Mulval

Days Inn Manassas Priceline quality level: 2* Priceline zone: Manassas 7611 Centreville Road, Manassas, Virginia 20111-1953 703-361-1600 http://www.daysinn.com/DaysInn/control/Boo...74&brandInfo=DI Check-In Date: Tuesday, April 5, 2005 Check-Out Date: Friday, April 8, 2005 Offer Price: $54.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $162.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $25.28 Total Charges: $187.28 Complimentary continental breakfast is included. Past bidding: On March 16, 2005 I bid up to $50 for 2* in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Manassas + Sterling. On March 21, 2005 I bid up to $53 for 2* in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Manassas + Sterling. Bidding on March 27, 2005 for northern Virginia zones: 1) 2* for $52 in Dulles Airport (IAD). 2) 2* for $54 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Sterling. 3) 2* for $54 in Manassas -- and my price was accepted. Rate: The best available rate from the hotel Web site was $89.00/night.

Actually, Days Inn Manassas on Centreville Road is newer and better than either Days Inn Manassas on Balls Ford Road, or Days Inn Leesburg. It will be my home away from home for a couple of months.

Days Inn Manassas Priceline quality level: 2* Priceline zone: Manassas 7611 Centreville Road, Manassas, Virginia 20111-1953 703-361-1600 http://www.daysinn.com/DaysInn/control/Boo...74&brandInfo=DI Check-In Date: Tuesday, May 17, 2005 Check-Out Date: Friday, May 20, 2005 Offer Price: $49.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $147.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $23.64 Total Charges: $170.64 Complimentary continental breakfast is included. Bidding on March 23, 2005 for northern Virginia zones: 1) 2.5* for $52 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Manassas + Sterling. 2) 2* for $50 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Sterling. 3) 2* for $48 in Manassas. 4) 2* for $49 in Manassas + Dulles Airport (IAD) -- and my price was accepted. Rate: The best available rate from the hotel Web site was $99.00/night.

Days Inn Manassas Priceline quality level: 2* Priceline zone: Manassas 7611 Centreville Road, Manassas, Virginia 20111-1953 703-361-1600 http://www.daysinn.com/DaysInn/control/Boo...74&brandInfo=DI Check-In Date: Tuesday, May 10, 2005 Check-Out Date: Friday, May 13, 2005 Offer Price: $49.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $147.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $23.64 Total Charges: $170.64 Complimentary continental breakfast is included. Bidding on March 23, 2005 for northern Virginia zones: 1) 2.5* for $52 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Manassas + Sterling. 2) 2* for $49 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Sterling. 3) 1* for $49 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Sterling. 4) 2* for $48 in Manassas -- counter-offer to increase my price by $14 -- declined. 5) 2* for $49 in Manassas + Dulles Airport (IAD) -- and my price was accepted. Rate: The best available rate from the hotel Web site was $99.00/night.

Don Pablo's http://www.donpablos.com is still in Manassas. It's located in the Sudley Town Plaza, just off Route 234/Sudley Road, south of Route 66.

Days Inn Manassas Priceline quality level: 2* Priceline zone: Manassas 7611 Centreville Road, Manassas, Virginia 20111-1953 703-361-1600 http://www.daysinn.com/DaysInn/control/Boo...74&brandInfo=DI Check-In Date: Tuesday, May 3, 2005 Check-Out Date: Friday, May 6, 2005 Offer Price: $49.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $147.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $23.69 Total Charges: $170.69 Complimentary continental breakfast is included. Bidding on March 21, 2005 for northern Virginia zones: 1) 2* for $48 in Dulles Airport (IAD). 2) 2* for $48 in Sterling. 3) 2* for $48 in Manassas -- counter-offer to increase my price by $14 -- declined. 4) 2* for $49 in Manassas + Sterling -- and my price was accepted. Rate: The best available rate from the hotel Web site was $99.00/night.

