deejub

May not have been clear three posts above -- plans have changed, uncertain if I will be traveling to this location at all and definitely will not be staying in this location on these dates, will post wins if there is eventual travel via PL or Hotwire. If I've left any other threads open, I apologize.

I don't think they offer a shuttle to the casino, which is awfully far away. I suspect this is a mistake by Priceline. Plans changed slightly in any event; will post if I get a win. Thanks.

Found for 3/4-3/7... St. Louis South Area Casino Hotel, 2*, pool, fitness, free breakfast, pets, free parking, casino, free internet. 9+ rating. The area map is an inverted triangle, more or less, with the intersection of I-55 and I-270 at the top, and the bottom points at Paulina Hills and Arnold. But I can't find a casino in that area! No part of the Mississippi River is in that triangle, ruling out the casinos on that riverfront. Neither is the Missouri River, ruling out those. So what casino could this be?

Went a different route... 3* Aston Maui Kaanapali Villas (which was the expected property). Via HOTWIRE 11/4-6, $113 Amenities: Free Internet Beachfront hotel Fitness center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Self-service laundry Internet access Golf nearby Tennis nearby Spa services

You are correct... Free parking, Resort, Pet friendly, Beachfront hotel, Smoke-free rooms, Fitness center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business center, Self-service laundry, Internet access, Golf nearby, Tennis nearby, Spa services, Children's activities.

4*, $228, 11/6-8. (Resort fee of $62.50 to pay at hotel.) Amenities are: Free Parking Resort Pet friendly Beachfront hotel Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center The pet friendly and free parking are throwing a curve ball here. P.S. What appears to be the same hotel shows up in Priceline Express Deals for 11/1-8 at $217.

Resolved on differing dates, lower star level... LI hotels are seriously overpriced for what you get. Red Roof PLUS+ Long Island - Garden City Dates are 9/27-29/14 Zone (Hotwire) is Garden City - Uniondale 2*, 102/night Free Parking, Free Internet, Pet friendly, Self-service laundry, Internet access (duplicative!), In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Handicapped parking. Your HOTWIRE link used as always.

Cost with taxes/fees $63.29 Price on hotel website, with AAA discount, plus tax $93.96 Savings for me: about 32% Good deal.

I'm not seeing a likely Holiday Inn Westbury - Long Island for $137/nite on Hot.wire for those dates. I am getting a Garden City - Uniondale zone for $134/night, 3*, parking, internet, fitness, pool, restaurant, business center, laundry, blind accessible, 85%. It also says "Book soon! The last person got the La Quinta Inn & Suites Garden City," though I don't think the amenities are a perfect match for that (no restaurant at the LaQuinta) and do match the Holiday Inn. In any event, the total price for this Hot.wire is $485.85, which is only $7 better than my current backup (which just so happens to be the LaQuinta Garden City). Not going to take a chance to save the cost of a McDonald's lunch over a 3 day stay a month plus before departure. I think I'll try the Price.line approach.

Went through entire set of bids, no go. Time to go higher. Express deals fitting same zones and * levels as bidding are as follows: Garden City - Westbury 3*, Pool, fitness, business center, internet, parking, 7+ $125, 441.12 for stay. Farmingdale 3*, no amenity info, $126, $444.00 for stay Farmingdale 2.5*, no amenity info, $123, $433.77 for stay My backup, non-prepaid reservation, with taxes, is 462.37, so these prices would not seem to merit the risk of an opaque Express buy at least this early, even though the most likely properties (Holiday Inn Westbury, Courtyard Republic Airport/Farmingdale, TownePlace Suites Farmingdale) would all be acceptable. My general rule is that it's worth it to go opaque if the end price (not the bid price) saves at least 20%. Hence my absolute highest bid would, if my rusty algebra is right, be around $105. (105 * 3 nights * 1.175, to match the percentage for taxes and fees in the Express prices, equals 370. 370 is right about 80% of the 462.37 non-opaque cost of my backup reservation.) So, would my best option be to take the above strategy and add $20 to each of the amounts set forth by you above?

Well, my non-PL backup room is 170 without tax, 189 with tax, and there are others I have found that offer a non-opaque but non-refundable rate at a clearly acceptable hotel down to $146 before tax (just over $160 after tax). Recognizing that the taxes + fees on PL is normally higher than the tax rate, that there's a $125 rate in PRICELINE EXPRESS for a 3* and a $138 for a 3* in Hotwire, I'd like to bid capping no higher than $85 at this point, at least for the next 2-3 weeks -- recognizing the risk that I may strike out and may, if these other options are not there at that point, have to pay a higher non-PL/HW rate.

Just saw this and wanted to add my two cents. A few years ago I had a Priceline win in Florida (I wish I could recall the hotel, but I don't). The hotel charged me a $15/night fee that they said was a "Priceline Processing Fee" that they only applied to Priceline customers. Priceline did intercede and credited my credit card the same amount as the fee. I don't know that they had to per the rules, but they did. That is, of course, a lot different than a fee charged to every customer like a resort fee.

Sorry -- I had forgotten about the prior post. (And just to be clear -- you would want this discussion in the same thread as the prior even though that was re Ho.twire and this is a Price.line question?) Order of preference would be, in this order: 3* Huntington/Plainview 3* or 2.5* Garden City/Westbury 3* Glen Cove/Oyster Bay 3* or 2.5* Farmingdale Or put another way, the zones would go, in order of preference, Huntington/Plainview, Garden City/Westbury, Glen Cove/Oyster Bay, Farmingdale; I would be OK with a 2.5* in Garden City/Westbury or Farmingdale, but not with a 2.5* in Huntington/Plainview or Glen Cove/Oyster Bay, and not ok with a 2* or 1* in any zone. As it might be relevant, I would prefer a 2.5* in Garden City/Westbury over a 3* in Glen Cove/Oyster Bay. As I have a ton of time. I want to start with low bids ($55-60?), see if I get lucky, and move up gradually if possible. I have a backup cancelable reservation at $170/night.

