cabara

I was actually trying for this hotel, so I am delighted. I started my bidding at $55 and kept adding zones that were 3* or less until I got my deal at $75 a night. My previous bid before the winning bid was $70.

7 Ways to Travel Smarter, Cheaper and More Often http://www.nextavenue.org/article/2013-09/7-ways-travel-smarter-cheaper-and-more-often

I feel like I could have been more aggressive in my bidding, but a win is a win! I made one bid of $55 in the 3.5* category for Crystal City, and it was accepted. Yay!

I was trying to get the Candlewood Suites in Jersey City because as 2* properties go, it is at the upper end of the 2* category, in my opinion. I checked on HOTWIRE and saw it being offered in the mid-50's range. So I used the betterbidding link to go to PRICELINE and I bid $45 for June 18-21. I got accepted on the first try. Then I realized that I had erroneously asked for Thursday - Sunday instead of Friday - Monday. So I used the extend your stay link to get Monday. I am able to check in on Thursday so it's no problem. And at this price who could complain? By the way, I have stayed at this property before and I find the staff there to be very helpful and accommodating, the hotel very clean. And even though there is no restaurant there, they keep a good selection of take-out menus at the front desk. So my details of my bid are as follows: Bid $45 for three nights for a total of $135, and with taxes and fees it comes to $164.40. The additional day was added at $45, and with taxes and fees came to $59.26. I am one happy bidder, even though I made a stupid mistake in placing my original bid.

I used the betterbidding link to PRICELINE.com and got the Candlewood Suites for $59 ($75.68 with taxes and fees). Hotwire had what also appeared to be Candlewood at $66.

I just got the Sheraton Hotel and Towers for July 4 at $127, so you might be within a couple of dollars of getting it.

Using the Better Bidding link to PRICELINE, I first tried $125 for a 4* in the Times Square-Theater District and was rejected. So I added Midtown West went up to $127 and I won. With fees and taxes the total is $157.94. Thanks Better Bidding!

On a whim I decided to try a same-day Priceline bid. I first tried $65 for the Secaucus area and was rejected. Then I added the Meadowlands-Rutherford area and bid $76. Booking the same thing through the hotel's Web site would be $209 a night. The reason I bid $76 instead of $75 is that the lower bid brought up the little red warning from Priceline saying a bid that low had only a small chance of being accepted.

The 6 Columbus Circle suggestion is an excellent one! I used to live about two blocks away from there and I think that area, right on the edge of Central Park, is far more pleasant than the Times Square area. But it's an easy walk, subway ride, bus ride or cab ride to Times Square. Columbus Circle is an excellent spot to find transportation.

I was bidding for a hotel in the theater district in NYC and even though I know better, I was sort of hoping to get the Westin Hotel. I saw what appeared to be the Westin on HOTWIRE for $289 a night and since no other 4-star hotels were listed on HOTWIRE I thought (mistakenly) that perhaps I could get a better price on PRICELINE. I did a number of bids that were rejected, adding a rebid zone (one that doesn't have any 4-star hotels) each time. Here are the rejected bids. $150 $175 $190 $215 $225 $235 The winning bid was $263. Let me repeat, I am totally aware that with PRICELINE and HOTWIRE you can never be positive that you'll get a specific hotel and I'm fine with the Millennium Broadway. A win is a win is a win! One concern, though, I've seen some pretty bad reviews of the hotel recently on tripadvisor. So I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has stayed at the Millennium recently regarding their experience with the hotel. Thanks!

Bidding for a same-day room, I tried $125 for a four-star hotel in the Midtown West area of Manhattan. First bid was accepted. With tax, etc. the total comes to $154.11.

There's a pretty decent surface parking lot only one PATH (NJ subway) stop away. It costs about $10 a day, which is way better than the valet parking at the Hyatt. It's on Christopher Columbus Drive, just west of Grove Street. (The PATH station is at Christopher and Grove and you can take it to Exchange Place, right next to the hotel. But on a nice day, it's easily walkable.) Also, if you end up parking there, one of my favorite restaurants is on Grove Street. It's called Wild Fusion and offers Japanese and Chinese cuisine. It's BYOB. But it's a lovely restaurant and the prices are very reasonable!

