Used PRICELINE EXPRESS:
Amentities listed on the booking confirmation:
Free Breakfast
Free Internet (in Room)
Pet Friendly
Indoor Pool
Non-Smoking
Gym
Handicap Accessible
Business Center
Originally tried a Name Your Own Price bid at $65, was countered with a $85 offer, decided to use the Express Deals with the 10% off coupon for an effective $74 rate rather than attempting a rebid in 24 hours.
Old win, but this information might be useful to someone.
Nothing much to say for this one. Nice property, not near much but only needed a place to sleep before the IndyCar race at pcono.
Good deal - had the same hotel booked for $119 USD + tax ($135 USD total) with the AAA discount, got it on Priceline for $99 CAD + tax, $121.25 CAD total.
Started bidding at $85 CAD in Airport and Airport West over the course of a couple weeks, I imagine the 99 CAD bid price works out somewhere around $89-90 USD. I was $1 away from giving up on bidding and sticking with my backup reservation.
Started bidding in $2 increments at $40, got a win at $60. Was looking for 4* in either Downtown or Midtown, ended up getting a great deal at the Marriott (saving more than $500 compared to the lowest available price booking directly on the Marriott site!).
Going through a few of my past bookings to share - this one was booked after missing a connection at CLT, so no chance to research it ahead of time.
3*, $73 rate, one night stay 1/7/2014-1/8/2014
Amentities:
Free Parking
Free Breakfast
Free Internet
Indoor pool(s)
Airport Shuttle
Fitness Center
Pool(s)
Business Center
Self service laundry
Kitchenette
In-room accessibility
The Millennium does have some nice rooms, worthy of a 3* designation - you just don't get them unless you book a "Superior Queen" or "Superior King" room on their website. Unfortunately they only brought a few floors of the hotel up to what I would consider a 3* designation. The rest of it hasn't been renovated since the hotel was lost their Four Points franchise (after originally being downgraded from a full Sheraton)
This isn't even the typical "Worst room in the house for the Priceline customer" situation - you'll get one of the bad rooms if you book with any third-party agent, as they don't sell their best rooms anywhere else except their website. It's unfortunate, but there are better rooms available - I got them to move me into one last time I was there. You just need to pull teeth.
I agree though, I would do my best to avoid this property. Having stayed at many of the 2.5* properties in or immediately adjacent to this zone (the Residence Inn among them), they are far better hotels than the Millennium - the only problem is you risk Priceline "upgrading" you to the Millenium by bidding for them.
Looks like this property has been downgraded to a 3* by Priceline.
Never stayed at a Doubletree before but this seems like a pretty good deal.
3*, $66, 5/17/12-5/18/12
Hotel Espresso on Rue Guy
Amentities:
Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center High-Speed Internet Access
I can confirm that the 3* on Hotwire with the five amentities listed (Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business Center, High-Speed Internet Access) is most likely the Hotel Espresso. Matches up with one of my recent bookings which had it listed with those amentities as a 3*.
Just to follow up - my Credit Card was charged in USD, and the numbers work out to a $40 USD/night room rate. Great deal for peak travel season, even taking in to account the $5.09 resort fee i'll have to pay when I get there.
Was able to identify the property based on past reports on this website.
$42 CAD a night, 12/27 - 12/30 (tried to put this in my title but I guess it was too long)
Amenities were:
Smoke Free, Complimentary Breakfast, Fitness, Pool, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Laundry, Golf
Happy with the price.
The Sold-Out properties you noticed are probably sold out because of Canadian Thanksgiving.
Bid up from 64-75 with no luck on 3.5*
Started again at $45 at 3*, got the aforementioned Best Western City Centre for $45 a night, which turns out to be $18 less than HOTWIRE and $50 a night less than my reservation direct through the hotel.
Thanks for your assistance. That PRICELINE box on the top right hand corner of this site really helps when doing the sign in-sign out thing :)
Looking to stay for 3 nights, checking in on 10/23/10, checking out on 10/26/10.