I need help constructing a bidding strategy. I have six weeks before travel so have plenty of time. Nassau County, Long Island - 8 zones have hotels First choice to stay in is Huntington/Plainview; 3* is OK in that zone but 2.5* is not OK (avoiding a particular property) Second choice to stay in is Garden City/Westbury: 3* and 2.5* OK in that zone. Third choice is Glen Cove/Oyster Bay; 3* is OK in that zone but 2.5* is not OK (avoiding a particular property) Fourth choice to stay in is Farmingdale: 3* and 2.5* OK in that zone. I am avoiding the Great Neck/Roslyn zone entirely. At 3* Rockville Center is a free rebid (highest property is 2.5*) At 3* and 2.5* Massapequa is a free rebid (highest property is 2*) At 3* and 2.5* Bethpage is a free rebid (highest property is 2*) Thoughts?

Amenities shown are Free Parking, Free Internet, Pet Friendly, Indoor Pool, Fitness Center, Pool, Restaurant(s), Business Center, Self Service Laundry. Dates entered are 9/26-29, rate $173. This is almost certainly not the Viana, as that shows sold out on two different websites.

Very, very happy -- online rate with AAA discount through hotel was $145/night. Amenity set is new: Free parking, free breakfast, free internet, pet friendly, smoke free, fitness center, pool, business center, internet access. Used BB HOTWIRE link as always.

(Please note star level change for the hotel I got -- you have at 2.5* in your list.) Wanted 3* in East Syracuse; Priceline Express had one for $57. Hoped to beat. Cresthill and Best Western both fit the amenities, and I suspected Cresthill had been moved up to 3* as an 8+ satisfaction would have been unlikely with the BW, but either would have been OK. (Cresthill preferable to BW). Bidding path at 3* was as follows; all zones other than East Syracuse are free rebids, no hotels > 2.5* in any of them. $40, E. Syracuse $43, add Baldwinsville. $46, add Cicero $48, add DeWitt $50, add Fairgrounds area $53, add Syracuse Airport, bingo! Granted, what I saved over the Express deal -- probably for the same hotel -- would barely get me a Venti coffee at Starbucks, but it was fun trying to save as much as I could. :)

Your [url=http://www.betterbidding.com/clicks/click.php?afsrc=1&id=40]PRICELINE[/url] link used (it's bookmarked). Amenities were 7.0+, free breakfast, free internet, outdoor pool, free parking, airport shuttle, business center, fitness.

Missed this some time ago: complete amenities were Free Parking Free Breakfast Free Internet Pet friendly Indoor pool(s) Airport Shuttle Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Center Pool(s) Business Center Self service laundry Internet access Accessible for the blind Accessible for the deaf Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Wheelchair accessible Accessible bathroom Handicapped parking Roll-in shower

OK, this one was a stinker. Rather poorly reviewed property (despite 7+ assertion on PL -- the reviews have a downward trend of late), but even worse, the property would have been slightly *cheaper* if booked directly (with my AAA discount, when considering taxes/fees). Oh well.... them's the breaks. This was PRICELINE EXPRESS.

Slightly different set of amenities from that given here, though property was guessable: Free Parking, Free Breakfast, Free Internet, Pet Friendly, Indoor Pool, Airport Shuttle, Smoke Free Rooms, Fitness Center, Pool. (Why they repeat Indoor Pool and Pool sometimes I will never know). BetterBidding HOTWIRE link used as always. Property very acceptable (this is my home area; my hot water heater blew and won't be fixed till Monday).

Thanks for all you guys do. P.S. I think it's somewhat misleading to say there is free internet when it's only free in the lobby, but they charge for Internet in your room.

NOTE: Can't delete the message, my apologies... this is probably the Sheraton, which is 3 1/2 on Priceline and I have discovered has free *lobby* internet. Priceline Express Deal. 3 1/2 *. $98. 11/15-16. Free internet, indoor pool, pet friendly, restaurant, fitness center. There are no 3 1/2 *s on the Hotwire side; trying to avoid the Sheraton in Weehawken and to get one of the 3 Newport hotels. Sheraton is pet friendly but does not have free internet in rooms.

Amenities are Free Parking, Free Breakfast, Free Internet, Indoor pool(s), Fitness Center, Accessible for the blind, Accessible for the deaf, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Handicapped parking, Roll-in shower. Please note that this is, I am rather certain, not the property you list as the Holiday Inn West Chester in your bid history. The Holiday Inn West Chester became the (2 1/2 star) Days Hotel & Conference Center in about 2011. The Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites West Chester, in contrast, was formerly known as the Comfort Inn & Suites Brandywine Valley, and changed names earlier this year.

The zones that you have in your dropdown for Boston North shore are no longer valid. The zones are Danvers; Peabody; Salem-Beverly; Saugus; and Woburn-Wakefield. This hotel is in the Peabody zone. Bids were: $55, 3*, Danvers zone; $56, 3*, Danvers and Peabody zones; $60, 2.5*, Danvers and Peabody zones. Very nice catch. Rate on hotel website with AAA discount is $151. Extremely happy! Used your PRICELINE link (bookmarked) as always.