Spartops

All of my priceline bids go through this site. My apologies for not making that clear.

This was a same day bid. Looked at prices online and deciced to try this area as it was substanitially less money than a few miles north. Bid on a 3.5* as it was offered in this area, and none shown on the hotel list on a whim and got the Doubletree. Hilton's website showed a retail price of $99.00. Got it on my first bid, so might be tempted to try lower if I was in the area again. So Priceline has upgraded this property from a 3* to a 3.5*. My experience checking in, walking around the grounds and having a drink and snack at the onsite Restaurant tells me they have it right. The front desk staff were professional and helpful, the grounds well maintained with a small lagoon that had a pair of nesting swans and a quartet of sleeping ducks we literally had to step over to get into the restaurant which was quite nice for a glass of wine and a bite to eat. Very happy with this win and will post a proper review later in the Review Section.

Started at $70 and got a message saying if I add $17 to my bid I could buy my room right now. Bid again and got it at $78. Total with taxes and fees was $97.21 I've stayed here many times before and its a good hotel. Its a 5 minute walk to the Silver line and the airport where I fly out the next day. As always used the PRICELINE link here.

I had forgotten I had reviewed this property previous. Anyway, it has since become a Wynhdham a few years ago and with that got a well needed freshen up. It has now recemtly in the last few months been rebranded as a Doubletree. Ohter than the cookies at check in they have not really done anything to the property as yet. The rooms are exactly the same as when I stayed here when it was a Wyndham down to the sheets on the beds. On the whole my stay was fine. The rooms are still as noisy as ever, but I stayed on a quiet Wen night so it was not an issue. It seems the place is in better shape all around from when it was a Sheraton in my opinion. Pros: Close to Rt 95 and the Maine Mall. Reasonable rates. Excellent, efficient, on time airport shuttle. The best I've encountered in 30 years of business travel. Friendly staff. Cons: None really, other than noisy corridors and the fact that although you are surrounded by about 500 restaurants they are all chain/franchise rubbish. Again the real food is a few miles away in Portland proper. I would happily stay here again.

Accepted first bid. Have stayed at this property many times when it was a Sheraton, then a Wyndham. Have always been satisfied with the accomodation and service. I fly out on a 6 am flight to work so will not have time to write a review of the property as a Doubletree, but will take some notes and try to post up something later. As always, Bid through the Betterbidding PRICELINE link.

Point well taken. I will try to be better at posting my results in the future. All of my bids have gone through the Priceline feature on this board for many years, so I'm not a complete deadbeat. :) I do not plan on staying there. Pricelines own customer reviews from as little as a week ago suggest they have not made a miraculous turnaround since I saw it 2 months ago. I'll look at my itinerary and see where else I can stay on that date. I'll probably book conventionally though.

Why beware? Because I acually stopped at this property a few months ago and asked to look at a room. It was filthy and so run down I declined even at $39 for the night. This is not a 2* property by any rating system on this planet So I was surprised to see this property show up on Priceline when I bid 2*. I immediatly contacted Customer Service with my concerns and experience but after 4 emails got nowhere. Although I asked repeatedly to be put in contact with whoever inspects and rates their hotels, my question was never answered.The last e-mail I recieved asked me to call their Customer Service # which I did. I spoke with a Service rep and then his Supervisor about my experiences and concerns and even had the Supervisor read this, Pricelines own customer reviews of this property, and they refused to let me cancel my reservation. .http://travelb.priceline.com/hotel/hotelReviewsGuide.do?key=gjmzgy37&propID=58441&jsk=2003010a9803010a20110201154839137011371341&plf=PCLH From my first e-mail and followups to my last conversation with the Supervisor I indicated I did not want a refund, just a decent 2 star hotel room. My questions regarding inspections and ratings were ignored and I was stonewalled regarding my direct experience and their own customer reviews of this property. Through this I have been businesslike and polite, so no it wasn't a tantrum or anger that got me the brushoff. It seems to be company policy to ignore valid rating and cleanliness concerns at the properties they sell. A quick look shows I had 43 stays with Priceline in the last year alone, many 100's in the last 5. I was even invited last fall to be an advisor to them as "Loyal Customer" I declined as I could not guarentee I could attend their online roundtable discussions. In all this time I never registered 1 complaint...........................until now.