Aiming for a 3.5* in Quebec (Zone 2)... max bid is going to be around $75.... if I don't get a property when I hit 75 then i'll either start bidding lower on 3* or go to HOTWIRE.
HOTWIRE has a 3* property which matches up with the Best Western City Centre for $64.
Right now I have the Best Western booked on a refundable published rate at $93 a night, which is my backup plan.
Any suggestions where to start? I was thinking around $60 with 2 free re-bid zones....
If the Les Suites is out of your price range but you want to stay nearby, I wouldn't want to use Priceline since Ottawa Downtown is a fairly sized area.
Heres a few places in the immediate area (less than 10 mins Walking Distance) I would check out:
Novotel Ottawa - Directly next door
90 University Residence at the University of Ottawa - Three blocks south - Top floor operates as a hotel year round
Quality Inn Ottawa (Rideau and King Edward) - Three major city blocks away
Days Inn Ottawa (Rideau Street) - Four major city blocks away
Courtyard by Marriot in the Byward Market - Four or Five city blocks away.
The old Carlton County Jail is a couple blocks away and operates as a hostel, but I think they have private rooms too.
Good luck. You might have a better chance finding one of these properties using Hotwire, but i'm a priceline guy so I can't help you there.
I have bid up to $37 so far, no luck I guess i will continue each day until i get to my max. It has told me to bid an extra $10 and it will most likely give me a room. I will try and see how it goes.
if it's telling you to bid an extra $10 i'm pretty sure you'll have a room around $40-43
I'd say go ahead and bid Montreal Downtown 2* at $35... wait out the rebid period and work your way up... if u get up to $55 i'd probably change my bids to 3*
Just looked over the win history for Montreal.
If you're comfortable anywhere in the downtown zone and are willing to spend a bit more, i'd say start bidding 3* at $55, since you have time you can avoid adding additional zones and just wait out the re-bid period.
I don't see any recent wins in downtown in the $40 range. :)
the Gouverner Place Dupis which is located right at Berri-UQAM and seems to be going on weekends for the $60-$70 range on Priceline- but obviously we can't guarentee you'd get that and i know its a bit out of your price range. I won it with a 3* $60 bid a couple weeks ago.
this is just the way i see it, im sure thereuare or another one of the experts will pop in here soon and give u some advice that is the complete opposite of mine :)
Thanks for the advice BrianR. Staying there in a couple of weeks.
This hotel is a bit of a special circumstance, it's on an island between Montreal and Longueuil, so it's not covered by transit from either city, no pedestrian access, and simply isolated from everything else.
Unless you have a car, i'd say this particular property is a great reason to avoid the Longueuil zone when bidding. Buyer Beware.
nope, booked it directly though the hotel, pretty good government rate.
is this the Peel Street one or the Lincoln Avenue one?
just curious - stayed at the Lincoln Avenue one a couple weeks ago and enjoyed it.
hahaha, so true. Come on, who really stays at 1* hotels other than pimps, hookers and criminals? :)
stayed at a 1* in Manhattan once because i couldnt afford anything more :)
other than that, NEVER.
Ottawa downtown parking tips?
in Priceline / Hotwire Hotel Lists and Tips for Canada
Posted
I realize this post is old, but in the event someone looking for the same information find this post:
-Street Parking overnight is free on most streets downtown, unless a winter parking ban is in effect. The official rule on that is "There is no parking on city streets between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. when 7 cm or more is forecast by Environment Canada in the Ottawa area. This includes any forecast for a range of snow of more than 7 cm (for example, 5 to 10 cm)." If snow is forecast, best to check on the city's website to verify (Ottawa.ca). T
That being said, if you park overnight on a weeknight, just be aware that there are often no-parking restrictions that kick in as early as 5:30-6:00am, so you may have to get up early and move your car. Shouldn't be an issue on a Friday or Saturday night though.
-The underground garage at World Exchange Plaza is open 24/7 and is free on Saturday and Sunday. That being said, they do have "No Overnight Parking" signs at all entrances so YMMV as they have been known to issue tickets to overnighters on rare occasions.