purplelotus

Just won this hotel on PRICELINE EXPRESS. I used the 10% discount coupon so cost was really $63 plus taxes and fees. Total cost of $231.33. Amenities listed were breakfast, internet, free parking, shuttle, business center and fitness center. Also listed as guest favorite and rated 8/10. And, yes, I used the PRICELINE link. I thought I might get this hotel, but was hoping I didn't. Even though PRICELINE lists it as a guest favorite, a lot of the comments aren't very favorable, eg, hotel needs updating, so-so breakfast, etc. So I'll see, and if we don't like it, I'll rate it accordingly on the PRICELINE survey and also follow up here. In retrospect, Priceline had a 3* for $80 ($72 after my discount) that I probably should have gone for or used my hotel points for a free stay somewhere.

A friend just told me he got this hotel so I thought I'd report it. I see the hotel is already listed. He didn't tell me the amenities.

Another friend got this hotel a couple of weeks ago on Hotwire. Think this is new. Total cost was $318.67. Amenities were free breakfast, free parking, free internet, internet access, fitness center, shuttle, smoke-free, boutique hotel, self-service laundry. He doesn't use betterbidding either despite my promotion of the website. Nevertheless, it wouldn't have helped him. But again, Hotwire said the last person got the Bay Landing so seems like they are telling you what hotel it is.

This hotel was booked by a friend who doesn't post or use betterbidding, but I thought I'd report it to add to the data. Total cost was $449.71. Amenities were free breakfast, free parking, internet access, free internet, pool, restaurant, and accessible bathroom. Hotel was 70% recommended. When she booked, Hotwire said last person who book got Civic Center Motor Inn -- and she got it too.

Actually she didn't like the hotel. She thought it looked "industrial", the breakfast was "dismal", and the furniture in bad shape. I'm not surprised. I haven't stayed at an Extended Stay in years because they became rundown. I've noticed they have recently renovated some of them and changed the logo, but I personally will wait until I see consistently good reviews of them before I stay at another one.

A friend of mine who doesn't post (or really know about this site) won this hotel and told me about it. Since it's not on the hotel list, I thought I would post it. I don't know what all the amenities were nor do I know the total price. She said it had free breakfast, free parking and internet, but it may have had more. I'll try and educate her about the site sometime, but she doesn't travel much.

My friend had an excellent stay. They did give her the free breakfast -- told her that it is Priceline's error and they are working with Priceline to eliminate the free breakfast -- but they do give it to people who ask until Priceline corrects it. So sounds to me like free breakfast there will soon be a thing of the past. She said it was a nice breakfast. Room also nice. Only drawback was hotel is located close to highway and it was a bit noisy from traffic. I did look on hotel's website after I bought this for my friend, and their regular price was around $90-$95 without breakfast I think. (I remember it was a pretty good deal.) There were some breakfast packages, but I don't remember how much they were.

Won this on Priceline Express for a friend of mine. Total cost $137.20. Amenities listed were free breakfast, internet, pool, free parking, pets, business center and fitness center. Had a rating of 8/10. Based on amenities I thought it was Ethan Allen. However, read a review that hotel didn't offer free breakfast, and he had to show hotel personnel Priceline screen. They gave him 2 coupons. I told my friend this. I'll see what her experience is and update board after her stay. Used BB PRICELINE link.

Got this on Priceline Express the day prior to the stay. Listed at $57, but used 5% "Summer" code discount. Total cost $134.12. Amenities free parking, free internet, pool, restaurant, business center and fitness center. Had guest rating of 8 or above. Tried bidding first. Bid up to $49 (or $47 using discount again) using rebid zones, but didn't win anything. (Cost of $116.16). Started at $39. Kept getting counters for $58 which was more than the Express deal. Since I wasn't sure, I'd get a highly rated hotel by bidding, I stopped at $49 and bought the Express deal. We're at hotel -- using business center. Room is nice. Modern. Has fridge and microwave. Convenient for downtown. Used BB PRICELINE link.

