phillyphlyer

Just booked through the Better Bidding PRICELINE link. I'm attending a convention at UofD, so was looking to stay nearby. No advertised conference rate anywhere. The closest hotel to the conference is the Courtyard Newark, asking $189 (called and on Orbitz). Others were cheaper, but further away. But, why pay the standard rate... I checked PRICELINE EXPRESS Deals and there was a 3* offered in Newark West for $91. I guessed this was the Courtyard because the other 3* hotels appear to be in Newark East. I bid $83 and was correct - landed the Courtyard for $100 less. Very pleased! Happy travels!

Just booked through the Better Bidding HOTWIRE link. I'm attending a convention in Chicago, so was looking to stay at the Hyatt. The conference "preferred" rate was $229, which is the same as most travel sites. Hotwire offered up one 4* hotel in the McCormick Place zone for $89. A quick search revealed that it is the only 4* hotel that Hotwire offers under their standard rates in the McCormick zone, so I felt pretty confident it was the Hyatt. Amenities were... Indoor pool(s), Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business Center, High-Speed Internet Access, Wheelchair accessible I checked PRICELINE EXPRESS Deals and they were $94 for a 4* in the same area, so I just went with HOTWIRE. Very pleased! My coworker was nervous to take the chance and get bumped to a hotel further from the conference, but it all worked out as planned. Happy travels!

Booked today through the BetterBidding PRICELINE link. HOTWIRE had a 3 star for $77 and a 2.5 star for $74. Priceline had an PRICELINE EXPRESS Deal for a "Customer Favorite" 2.5 star for $68 (Free Breakfast, Wifi, Fitness, Pool). This was likely the HI Express based on the matching customer reviews. I've bid on this area several times in the past 2 months. I bid $58 on Priceline for a 2.5 star and was declined. I had a free rebid for a 2.5 star by adding Calera and won the HI Express with a $60 bid. This seems to be the sweet spot as I've been declined at $59 when the above criteria is the same. The hotel is very nice...I'd recommend it and a good value using Priceline. Happy travels!

Booked today through the BetterBidding PRICELINE link. Hotwire had 4 stars for $63 in the Galleria area. Dallas North Airport was slightly higher at $68. PRICELINE EXPRESS deals were similar. I bid $52 on Priceline for a 4 star and landed the Westin Galleria. Its a great price for a Westin / 4*, but getting accepted on the first bid always makes me wonder how much lower I could have bid. Maybe next time! I haven't stayed at the hotel before, but I will only be there for a short stay before an early morning flight. I usually like the places with free breakfast, but I'll be leaving too early to partake in any breakfast. Happy travels!

Booked last week through the BetterBidding PRICELINE link. Hotwire had a 3 star for $77...probably the Hampton or Holiday Inn. Priceline had a PRICELINE EXPRESS Deal for a "Customer Favorite" 2.5 star for $68 (Free Breakfast, Wifi, Fitness, Pool). This was likely the HI Express based on the matching customer reviews. Armed with my info, I bid $55 on Priceline for a 2.5 star and was declined. I had a free rebid for a 2.5 star by adding Calera and was declined at $59. Tried the next day at $61 and landed the Holiday Inn Express. I stayed here on my last business trip and it was a nice hotel. Happy travels!

Just booked through the BetterBidding PRICELINE link. Hotwire had a 3 star for $77...probably the Hampton or Holiday Inn. Priceline had a PRICELINE EXPRESS Deal for a "Customer Favorite" 2.5 star for $67 (Free Breakfast, Wifi, Fitness, Pool). In a small town like this the Priceline customer ratings for the Express Deal help you identify the hotel (just match it to the regular hotel list). I guessed it was the HI Express. Anyway, I bid $45 for a 2.5 star and was declined. I had a free rebid for a 2.5 star by adding Calera and was declined at $52. I won't have time to rebid tomorrow, so I just accepted the Priceline Express deal. Sure enough, it was the Holiday Inn Express. Seems like a good price, but feel like I left some money on the table by starting the bidding process late. Hopefully its nice...first time to this area. I will let you know of future wins. Happy travels!

