Nautica3

I don't have a printout w/ me, but I could swear it showed Fitness and Laundry. That's why I got confused and thought it was the Candlewood--the only thing missing was the Kitchenette. It seems quite strange to leave off so many other amenities that the Clarion usually lists. In fact, I've checked H/W twice this week, and it appears the Clarion is back to it's old self--showing Shuttle, Business Ctr, Fitness, pool, restaurant, access to tennis. Go figure! There is also a 2* showing in West Des Moines for next week that shows ONLY pool. Don't know which one that might be, and I know the area pretty well! It's also listed at $43/night, $7 higher than the Clarion! Nautica

Stayed here again a few weeks ago. That time I got a room on the second floor, away from the highway. Room was slightly smaller than previous time, with only a single standard double bed instead of a King. Also, no hair dryer in the room. Apparently, according to the front desk, none of the rooms on the second floor have complimentary hair dryers. Go figure.

Amenities displays have been changed! Clarion --------- Even though I'm pretty sure that the hotel still has its restaurant, business center, shuttle, and pool, these are not listed on Hotwire (at least not that I can see for my transaction). Only shown are fitness center and laundry facilities. Go figure. Candlewood ---------------- A buddy here at work says when he booked the Candlewood via H/W for the current week, it only listed fitness center and laundry, with no mention of the kitchenette that they have in every room! Nautica3

Forgot to post this last week. Tried $30/night in WDM, and got the Courtyard, right off the bat. I've stayed here once before at this rate, but have tried it several other times without success, so it's sporadic availability only. Asked for and got a mini-fridge and microwave moved into the room! The very pretty & friendly redhead named Renea working the front desk was quite helpful. She even gave me pizza coupons last night. Details are: ======== Check in: Mon Sept 1st Check out: Fri Sept 5th Rate: $30/night # Rooms: 1 # Nights: 4 Subtotal: $120.00 Tax/Fees: $21.93 Total: $141.93 Nautica3

Tried $30/night for 2.5*in WDM, got nothing. Added Airport sector for free rebid, tried $32 and got it (knew I would--unless there's a major event in town, the CI&S is virtually ALWAYS available at $32/night). Details are: ======== Check-In Date: Sunday, September 7, 2003 Check-Out Date: Friday, September 12, 2003 Hotel Name: Country Inn And Suites Des Moines West 1350 Nw 118th Street Clive, Iowa 50325 515-223-9254 Your Offer Price: $32.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 5 Subtotal: $160.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $27.98 Total Charges: $187.98 Nautica3

Almost forgot to mention... There was a guy checking in immediately before me on Sunday night (about 10:45pm). He obviously didn't have a reservation, because his first words were "Do you have any vacancies?". They quoted him a rate of $69/night, which was reduced to $65.50/night when he asked about AAA discount. During all this, I thought "I could stay almost 3 nights for every 1 he stays. Thank God for Priceline!" Laertes

Okay, my stay here this time has been all right. Asked for three things at check-in: 1) Non-smoking room 2) King Bed 3) First floor. Got the Non-smoking only. Room is 2nd floor, but at least it's on the side away from the highway. One double bed only. Luckily it's just me in there. They claimed they had a large group taking up a bunch of the type of rooms I was requesting, but I didn't see any evidence of that. Also, my room has no hair dryer. Luckily, I keep an old spare one in the trunk of my car. The guy at the front desk said none of the 2nd-floor rooms have them. Why not, and why the second floor rooms in particular, I didn't bother to ask. Go figure. The room is clean and decent, as before. Breakfast is fine, if predictable. I'm just a little peeved at them for not getting me the type of room I asked for. On the other hand, a pretty girl staying down the hall smiled at me on Monday. That helped. Laertes

