gruntlumber

Great hotel!! We stayed at this DoubleTree for two nights over Thanksgiving. Judging from other reviews, this place used to be quite the dump. But let me assure you, it isn't anymore. As you can see from pictures online, the atrium is wide open with six floors and two glass-walled elevators flanked on each side. The restaurant covers about half of the atrium floor and the other half is comprised of the lobby and a seating area. The Canterbury Pub is tucked away in a corner near the lobby. We did not visit the pub or the restaurant, but the morning buffet looked really good. The swimming pool is back behind the restaurant area. It's really nice; the hot tub is larger than usual, and the main pool has a waterfall feature which is interesting. There is plenty of seating in the pool area, and even more tables and chairs available in warmer weather with a patio connecting to the outside. The room was a typical suite layout. The first room had a pull-out sofa, TV, desk, and kitchen (fridge and microwave). The back room had two double beds, another TV and desk, and the bathroom. A large sliding glass door connected to the patio. What was unusual about the patio is the fact that you can go out on the patio and walk all the way down the side of the building. It's one long patio with no seperation between rooms. As a sidenote, they are pet friendly (we had our Pekingese with us). No complaints at all with this DoubleTree. I hope to stay here everytime I come to Omaha, especially for the price I got on Hotwire.

Being curious as to how the hotel price might drop/rise on the day of check-in, I looked and found the price to be $43 instead of $52. Dang!

Amenities include Suite, Shuttle, Pool, Restaurant, Business Center, Golf Nearby, and Tennis Nearby. $52/night x 2 nights, plus fees = $127.76

Started at $28 for 1-star and was declined. It prompted me to raise bid by $7 for a free bid. Added downtown zone and raised bid to $30 and was upgraded to 2-star. Details: Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $30.00 Subtotal: $60.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $17.38 Total Charges*: $77.38 Hotwire had the same hotel available for $41/night (labeled as a 2.5*). Glad I went the Priceline route!

We stayed here for one night. This was our second stay here, although the first was 3 years ago when it was the DoubleTree. After reading recent reviews I prepared myself for the worst. There was some kind of international folk dancing convention going on, so when we arrived the hotel lobby was packed full of people. Lots of kids. Obviously these things happen and it's no fault of the Radisson; just a coincidence we could do without. We paid our $6 for parking and went up to our room. The elevators were always packed going up and down due to the convention. I called earlier in the afternoon to request a king smoking room, which was granted, but we got two doubles instead. They were sleep number beds so at least happy about that. As expected, the hotel in general is kind of run down and grungy. Our room wasn't bad though: clean, well-appointed, and the A/C worked great. We were on the 17th floor so the view was interesting. The first thing my wife wanted to do was take a bath. Due to a home remodelling project we have been without a bath for a month. But, there was no drain plug. After 2 phone calls to the front desk and 40 minutes later, a guy from maintenance brought one up. He apologized for the delay which, understandably, was due to the general chaos from the convention guests. I went to get ice and in place of an ice machine was a sign: "Please use ice machine on 16th floor." The hotel restaurant was open until 10pm, and we ventured down there around 9:30. Besides the commotion in the lobby, the restaurant was entirely empty. Typical menu, and overall the food and prices were pretty good. After eating we went back up to our room and expected to be kept awake from the young convention goers, but surprisingly we didn't hear a peep. Most of our hall seemed to be vacant thankfully. This place isn't a total disaster but I can understand how others have had a rough time. Given other choices we probably wouldn't stay here again, but then again, thanks to HOTWIRE, we paid much less then the going rate.

I seem to remember reading a thread about car rentals and how Priceline and/or Hotwire have taxes/fees that don't seem to make sense, but I don't recall reading anything for hotels. A search for August 24-25 in Kansas City on Hotwire shows a 3* hotel on the Country Club Plaza for $64/night. However, after selecting it, the total price jumps by $34.99 for a total of $98.99 for one night! Other selections on the Plaza have "normal" taxes and fees; it's just this one particular selection. I'm guessing this is most likely an error on Hotwire's part? Or would this particular hotel have anything to do with it?

1 room, 1 night, Total bill with taxes/fees = $75.74 Radisson Hotel & Suites Kansas City-City Center 1301 Wyandotte Kansas City, Missouri 64105 Amenities include: Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center High-speed Internet Access I normally wouldn't be overly joyous with this pick, but a $10 off mail-in rebate from the Entertainment Book (NOT reflected in this info) sweetened the deal a little. I stayed here back in 2004 when it was the Double Tree and I think my winning bid on Priceline at the time was $33. So, things have inflated a bit. It wasn't the best place back in 2004 and judging from recent reviews it isn't a whole lot better these days, but hopefully I can finagle my way into an updated suite like I did back then.

