belgo

I'm looking for a place in the Kohala (big island) area 1/4-1/11. In the Resort category, the Hilton seems sold out in multiple websites I checked. The Hapuna Prince has rooms available in several categories, the cheapest of which is $285/night. In the 4* category, the Marriott Waikoloa advertizes rates of $260 (AAA). Hotwire has a hotel which goes for $215 4*, and seems to be the Hapuna Prince or the Mauna Kea (because of detailed info they gave on the tripadvisor.com reviews). What would I expect to need for successful bids for either resort categories or 4* on Priceline? Thanks! :)

I tried $75 then $80 with my free rebid. Hotwire had a 2 1/2 * for $87/night, minus a $30 coupon I had (equiv. of $77/night) with known amenities including a free breakfast, so I went for that, and got the Best Western Station House Inn on Hotwire instead.

Boy, do I feel lucky to get something decent at a decent price on the labor day week-end! Amenities listed on Hotwire: Airport shuttle (?? to Reno??--I doubt it), breakfast, swimming pool, fitness center, golf nearby. Apparently the included breakfast is a hot breakfast off the menu!! :) I used the Entertainment Coupon for an additional $30 off my total. $87/night X 3 nights plus $29.95 taxes and fees, for a total of $290.95, minus $30. The tripadvisor.com reviews seem mostly positive, too. I'm happy with this one! :) Incidentally, $80 a night for a 3* on Priceline didn't go through.

Got it! Thanks! :)

Oops! You left out the name of the hotel... Which hotel is it?

I stayed at this hotel with a Priceline bid almost exactly a year ago (overlapping the time when they had the once-every-two-years flower carpet on the Grand' Place. I agree with the above assessment, except that I would have to disagree that the busses are in any way complicated. There were, as I recall, five bus lines which took you straight from the hotel to the Grand' Place/Ilot Sacre area, and they are all well-marked. The names of the upcoming bus stops are even displayed. Bus maps are also easy to come by (I believe the concierge had them). In fact, if you have a one-day or three-day, or 5-day pass, I would take the bus to the Trone metro station as well (two stops, and the stops are marked on signs inside the bus). Sure, take the metro if you're going to an outlying sight such as Mini Europe or the Central African Art Museum. But if you're going to the Grand' Place or back, the many busses will get you there in a few minutes. In fact, the Place du Luxembourg is a major bus hub (also with direct connections to the airport). :)

I don't have firm plans at this time. I have been looking at two conferences, actually. If I went, it would be November 9-13.

Thank you for your response. What Priceline zone would you recommend where one could be fairly certain of getting a hotel within easy walking distance of a subway line?

We stayed at this hotel via a Priceline bid for two days before a cruise which left from Dover, and one day after our cruise. During our first stay, we were put in a tiny room on the first floor (I had a Starwood Preferred Guest Gold card, but I guess that didn't help). I have won at least a dozen bids through Priceline, and half a dozen more through Hotwire, and I can honestly say that this was the most disappointing room I've ever received. Under no stretch of the imagination was this even a 3* room, let alone a 4* room. It's not just that the room was quite small. The air conditioning consisted of a unit which they placed on the floor and had a plastic hose which connected to the outside window. Not only did it barely improve the room's humidity and temperature, but it had to be pulled apart every 10-12 hours and a tray of water dumped into the tub/shower unit (or it shut off). The shower curtain not only didn't surround the shower, but it was only 6 feet tall, so there was no way to take a shower without making a mess. Needless to say, there was no A/C in the bathroom, so it got quite steamy. On our return visit (one night), we were kindly upgraded to a "suite." The room could not be described as a suite in the American sense, since it had no separate living area, but from the floor plan it was exactly twice the size of our previous room (i.e. they had one room on the 7th floor for every two rooms on the 1st). Again, there room itself was just a single room, but there was a couch in front of the beds, and a separate desk and a table in front of the couch. It also had central A/C--in both the room and bathroom. The bathroom was also twice the size as the previous room's. It had a separate bath and shower, as well as a bidet. It wasn't what I would call a suite, but it certainly qualified as a 4* room, and I imagine that this is the type of room they showed the Priceline people when it came time to assigning stars. As for room service, I can't imagine that many people order the breakfast, which went for 20 Sterling plus tip, or about $40 per person! I realize that London is expensive, but they must think that there are a lot of rich or stupid foreigners out there. I also received incorrect advice from the concierge about visiting the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace (which he did apologize for as we left). Finally, when we were taking a (regular) cab from our hotel to Victoria Station after the first stay, our cab driver told us that this hotel takes a percentage from unofficial cabs which charge more than the going cab rates (we got our own transportation). In summary, I guess we could have paid more, but I did not feel I received the 4* I bargained for during my pre-cruise stay (and we probably only got upgraded during our second stay due to cancellations from all of those bomb scares). :)

I've noticed that not many people report bidding or winning in the WTC area. I'm thinking of going to a conference in the Convention Center which is in that area. Is there a reason people don't seem to be bidding in that area? Is it a bad neighborhood or is there a "bad apple" hotel Priceline uses there? :)