Have stayed there before. Saw it on H/W for originally $37/night, then $38. Waited a couple of days (Wednesday seems to be the magic day for rates to go down somewhat) and saw it again for $35. Decided to go for it. That's only $3/night more than my probabe P/L cost for a 2.5*, and I get a full-sized fridge, microwave, and two-burner stovetop for that. Yeah, there's no pool, but I'll save at least the cost difference in what I don't have to pay for dinners out at restaurants. Besides, I only use the pool 50% of the time anyway. I know some folks on TOBB get their nose out of joint and say it's not a 2.5*, that P/L rates it a 2*, that the maid service is only once a week, etc.... Frankly, it's one of the nicer facilities I've stayed at here in WDM, and I like it! :) Laertes :)

Details: Hotel Name: Fairfield Inn Des Moines 1600 Nw 114th Street Clive, Iowa 50325 515-226-1600 Check-In Date: Sunday, August 17, 2003 Check-Out Date: Friday, August 22, 2003 Your Offer Price: $25.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 5 Subtotal: $125.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $22.95 Total Charges: $147.95 Decided to go the cheapy route next week, after a couple weeks of more pricey rooms (due to the State Fair being in town). Have stayed here before--it's okay. Nautica3

Even if H/W can't *beat* P/L directly on price, it still works for me under certain situations. If I've tried a couple times on P/L, and can't get accepted on what I believe are reasonable offers, and H/W is offering a hotel at a fairly close price, I'll go with H/W, since it's a sure thing. I don't mind paying a buck or two more per night for the sure thing. Then again, I'm going for the same area over & over again, and I know all the hotels that are likely to be involved, so I've got some pretty decent working knowledge of what to expect. This strategy won't work for everyone. Nautica3 <-- Hoping to find a job in St. Louis so I can stop travelling!

Tried and rejected for the following (all for Aug 10-15): 1) 2.5*, West Des Moines/Clive, $32/night 2) 2*, WDM/Cl, $25/night 3) 2.5*, WDM/Cl, $33/night (added DSM Airport area for instant rebid) 4) 2*, WDM/Cl, $27/night (added NW DSM/Urbandale area for instant rebid) At this point I gave up and booked the Clarion via H/W for $35/night (details in Iowa Hotwire thread). I half expected this, as the Iowa State Fair is running that week. Glad I had H/W to fall back on. It's obvious that reservations are up that week, because the first 2 bids are old standards that have historically been successful many times (I've done them myself more than once), and the secondary bids are slightly higher. [Granted, I had some "relocation" risk w/ bid #4, as there are no 2* hotels in the NW DSM area, but there are 2.5* ones. Still, I figured I wasn't likely to have a 2.5* hotel pick up a $27/night bid, and even if they did, it's a decent area and only a 5-mile difference in distance, and a great rate for a 2.5*!] Nautica3

Also booked for the following week, Aug 10-15, same rate and all. At $35/night, with the Iowa State Fair running, I figured I couldn't get a better deal. Had already been denied several times by Priceline for the same timeframe (rejections posted in Iowa Priceline thread). Nautica3

Check-in: Sun, Aug 3rd Check-out: Fri, Aug 8th # rooms: 1 # nights: 5 Price: $35.00 Taxes/Fees: $26.95 Total Cost: $201.95 Amenities listed: Business Center/Services, Fitness, Tennis nearby, Pool, Restaurant, Airport Shuttle, Laundry Facilities. Stayed there before. Nice enough. Will request my old room from the second time there (or one just like it). Avoid the second floor--it smells like the kitchen! Nautica3

Okay, I noticed something strange w/ Hotwire yesterday. Got me wondering. My buddy Frank, who sits in the cube next to me at work, is also a consultant. He travels in from NJ every week to Des Moines. Originally he was booking full-priced hotel rooms, but I've schooled him in the ways of P/L and H/W, and now he's saving big bucks like the rest of us. Anyway, yesterday he went to H/W to book a room for the week of Aug 4th. I'd aleady booked for that week, getting the local Clarion (2.5* rating on H/W) for $35/night. The only other option listed was a 3* for $71/night--no thanks! So Frank goes in on his PC, and the H/W results screen--for the same search parameters--comes up with a 3* for $65 and a 2.5* for $55! Very strange! We tried it again after he'd logged out of H/W, and the results were still $65/55. Then we cleared out his Internet files (including cookies) and shut down the MSIE window. Started a new browser window, tried H/W again, and came out w/ results of $71/35, just like I'd gotten. Like I said...strange! This got we wondering about how H/W works. Basically the only difference between Frank & I as H/W users is that I prefer 2.5* hotels, while he prefers 3*. Otherwise we're booking for the same area, same dates. Has anyone ever seen anything like this? Any thoughts on the matter? Nautica3

