blkjck1

As a resident Canadian, I have used HOTWIRE successfully using my National Bank Mastercard and CIBC Visa to book US hotels.

The Discount Car location is located on McKnight Blvd. around Barlow Trail. That is about a 5-10 minute shuttle ride from the airport, but will probably take longer as I would think they would not come to pick you up until you call them when you're ready. The best option is to still try and find someone who has a location at YYC.

That kind of comment is completely repugnant, and has no place here. Fees like the facility charge, transport, and airport concession recovery are usually set by the airports, and I hardly think that the agencies that run the airports are instruments of political or economic policy. Try looking up a rental in a Republican jusrisdiction (say Houston, Texas), and I would be surprised to not see the same sort of fees being applied.

I would keep trying PRICELINE or HOTWIRE, and using your Discount Car Rental rate as a ceiling. I only say that because it would be more convenient to get your car at the YYC terminal instead of waiting for your shuttle. Compared to most US airports, YYC is not that big, and walking to the car rental area is pretty easy.

If you are planning on going to Canmore, you will want to have a car for other things, especially if you wanted to go into Banff. My suggestion about getting a cab to the downtown locations still works, but a car rental company you may not have come across has a near-airport location. Try Discount Car Rental. It is a Canadian chain. I checked the rates, and they are pretty reasonable (about $45 CAD a day), and they will shuttle you to and from the airport. If you use the downtown option, you would not be too far off the beaten path to Canmore. It all depends on the time of day you arrive and get on the road. Calgary's rush hour traffic can get pretty bad sometimes. Acclaim Hotel just literally opened up, and there is not much around the area for things to do or restaurants.

Which hotel?

My favourite New York restaurants: Daisy May's BBQ: 46 St and 11 Ave. A bit of a hike, but really good BBQ ribs, chicken, pulled pork, and sides. You order at the counter, and then it is cafeteria style seating in the back. Not a dress-up place, but loved the food here. The last time I was there, the dining area was blocked off for a party, and a family of 4 there wanted to eat there so badly, they configured chairs to make a makeshift dining area in a foyer to eat their dinner. Caffe Napoli: Hester and Mulberry in Little Italy. The bread and olive oil dip are just about the best part of the meal, but the menu is fantastic. All the restaurants in Little Italy have great prices for lunch. L'Ecole: Broadway and Grand St. This is the restaurant part of the French Culinary Institute. You can get some very good meals that are prepared by students, but under the supervision of the instructors. The instructors are all classicly trained chefs, and they won't let anything out of the kitchen that wouldn't meet restaurant standards.

I would venture on the subway or take a cab, and try a couple of places: one on the Lower East Side, and the other one on the Upper West Side. Good Enough to Eat: 483 Amsterdam Ave (83 Street). The Peter Paul Pancakes (Belgian chocolate and coconut) are to die for! Take the 1 train to 79 or 86 Street. Clinton Street Bakery: 4 Clinton Street (E. Houston). The Brioche French Toast with carmelized bananas and walnuts were heaven. The blueberry pancakes were perfect. Both are wonderful with the maple butter they serve on the plates. The blueberry pancakes were the subject of a "Bobby Flay Throwdown," which did lose, but it was more on Flay's over-the-top presentation than anything else. Our last trip to New York, we specifically went there out of our way twice from our Midtown West hotel because those were so good!! A little longer walk from the nearest subway stations (Essex-Delancey Street or 2 Ave), but the walk built up the appetite. Both restaurants have websites, so check them out. Another thing: they are not the largest of places, so be prepared to get a little cozy with fellow diners. But it is part of the charm of both places.

Being a Calgary resident, I can't think of any reason why a car rental at YYC would be that high. Your dates are not during the Stampede, and unless there is something big going on during those dates, there never has been for as long as I have lived here. I do have a thought though, why don't you take a cab to any of the car rental places to downtown Calgary. I just checked Budget Rent-a-car, and for those days, you can get a full sized car for $205 Cdn (about $190 US). The cab ride to downtown will be about $30-35 Cdn.