Just booked through the BetterBidding PRICELINE link. Hotwire had a 2.5 star for $65 and 3 star for $80. Priceline Express deal was a 2.5 star for $57. Based on my experience here, the 2.5* was likely the Baymont and 3* was the Holiday Inn. While the HI is closer to the airport, I think I like the Baymont better. Anyway, I bid $60 on priceline for a 3 star and was declined. I lowered my bid to $54 and added 2.5 star range and landed the Baymont Inn and Suites. Total was $68 with taxes. As mentioned, I've stayed here before and it is a good value. I've only stayed there to catch early morning flights, but the roooms are clean and the exercise room is bigger than most mid-price hotels. Happy travels!

Booked today through the BetterBidding PRICELINE link. Hotwire had a 3 star for $71. Priceline had a 2.5 star under their "Express Deal" for $62. With that info, I bid $60 on Priceline for a 3 star and was declined. Dropped to 2.5 star and lowered bid to $58 and it was accepted by the Best Western. Total was $73 with taxes. I've stayed here before and it is a good value. Most of the 2.5 and 3 star hotels in this zone are about equal (IMO). Happy travels!

Hotwire had a 3 star for $80. Priceline had an "Express" offer for $72. With that info, I bid $55 on priceline and was declined. I was offered another bid if I raised my offer to $71. I declined and added the Altoona zone for a free rebid on a 3 star (no 3 stars in Altoona). Tried $62 this time and my bid was accepted. I've only stayed at the Baymont in this area and that was nice. Hopefully the HI is decent with the extra 1/2 star. No breakfast, but I'm leaving very early in the AM. Happy travels!

Booked today through the BetterBidding PRICELINE link. Hotwire had a 3 star for $72. Priceline had a similar 3 star under their new "Express Deal" for $59. With that info, I bid $55 on Priceline and landed the Gateway. Total was $69 with taxes. I've stayed here before and it is a good value. Happy travels!

Just booked through the PRICELINE link. Was looking for a 3* hotel in the Brownsville zone. Bid $55 and $60 yesterday using the free rebid for "Brownsville - SouthEast" (there are no 3 stars in the SE zone). Tried $65 today and was offered a free rebid if I raised it to $79. I passed on that, added the SE zone and bid $70. It was accepted. Nice hotel...I've stayed there before. Today's rate on the Marriott site is $99.

Thanks for the advice. I just went through the bidding process with no luck. Starting bid was $180 and went up in $5 or $10 increments until I failed at $270 per night. The Hotwire price is $293, so I must be getting close. I'm wondering if the Saturday night stay is throwing off the bid. Rates are high in Sonoma on the weekends, but that should be baked into the Hotwire price. It's a bit stressful placing so many bids with zones you don't want to stay in! I'm going to take a break until tomorrow and keep my fingers crossed.

Good morning. I'm looking to book a 4 star hotel in Sonoma from 7/28 - 7/31 for 2 people. I'd like to stay in downtown Sonoma. Based on previous posts, MacArthur Inn or Lodge at Sonoma are the only 4* hotels on Hotwire and Priceline, which works for me. Hotwire shows what appears to be MacArthur for $293 per night. I assume its MacArthur since it lists complimentary breakfast as an amenity. It's been a while since a win was posted for MacArthur, so can anyone back up my assumption? I saw that someone booked MacArthur through Priceline at 85% of the Hotwire rate. I'd be happy getting MacArthur in the $250 range. Before I start bidding, can someone help me with the rebid strategy? I've read the sticky post and found that there are several bidding zones for Sonoma (1 for Sonoma, 7 with no 4 star hotels). Does this give me 8 bids per day or more from combinations of two or more zones? Thanks in advance!

Booked last week through the BetterBidding PRICELINE link. Hotwire had a 2.5 star for $62. With that info, I bid $55 on priceline and landed the Baymont Inn and Suites. Total was $69 with taxes. I've stayed here before and it is a good value. I've only stayed there to catch early morning flights, but the roooms are clean and the exercise room is bigger than most mid-price hotels. Happy travels!

Booked today through the BetterBidding PRICELINE link. I bid $48 and $50 last week on priceline for a 2.5* and was rejected. Today (one day from start of travel), Hotwire had a 3 star for $65 and a 2 star for $57. I figured the 3 star was the Gateway Hotel since there wasn't a complimentary breakfast. With that info, I bid $55 for a 3 star on priceline and was rejected. Lowered it to 2.5 star and raised bid to $57 and landed the Fairfield. Total was $72 with taxes. I've never stayed here before, but it looks very nice...one of the nicer hotels in the Ames area. Again, I travel to Ames often and use Hotwire and Priceline each time. Intersting note, Priceline currently does not show any 3 star hotels in Ames and the Gateway does not appear at all in their listing. I'm wondering if you can only get the Gateway's discount rate through Hotwire now. Happy travels!

