Travelgirl22

Thanx foe the Pre Cruise Hotels link! Very helpful. And yes that weekend seems very busy for cruises. At this rate if I want to keep the cost at under $200 downtown or airport, I will have to choose 2*, correct?

I chose the Downtown and Beach zones because they are close to the ports and I will be cruising the next day. Maybe I will check the airport area next. :(

UPDATE: Just rebid for 4* FLL Beach area up to $162 with no luck. Used 5 rebid zones, started at $130 or so. Note I used 5 rebid zones; when I checked on PL's page, Pompano Beach was listed as having a 4* hotel available. Any idea what this could be? I know last time that zone definitely didn't have one.

Ok, just rebid using PRICELINE link above, 3.5* FLL Downtown, one night, up to $155 with no luck. going to head to lunch and try the 4* beach. Surprised, both hotels in that range, the Riverside and Crowne Plaza, are coming in at just over $200, thought for sure a $155 bid would snag one. Oh well, thrill of the chase! Travelgirl22

Decided to bid for a 4* in FLL Beach instead, since more rebid zones, more hotels with rooms available and Hyatt Pier 66 listed rate of $199 for my dates, so I bid PL up to $107 using all 6 free rebids, no luck. I see the Hyatt Pier 66 listed here as possible hotel but didn't see it on PL when I checked prices for named hotels, so I was afraid to choose Express 4* FLL Beach hotel I saw for $216. Trying to stay under $125 total. Will try again Friday?

Ah! Thanks for that tip! I was determining the star rating based on the FLL hotel list on this website. I did as you said and checked via Priceline by selecting the different zones, and find that ONLY Airport North and Miramar are my rebid zones! I've been bidding for years, but not every year, so glad to have this website to help me keep up. I will wait a few more days, see if rates change (in 3* as well), then update request. :D

Brr! Freezing in Chicago, just writing this post makes me warmer! I need to book a hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, one night, 2/22 (Sat.) near downtown which I understand is close to Port Everglades. Area: Ft. Lauderdale, Downtown Desired rating: 3.5* Desired rate: $110 Current 3.5* rates for desired area: Crowne Plaza Ft. Lauderdale Airport/Cruise, $277, Riverside Hotel, $234/nt (a few other hotels in the area are at capacity for that night, so that's either a busy cruise weekend or it's just difficult to get a Saturday night only) Free rebids: Airport North, Hollywood, Pompano Beach, Miramar The only reason I want to bid is because the express rates for that area are at least $191/nt. Even the 3* Holiday Inn Express Ft. Lauderdale is listed at $269. Thanks for your help! B)

I know this is WAAY late response, but my relatives booked directly with Hyatt McCormick Place, $99/nt for 2 nights. :D

Yes, thanx for sharing this, Crcraswell! I am looking to get a hotel in downtown FLL on 2/22 (cruising next day) and would like to spend less than $100 if possible. I was going to try PL but may consider Hotwire instead. :D

Thanx, AaronJB! I'll ask if my cousin wants to chance it or keep her original reservation. :D

Just checked Hotwire again, now the price has dropped to $76, and the crossed out price listed "on other sites" is now $99. Can anyone help ID? Amenities: Indoor pool, fitness center, pools, business center, restaurants, high speed internet access, wheelchair accessible. Thanx!

My apologies! My original request was for the Hotwire Secret hot Rate, and I listed those amenities. I also check PL's Express but that hotel is listed at 3.5* and the amenities don't match the one on Hotwire.

I like PL's express booking, but with no maps very hard to tell which area. The PRICELINE EXPRESS Booking has a 3.5* hotel for those dates but the amenities Pets Allowed and Free Internet, I don't think it's the Hyatt.

Hi! I have relatives coming in this weekend, would like them to be south near me. Hoping that the 4* Hotel McCormick Place/South Loop/Soldier Field is the Hyatt. Current rate is $78. Here are amenities: Indoor pool(s) Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center High-Speed Internet Access Wheelchair accessible If there's any chance it's the Hilton, I will stick with the PL rate of $99/nt. Thanx! :-D

Just got back, lovely hotel but rooms are small! FYI, the hotel charges $20 for overnight parking, but a block away on Main Street is a Courthouse parking lot for $5 overnight!