Days Inn Manassas Priceline quality level: 2* Priceline zone: Manassas 7611 Centreville Road, Manassas, Virginia 20111-1953 703-361-1600 http://www.daysinn.com/DaysInn/control/Boo...74&brandInfo=DI Check-In Date: Tuesday, April 26, 2005 Check-Out Date: Friday, April 29, 2005 Offer Price: $49.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $147.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $23.73 Total Charges: $170.73 Complimentary continental breakfast is included. Bidding on March 17, 2005: At first I bid $48 for 2* in Manassas, and received a Priceline offer to increase my price by $14 and bid again without changing any other parameters. I declined this offer. Then I bid $49 for 2* in Manassas + Sterling, and my price was accepted. Rate: The best available rate from the hotel Web site was $89.00/night.

thereuare, that's an excellent question. I bid for 2* under $50 in other northern Virginia Priceline zones, unsuccessfully. However, in this zone, Manassas, I started my bidding for 2* at $50, and won on my first attempt. Because Manassas is my least preferred choice out of the four zones acceptable to me in the northern Virginia area [Dulles Airport (IAD), Sterling, Leesburg, Manassas], I normally bid Manassas last. I should have started bidding for 2* in Manassas at a lower price. Thank you for highlighting this error in my bidding strategy.

Days Inn Manassas Priceline quality level: 2* Priceline zone: Manassas 7611 Centreville Road, Manassas, Virginia 20111-1953 703-361-1600 http://www.daysinn.com/DaysInn/control/Boo...74&brandInfo=DI Check-In Date: Tuesday, April 19, 2005 Check-Out Date: Friday, April 22, 2005 Offer Price: $50.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $150.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $23.96 Total Charges: $173.96 Complimentary continental breakfast is included. Bidding on March 16, 2005: My goal was to get a hotel room in the Dulles Airport (IAD), Sterling, Manassas or Leesburg zones. In my bidding for 3* hotels, I went up to $56.00/night and had no luck. In my bidding for 2.5* hotels, I went up to $54.00/night and had no luck. In my bidding for 2* hotels, I went up to $52.00/night in Dulles Airport (IAD), Sterling and Leesburg. My price of $50.00 when bidding for 2* in Manassas was accepted. Rate: The best available rate from the hotel Web site was $89.00/night. If I would have booked my room directly through this hotel Web site, my total charge, with taxes, would have been about $292.37. The best available rate for the second Days Inn in Manassas was $80.00/night. The best available rate for Days Inn in Leesburg was $72.00/night. The best available rate for Super 8 Motel in Manassas was $63.00/night.

Days Inn Manassas Priceline quality level: 2* Priceline zone: Manassas 7611 Centreville Road, Manassas, Virginia 20111-1953 703-361-1600 http://www.daysinn.com/DaysInn/control/Boo...74&brandInfo=DI Check-In Date: Tuesday, April 12, 2005 Check-Out Date: Friday, April 15, 2005 Offer Price: $50.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $150.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $23.96 Total Charges: $173.96 Complimentary continental breakfast is included. Bidding on March 16, 2005: My goal was to get a hotel room in the Dulles Airport (IAD), Sterling, Manassas or Leesburg zones. In my bidding for 3* and 2.5* hotels, I went up to $52.00/night and had no luck. In my bidding for 2* hotels, I went up to $50.00/night in Dulles Airport (IAD), Sterling and Leesburg. My price of $50.00 when bidding for 2* in Manassas was accepted. Rate: The best available rate from the hotel Web site was $89.00/night. If I would have booked my room directly through this hotel Web site, my total charge, with taxes, would have been about $292.37. The best available rate for the second Days Inn in Manassas was $80.00/night. The best available rate for Days Inn in Leesburg was $72.00/night. The best available rate for Super 8 Motel in Manassas was $63.00/night.

I don't recommend that you bid for 2* hotels in the Fairfax zone, because you're likely to get Best Western Fairfax 3535 Chain Bridge Rd Fairfax, Virginia 22030-2703 703-591-5500 http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/pr...pertyCode=47109 In 2004 I stayed at this hotel for as low as Priceline $38/night, but it's an old hotel that has not been renovated in many years. I think the only reason this hotel gets Priceline quality level of 2* is due to a restaurant on the premises. Breakfast in not included, but can be had for about $5. You're better off bidding for 2.5* (e.g. Courtyard by Marriott), 3* (don't know any) or 4* (e.g. Hyatt).

Pick-up/Drop-off: Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) Rental Car Company: Budget Rent A Car System, Inc. Car Class: Compact with unlimited mileage Pick-Up Date: Tuesday, March 15, 2005 Drop-Off Date: Thursday, March 17, 2005 Offer Price: $23.00 Total Rental Days: 3 Subtotal: $69.00 Taxes & Fees: $22.11 Total Charges: $91.11 My initial price of $21/day for Economy size was not accepted. Then I tried $23/day for Compact, the next size up, and my bid was accepted. The best deal I could from the Budget Web site was the total of $121.11 for 3 days. The Enterprise Web site offered the total of $107.55 for 3 days, but that included a 20% promotional discount.

