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Amenities listed were Free Breakfast, Free Internet, and pool with a 7+ rating. We've stayed at this hotel before and are quite pleased to see it pop up again.

Returned from our stay and have to say that this was one of the more "interesting" hotels we've gotten through Priceline. The Howard Johnson is an older hotel that looks like it could really use a refresh or upgrade. Checking in, the front desk staff commented that they were quite full due to the Farm Show in town. Hence, I think we got a room they normally don't use. There were just little things that were off with it. For example, our room had no trash cans or an alarm clock. Additionally, according to the web site, all rooms had a microwave, refrigerator, and coffee maker. Our room only had a basket of coffee supplies. The light switch in the room operated nothing and the lamps were all unplugged when we got there. The TV also looked like it had been dropped at one time as there was a mashed in corner and large crack in the case. (It still worked.) For one night, the room was fine. It's led to some good jokes about hotels with no trash cans. However, I think I'll start bidding at the 2.5* level in Harrisburg.

Was looking for 1 night in Harrisburg for after a hockey game. Originally bid $30 for 2* in Harrisburg and was rejected. (My SIL actually got the Best Western for the same dates with that bid a week earlier.) Added the Hershey zone, bid $35 and got the Howard Johnson on Eisenhower Blvd. Online reviews look mixed but it's only one night and the Lancaster Brewing Company (one of our fav restaurants in the area) in onsite. Used the PRICELINE link for the bidding.

Needed two rooms in the Harrisburg/Hershey area for one night, 10/30. Bid $30 for a 2* in the Harrisburg area and got an "upgrade" to the 2.5* Best Western Inn and Suites on Eisenhower Blvd. We've stayed here before through Priceline and have no complaints. Used the PRICELINE link to make our bid.

I needed two rooms for one night (6/5/2010) up in Harrisburg. Having gotten the La Quinta for $46 two weeks ago on HOTWIRE, I checked there first. I decided to try PRICELINE after the lowest available price on HOTWIRE was $59. Bid $40 for a 2* in the Harrisburg zone and got the 2.5* Best Western Inn and Suites. Surprised but pleased to have my initial bid accepted. Used the PRICELINE link to submit my bid.

Following up since this is a new hotel on the list. We stayed for one night. We were really just looking for a place to sleep after a Bears game before driving home the next morning. The La Quinta fit the bill perfectly. It's right off the "Capital Beltway" about a mile for the exit for Hershey. Road is basically one long strip of hotels/motels and restaurants. As several of the Trip Advisor reviews state, it's a good "basic" hotel. It looks like they may be in the process of "refreshing" the rooms. Our room looked like it had been recently wallpapered and there was a nice selection of "soft" and "firm" pillows on the bed. Mattress was quite nice and felt new, but they still had the old style blanket and bedspread combo. Bathroom was definitely older, but was clean and in good shape. Room also came with good, complimentary Wi-Fi and wired internet and a fridge/microwave combo. Breakfast was included and was ok. There were about 4 varieties of cold cereal, plain bagels, white and wheat bread, yogurt, two varieties of juice, and hard boiled eggs. They also had a couple "make your own" waffle stations that saw constant use while we were there. Most folks seemed to make a beeline for those. Coffee, hot water, and tea were also available. Overall, in our opinion, the La Quinta fit our needs and we felt it was a good value for the money. We'd happily stay there again the next time we're passing through the area.

New one for your list. Harrisburg (Central), 2.5*, 5/15-5/16/2010 Amenities: Complimentary Breakfast Laundry High Speed Internet Golf Nearby $46 La Quinta Inn Harrisburg Airport/Hershey

I was looking for a post-cruise hotel after Thanksgiving and got the Comfort Suites Airport and Cruiseport. Our price is $69 and the AAA rate starts at $126 for that night. Not too bad! Icons shown were Suite, Complimentary Breakfast, Pool, High Speed Internet, and Laundry.