Curious...I've never needed to extend a stay after booking on Priceline, but I was wondering if they charge you another fee, similar to the fee in the initial winning bid. I've read posts where people will extend the stay, and I've read others where people have simply re-bid and won for the day before/after the original bid. It seems inefficient to re-bid and pay fees again rather than extending the stay (if it's given as an option). Unless of course you bid lower and still win the extra day(s).

If you search on Expedia and filter the search results for the amenities listed on Hotwire, the only hotel that fits is the bill is the 3-star Country Inn Suites. But given the variables from site-to-site regarding amenities and star levels, I wouldn't bet on it 100%. That would be my best guess though.

I watched the video link you posted...the news reporter mentioned TOBB but not BetterBidding.com??

When you use the Passport card, the server will bring back a triplicate-style receipt you need to sign specifically for the discount (some merchants use this religiously and some don't even bother). Those that do will calculate the suggested tip for you (they give you a range of 10%-20% I believe). These suggestions are of course based on the pre-discounted price. One other thing worth mentioning about this program is the fact that most of the restaurants on the list are nice places. There are a couple run-of-the-mill bar/grill types, but overall I'm very satisfied with the quality of choices. One gripe I have with Entertainment and some other BOGO coupon programs is you never know what you will get (ownership change, out-of-business, or just plain dumpy). Passport does a great job of screening for quality establishments, and it's very discreet since you don't have actual coupons to deal with.

For those who happen to live in these select cities, or travel to them, this is a sweet deal: http://www.passportunlimited.com/index2.asp?guest=1 I've been a Gold member for several years now. It's buy one, get one with almost no restrictions. For example, here in Kansas City you could go to The Majestic Steakhouse every day for dinner (or lunch for that matter) and get a $40 steak BOGO. It's an annual membership, and you can buy a regional/city membership or national. No coupons! It's a card, similar to the Entertainment Card except instead of punching holes and one-time use and weekend limits, this has no limits. I use it all the time for client meetings and nights out with the wife. You can use up to 2 cards per table (so 4 people eating for the price of 2) and you can buy a 2nd card for half-price. In addition to BOGO meals, there is a half-price hotel program available as well (Quest Hotel Savings). It's nothing compared to Priceline or Hotwire, but in some circumstances it might be a good deal (although I've never used it). Sweet deal!

Second time I've gotten this one: Candlewood Suites - Omaha 360 South 108th Avenue Omaha, Nebraska 68154 Hotel 1 room(s) @ $39.00 per night x 1 night(s) Taxes, recovery charges, and fees Hotel subtotal $39.00 $12.69 $51.69 Amenities: Fitness, Laundry, Hi-speed internet, Kitchenette

I'll take a stab and say Hotel Phillips. The Westin almost always shows "spa" as an amenity, and Hotel Phillips is the only one of those three without a pool (the Hyatt usually shows a pool). But, I don't believe there have been any past wins posted on Hotwire for Hotel Phillips, so if for some reason they left off the "pool" amenity to mix things up, you could end up with the Hyatt. Rule out the Westin though; I'd be very surprised... Book it and let's see! I've been to all three properties and they're all good, so you can't really go wrong.

I've had vouchers from American and had no problem redeeming them. I don't think there were any restrictions. They worked as good as cash. Even had some $$ leftover and they reissued the difference on a new voucher for use at a later date.

This will not apply to many states of course, but it would be much easier if certain cities had their own catagory like you did with California. For example, Kansas City and St Louis should each have a catagory within Missouri. Or Savannah and Hilton Head in South Carolina. There may not be a ton of posts, but why not each have their own catagory rather than lumping everything together? And even small states should have their own catagory...lumping Montana / Nebraska / New Hampshire / New Mexico just seems unnecessary. That's my 2 cents.

Being that I bid $44 on Priceline to get this 4-star hotel, I really can't complain about anything, can I? We stayed the night of Easter and this place was as dead as can be. Every time we passed through the lobby all eyes of the staff seemed to eagerly await a request of some kind. It was great though. No noise, no lines, instant elevator access, truly one-on-one service. As I expected from reading other reviews, this is a beautifully restored hotel. Check-in was, of course, a breeze and we got one of the better rooms I'm sure (at the end of a hall with a roomier layout). We were greeted in our room with a blast of cold air, which later turned out to be a malfunctioning furnace. They sent an "engineer" (fancy talk for maintenance guy) immediately to come fix it. Other than that, the room was super. The bed was very comfortable and they dressed it up in really nice linens. The bathroom was immaculately clean and would meet the highest expectations. We planned on going out for an interesting dinner, but EVERYTHING was closed, including their own Chophouse. We hoped to go to the Majestic Steakhouse, which is always open, but even they closed early on Easter. Our only option was 12 Baltimore, the hotel bar/restaurant. Surprisingly it was a great experience. It was completely empty except for the bartender, waitress, and cook (maybe two). Again, no competition for service. We had a few overpriced drinks (they have Unibroue Maudite on tap and some other interesting seasonals for you fellow beer guys), I had a cigar with no complaints, and we ordered a couple mediocre entr