On Tipping... Maids - Never. Color me cheap, but I've barely even heard of this practice, and I don't believe I'd see any difference wether I did tip or not. What are they going to do, scrub the toilet extra hard? Give me extra tiny bars of soap? Bellhops - Rarely use them. When I have, I usually give $1 per major bag. Totes, purses, briefcases don't count. Parking attendants - Usually not used, but if so, generally $1 per round-trip. Then again, I'm not driving a fancy car. Desk clerks - Never. Room service - If the tip is not already included on the bill (and it usually is), I'll do 15%. By the way, I always thought that the "service charge" was for the linens and dishes involved (which is still ridiculous, since they don't charge their restaurant diners for that). Shuttle driver - $1 per round-trip for short trips. $2 or more if it's a longer trip or there are significant bags involved. Concierge - Never used one. No clue here. Nautica3

That may have been the case...I don't exactly recall. That's why I put in the disclaimer. I'll keep an eye out for it if it happens again. -N

There is only one 2.5* entry listed for the week in question, and its amenities don't match up w/ the Candlewood. In fact, I tried last week and the CW did appear then, but it was too early IMO to go ahead and book the room, so I didn't. Now it's not there. I *have* seen times when >1 hotels of the same level & area were listed on the H/W results page. At least, I think I recall seeing that. As far as going to the CW homepage and checking their regular rates and availability...well, I'm too lazy to do that. :) And I definitely don't want to be bothered with checking out mid-week and moving to a different hotel. I'll pay more $/night just to avoid that! I'll check H/W for the CW later this week--maybe it'll show up then! -N

Well, my other option would be to bid P/L at the 2.5* level, thus giving up on the CW but likely getting something else just as nice. Which is what I'll probably do. The inherent issue here is the difference between P/L ratings and H/W ratings. P/L seems rather more restrictive on their ratings. I have stayed at the 2* Candlewood Inn and Clarion Hotel and Conference Center in West Demoines. H/W rates those two as 2.5*, and I tend to agree more w/ the H/W rating than the P/L rating. Of course, much of this is personal preference. But the fact that the CW is rated the same as the FF on P/L means I effectively can't bid on the CW using P/L without risking getting a much lower quality hotel (the FF). Oh well, c'est la vie! -N

Okay, I'm just going to blurt out the details here--no need to be discreet, as far as I can tell. I seriously doubt there's any way to pull this off, but figured it doesn't hurt to ask. Here's the deal--I work in West Des Moines, IA, but live in St. Louis. So every week I drive up here (flight costs simply TOO high, no matter what), and every week I book a hotel room. Have been pretty successful for the past month or so in booking decent rooms for cheap. Generally prefer to stay in 2.5* hotels, but am in the Candlewood Suites this week, which P/L lists as a 2*. It's actually VERY nice IMO, and I definitely wouldn't mind coming back here. However, I got this deal through Hotwire, not Priceline. And I don't see the CW listed on H/W for the next few weeks. I'm afraid if I try P/L, I won't get the CW. You see, there's a local Fairfield Inn that's also a 2*, and pulls in a LOT of business because they'll accept P/L bids of $25/night--it's common knowledge. Now the Candlewood, being also a 2*, falls into the same category/location as the FF. I'm afraid that any bid I do, hoping for the Candlewood, will instead be assigned to the FF. Trust me, after having stayed at both, I'd MUCH rather stay at the CW. :) Any ideas? If I bid higher for a 2*, do I have a chance that the CW will accept it, or will the FF snatch it and take more of my $$? Anyone know how P/L works in assigning hotels if >1 are willing to accept your offer? Or am I just SOL on this? :) Nautica3