Our hotel plans changed on Saturday (7/13) when we had to detour due to road construction so we decided to stay in Fort Wayne. Used free wi-fi at a restaurant while having lunch and saw a 3* on Priceline Express for $45. Priceline offered a 5% discount (code SUMMER -- valid until 7/31) so I used that. Total cost $56.43. Property had a 7 rating and 6 amenities I think. I can't remember them all, but definitely had free breakfast, free parking, fitness, internet, and I think, pool. Breakfast was acceptable, didn't use pool, internet was free, but gym was fabulous. They had a membership with a huge gym about .5 miles away. Had absolutely everything, and the place was almost empty on Saturday afternoon except for the basketball courts. (This is Indiana!) Property had small pool, but gym had bigger one for serious swimmers. Hotel was a former Residence Inn. We were given studio suite which was huge with full kitchen. Only drawback for us was queen bed. Would have preferred king. TV was old (not flat screen), but we didn't use it so not a problem. Staff very accommodating. And, yes, I used the PRICELINE link.

Hotel itself is nice -- new, attractive decor, indoor pool, standard Holiday Inn Express breakfast. Did have a major problem here though. We were in room, and someone else was assigned our room and started entering. Fortunately, we had security latch on door. Then our keys didn't work. Took a long time to sort out. Clerk on duty was new and didn't handle it well. We left early next day, and manager wasn't there so I called from another hotel later that day. She was exceedingly apologetic although they can't figure out what happened with their computer system (a bit scary). She gave me some priority club points as compensation since I had bought it on Priceline.

Bid up to $47 (total cost $60) on a 2.5 star hotel in Festus on 6/18 for a stay the following night, 6/19. Hotel had free breakfast and guest rating of 8.0 among other amenities. I started at $39, and Priceline countered at $55. I kept raising my bid by adding free re-bid zones, and the counter was always $55. There was a similar hotel (if not the same one) on Priceline Express for $54 so I thought the counter-offer was too much. When Priceline wouldn't split the difference with me, I just used hotel points for a hotel a bit further down the road. Used BB PRICELINE link for all bids.

I did use the PRICELINE link.

Just won this today. Total cost $51.78. Priceline showed rating of 8.0 with amenities of free breakfast, free internet, pool, business center and fitness center. Similar hotel (so probably same one)on Priceline Express for $47 ($61 with tax and fees) so I saved about $9 off that. Cheapest rate (AAA) on Holiday Inn website was $109. Trip Advisor rating is 4/5. Bid for 3-star up to $43. No luck. Bid for this first at $37 -- unsuccessful and no counter -- then added zone and increased bid to $39 and got it. Am very pleased with price. Wasn't afraid to bid at this level given rating of 8 or above. I think this is a new hotel -- hardly any data for Texarkana(either Texas or Arkansas). Used BB PRICELINE link.

Feel free to change the price to $46. That's the average price for the stay in whole dollars.

First, before I forget, I used the Better Bidding PRICELINE link. This site is fabulous, and I appreciate all the work people do to keep it up. So, here's the info on my stay. I used PRICELINE EXPRESS again. The amenities are free breakfast, free internet, free parking, pets allowed, fitness center and bed choice with a rating of 8.0 or above. Rate is $44 for the first 5 nights, and then I extended my stay for an additional 3 nights at $49. (Cost $247.80 for 5 days and $167.49 for 3 days for total of $415.29). I first looked for 8-day period, and this hotel was not listed. I then broke it up into 2 stays and found it listed for the first 5 days at $44 and the last 3 at $49. However, after I purchased the first 5 days, I was offered an option to extend my stay, and I added the 3 days. PRICELINE came back with the last 3 at $49 which was the same as if I had started a new session so I just did it. I couldn't figure out how to put both prices in the price box though. Is this possible??? Or should I have used an average??? Or posted twice??? I won this hotel in March for $39, also on Priceline Express (I did post the priceline hotel win), and have stayed there many other times through the LaQuinta website. I like the location and the hotel. We have a car so it's very convenient for Route 83 and the Stevenson. As with my previous win, I was almost positive it was the LaQuinta from the description and the rating. I probably could have gotten something cheaper by bidding, but as before, I did not want to risk a hotel with a lower guest rating in that area or one without breakfast. The AAA rate on LaQuinta's website is $86, but it's not worth that.