Just came back from a 9 night stay here. This would not ever be my first choice for a 4 star rated Manhattan hotel, and if it were up to me, I would say that this is not a 4 star hotel, maybe at best 3.5 stars. Prior to arrival, we emailed the hotel ahead of time asking for a king bed and a higher floor. We received a reply saying we were confirmed for a king bed, and that floor positioning was contingent at check-in. We arrived at the hotel at about 8pm, and the place seemed like Grand Central Station. The desk clerk noted our preferences, but apologized that we could not get a king room anymore, as the hotel was oversold, thus we had 2 doubles. Other complaints: during the weekend part of our stay, it seemed there was a huge group booking of mid-late teen girls staying at the hotel, particularly on our floor. We could hear everything that was going on in our neighbouring room, and the floor seemed to be one big pyjama party. I made a complaint downstairs, and heard the phone go off in the room next door after 15 minutes. Silence cut in shortly thereafter, but I don't know if it was a reflection that it was midnight, and a curfew kicked in or supervision came in. The next evening and seeing the potential of a repeat, I mentioned it to the house cops, and they told me they made 3 trips to my floor specifcally the night before. Their suggestion was to suggest that we ask to be moved. Again, we put up with the noise until about midnight, and then it was quiet. The hotel lobby and hallways make the place look nice, but the rooms are another thing. I felt the rooms were in serious need of a refurbishment, as the paint on the walls was starting to showing age, and the wallpaper in the bathroom was peeling. The room, while small, was probably the normal size for a Manhattan hotel. The $15 internet in-room charge was ridiculous, but you could always go downstairs with your laptop to access the wireless there for free. To be fair, the hotel is located in a very good location. Located on 7 Ave, between 52 and 53 Streets, you are close enough to Times Square without all the busyness and noise (that I learned staying at the Renaissance 4 blocks south for one night). You are also conveniently located to several subway lines, with 4 subway stations within easy walking distance and several lines available, including the 1 (50 St station), N/R/Q/W (49 and 57 Street stations), and B/D/E (7 Ave). You are also a few blocks away from Central Park, and picking up essentials was easy with the Duane Reade drugstore nearby on Broadway. Restaurants are plentiful around the hotel, and it should not be too hard to ever get a cab there.

Had a previously posted 9-night win at the Sheraton NY Hotel and Towers for $115 a night. Wanted to see what the hotel was like before wanting to extend for our last night and also having an 7 am flight home from Newark made me hedge for that last night. Chose to extend rather than look for an EWR hotel, but the hotel wouldn't extend us one more night at that price. Exhausted all rebid zones in the MTW zone from $100-135. Dropped into the Times Square section, using rebid zones from $100-140 before being accepted at $140, all in $173. The Marriott website's best price was $299, all in $345. Booked through the Better Bidding PRICELINE link.

Taking the PATH may not be as convenient if you are arriving late at night or on the weekends. Normally, you could take a Hoboken bound PATH from the WTC station, or a Journal Square train from any of the midtown Manhattan stations (the furthest being 33rd Street). But to get to Pavonia from the WTC in the off-hours, you have to take the Newark bound train, get off at Grove Street, and then get onto a 33rd Street train. From anywhere along the 33rd Street line, the train will detour to Hoboken first before getting to Pavonia. Late at night, the trains get filled very quickly at each Manhattan terminus, as PATH service goes only every 30 minutes after midnight. I would warn you that the elevators at the PATH stations are highly unreliable, especially at 33rd Street down to the train platform. I've never come across it when it was not out of service. It is also a long trek from the Pavonia train platform uphill to the station doors along a wheelchair-friendly walkway, and the elevator is also wonky there.

Started the bidding in MTE at $90, and exhausted all rebid zones to $125. Moved over to MTW, starting again at $95, and was on the last rebid zone before being accepted at $115. Sheraton New York Hotel And Towers Midtown West 811 Seventh Avenue New York, New York 10019 Check-In Date: Mon, May 4, 2009 Check-Out Date: Wed, May 13, 2009 Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $115.00 Subtotal: $1,035.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $206.53 Total Charges*: $1,241.53 Wouldn't my first choice of hotels or location (I traditionally like to book in Jersey City), but the pregnant wife trumps all this time around. The average rate a night for this booking is $137.95 all in. Sheraton's comparable rate is $277.68, for savings of just under 51%. Booked through the PRICELINE links.

I would agree with the comments posted about Gild Hall. There were still some obvious Holiday Inn touches (like the elevator and size of the rooms), we were there during their soft opening phase last May, and really enjoyed staying there. The bed, bed linens, and toiletries were all top notch. Bathroom linens and bath robes first class.

You may be hard pressed to get a good hotel under $100, but given the state of the economy, you never know. Most any hotel you will get is usually convenient to all the amenities you need. I would focus on the Midtown, Central Park and Empire State Building areas if you want to be close to all the amenities, but again, this is New York City. It seems that for the dates you stated, the highest star rating hotel on Hotwire that has the lower price seems to be Intercontinental - The Barclay for $129. This 4-star hotel seems to be popping up on Priceline and Hotwire on a very consistent basis in the Midtown East area with bookings going up towards May (where I am personally looking), but has some very mixed reviews on Tripadvisor. Given the economy, it looks like they are willing to take the guaranteed booking cash now rather than hope for an upswing in bookings.

