Frogger85

Thanks for posting this , I've been waiting for a new Hyatt win.

Thanks for the advice, I will most likely start bidding mid-Feb. Based on the board history I'm thinking the best deals are going to be the Bloomington Sheraton in the MOA zone and the Hyatt in the downtown. Regards

I'm posting some old wins..perhaps it will help somebody. I was going to see if what I could get for $35 but no lower than 3 stars. Worked a bunch of zones..started at $29... the end result was an accepted bid of $35 dollars by Courtyard by Marriott Wood Dale. It was located in the Chicago Suburbs Itasca Zone. Since I've already gone... The rooms are very nice and large. They have the 3.5/4 star stuff in them: HDTV, nice desk, and large bathroom it's just a little less fancy decor. Pool/hot Tub looked nice (did not use). Overall nice hotel. But it's in the sticks...any type of food is a 10 minute drive away. Would be good if your going to O'Hare as it is right behind it. You can sneak around traffic via a back road. Well worth $35 using the PRICELINE link.

I'll be watching the board for any wins/info...will post results.

This one is way late..but better than never. This was a last minute trip. Used PRICELINE link. This bid was a real struggle I used all six zones and dropped down to 3 stars. Deerfield Area Gurnee Libertyville-Mundelein Lincolnshire-Vernon Hills North Shore Waukegan-Lake Bluff On my last try...I got the Hyatt Deerfield for $51. It's a nice place..not really that far from Downtown.

This is late but may be of interest to someone. Started with 4* NMA Zone $62...nope...Stayed with 4* added Evanston Zone $65..nope...Again stayed with 4* checked Hyde Park Zone $69...accepted by Affinia Chicago. Had I not got that I would have added Grant Park- Loop and went to $73. The credit goes to this board, I saw the Affinia had gone for $74 and $75 in earlier posts. I used the PRICELINE link and away I went. Since I have already went, The Affinia Chicago is very nice and the location can't be beat. The only warning..Self-Park is $40.00. It's a nice secure parking ramp if that makes it easier to swallow.

Yeah, not using the PRICELINE Cash is a bummer, but I don't want to book such a long stay just yet since there are no refunds. Kinda want to wait till trip was 4-5 weeks away. I should have been clearer, my fault. Day 1 (3/31/11)- This has to be a hotel near the MOA. Day 2-3 (4/1/11 & 4/2/11) This can be either by the MOA or Downtown. That is the reason for the split bid. If I were to bid on 3 nights, it would only be for the MOA area and the only reason to do that seems to be if I got some more PRICELINE cash. It seems like there is no advantage, plus Thursday March 31, 2011 is a higher rate. So the first thing will be trying to get 2 rooms/one night for Thurs March 31, 2011 using the zones of Airport/MOA, Bloomington West, and Eagan. Then try for downtown on Fri April 1 and Sat Apri 2 starting with downtown zone. I'm not sure about the Midtown and Metrodome zones they seem pretty spread out. If I can't get right downtown I might be better to just switch hotels in the Airport/MOA for nights 2-3 since you would have a shuttle to the light rail station, plus I need a pool. Hotels interested in: Airport: Hilton Airport, Marriot Airport Bloomington West: Bloomington Hilton and Sheraton Eagan: Crowne Plaza Downtown: Hyatt, Hilton, or Westin (need pool) also Grand Hotel Minneapolis has a pool but I won't get that. Any advice or hotel reviews/warnings ect.... are welcome. Thanks

I'm booking these rooms (2 rooms/3 nights) as part of a gift trip, so I'm not the one staying in them. This is why I looking into it a little more. If it was for me I'd just bid low, go for best deal like most on this forum. I would not mind getting them Downtown for Fri 4/1/11 and Sat 4/2/11, so I might try for 4* downtown starting at $38 and will go no higher than $47. I don't think I'll win but it is worth the try. I would drop star level but from what I see on this forum I would get the Millennium even if I went for 3* hotels. If by some chance my bid was accepted (only shot would be Hyatt or Hilton) I would then bid on 2 rooms for 1 night 3.5* in the Airport/MOA zone for Thurs 3/31/11. If I don't have any luck with the downtown, then I will bid for 2 rooms/3 Nights in the Airport/MOA zone starting with 3.5* hotels for March 31, April 1, and April 2 of 2011. Based Priceline summary before bidding 2 rooms/3 nights at $50 would cost me $350.40..$45=$316.02...$41=$288.54 ...if I use my Sheraton Bloomington win of $36 as the lowest I can get it would total $254.22 looks like for every $1 I raise my bid it adds $6-7 to the total (2 rooms X 3 nights). It would be nice to keep the total around $300. I do have a $50 dollar Priceline rewards, but it expires 12/31/10 and I won't be bidding in time to use it. It would have been useful since it is a minimum 3*/3 nights one. If I get another one like that in time, I will use it. So then I will bid 3 nights for the same hotel right off the bat using the PRICELINE link. With or without Priceline cash, would just bidding on 3 nights at the same hotel be a better move? Based on the board I can't tell. Any advice is always helpful...Thanks