I purchasesd the Best Western 9/18-9/22/06 since I was in Annapolis for a training class. The Best Western is located in a commerical area of Annapolis, not in downtown. For me, this is perfect since my class is a 3 minute drive. The waterfront is about a 10 minute drive away. There are a number of shopping plazas right near by, so you can find almost any restaurant or store you're looking for with little effort. Overall, the Best Western is a typical motel. Amenties are on the basic side, but if you're not looking for them, the price is certainly right. The best feature of the place is its staff. They are always smiling, friendly, and working hard to ensure that you have a good stay. When first arriving, the place was somewhat difficult to locate since it is set off the road behind several buildings. It also doesn't help that the sign is mostly obstructed by a couple of trees. After exiting 665, take a left at the first traffic light. After winding behind a Bank of America and another office building, you will see the three buildings that comprise the Best Western. The lobby is located in the second one and quite well signed. Looking at the structure, the current Best Western was probably comprised of 2 different motels at one time. Two of the buildings have exterior entrances and are set right next to one another. (The pool is in between them.) These buildings house the lobby. The third has interior enterances and is set across a small parking lot. The fitness center is in that building.) At check-in, the receptionist set the tone of my stay. She was quite welcoming and there was no mention of Hotwire or a pre-paid stay. I was given a 2 double bed room in the same building as the lobby. The room is typical of every Days Inn, Comfort Inn, and similar motels I have stayed in. There's a decent TV which gets about 5 channels, a large minifridge with microwave, coffee maker, and full sized ironing board in the room. There's also a small table and two chairs. The closet area is on the small side and a part of the sink section of the room. The room is clean and housekeeping has done a good job keeping it that way. Water pressure in the shower is excellent and I've yet to run out of hot water, no matter the time of day. The beds are also of good quality, not too hard or too soft. A continental breakfast is served from 6-10 each morning. There are several choices of cold and hot cereal, breakfast pasteries, bagels, waffles, pancakes, yogurt, fruit, juice, and coffee. Having seen the delivery truck this morning, everything appears to be Sara Lee. However, the selection is pretty good and there are a large number of tables that are cleaned as soon as someone leaves. There is free wi-fi in the rooms. The speed is quite decent and set-up was minimal. Additionally, there is a card describing how to set up a free wired ethernet connection, but I haven't found the jack to do that. The pool closed Labor Day and I haven't made it over to the fitness center. Check-out was simply returning my room key to the front desk. All in all, I was very pleased with my stay. At $43 a night, it was a steal. If you're looking for a clean, basic motel not in downtown Annapolis, the Best Western is good deal. If you want something a bit more upscale or downtown, you'd be better off selecting a different hotel.