Your Offer Price: $17.00 (per day) Total Rental Days: 5 days(4 days and 23 hours) Subtotal: $85.00 Taxes and Fees: $34.38 Total Charges: $119.38 Avis' website showed a cost of about $408 all-in for an intermediate sized car for the same time period. Booked through the PRICELINE links.

Started the bidding at $60, and used rebid zones and increased by $5 each time before accepted. Hilton San Diego Resort San Diego Coastal 1775 East Mission Bay Drive San Diego, California 92109 Check-In Date: Mon, Feb 9, 2009 / After 03:00 PM Check-Out Date: Tue, Feb 10, 2009 / 12:00 PM Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $80.00 Subtotal: $80.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $18.27 Total Charges*: $98.27 The lowest price on Hilton's website was $219, and taxes brought it up to $246.48, so savings of 60%. Booked through the PRICELINE link.

Started the bidding at $50, and used rebid zones at $53 and $56 before being accepted. Hyatt Regency Orange County Disneyland Area 11999 Harbor Blvd Garden Grove, California 92840 Check-In Date: Mon, Feb 9, 2009 Check-Out Date: Tue, Feb 10, 2009 Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $56.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $14.32 Total Charges*: $70.32 Second time around for this hotel for us. In Feb 2007, we stayed here for $53 for a single night and liked the place, so no complaints here. As always, we booked through the PRICELINE link.

For the price we paid for through Priceline, I can't really complain. Yes, we did get a small room with a queen bed, and there was a leftover burrito in the fridge, but I can say that we got good value for the price $44 nightly rate. The room was clean, as was the bathroom. The bedding was good, and the bed was comfortable. There was enough room for a couple to be in. Complaints: not a lot of sound insulation in the room. We were caught on a Saturday night where the US Marine Corps had some sort of gala celebration, and after the main festivities ended, there was much yelling in the hallways. The windows don't block out a lot of sound from the street, and we could hear the smokers hanging outside from our 5th floor room. We could also hear what we think was the room below us; a couple having intimate relations. The hotel is close to downtown, and offers free parking and free internet access. We found a couple of great restaurants nearby: The Steam Plant Grill which has a craft brewery offering multiple beer selections, and Frank's Diner; a restored railroad dining car offering excellent diner food.

Rooms in Hong Kong tend to be quite small, and I tried booking 4* properties for May 2007 upwards to $200/night in Kowloon and TST without luck, and trying to book for friends since then have not yielded many results. If I were to book normally, my preference would to be to book somewhere in TST, as you are near the MTR and the KCR mass transportation options. You're also near the waterfront, and I would go back to HK just to stand on the Avenue of Stars at night and see the HK skyline at night. Taxis are cheap, but the HK roads are very crowded, and I found the buses and subways the best way to get around. You mention the Eaton Hotel, and it isn't a bad hotel to stay at. I can't remember if it is one or two stops on the MTR from TST, but it's about 200m away from the Jordan station. The one caveat I would say about the Eaton is that if you go to their website and look at the pictures of the rooms, they are smaller than they look. I upgraded to one of their Club Rooms based on the pictures, and they are tiny, so you can imagine what the normal rooms look like. The best HK hotel I have been in has been the Renaissance New World, which is in TST. Their Club Level rooms are quite nice and reasonably sized, and that gives you access to their lounge where they serve breakfast, tea, snacks, and drinks. I quite enjoyed being there, and would not hesitate to book there again. The hotel is connected to a huge shopping mall that includes a grocery store and bakery. If you are traveling to China or other parts of Asia, I would suggest you find a local HK travel agency to book everything ex-HK. The travel business in Asia is highly competitive, with several airlines serving the continent and hotels and resorts offering fantastic deals. For example, we arrived in HK on Thursday, walked into a travel agency the next morning, and were on a flight to Phuket, Thailand on Monday staying at a 5-star resort for a song. The agent told us if we wanted to, we could have gotten to Phuket the next day if we wanted to for the same price. In case you are wondering, we used Westminster Travel, as they have a great website to check things out ahead of time. If time is not as important to you, staying in Shenzhen across the border in China is a doable option, and there are many benefits to being there, but there is much downside as well. Send me a private message if you would like to know more about Shenzhen option.

