That's what I figured...not interested in that option. It's not about cheapest possible as it is about value for money. Wasn't thrilled with the reviews online I read of this place but it sounds like the best of the cheap chain accommodations. Last part 1st the Hollywood Celebrity is online directly at http://www.hotelcelebrity.com/ I see $103/night there for dates I want. The parking there is also free (though reviews say sometimes it is tough to snag a spot in their small lot) as well as free Internet & continental breakfast, but I'm going car-free so a parking space irrelevant to my circumstances. The Celebrity has privileges with the Magic Castle so if that matters to others (i.e. being able to get in & see magic shows there) that's a plus. The Orchid & Celebrity are close to one another geographically & in their reviews (people like the proximity to H&H but they see the hotels as a little dowdy/not quite up to date & both have some noisy room issues). I definitely know Roosevelt is sold out for those dates...it's the partner hotel for event I'm attending (the best deal offered to me on it for the event was $169/night for std queen- $209/night for deluxe king which I thought was kind of lofty but I'll give you those numbers so future bidders on PL can keep them in mind, no idea what their suites, cabanas & specialty rooms were offered at because I didn't ask). It also has a rep for sometimes having noisy guests & I like my sleep. Renaissance is new partner hotel for the event's attendees who are slow to book (like me) & event rate is more like $200/night for their cheapest room. I don't want to go that high per night on just my room thanks...it's about $50/night over what I want to spend & I doubt a $150/night max bid from me will be accepted given the event taking place. So best I could do on Hotwire or Priceline is probably going to be the W Hollywood, assuming they're working with PL as well as HW. And I'm not that hot to stay at the W...it's right on the edge of where Hollywood Boulevard goes seedy looking and I need to get around after dark somehow (public transport or cabbing it). I'm sure it's a nice place, and as a brand new hotel the staff will work hard to service their guests well inside the 4 walls of the hotel complex but the area is seedy & so far only rockstars are its clientele (the W's big opening weekend was Grammy Awards weekend). Rock stars + hotel = not good bet for assured good quiet night's sleep (for a fun place to drink & maybe celebrity spotting, especially if you like musicians though, it looks aces) :) I think that is probably the best option if it were solely about keeping what I spend as small as possible but since I'd rather be sure of the location (safe, quiet, clean), I went with another option. After I posted here, I did some research into nearby B&Bs online, found one I liked the looks & location of (chatted extensively with the owners last night whom I found really cared about accommodating me & who gave me a great discount rate on a cool room with private entrance, gated parking, a pool, free wi-fi, & a made to order breakfast as well as a lot of other little things) & booked it last night. I appreciate all the help here on this site...you all make using PL & HW something a lot more viable (totally blind bidding is not something I was comfortable with before I found this site)...maybe on my next trip I'll book through here. Thanks everyone...I'll let you know how the B&B stay goes. BTW the hostel that initially looked like a good option but is now piling up bad reviews online (not clean, mice & bugs spotted, unhelpful staff, if you stay in a dorm security can really be a problem as your roommates might or might not lock up) is the Banana Bungalow Hollywood. It has a sister Banana Bungalow in West Hollywood (they're both converted old 50s motels with some private suites, some private rooms & dorm rooms) but the WeHo location is further to H&H than the plain Hollywood location is. The other hostel options in Hollywood either only had dorms left or had worse reviews online.