Thanks.. your right, slipped my mind. I guess thats why I might just bid again. When I do I will use the PRICELINE link. Thanks

Started with 4* Bloomington West-MOA zone, bid $33 (the lowest amount without getting the priceline red warning) and nothing. Added 3.5* bid $34..nope...added Metrodome zone bid $35..nope...added Coon Rapids zone bid $36..accepted by Sheraton Bloomington. That is cheap. $36.00 Rate + $11.89 Taxes and Fees= $47.89 using the PRICELINE link.

I will go ahead and post my Sheraton priceline win. I am looking for March 31- April 3 2011 on this post. March 31- Airport/MOA April 1,2- Airport/MOA or Downtown depending on how the bidding goes.

I should have stated it better, If I booked through The Hotel Minneapolis Autograph Collection web site I would have pre-paid $179 for a Sunday night stay. I have the option through priceline to add another night. Will have time to think it over or roll the dice on a new bid for Sat. Thanks

Thanks for the advice..There is no flight involved..just hotels. I got the Sheraton Bloomington for $36, won't be going for a while yet. That was in the bloomington zone, which has the 2 four stars not downtown (Westin Galleria/Sofitel). The Airport zone had no 4* stars. Based on the zone maps the Sheraton is in Bloomington. The Sheraton looks nice, but the reviews are all over the place. Based on this board it seems like if you bid in the $36-50 range for 4/3.5 * in the Bloomington zone your getting the Sheraton everytime. Looks like $55-60 will get you Sofitel. I looking at the airport zone for a hotel that will be for somebody else. A shuttle to the MOA is a must. The Sheraton worries me little until I go there. The Westin Galleria looks nice but I have not seen any wins on that one or if it has a shuttle. The Sofitel seems nice but no pool. That's kinda why I not going to bid Bloomington. This is a 3 night/2 rooms trip so it would be nice to get a low bid, but not miss out on a better hotel over 5-10 bucks. So If I bid in the Airport Zone 3.5* starting at $35 and going to $45 what do you think I would get. It seems like $41 is the magic number. If I gotta higher than $47 I be adding 4* Downtown and go for the Hyatt. In short the only MSP hotels I know are downtown, so any advice is welcome.

Looking at 3.5* Hotels in the Minneapolis Airport/Mall of America area zone. I know that I will get the Sheraton if I bid in Bloomington, MN and Crowne Plaza if I go Eagan, MN. I have not seem any posts on 3.5* Hotels in the airport zone. Does anybody have any advice? I going lowball on this $35-40 per night and will creep up using zones. Also Minneapolis West zone is an option. Thanks

Could have waited but got antsy, have bid up to 60 on 4* Downtown Minneapolis in the past (not same date as this though) with no luck. Just went with 71 right off the bat got The Hotel Minneapolis Autograph Collection, was going for Marquette Hotel, did not want to go below $60 as I felt this would get me the Hyatt (Not that I would mind, but I wanted something else.) Based on retail (179.00 for a Sunday night) seems like a good deal. I have not stayed there, but have walked by it and it looked nice from what I saw. Also, I have the option of picking up another night, which for me would be Sat 2/26/11. But the retail price is lower for Saturday so I might just bid on the 4* hotels again and see what happens. Does anyone out there know what bids are winning 4* hotels in downtown Minneapolis? All I pretty much see are the Hyatt and Hilton, I don't need real winning bids just educated guesses on the other 4* hotels. I would welcome 3.5* hotels but it seems like you would have to bid 4* star prices to avoid the Millenium Hotel. One other thing: The hotel Minneapolis was not listed on the retail list before I went to the name your own price page. Anybody know why? I am new to priceline and the board but have benifted greatly from both. I also use the PRICELINE link. Regards