jrk

The amenities for Seaport Hotel in Boston as listed by Hotwire: Free Internet Pet friendly Indoor pool(s) Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center Internet access Spa Services (jrk)

I tried to bid for the same hotel on Price.line, where it was advertised for $154 as a PRICELINE EXPRESS Deal (it was easy to guess). I went up from $110 to 150 by adding zones, no success. Worse yet, by the time I was done, the Express Deal disappeared. So I switched to Hot.wire, and bought it for $155 though with hefty fees ($40 extra, total $195). It's my second time this happened recently. Good for Hotwire, bad for Priceline. Used the betterbidding.com portal to HOTWIRE and appreciate this service very much. Best, jrk

Identified this hotel pretty easily on the PRICELINE EXPRESS deal list and tried to bid lower, starting with $150. Went up to $190, no deal, so eventually went for the PRICELINE EXPRESS price, $202 + ca. $40 taxes + fees.

I was looking for a 4-star establishment in north Richmond, VA. There are only few of 4-star properties over there, and the least expensive was Wyndham, the open price being just over $100. Hotwire had it as a hot deal for $81. I started bidding on Priceline pretty low, $45 or so, and went up to $70 by adding zones. No success. Following day, started with $65 and went up to $77. Not a great deal compared to the no-hassle Hotwire, but still.

Started with $50 and kept increasing by $5 while adding zones. Hilton is the best 4-star hotel in this particular zone (imho) but they do add a $20/night resort fee, so the total per night will be $95 + taxes + fees. Still, a good value, I think. jrk

Started pretty low, at $45 (some time ago, I was successful at that level in the same zone), but had to go up to $70 by adding zones to have my bid accepted.

Started with $50; increased to $53, $57 and finally $60 while adding zones.

First I didn't want the hassle and went to reserve directly Hilton Airport at $79/night. However, their site pissed me off by their dynamic pricing: before I completed the reservation, the price went up to $99, a moment later dropping to $89. So I went to PRICELINE (via betterbidding.com), and bid $45 for a 4-star hotel. Was declined with a counteroffer of $56, declined the counteroffer, added another airport zone, and got the Marriott for $49. Because of the Priceline fees, this is an equivalent of about $58 when booked directly through the hotel site. Bad for you Hilton, bad. jrk

Started with $50; increased by $5 while adding zones. $75 for Hilton Orlando is not bad; I like the hotel. jrk

Started with $50 knowing from previous posts that this wouldn't fly on this long MLK weekend. Added successive zones in $5 increments until my bid for $80 was accepted. Not as good as on some previous stays in this area, but apparently this weekend is a busy one. Never stayed in Renaissance Seaworld; we'll see how it is. jrk

Started with $35 for a 2 1/2 star in Durham area; added Chapel Hill and increased to $38. jrk

Started with $40, increased by $4 twice by adding extra zones, and ended up with a $48 hit. I've been to that hotel before, indeed earlier this year. While there were some small problems, and the $16 parking is too much, it's still a good deal for the price. Used the betterbidding.com portal to get to PRICELINE, as always. jrk

Didn't see the previous posting on time; otherwise I would have started lower than $55. Anyway, first offer accepted. Best, jrk

Started with $65 for a 4-star hotel in the Orlando-Disney area, increased by $5 per bid adding new zones and landed this one. Used the betterbidding.com PRICELINE portal. Thanks to the previous bidders. jrk

$50 or anything close to it for a 4-star in Paris, extremely unlikely. Recently (mid-January) went up to $140, with no success. Settled for a 3-star for that price via Expedia, in a so-so district (Clichy/St. Lazaire) and a so-so hotel. jrk

Started the bid from $50, increased to $55 and got that hotel. No surprise, since it was the least-priced of all 4* hotel near Heathrow airport, and for a good reason: the property is truly run down, and currently undergoing renovation. May have been a 4-star quality 20 years ago, but not now. The deal was not that great either (I think it was listed for $79), but hey, it was only one night, and the second room we got (in the first one bathroom lights wouldn't work) was pretty good. Used the PRICELINE.com link on the betterbidding.com home page. jrk

Started with $45 and incremented by $5 while adding new zones. Accepted at $55 level.

Started bidding at $45 for 3.5 stars in Durham, aiming at Millenium Hotel which was listed on Priceline for $79. After the bid failed, I added the Cary area, and raised the bid by $5. Was somewhat nicely surprised to end up with Durham Hilton, which I know is a pretty good hotel for $50 (and listed at $125). I entered PRICELINE through the betterbidding.com link. jrk

After the previous unsuccessful bit for a 4* in Coral Gables / Coconut Grove reaching $70, entered a new bid 24 hrs later, and was successful on the first try at $72 for Mayfair Hotel & Spa. The reviews are so-so, but we'll see. Used the PRICELINE link on betterbidding.com. jrk

Encouraged by some posters who had recent bids accepted by Hyatt Regency Coral Gables for high $50s and low $60s I started from $51 and went up by small increments adding extra zones, reaching $70 without success. Priceline says in its list of recent bids that a 4* in Coral Gables (no hotel name) went 3 days ago for $85. Is this an impartial information that I should believe? Thank you for advice, jrk

Date: May 7/8, 2011. Started bidding with $45 for 3 1/2 stars in Durham proper, then added Research Triangle area, no success. Added 3-star category, ended up at Radisson Research Triangle Park. jrk

Hilton Atlanta Downtown, Feb. 11-14, $55/night. Thanks everyone on this forum for the advice. jrk