Just booked this hotel through the PRICELINE link. Not the best rate, but it is very good for this week. There is a Nascar race in Homestead this weekend and the hotels are filling up. I think there are other races beginning tomorrow. I've been paying $67 per night on a corporate rate at the La Quinta in Cutler Ridge for the past two days. I did not continue my stay there because they raised the rate to $200 per night for the rest of the week. I've been checking Hotwire and couldn't find any prices I liked. I tried Priceline last night and was denied a $75 bid at the 3 and 2.5 star level. I tried again this morning for a 3 star at $80....denied. Tried again at 2.5 star at $88 and hit the Best Western. The cheapeast 2.5 star on Hotwire was $102. The BW is the top Tripadvisor hotel in Kendall so I'm happy with the win. Please add this to the list of hotels.

Helped a coworker book a room. Amenities: Airport Shuttle, Fitness Center, Restaurant(s), Business Center, High-Speed Internet Access He was happy with the rate. Lowest price online was $125.

Booked today through the BetterBidding PRICELINE link. I bid $45 last week on priceline for a 2.5* and was rejected. They offered me an instant rebid of $55, but I declined. Today (one day from travel), Hotwire had a 2.5 star for $78 and a 3 star for $62. I figured the 3 star was the Gateway Hotel since there wasn't a complimentary breakfast. The 2.5 star could have been the HI Express, but hard to tell. With that info, I bid $50 on priceline and landed the Best Western. Total was $64 with taxes. I've stayed here before and it is a good value. Was hoping for the Gateway, but at least I get a complimentary breakfast this trip. Happy travels!

Booked this last week and just wanted to add the information. However, I think I'm the only member who travels to Ames! Due to weather concerns, I didn't book the hotel until I arrived in Ames. Hotwire had a hotel that looked like the Gateway for $60. The tip off is a restaurant but no complimentary breakfast. This sometimes means the Holiday Inn Conference Center as well. I bid $50 on Priceline for a 2.5 star and landed the Gateway. Total was $63 with taxes. I've stayed here before and it is a good value. It is a full service hotel near the college. Room was clean and well appointed, but the bed was a little too soft and the bathroom was tight (the door almost hits the toilet). Workout area is good with two treadmills, a bike, and universal machine. I did not eat at the restaurant. Happy travels!

Tried to land a room a week ago for $45. I tried the 3* and 2.5* level for $45 and was rejected. I need a place for tonight, so increased my bid to $54 for a 3* and was turned away. Added the 2.5* range and bid was accepted by Baymont. Funny thing is I had a back-up reservation at the Baymont at a rate of $69. Cancelled that and am saving $15. Hopefully the hotel is nice. Reviews seem to be mixed, but I won't be spending much time at the hotel due to an early flight.

Booked through the PRICELINE link. Started bidding at $45 a few days ago and finally hit with $50 this morning. Looks like a good hotel for the rate. I'm always disappointed when I land a hotel with no complimentary breakfast, but that is the risk with PRICELINE. At least I saved $9 over the lowest HOTWIRE rate.

Booked through the PRICELINE link. Tried $38 on Friday (10/8) and increased the bid to $42 this morning. Very pleased with the results. Looks like a nice place close to the airport, which is what I needed.

Booked through the HOTWIRE link. 3 star offered with Fitness Ctr, Pool, Restaurant, Business Ctr, and Internet for $59. Staying tomorrow night - 7/19. Looks like a good deal, hopefully its nice.

Tried PRICELINE the last two days and couldn't land a 2.5* for $40 or $45. Went to HOTWIRE since I need a room for tomorrow night (4/21/10). HOTWIRE listed the following: Complimentary Breakfast, Fitness Center, Pool(s), Business Center, Laundry Facilities, High-speed Internet Access, Golf Nearby. Recommended in 90% of reviews. $53 + tax = $66. Used the above HOTWIRE link. I've stayed here before and it is a good value. Priceline has it listed as 2*. Finally joined BB. Thanks for your help in the past!