Having been sent to Annapolis for a training class, I did a last minute Hotwire purchase and got the Best Western. Amenity Icons listed were Airport Shuttle, Complimentary Breakfast, Pool, Fitness Center, High Speed Internet, and Laundry. Price was $43 a night with a total of $245.67 for five nights. I am currently staying at the hotel and have been quite pleased with the purchase. The Best Western is located in a commerical area of Annapolis, not in downtown. For me, this is perfect since my class is a 3 minute drive. The waterfront is about a 10 minute drive away. There are a number of shopping plazas right near by, so you can find almost any restaurant or store you're looking for with little effort. Overall, the Best Western is a typical motel. Amenties are on the basic side, but if you're not looking for them, the price is certainly right. The best feature of the place is its staff. They are always smiling, friendly, and working hard to ensure that you have a good stay. When first arriving, the place was somewhat difficult to locate since it is set off the road behind several buildings. It also doesn't help that the sign is mostly obstructed by a couple of trees. After exiting 665, take a left at the first traffic light. After winding behind a Bank of America and another office building, you will see the three buildings that comprise the Best Western. The lobby is located in the second one and quite well signed. Looking at the structure, the current Best Western was probably comprised of 2 different motels at one time. Two of the buildings have exterior entrances and are set right next to one another. (The pool is in between them.) These buildings house the lobby. The third has interior enterances and is set across a small parking lot. The fitness center is in that building.) At check-in, the receptionist set the tone of my stay so far. She was quite welcoming and there was no mention of Hotwire or a pre-paid stay. I was given a 2 double bed room in the same building as the lobby. The room is typical of every Days Inn, Comfort Inn, and similar motels I have stayed in. There's a decent TV which gets about 5 channels, a large minifridge with microwave, coffee maker, and full sized ironing board in the room. There's also a small table and two chairs. The closet area is on the small side and a part of the sink section of the room. The room is clean and housekeeping has done a good job keeping it that way. Water pressure in the shower is excellent and I've yet to run out of hot water, no matter the time of day. The beds are also of good quality, not too hard or too soft. A continental breakfast is served from 6-10 each morning. There are several choices of cold and hot cereal, breakfast pasteries, bagels, waffles, pancakes, yogurt, fruit, juice, and coffee. Having seen the delivery truck this morning, everything appears to be Sara Lee. However, the selection is pretty good and there are a large number of tables that are cleaned as soon as someone leaves. There is free wi-fi in the rooms. The speed is quite decent and set-up was minimal. Additionally, there is a card describing how to set up a free wired ethernet connection, but I haven't found the jack to do that. The pool closed Labor Day and I haven't made it over to the fitness center. All in all, I have been very pleased with my stay. At $43 a night, it has been a steal. If you're looking for a basic motel not in downtown Annapolis, the Best Western is good deal. If you want something a bit more upscale or downtown, you'd be better off selecting a different hotel.

Success!! After numerous failed bids, I have a winning bid! I found out that someone else had won a 2.5* in the MIA zone on my exact days for $58. Their previous rejected bid was $55. So, I bid-- $56 on MIA--rejected added North Miami at $57--rejected added Key Biscayne at $58--accepted! Hotel is the Amerisuites at Miami Airport. I was hoping for either the Hampton Inn or the Amerisuites, so I'm thrilled! Thanks for your assistance!

thereuare--yes, I am aware that I could be upgraded to a 3*. That is one reason I am looking to keep my bids low. Unfortunately, there are a couple 2*s I've found that come up on Priceline that are a bit further out than we'd like to stay. Plus I've found a few scathing reviews on a couple of them. I'd prefer to stick to the 2.5* range rather than incur the rath of my husband! :)

As requested, the Seattle thread is closed. Since I never used Hotwire or Priceline, there is nothing to report. My parents didn't want to risk not getting the late checkout they needed. I'd prefer to stick to a 2.5*. The parking rates I've found at the 3*s are insane ($10+) and the free breakfast with the 2.5* is a big draw for my husband. Since we're really just sleeping at the hotel, the star rating isn't a huge deal. I'm moving my current reservation to through your link. Thanks.

Since my parents needed a late checkout, they chose to book directly through the hotel. Priceline was a wee bit too risky for them.

Been trying Priceline with no success thus far. Trying to get a 2.5* in the Miami Airport zone for 10/7-10/9. I've used the following bidding strategy-- Airport $45 - rejected added North Miami $50 - rejected added Key Biscayne $55 - rejected I currently have a back-up reservation at the Hampton Inn at $79 a night. I'd prefer to not pay more than $55-60 and would like to stick to a 2.5* since most of the 3* charge for parking. Am I shooting too low or has the inventory not been released? Do you have any other recommended strategies? Thanks!

I'm in the process of finishing booking my parents' Alaskan cruise. The last piece I need is a hotel in Seattle. They'll be arriving on May 30th and checking out on May 31st. The catch is that they have a 11:55pm flight on May 31st and will need a place to store their luggage during the day. They're hoping to do this at the hotel they stay at. I checked out Hotwire for those dates and see a 4* for $138. The icons are restaurant, pool, fitness center, business center, and customer favorite. Based on those icons, I'm assuming that it is the Westin. However, when I check starwood.com, it claims that there is no availablilty for those dates. Is it possible to get the Westin on Hotwire even though they claim no availability? If it were me, I'd bite. But it's not my money or trip. Any advice is appreciated.