Days Inn Manassas Priceline quality level: 2* Priceline zone: Manassas 7611 Centreville Road, Manassas, Virginia 20111-1953 703-361-1600 http://www.daysinn.com/DaysInn/control/Boo...74&brandInfo=DI Check-In Date: Monday, March 21, 2005 Check-Out Date: Friday, March 25, 2005 Offer Price: $50.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 4 Subtotal: $200.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $29.87 Total Charges: $229.87 Complimentary continental breakfast is included. Bidding on March 5, 2005: My goal was to get a hotel room in the Dulles Airport (IAD), Sterling, Manassas or Leesburg zones. In my bidding for 3* and 2.5* hotels, I went up to $50.00/night and had no luck. My price of $50 when bidding for 2* in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Sterling + Manassas was accepted. Rate: The best available rate from the hotel Web site for March 21 to 23 was $89.00/night. The best available rate for March 24 was $71.00/night. If I would have booked my room directly through this hotel Web site, my total charge, with taxes, would have been about $371.80. The best available rate for the second Days Inn in Manassas was $75.00/night. The best available rate for Days Inn in Leesburg was $64.80/night.

Days Inn Manassas 6606 Priceline quality level: 2* Priceline zone: Manassas 10653 Balls Ford Rd, Manassas, Virginia 20109-2607 703-368-2800 http://www.daysinnmanassas.com Check-In Date: Tuesday, March 8, 2005 Check-Out Date: Friday, March 11, 2005 Offer Price: $48.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $144.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $23.46 Total Charges: $167.46 Complimentary deluxe continental breakfast is included. Bidding on February 22, 2005: From prior bidding I knew that nothing was available for $47 or less for these dates in my preferred zones of Dulles Airport (IAD), Sterling, Manassas and Leesburg. Then, one day earlier, a friend told me that he won this hotel for the same dates for $49. 3* for $49 in Dulles Airport (IAD) 2.5* for $49 in Dulles Airport (IAD) 2.5* for $49 in Sterling 2.5* for $49 in Manassas 2* for $49 in Leesburg 2* for $49 in Dulles Airport (IAD) 2* for $49 in Sterling 2* for $51 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Sterling 2* for $48 in Manassas -- and my bid was accepted Rate: The best available rate from the hotel Web site for the same dates was $51.75/night. With taxes of 10%, this added up to the 3-night total of $170.78, so I saved only about $3 by buying this hotel room through Priceline. The best available rate from the hotel Web site for Days Inn in Leesburg, VA for the same dates was $50.40/night (3-night total of $166.32). This Days Inn is actually closer to the Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) than Days Inn in Manassas, VA that I won.

I have checked my Priceline receipt, and I can confirm that Homestead Studio Suites Dulles/Chantilly has a Priceline quality level of 1*. This hotel is located in Chantilly, VA -- a few miles south of Washington Dulles International Airport. There are two other Homestead hotels in the Dulles Airport (IAD) zone: one in Sterling, VA (north of the airport), and one in Reston, VA (east of the airport). Both of these Homestead hotels have a Priceline quality level of 2*. Housekeeping at Homestead Studio Suites hotels (from http://www.homesteadhotels.com): "Housekeeping service is provided on a twice-weekly basis for guests staying seven nights or more. The service includes a mid-week refresh and full weekly cleaning. Guests staying more than four nights (but less than a week) receive the mid-week refresh only. Service during the guest's first three nights, as well as additional housekeeping services, are available for a nominal fee by contacting the front desk."

Homestead Studio Suites Dulles/Chantilly Priceline quality level: 1* Priceline zone: Dulles Airport (IAD) 4504 Brookfield Corporate Dr, Chantilly, Virginia 20151 703-263-3361 http://www.homesteadhotels.com/minisite/de....asp?HotelID=32 Check-In Date: Tuesday, March 1, 2005 Check-Out Date: Friday, March 4, 2005 Offer Price: $38.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $114.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $19.91 Total Charges: $133.91 Bidding on February 15, 2005: I started bidding at $40 for 2.5* and bid up to $44 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Falls Church East + Sterling + Manassas unsuccessfully. Then I started bidding at $40 for 2* and bid up to $44 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Sterling + Manassas unsuccessfully. Then I started bidding at $38 for 1* in Dulles Airport (IAD) and my bid was accepted on the first attempt. Rate: The best available rate from the hotel Web site for the same dates was $98.99/night.