Got this first bid twice as I changed my mind and decided to stay an extra day, Total per day came to $52.20 Bid 2 1/2* looking for amenities like free parking, Wi-Fi, Breakfast, etc. I'm on a Motorcycle so these properties work better for me than the higher starred ones I usually bid on. As always used the BB PRICELINE link.

I have stayed at this hotel numerous times. It changed from a Doubletree to the Clarion this past year. They offer a shuttle to most anywhere in Portland. We stayed here most recently for my daughters birthday party. We were 6 teenage girls and 2 adults and they drove us downtown for dinner and picked us up afterwards. It is a very good hotel to boot.

Last minute booking at $55, accepted first bid. Business property that seems to do a large weeekend wedding/event trade also. Just off Route 3 and easy to find. Lobby and reception area smallish but fine. Check in pleasant and quick on a slow Thursday as they were replacing mattresses on some floors and resealing the parking lot, not a problem for us. Friday the hotel was full. Had to ask the front desk to remind the people in the room across from us that this was a hotel, not their backyard. Tried to do so myself but think I was not loud enough to be heard. To their credit they were quiet enough for the rest of the evening. Room was a standard business hotel room but maybe a cut above the average Radisson. Comfortable, clean, with a coffee maker, iron, etc. Felt the front desk was attentive and responsive to my only request. There is a couple of small and nice restaurants within walking distance which we liked and a flash Italian restaurant (Bellas) for an upscale experience. Would stay here again without hesitation but might check the event schedule first.

Sorry for the delay in posting this. Was staying with family for my Moms funeral and booked this to give everyone a break. Did not see any sucessful bids in this zone so gave $55 a try with the going rates in the area at $89 to $129 for 3*. Could possibly go cheaper as this was the property that was listed at $89. Will post a quick review shortly.

We arrived on Monday afternoon and were greeted by a woman at reception who loudly proclaimed that yes indeed we had a priceline reservation. This does not bother me but I'm always surprised when hotel staff does this in front of guests who are paying higher or even rack rates. The rooms are in two circular towers that are six stories each. Our room was in the first tower on the 3rd floor 180 degrees away from the elevators and ice machines. I thought this was fine until I closed our door and could still hear the ice machine down the hall. It was the loudest I have encountered pretty much anywhere. The hotel is not new (Elvis stayed here during his only Maine appearence) and is starting to show its age. Although our stay was fine, This would not be my first or second choice of 3* hotels in Portland if I was paying a standard rate. The hotel is across from the Maine mall and its selection of franchise restaurants. If you want real food, do your self a favor and go into Portland.

This property is located next to the Grappone Convention Center on the outskirts of Concord. The area is a mix of renovated industrial and new office buildings in its own cul-de-sac that is cut off from the city by highways. you will need a car to go anywhere. Reception on a Sunday afternoon was prompt, courteous and with no mention of Priceline. Our room was a non-smoking double on the second floor comfortably away from the elevator and ice machine. The room was clean and well kept and I would guess that this is a fairly new properety. The pool and hot tub were fine and well stocked with towels (we were the only guests there). After returning from a family wedding we stopped by the very comfortable seating area that serves as sort of a lobby/lounge and had a quiet drink. Its was nice. I would prefer this type of seating over a traditional bar anyday. All in all I would stay here again without hesitation again.

First bid $50. Received counteroffer of $14 more. Added Manchester and bid $53, accepted. Total with fees and taxes $65.20. Have tried this for weeks with no luck. Assume inventory became available recently. All bids placed through SavingsBarn.

Started at $50 in Airport zone, added South-Scarborough at $55, then Biddeford Saco at $60. Bid this way as I did not mind getting any of the 3* hotels in the Airport and South areas. Biddeford-Saco was a free re-bid. Used SavingsBarn for all bids.

Stayed here for one night 6/30/05 on a last minute Priceline bid. Checked in at 8pm after a long 3 leg journey from Venice. Staff very friendly and no mention of Priceline, only that my reservation was prepaid. As my luggage never made it to Boston with me the girl at the front desk very kindly put together an amenities kit for me. This was greatly appreciated as the last thing I wanted to do was go out and try to put one together on my own. The room was smallish but very clean and comfortable. The bed was great. There was even a Sony CD player next to the bed. All in all quite nice. The staff to a person were very friendly and professional. I very much appreciated that the doorman and valets all asked if they could assist with directions when I left the hotel. I will definitely stay again.