Tried $30/night in WDM area only, and got rejected. Added DSM Airport area, and re-bid at $32/night, Accepted! Country Inn & Suites Rooms: 1 Nights: 4 Price: $32/night Subtotal: $128.00 Taxes & Fees: $23.56 Total: $151.56 This is a nice hotel. Stayed there a couple weeks ago. Looking forward to returning! -N

It's a Fairfield, which means (IMO) "don't expect much beyond clean". The place was clean. Room felt a little smaller than others I've been in recently, especially in/around the bathroom. Got a non-smoking room w/ single King bed on the first floor. The bed was surprisingly comfortable! Unfortunately, the room was on the side of the hotel facing the highway, on the first floor. Traffic noise, however, was surprisingly not bad in the room. The a/c unit wasn't loud by any means, but it provided just enough "white noise" to cancel out any highway noise I might've heard. TV was small--probably a 19 or 20" unit. Definitely not 25" or bigger. Typical crappy remote control (is it a law that hotels can't provide decent remotes to their customers! Geez!) Complimentary Continental Breakfast was served daily. Not bad, but no variety, so it got a little boring after several days. But it was decent. The pool was fine. 5' max depth. Usually the towel rack out there was empty or close to it, so be sure to bring a towel from your room. No hot tub. :) Free USA Today available in the lobby. Coffee service available in lobby 24/7. Vending & Ice machines in lobby as well. Free passes to the local Aspen Health Club available at the front desk, and they were quite generous w/ them! Overall, about as I expected. Wouldn't be bad for short-term stays. I'll probably go for something a little more upscale in the future (I generally like 2.5* hotels, and this is definitely only a 2*), but it's fine for what it is. If you're only passing thru or stay for just a few short days, you can't beat the price! Nautica3 :)

Place is typical of a Courtyard hotel. Clean, well-kept, tasteful-yet-conservative decorating...nothing exciting overall. Room had a sleeper loveseat and a work desk. Pool was rather small, but sufficient. hot tub was nice size and toasty! Close to the highway, but fairly well insulated. Noise wasn't really an issue. Mini-fridges available upon request if you're staying several nights.

Here's the details: Location: Des Moines, IA City Area: West Des Moines - Clive Hotel Quality: 2.5-star Value Candlewood Suites - Des Moines 7625 Office Plaza Drive North West Des Moines, IA 50266 (515) 221-0001 Check-in Date: Sun, Jul 20, 2003 Check-out Date: Fri, Jul 25, 2003 Number Of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 5 Price per night: $36.00 Subtotal: $180.00 Total Taxes and Booking Fees: $27.95 Total: $207.95 Listed Amenities: Fitness center, Kitchenette, Guest Laundry

Added the downtown Des Moines area, and tried again for 2.5* at $33/night. Still no dice. Got frustrated, and figured I'd just go w/ the easiest option--$36/night on Hotwire. I'll post the results of that in the appropriate message board. Wish I'd read your post prior to doing all that. Oh well, live & learn! How did you check the rates of the Courtyard and Country Inn/Suites? Do you mean you went out to their websites and looked at their posted rates for each specific night? How do you figure out what that means in terms of availability of P/L rooms, based on their posted rack rates? Please clarify--it sounds like I'm missing something here, and since I'll be doing this for several more weeks, I need all the help I can get! :) Nautica3

Tried $29/night for 2.5* in West Des Moines. Have seen postings that this has been successful in the past. Didn't work. Added the Des Moines Airport area, and resubmitted at $32/night (I've successfully bid this in the past). No dice! Ugh! Am debating on whether to: a) Add Merle Hay area (this is about 5 miles further away, and has 2.5* hotels in it, so there's a risk there), :) Up my price after 72 hours, or c) Go w/ Hotwire--they're listing a 2.5* w/ fitness center, laundry, and kitchenette for $36/night. Decisions, decisions.... Nautica3