Courtyard By Marriott Washington Dulles Airport Chantilly Priceline quality level: 2.5* Priceline zone: Dulles Airport (IAD) 3935 Centerview Dr Chantilly, Virginia 20151 703-709-7100 http://marriott.com/property/propertyPage/IADCA Check-In Date: Tuesday, February 22, 2005 Check-Out Date: Friday, February 25, 2005 Offer Price: $44.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $132.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $21.93 Total Charges: $153.93 Bidding on February 4, 2005: 1) 2* for $40 in Manassas 2) 2* for $43 in Manassas + Dulles Airport (IAD) 3) 2* for $44 in Manassas + Dulles Airport (IAD) + Sterling -- and my bid was accepted, with an upgrade to 2.5*! Rate: The best available rate from the hotel Web site for the same dates was $189/night. Location: This hotel is in the south end of Dulles Airport (IAD) zone. The exact location is on Route 50 (Lee Jackson Memorial Hwy), just east of Route 28 (Sully Rd).

One caveat: at both 2* Fairfield Inn by Marriott - Dulles Airport South - Chantilly and 2.5* AmeriSuites by PRIME - Dulles Airport South - Chantilly, you are likely to have only smoking rooms on the top floor available for Priceline customers if you check in late. Certainly, this depends on a number of factors: how full the hotel is the day you check in, how many other low-revenue customers had requested non-smoking rooms, etc. Both hotels are housed in relatively new buildings, so the tobacco odor is not pervasive. The hallways on smoking floors smell worse than the rooms. In any case, I would have preferred to stay in a non-smoking room on a non-smoking floor.

Thank you. I haven't stayed at this hotel, so I'm looking forward to checking it out. I keep a detailed record of all of my Priceline bidding, so that I can analyze my strategy and try to improve it. In this particular case, in hindsight, I may have paid too much for 2* in Manassas, because I started all of my bids with Dulles Airport (IAD). This way I didn't try 2* in Manassas until my bidding level was already up to $44.

SpringHill Suites by Marriott - Centreville Chantilly Priceline quality level: 2* Priceline zone: Manassas 5920 Trinity Parkway, Centreville, Virginia 20120 703-815-7800 http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/WASCV Check-In Date: Tuesday, February 8, 2005 Check-Out Date: Friday, February 11, 2005 Offer Price: $44.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $132.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $22.20 Total Charges: $154.20 Bidding on January 29, 2005: A1) 3* for $43 in Dulles Airport (IAD) -- free re-bid for $12 extra -- declined A2) 3* for $44 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Falls Church East B1) 2.5* for $39 in Dulles Airport (IAD) B2) 2.5* for $40 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Falls Church East B3) 2.5* for $41 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Falls Church East + Sterling B4) 2.5* for $42 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Falls Church East + Sterling + Manassas C1) 2* for $40 in Dulles Airport (IAD) C2) 2* for $42 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Sterling C3) 2* for $44 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Sterling + Manassas -- and my price was accepted. Rate: The best available rate from the hotel Web site for the same dates was $139.00/night. Location: Even though this hotel is located in the Manassas zone, it is close enough to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). The exact location is in the north end of the Manassas zone: south of Route 66, north of Route 29 (Lee Hwy), west of Route 28 (Sully Rd/Centreville Rd).

In my opinion, both 2* Fairfield Inn by Marriott - Dulles Airport South - Chantilly and 2.5* AmeriSuites by PRIME - Dulles Airport South - Chantilly offer the best value in the area, for around $40/night. Both properties are full-service hotels in convenient locations along Route 28 (Sully Rd) south of Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). Both have a nice breakfast included, with a variety of food options. Both properties have a number of restaurants within a short walking distance, and dozens of restaurants within a short driving distance. Both properties are of excellent quality with clean, comfortable rooms. Fairfield Inn has the best selection of cable TV channels. AmeriSuites offers a number of complimentary newspapers in the lobby. I am happy to stay at either one of these hotels. If you want to stay in a "luxury" hotel, try 3* Westfields Marriott Hotel, Resort and Conference Center for $46/night or more. However, its beds are not the most comfortable, television sets are small, breakfast is not included, and guest parking is a short walk from the hotel. On the other hand, the Westfields' fitness facility is the best!