I don't live in Chicago any more, but I grew up there, spent a fair bit of my adult life there, and visit quite frequently. I,too,love architecture and art, and Chicago has much to offer. I would highly recommend taking one or two of the Chicago Architecture Foundation walking tours. There are heaps to choose from, and the docents are generally excellent. Check out their web site. They also offer a boat cruise on the Chicago river which is pricier (and no walking obviously). Their office is almost across the street from the Art Institute, a premier art museum, on South Michigan Avenue. Check out Caillebotte's "Paris Street, Rainy Day", Seurat's " A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grand Jatte", Hopper's "Nighthawks", and Wood's "American Gothic", all classics. If you're into Frank Lloyd Wright, you could visit Oak Park, but that would be time-consuming for your short visit.

Hotel was fine. It had reopened in April. Room was small as others noted, but this is typical of New York. Lots of maintenance problems in room, eg, no clock, one phone didn't work, no double latches on doors, etc, but problems were fixed very quickly. Breakfast was typical for hotels of this level, i.e., items not that healthy -- limited fruit, sugary cereals, packaged bread items, bacon or sausage, etc. They did have hard-boiled eggs. Fortunately there was a fruit vendor a couple of blocks away and a grocery store about 4 blocks away so we bought healthy bread and cereal and fresh fruit. Good location near subway, bus, and lots of reasonably-priced (and healthy) restaurants. Room not vacuumed properly although manager offered to do it herself. However, I didn't want it vacuumed when I was in room. After seeing what other people paid, this turned out to be a very good deal. Hotel was sold out several nights we were there.

On Saturday, 4/6, bid up to $69 for a 3* in all Galveston zones (West, East, Offats Bay). Didn't get a hotel and didn't even get a counter. I know Friday night is the problem, but again, I'm not willing to change hotels. I have a Country Inn for 2 nights @ $80/nt (AAA rate) and a free night for Friday (which was a lot more expensive -- somewhere around $140). Afraid to bid on 2.5* since there are some hotels there I do not like. Can't bid any more since Country Inn cancellation date was yesterday. Was checking Hotwire and Priceline Express for a few weeks off and on and never saw anything reasonably priced. Not much data on Galveston so hard to know whether I was close or not. I suspect not. Used BB link for bids.

Won this hotel last night. Amenities are free breakfast, free internet, business center, hi-speed internet, fitness center and a bunch of accessible stuff -- blind, deaf, wheelchair, path of travel, bathroom, in-room accessibility (whatever that is)-- and handicapped parking. Total cost was $1180.17 -- room ($945.00), taxes ($200.07) and fees ($35.10). Am reasonably satisfied. Was pretty sure it was this hotel from Better Bidding website (thanks a lot), Trip Advisor rating (3.5/5), and Hotwire reviews so investigated before I booked. Comments generally good, especially good service, although rooms are small. Noticed there were no reviews since Hurricane Sandy so I called the phone number before booking and was redirected to a Holiday Inn near Madison Square Garden. I found out the hotel is still closed -- damage to the boilers in the basement and first floor -- and will reopen in mid-April so hopefully it will. And I hope the staff is the same although I think that is highly unlikely given the amount of time that has passed. Booked my airfare almost 2 weeks ago and saw nothing even close to this price on either Hotwire or Priceline Express (or any hotel website) so I thought I'd maybe wait until last minute. This was about the maximum I wanted to pay although I would have liked a 4*. I did lowball bids on Priceline on 3/26 ($115 for 4* in several Manhattan areas, but all were rejected. If I didn't get something, I'd just cancel the trip (airfare on Southwest so could reuse funds). The hotel is no longer available today. There's a different 3* for $183. Cost on Holiday Inn website is $229 (AAA). Prices in New York seem higher this year. Last year I got a Hilton Garden Inn for 8 nights including Memorial Day weekend for about $137/nt (no fees either so actually lower price) on Hilton's website, and I got free breakfast with my gold card and heaps of Hilton points. This year Hilton hotels start around $235/nt. We're unwilling to change hotels -- too much of a hassle and time consuming so splitting is not an option. Speaking of fees and taxes, the taxes Hotwire calculated are much higher than I would pay had I booked a $135/nt hotel. Tax rate in NYC is slightly less than 15% plus $3.50 per day. This would be only about $165 versus the $200 they listed. That plus the $35 fee adds about $10/nt. This seems like a lot higher than they have charged in the past. Has anyone else noticed this? I noticed the same thing on Priceline Express, eg, high taxes and fees, which added about $10/nt. Used Better Bidding link.