I won this bid before I knew about this site. I was going to a conference at the (fairly) nearby Rosemont Convention Center. I felt really happy to get this hotel at $49/night for 6/14-19 because of all of the conventions going on in Rosemont and Chicago leading to no decen :) t hotels for under $120/night in Rosemont and no decent hotels for under $140 in Chicago. The first two nights we were put in a handicapped room on the fifth floor of the tower--we did get a non-smoking room but our request for two beds was denied. The room was large, comfortable, and had good amenities including bathroom amenities, but no internet access (except dial-up). We were told we couldn't change rooms the next day, but were able to change the following day for a room with two beds, nonsmoking, on the 7th floor. High-speed internet access is available on the 7th through 9th floors only, and the 9th floor is only for high-priced suites. Unlike the 5th floor room, the 7th floor room had a lot of jet noise, but I slept fine with earplugs. I really cannot complain about the room size, beds, or bathrooms (although a sink outside the bathroom would have been nice). The fitness facility was quite well-equiped, but stuck in the basement. The pool was OK, but right under the jet path, and I never saw anyone use it. They advertize a shuttle every 15 minutes, but they would need two shuttles to accomplish this, and they used only one. Therefore, the shuttles ran about every half hour. There is also a public bus from the hotel to the Rosemont "El" station, which is near the convention center, but it runs infrequently except during rush hours. I more often took the shuttle of the Sheraton Gateway from the airport (when I didn't have luggage) across the street. Overall, a solid 3*, but be prepared with earplugs, and don't expect speedy shuttle service. If you're in a big hurry, you'll need to take a cab.

I stayed for three nights on a Priceline bid and was very pleased with my stay. The bid was actually for two rooms, which were identical but on opposite sides of the same floor. The hotel was apparently full, and our request for two beds was not granted, although there was a sofabed in the room in addition to a King bed. I did not hear a decibel of airport noise. In fact, the flight path does not seem to go anywhere near the hotel, and I don't think the airport serves big jets. I did not hear my neighbors or any other noise from my room, although the friend who was in the other room heard some noise on one night which he felt might have come from the Starbucks next door. The rooms were large and comfortable, and included free high-speed internet!! Fair-sized bathroom with all of the usual toiletries and hair dryer, with both bath and shower. The restaurant serves breakfast only (buffet, for $9). The hotel has arrangements with a number of restaurants for delivery. The food prices are reasonable, since they are off the regular menu (i.e. Chevy's), but there is a $10 delivery fee, so it seems more reasonable if there would be at least two people ordering. Priceline gives this 2 1/2*. AAA gives it 3-Diamonds. The only things I think might distinguish it from a 3 * is the absence of a restaurant and a smallish pool. It does have a more than adequate fitness facility. Service was friendly. :)

I got the Courtyard by Marriott in the Fresno Airport zone for $50/night (2 rooms, actually). Priceline lists it as 2 1/2*, but AAA gives it 3-Diamonds. I got it on my first bid! :) I'm actually quite surprised, because it's listed as sold-out on the Marriott website! :) This isn't the first time I've received a room on Priceline that's been listed as sold-out. Maybe we'll stay in the broom closets! :o The price for the next week-end is listed as $129, so I think I really scored a good one here! :) I used the savingsbarn link, of course...

I used up my free rebids to go from $50-$65 for the central Fresno area, but was unsuccessful at getting an acceptance for a 3*. That was definitely as far as I would go (I do realize it's for Memorial Day week-end). I will post shortly my success for a 2 1/2* in the Fresno airport zone. :)

Are you asking about my first bid of $135?

I forgot to add that I used the savingsbarn link, of course!

Check-in 7/14, check-out 7/16. Sheraton Park Lane (Mayfair/Soho) for $140/night plus $60 in fees for a total of $340. Booking though Sheraton or Travelocity the rate would have been $302 per day plus tax. :) Not my preferred 4* for that zone, but better than anything I could have gotten without PL, that's for sure. $135 did not work, by the way (I used the SB/V free rebid).

The friend I'm traveling tried $100, then $105, then $115, and failed for that, too! :) I guess we may go back to trying Mayfair/Soho again, and not get too disappointed if we get the Sheraton again for our pre-cruise stay. It's probably either that or getting something not through Priceline, like the Kensington Country Inn and Suites, which seems to have some reasonable rooms at reasonable prices in a location reasonably near the Underground...

Thanks for the info! :) . I guess that the Novotel is a little further from the Underground than I'd like. Are most of the 3* in the Mayfair/Soho area fairly decent?

I forgot to add--I did use the savingsbarn link, of course. :)

I started with $85 then added by $5 by adding on the Soho/Mayfield zone (not strictly a free rebid, but boy would I have been happy to get a place there!) and Southbank. (I'm not sure if the dates come through on the title; they're 7/14 for two nights). The Jolly Hotel St. Ermin's is going for $190 on Expedia for those nights. I'm wondering which Priceline zone to bid now. The main thing I'm concerned about is being near an Underground station (that, and not getting stuck in an over-rated hotel with lousy rooms). I'm not sure I want to go much about the amount I previously bid for the S/M area because I don't want to end up with the Sheraton for $140. I would consider bidding for a 3* if the 3*'s in the appropriate zones were near Underground stations and were reasonably nice. It seems from the information I can gather than not much has come up as 3* in the Southbank area other than the Novotel? It seems to be within easy walking distance of the Waterloo station? I know this is a rather nebulous question, but any advice? :) Thanks!

I forgot to say that I tried and failed at $135, added Southbank as my free rebid. And I did use the savingsbarn link (I had to go to my laptop to do it, too!).

I received the Sheraton Park Lane for 4* in Mayfair/Soho, at the price of $140 + $33.17 = $173.17 for the night of July 30th (post cruise). I'm not exactly thrilled after reading the reviews on tripadvisor.com, but the price on their website for that night was 133 pounds, or about $255, so at least we saved about 40%. :)

It was just an FYI. However, I just won the Sheraton Park Lane for another night, and I'm beginning to wonder about what zone I should be picking. It seems to be one of the least desireable 4*'s in the Soho/Mayfield zone...

I forgot to mention that the region was Soho/Mayfield.