My goal was to get a 2.5* or a 2* hotel room for around $40/night. I tried bidding, unsuccessfully, a number of times: in December 2004, on January 4, 2005, and then in the middle of January 2005. Here's what I tried on Thursday, January 13, 2005: A1) 2.5* for $39 in Sterling A2) 2.5* for $40 in Sterling + Falls Church East B1) 2.5* for $38 in Dulles Airport (IAD) B2) 2.5* for $39 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Falls Church East B3) 2.5* for $40 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Falls Church East + Sterling B4) 2.5* for $41 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Falls Church East + Sterling + Manassas C1) 2* for $38 in Dulles Airport (IAD) C2) 2* for $39 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Sterling C3) 2* for $40 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Sterling + Manassas After that I waited for over 72 hours. I wanted to avoid winning a 2* Homestead Studio Suites in the Washington Dulles International Airport area, because Homestead properties don't include breakfast. Then, on Monday, January 17, 2005, a friend of mine bidding for the same area for the same week told me that he won a $41 bid for 2* Fairfield Inn - Washington Dulles Airport South in Chantilly. I would have been happy to stay at Fairfield Inn, because it's a great property, with a nice breakfast, a convenient location, and a lot of cable TV channels offered. So I immediately bid $40 for 2* in Dulles Airport (IAD) zone, and won.

The first time when I stayed at Westfields Marriott, in the first week of January 2005, a hotel employee told me the property was only 28% full. This week (the third week of January 2005), the property was sold out. I checked in late, since Priceline reservations are pre-paid and guaranteed. However, at that time, the front desk could only offer me a smoking room with regular beds, or a non-smoking room with a pullout couch. Recalling that I found the Westfields' bed too soft for my taste during my previous stay, I chose the non-smoking room with a pullout couch. This room was much more spacious than a regular room. The queen-size pullout couch bed was already made, and there were a couple of premium Belgian chocolates with Westfields' logos waiting for me on the pillows. After three nights, I think I had a better night's sleep on the pullout couch than on a regular Westfields' bed.

AmeriSuites by PRIME - Dulles Airport South - Chantilly Priceline quality level: 2.5* Priceline zone: Dulles Airport (IAD) 4994 Westone Plaza Chantilly, Virginia 20151 703-961-8160 http://www.amerisuites.com/hotels/listhote...l.php?code=AJFY Check-In Date: Tuesday, February 15, 2005 Check-Out Date: Friday, February 18, 2005 Offer Price: $40.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $120.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $21.17 Total Charges: $141.17 Bidding on December 15, 2004: 1) $40 for 3* in Dulles Airport (IAD). Priceline offered a free re-bid with $12 increase -- I declined. 2) $40 for 2.5* in Dulles Airport (IAD) -- and my price was accepted. Rate: The best available rate from the hotel Web site for the same dates was $132.05/night. Location: This hotel is in the Dulles Airport (IAD) zone. The exact location is in the south end of the zone, on the southwest corner of the intersection of Route 28 (Sully Rd) and Westfields Blvd, two traffic lights south of Route 50 (Lee Jackson Memorial Hwy).

Fairfield Inn by Marriott - Dulles Airport South - Chantilly Priceline quality level: 2* Priceline zone: Dulles Airport (IAD) 3960 Corsair Court, Chantilly, Virginia 20157 703-435-1111 http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/IADFC Check-In Date: Tuesday, February 1, 2005 Check-Out Date: Friday, February 4, 2005 Offer Price: $40.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $120.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $20.65 Total Charges: $140.65 Bidding on January 17, 2005: 1) 2* for $40 in Dulles Airport (IAD) -- and my price was accepted. Rate: The best available rate from the hotel Web site for the same dates was $139.00/night. Location: This hotel is in the south end of the Dulles Airport (IAD) zone. The exact location is on the northeast corner of the intersection of Route 28 (Sully Rd) and Route 50 (Lee Jackson Memorial Hwy). Quality Level: I have stayed at this Fairfield Inn by Marriott before. In my opinion, the excellent quality and amenities of this hotel (Priceline 2*) are no different from AmeriSuites by PRIME (Priceline 2.5*) located two traffic lights south along Route 28 (Sully Rd). Both offer clean, comfortable rooms, and a good breakfast.