Was nervous about hotel availability on a major holiday. The Westin website listed this at $149 (2 rooms). Per Hotwire I was sure the Sheraton was going to come up. Still glad to get this hotel downtown, close enough to OSU campus for a game on Friday. Thanx!

Got this hotel after bidding the day before up to $80 with no luck. Waited 24 hrs., then checked Hotwire to see how much they were offering. Using this forum, I could tell Hotwire had the Crowne Plaza for $75/nt (amenities were restaurant, business center, pool, tennis nearby). Decided to try PL once more at $70 and got it! THe website price was $127. Mixed reviews but at least I know I don't have to use hotel parking, I'll check the residential streets. Thanx so much! :)

Here are the amenities listed for Holiday Inn Midtown: Fitness Center, Business Center, Pool, Spa services, Laundry facility, Restaurant, High Speed Internet Access. I actually bid up to $160 for a 4*, then at one point I did a new bid for a 3.5* but with no luck. I can go back and check my bids if you want to know; it was kinda of a blur!

I snagged this after frantically bidding on Priceline for a room during the very busy Canada Day/Jazz Fest/Royal visit weekend. My fault for splitting the bid. I won a priceline bid at the Wed.-Fri. night at Le Centre Sheraton for a $101/nt, and I'd hoped to eventually extend the visit for the same price or more. Rooms in the city became more scarce, and my bid attempts at 4* were not successful. I'd see rooms on Priceline for $262, and I tried bidding half, $130, but no go. At 3:30 am on the date of checkout, HOTWIRE showed 1 room available in the city, a 3.5* hotel in downtown Montreal. I booked the Holiday Inn Midtown for $193/nt. It's not a bad hotel but I'd question the rating because the room was kinda small and could use an update. But there was a nice restaurant downstairs and it was close to public transportation and the jazz Festival. I've been to Montreal at least 7 times and never had this much problem getting a room. I'd figured with the recession that hotels would not sell out. But there truly was very little room at the inn this time. Can't thank you all enough for your help. I didn't mind switching hotels, but I wonder why if Priceline had hotels when the hotel websites showed them as fully booked, why was it so hard to get a room? If the inventory is low, should I avoid bidding altogether and go to Hotwire? :)

I had the same issue! Was trying to book Montreal for Canada Day weekend, signed up for alerts, bid up to $160 when I could see Priceline had availability, with no luck! I checked the e-mails closer and realized that they didn't list the dates. Grrr!

Thanks for the heads up and revising my topic header! :)

UPDATE! GOOD NEWS: I split my bid, 4* from 6/29-7/1, got Le Sheraton Centre at $101! BAD NEWS: I immediately tried to extend my stay via the link was rejected at Le Sheraton. Grr! Might wait until tonight or tomorrow to extend or just re-bid for Fri/Sat. Will keep you posted and update forum title, etc.

Just bid up to $125 for 4* in Montreal. Here's the breakdown: Started at $95 in downtown, rejected --added Convention Center/Latin Quatier at $100, rejected --added Laval at $106, rejected --added Longueil at $111, rejected --added Pointe Clare at $125, rejected Maybe try a new bid at 3***, see what happens. Kinda surprised, the Hyatt showed $218 and the Intercontinental $201. Will keep you updated!

I was hoping the prices would go down a bit, economy being so bad and all, and I've seen some fluctuations. I will check prices again tomorrow and bid then. I have a vague hope the prices will go down 2 days before, but not sure I feel safe waiting until then to book. Thanks for your suggestion! :)

Hoping to get a 4* in downtown Montreal for the Jazz Festival! I'm somewhat of a Priceline vet, bid several times. I'm aware I have 3 free re-bid zones. I'm hoping to spend no more than $420 total on a hotel for 4 nites, so my max bid (before tax) is $80. The rates at the 4* hotels on Priceline's hotel list (Montreal Downtown and Convention Center) range from $203 (Inter-Continental) to $387 (W Hotel). Several hotels list no availability for my dates, although when I take out the Sat. stay, some open up. I'd prefer not to split the bid if possible. Any suggestions where I should start? Or do I wait a few more days? Thanx for your help! :)