House (a Larkspur property). This is a larger hotel than the Hotel Los Gatos, but again this area has so few hotels, they probably don't have to resort to liquidating unsold rooms on Priceline very often. Probably the reason nobody has ever reported a "win" in this zone. Also, if/when they do allocate inventory to Priceline. it's possibly at a higher rate than people have been willing to bid. Santa Cruz is much the same, with smaller more independent hotels compared to the greater San Jose/Silicon Valley area with thousands of rooms through major chains such as Marriott, Hyatt, Sheraton, etc. I would definitely try bidding Los Gatos first, and if unsuccessful, then try the adjacent zone which would be Cupertino/Campbell within the San Jose metro area. Lastly, what are your travel dates, and what are the retail (rack) rates at the Hotel Los Gatos & Toll House? Knowing the retail rates is helpful in determining a bid strategy. Good luck and keep us posted!

Congratulations on your ultimate success. Glad you hung in there, but REALLY glad you kept your bid within SF. I have to admit I shuddered when I read the other day you were considering booking Oakland. I thought to myself "he's starting to panic -- hang in there a few more days". The hotels and area in/around the stadium are not at all where I'd want to hang my hat while on vacation in the Bay Area. You've spent a lot of time and effort on this, so now it's time to enjoy your vacation!

Found this advertised on Expedia today.... Adante Hotel, 3 blocks from Union Square, close to BART, etc. 8/26 - $119 8/27 - $ 99 8/28 - $ 69 8/19 - $139 $106.50 average per night. Room has two twin beds, complimentary continental breakfast, complimentary wireless internet, and a $75 prepaid gas card mailed to you after your stay and valid for two months.

A Hotwire vacation package search Sept 1-3 indicates the Embassy Suites (San Francisco - Airport South/Burlingame) has been upgraded 3.5 to 4 stars. Amenities remain the same as are currently listed on the SF Hotwire hotel list.

At the moment, the following is available on HOTWIRE for all 4 nights of your stay: $114 - 3 star Civic Center/Hayes Valley - most likely the Hotel Whitcomb, located on Market St near the Civic Center BART station. A few days ago, this property was not displaying for all four nights of your stay, however that has since changed. Note, this hotel is rated 2.5 stars on Priceline (Civic Center zone). You might be successful at PRICELINE for less than HOTWIRE's rate. $129 - 3.5 star Embarcadero zone - most likely the Club Quarters, corner of Battery & Clay, and close to both Embarcadero & Montgomery BART stations. This hotel is rated 3 stars on Priceline in the USE zone. If you're attending ball games in both Oakland and SF during your 4-day stay, I would highly recommend you continue to try for lodging in SF vs Oakland or Berkeley. During the time you're not attending ball games, I think you'll be much happier in SF. If you haven't already, I would secure a cancellable backup reservation and not yet give up on your SF PRICELINE bids. JMHO!

Thanks. I'd be willing to bet the $101.39 represents one night's lodging ($85), plus taxes/fees. Keep up posted if you end up rebidding successfully.

Do a Hotwire vacation package search (air+hotel) entering dates 9/21 to 9/23 (packages require two-night minimum stays). Scroll through the list of hotels and you will see the Crowne Plaza matches the amenties and star level (as thereuare pointed out) of the "hidden" property you're seeing on the hotel-only product. If a property isn't listed on the hotel list here at Better Bidding, chances are you might be able to identify it by looking at the vacation packages. Check it out for yourself...