Just wanted to confirm that this property is still quite nice for a 2*. The rooms were renovated not too long ago, and the decor is attractive. Beds are comfortable. Room is clean and quiet. Lots of reasonably priced restaurants nearby and a Target within walking distance. Our room had a fridge and microwave so we went to a grocery store nearby and got some healthy food, eg, fruit, nuts, whole grain bread, to snack on and also supplement the breakfast. The breakfast is basic, but it's free. The front desk staff is very good -- one really top-notch person -- won an award from La Quinta -- and the remainder are acceptable or better. However, this is not a 4* property so don't expect that type of ambiance, but for a reasonably-priced hotel, it's well above average.

I just looked at the Priceline hotel list, and the LaQuinta is shown as "not yet reported". It's reported now as Priceline Express. Do you intend to change this -- or are you going to have a new list for Priceline Express deals?

Two reasonably priced breakfast suggestions: 1) Corner Bakery restaurant on the southwest corner of Michigan and Wacker and 2) Pittsfield Cafe in Building at 55 E. Washington. This is a bit of a walk, but it's a classic Chicago coffee shop. Been there for years. If you like Chinese food, you can take the red line (state Street) to Chinatown for lunch or dinner.

This was a PRICELINE EXPRESS Deal, not a bid. Total cost $263.82. Am very pleased with this. Was almost sure it was the LaQuinta based on the description (free breakfast, free internet, free parking, pets allowed, fitness center and bed choice with a guest rating of 8.0). When I clicked to buy, the bed choice came up with king or two doubles, both pillowtop with 32" HDTV. (More bed options at higher cost too.) There aren't that many 2-star hotels in that area, and all the others had lower ratings. Further, the LaQuinta website said the hotel had pillowtop beds and 32" HDTV's. Nevertheless, when I clicked purchase, I was happy to see my hunch was right. We've stayed at this hotel a number of times, and it is fine (a bit above my minimum standard for a hotel). When I planned my trip last week, I had actually booked this hotel at the AAA rate which would have cost me $406.39 so I saved about $140. I would have received LaQuinta points, but those aren't worth more than maybe $40 so it's still a $100 savings. Further, I would rate the hotel higher, maybe 2.5 stars. The other 2-star hotels in the area got lower guest ratings and aren't as good. (We've stayed at the Red Roof, Super 8, and Extended Stay in past years when my standards were a bit lower.) I'm fairly sure I could have gotten a 2-star cheaper by bidding, but I didn't want to risk getting one of the other hotels in the area. PRICELINE also had a 3-star in Oak Brook for $48, but I think that was the Holiday Inn which I don't like. No breakfast there either. So I like the new PRICELINE EXPRESS feature. I'm willing to pay a little more to know some of the amenities. This is my first purchase with PRICELINE EXPRESS. I used the BB PRICELINE link. I don't see a separate place to post Priceline Express deals so I presume this is the right place.

Won this 2 days ago for tonight. Started bidding at $50, got counter of $63. Added free rebid zone and increased bid to $53 and again got counter of $63. Added another free rebid zone and bid $55 and bingo! Total cost with taxes and fees was $71. I'm in the room now using the free internet since I'm a member of Omni club (no cost to join). Won this hotel several years ago on PRICELINE. Nice. Solid 4 star. No complaints. Checked PRICELINE EXPRESS deals before I bid. They had a 4-star in same area which was probably the Omni for $63 ($80 total) so I saved $9 from that price. HOTWIRE had 4-star for $71 ($87 total), also probably the Omni. Omni website price was $109 ($126 total) so saved $55, about 44%. Used BB PRICELINE link.