This was a last minute bid made at LHR before jumping on the plane to Boston. 1st bid 4* Logan-Revere @ $50 2nd bid added Copley @ $55 3rd bid added Downtown-Charlestown @ $60 Total with taxes and fees was $75.14 Honestly thought I would end up at either the Logan Hilton or Hyatt when I saw that the bid was accepted. Surprised that $60 was enough for DT Boston at this time of year. Maybe because of the Holiday weekend? The property turned out to be exceptional, would happily stay again.

Theruare: Probably need to add a lightbulb to the emoticon list as thats what appeared over my head after I read your message. Of course you are correct. Checked my previous bids and every one of them has some type of rebid available. LHR does not . No more late night bidding! Thanks for the ever pleasant response to an obvious mistake on my part. Will be working overseas for three months or so but will try to contribute if possible.

Needed one night at Heathrow because of flight connections. First bid $40, Priceline came back with a counteroffer that said if I bid at least $12 they could find a room. I bid $45 instead and got the same screen. Tried $47, again the same screen. Finally capitulated and bid $52 and got the room. Bid Price $52 Taxes and fees $16.52 Total $68.52 Quite happy as I have sayed at this property in the past and much prefer it to the 4* Sheraton or the 3* Ariel. Will post a review based on my past stay. Is it me or is has Priceline changed a few things about the bidding process? First I don't remember them saying that I had to bid a "least" any amount before in their counteroffer. I seem to remember that the counteroffer was more of a suggestion. And when I have bid less than the counteroffer in the past and it wasn't accepted I would be blocked out for 72 hours if I did not have any free rebids. This time it let me bid three times until I met their price. I am curious if this is something new or I have just managed to miss this in the past. I would appreciate any thoughts on this.

Thanks for the clarification. I did not realize I left out the fact that this hotel was in Portland, a piece of information that might be handy to have for someone reading my post. Will try to be less work for you in the future. Spartops

Thereuare: Portland has three zones on Priceline. Portland Portland Airport-South Portland Westbrook I got the Portland Zone. I think they do not call it Portland downtown as the Doubletree while technically in Portland is on the other side of Rt. 295 and a long way from the downtown area.

Got this first bid. Bid price $50 Taxes and fees $11.35 Total $61.35

38 GBP is equal to $72.93 at todays rate. Curious how you were able to type in the sterling sign on your keyboard.

First, apologies to Thereuare. I should have posted this first, then replied to michellescully. Though I am new to this board, I am not new to Priceline or other, ummmm, less forgiving boards. That said, I still made a newbie mistake. Will try not to repeat in the future. As this was a holiday weekend started biddingfor 4* @ $40 in Downtown, raised to $45 with free S. Boston rebid, went to $50 with Seaport area. All refused. Waited 3 days and repeated, again refused. 3 days later tried again without any luck. As I only had two days left before the dates I opened a new bid for 4* star, Logan-Revere for $46. Accepted first time. I bid this way on purpose ( not using Logan- Revere in my initial bids) so that I could try this type of strategy at the last minute. It worked this time, it may never work again. Feb 20-22 @ $46 per night $92.00 Taxes and fees $19.77 Total $111.77 Reading through the many posts here it it obvious to even the casual observer that there is a level of mutual respect that may be lacking in other similar forums. Thanks for having me.

Just returned from a 2 day stay at the Hyatt Harborside on a Priceline bid. The staff were very friendly and allowed us to check in early. The room was very nice and well kept with enough space for 2 adults and 2 teenagers. The public spaces and the pool are a bit smallish, but the view across the harbor to Boston from the lobby lounge is stunning. The shuttle dropped us off and picked us up from the T station making it easy to get back and forth. Depending on your plans you may want to purchase a visitors pass for the T, 1 day $7, 3 days $18, 7 days $35. They are good on all MBTA trains, buses, trolleys and inner harbour ferries. You can purchase them online or at stations listed on the website. You may want to confirm that they are good for the ferry that stops at the hotel as I think it is a $10 fare one way to Boston. We were there during a snowstorm and did not see the ferry at all. Hope this helps.