Hello, I'm looking for a room for one night, hopefully near either Penn Station or the Port Authority Bus Terminal. I'd like to be under $200 but would also like the best combination of amenities and value. Any suggestions on how I should bid?

Oops, here's that link I was talking about. http://atisweb.njtransit.com/cgi-bin/itin_...?resptype=U#TOP

I think you'll like the Crowne Plaza. It's a nice hotel and very close to the outlet stores of Secaucus. You'll be able to catch the bus on Meadowlands Parkway. Here's a web site that can help you plan your commute into the city. Depending on time of day, you may want to change buses at Secaucus Plaza to get into the city faster. There is also a bus (No. 129) that goes straight into the city. Enjoy your trip!

You might give Secaucus-North Bergen and/or Meadowlands-East Rutherford a try. You might get lucky and they are relatively short drives from NYC and Hoboken and Jersey City.

I'm familiar with the Minneapolis area and you may want to try for a hotel in the Mall of America area. It's along I-494, mostly in Bloomington and it's pretty easy to get around the Twin Cities from there. The Sheraton in Bloomington (which used to be the Radisson South) is pretty nice and has been won on Priceline for some pretty reasonable prices. (I'm assuming your consultant will have a car to get around with. Mass transit is not a good option in the Twin Cities. If the consultant doesn't have a car, you may want to focus more on the downtown hotels.)

The hotel with the kitchenette could possibly be the Homestead Suites or the Extended Stay Suites (they use that word suite very loosely; what they have are rooms that have kitchenettes in them). Extended Stay has a New Jersey transit bus stop right in front of the hotel. And the bus that drives that route is a motor coach (cushioned seats). From NYC to Secaucus it takes about 20 minutes if traffic isn't tied up. And the bus terminal in Manhattan is right near Times Square. I'm sure there is also a bus stop somewhere near the Homestead Suites because it is on the edge of a shopping center. Either one is clean, but they are definitely "low frills" experiences. No daily maid service (yes, you make your own bed). No swimming pool. But, then again, how much time will you be spending at the hotel vs. how much time will you be spending in Manhattan?

Just a thought on things being tight this weekend. There are a lot of college graduations going on at this time of year. But, of course, there could be something else drawing visitors to the area, too.

It is a fantastic deal! And I think you'll like the hotel very much! One thought about the price, with some schools nearby May might be a time when lots of parents are booking rooms for graduation or to help their kids move out of dorms. I could be wrong, but it's a thought.

I live in the area but sometimes when I have a lot to catch up on it helps me focus better if I get away from my house. There are just too many distractions at home. The beauty of the Homestead Suites is that they also have a laundry room, so I don't have to ignore all my "chores." And the laundry room is open 24 hours!

Yes, the paperwork keeps piling up. So I decided to try again for the Homestead Studio Suites near Giants Stadium in New Jersey. First I bid $35 for the three days and was rejected. So I tried 5/12 and 5/13 at $40 and was accepted. Then, since 5/14 wasn't crucial, I took the bold step of offering $39 ... and was accepted. So perhaps we're zeroing in on the bottom line for this place. First two days, with taxes and fees, comes to $99.16. Third day, with taxes and fees, comes to $51.77. Call it a double win!

Yes, you're exactly right. And I imagine it would be easy enough to walk over to the Sheraton to use the restaurant.

This was the first bid I tried. Got $35 a night, but I forget what the fees and taxes came to. Hotel was very nice. It was playing host to a conference for vocational students, so the lobby was always packed with students and was very loud. But the room was quiet. Definitely a good bargain!

With a same-day bid, I got the Homestead Studio Suites for $50 a night. I was trying for something in Secaucus and did a number of bid combinations. Homestead is very close to Giants Stadium and is definitely in the low-frills category. But it was perfect for what I needed -- a quiet place to just go and get caught up on some paper work. With fees and taxes the two nights came to $122.30. The hotel's internet site had the same room for $89 a night and when I arrived at the hotel there was a sign in front that said rooms were available for $69 a night. So it wasn't necessarily the best deal I've ever had on Priceline, but a win is a win. The hotel was clean. No housekeeping service if you stay for three days or fewer. Occasional housekeeping service if you stay longer. Surcharges for Internet connection and use of the gym. The rooms have a small kitchen area with full size refrigerator, microwave oven, two-burner electric cooktop, minimum dishes and utensils.