Started the bidding at $44, and accepted right away. Red Lion Hotel At The Park Spokane Downtown Spokane 303 W North River Drive Spokane, Washington 99201 Check-In Date: Sat, Nov 8, 2008 / After 03:00 PM Check-Out Date:Tue, Nov 11, 2008 / 11:00 AM Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $44.00 Subtotal: $132.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $27.11 Total Charges*: $159.11 Lowest available price on the hotel's website was $105.87 per night without taxes, so savings of under 60%. Booked through the PRICELINE links.

Stayed here for a 3 night stay in mid-October. I wasn't pleased after reading the first review of the hotel, and seeing the Tripadvisor ratings, as there seems to be a dim view of Sutton Place. I wasn't overwhelmed by Sutton Place, but I was not offended by anything either. I had a decent sized room with everything you needed, including a 40 inch plasma TV. If there is anything to be disappointed about, it would be the $16.50 charge for the internet on a daily basis. It is true that this hotel is far away from the true downtown area of Toronto - where the entertainment and financial districts are. It isn't an onerous cab ride to get there (you could do it for less than $15), but there are decent public transportation options. The 6 bus goes right down Bay Street, and the Wellesley subway stop is a couple of blocks away. There are decent dining options all over the hotel, especially if you are looking for inexpensive and good food on Yonge Street.

This hotel apparently used to be a Four Points by Sheraton, but has gone through a remodeling and rebranding to the Holiday Inn. There was a canvas sign with the new Holiday Inn logo announcing which establishment this was. Check-in was very prompt and courteous. A request for a king bed in a non-smoking room was granted in advance, and the room was of a decent size with a couch. While the remodel of the hotel looks completed, the wallpaper in the halls still looked old. Most of the remodel looks done, as we walked into our room and were surprised to see the floor was completely laminate. The bed was comfortable, and the washroom was clean and well equipped with towels and toiletries. The hotel restaurant is open for dinner and breakfast service only. The restaurant manager was subbing in for the desk clerk when we were looking for a restaurant recommendation, and he endorsed his place. We looked in on a Sunday night, and didn't see it was all that busy, and elected to go elsewhere. To his credit, the guy suggested we could walk to the Niagara Seneca Casino a couple blocks away, where they had several restaurants, and that is where we went to. We decided that we would give breakfast a try the next morning, but passed again. It didn't look like there was any staff on the floor, but the restaurant had several tables that were still seated and all looking to get their bills. The tables that were empty had not been cleaned, and we went to look for a Denny's instead.

Our family had a second stay at Gild Hall, and while there were some issues with the reservation, we had no complaints about how things were resolved at the end. When checking hotel rates for fun on the Quikbook site, we noticed that there was an error in pricing, where for a 4 day weekend, the prices being quoted were per night: $319, 23, 23, 239. When I saw this, we booked it. A few days later, Quikbook sent a message saying that there was a typo (obviously) in the posting, where the two nights at $23 were missing the "9" at the end. After ignoring this for a couple of days, we received a message that the rates had been confirmed by the hotel. Sweet! About 6 weeks before our arrival date, I noticed a charge from Gild Hall on my online credit card statement for close to $350. When I inquired, it was for a no-show charge, and when I asked for the details, somehow, the hotel had the right reservation number, but the wrong dates in their system. I asked for them to credit my card, but after a week, there was no change. I sent a scathing email to the Thompson Hotel president, cc'ing the info line at Gild Hall, citing the issues that went unresolved from our previous stay, and what a bunch of yahoos the hotel management were, and got an apologetic email from the hotel. They re-confirmed the right dates and pricing, and offered an upgrade to their best available room. According to my wife (I missed out on this trip), the stay was fantastic, as the hotel staff must have had instructions to go out of their way for my wife and her friend. She said the staff recognized them at all times, and went out of their way to do anything they needed. While the rack rate might put us out of reach for future trips (especially since the Todd English restaurant is close to opening), we'll do everything we can to make Gild Hall our rack rate hotel in New York for the foreseeable future.

Started the bidding at $46, and received a counteroffer at $59. Turned it down, and used rebid zones at $50, before being accepted. Niagara Falls, NY 114 Buffalo Avenue Niagara Falls, New York 14303 Check-In Date: Sun, Oct 19, 2008 Check-Out Date: Mon, Oct 20, 2008 Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $52.00 Subtotal: $52.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $14.74 Total Charges*: $66.74 The lowest price at the Holiday Inn's website all in was $90.40 ($80 without tax), so not a big saving, but for one night, whatever. Booked through the PRICELINE link.