Is this a record price for Hotel Phillips?? I love Priceline... Started at $40 and bid up $1 increments adding free re-bid zones until $44. Orbitz's price for the same evening is $174.08! This may be the best deal I've ever gotten, both in terms of % off normal price and actual dollar savings (66% off, $114 less). Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $44.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $14.90 Total Charges*: $58.90

Amenities: Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center Laundry Facilities 1 room(s) @ $42.00 per night x 2 night(s): SubTotal:$84.00 Taxes recovery charges and fees: $19.90 Total: $103.90

Right off the bat I was a little disappointed to get this hotel since I was aiming for something on the Plaza. Hotwire's Plaza zone extends up to 39th Street, so Westport is game for this area too. The area is not upscale like the Plaza, but it has a ton of restaurants, bars, and random shops. The younger college crowd is all about Westport. The Holiday Inn shares the parking lot with The Westport Flea Market Bar and Grill, which is a great dive and a KC staple. As far as the hotel, it's a nice 2.5* place. It recently has undergone a major renovation (fall 2006 I believe) so everything is really new. The lobby is bright and new, and the breakfast area is great; plenty of seating with free newspapers and a big plasma to watch the latest death and destruction taking place on CNN. The free breakfast has waffles, bagels, cereal, yogurt, pastries, rolls, OJ, fruit, hard boiled eggs, and some other stuff I'm forgetting. Good spread. We stayed in a King smoking room on the 6th floor. The room well appointed and very new, although a little small. They obviously forgot to clean the bathroom floor, which I wiped up immediately because it was sick, but that was the only major complaint. Everything else was spotless. Free wireless internet was another bonus which was well-used. No nickle-and-diming at this place, everything is included. Good place overall, and since we paid about half the normal rates thru Hotwire, it earned a thumbs up.

Amenities include: Breakfast, Business, Fitness, High-Speed 1 room(s) Total: $48.00 Taxes recovery charges and fees: $14.80 Total: $62.80 Holiday Inn Express 801 Westport Rd. Kansas City, Missouri 64111 Not a bad deal. But for you out-of-towners, note this is in Westport, NOT in the Plaza, although it's close.

$39 didn't work but $40 did. This is the second time I've gotten this place. The first time was better ($33), but it was a DoubleTree back then. Your Offer Price: $40.00 Extend Your Stay Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $40.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $14.08 Total Charges*: $54.08

Our dates were September 23-27, 2006. After reading some of the reviews on Trip Advisor, I was expecting it to be very sub-par. While many of the complaints regarding this place are valid, it's not nearly as bad as I expected. Overall, we were quite pleased with everything. Finding the place was a little tricky, as well as finding most things on Hilton Head for that matter. It just seemed odd to drive through such a long windy road through golf courses to find the resort, but the signs are clearly labeled if you can read them (small). Beautiful grounds, and a very inviting lobby area. We were given a king room on the second floor with a pull-out couch (there are no smoking rooms at the resort). The view was mostly of a large magnolia tree, but I guess they have to save the good rooms for people who pay more than $70/night. The hotel sits a good distance away from the ocean (even though it is oceanside), so even the higher floors probably don't have the greatest views that you would expect. Compared to other Westins, this one is a little grimier and not as well kept. The actual room was well appointed, but the carpet was frayed in several places around the edges and one of the headboard spires was broken. Of course the Bed from Hell is the best feature (or is it Heavenly Bed? I can't remember. Great bed though). The water in Hilton Head is gross, so we stocked up on bottled water at the local Piggly Wiggly. As many reviewers have pointed out, the pool is in need of repairs. This is certainly true, but it's not so bad that it affects your experience here. There are three pools (2 outside and one indoor) and a hottub. The edges around the pool are the worst part: cracked concrete, missing tiles, peeling paint, etc. Sounds bad, but the water is great and the landscaping is super. The beach is a short jaunt over a patio walkway. Towels can be checked out as part of your MANDATORY $10/day resort fee (what a joke). One big disappointment is the fact that you must pay extra, A LOT extra, for an umbrella and chairs on the beach: $27 first day, $17 each additional day (approximately). Unreal. The alternative is to buy some el-cheapos at Wal-Mart, which is nearby, and just leave them or give them to someone before you leave. Many people had their own chairs or just sunbathed on towels. The Westin, along with most of Hilton Head for that matter, has a very secluded, relaxing feel to it. The beach was lined with condos and private homes, no other resorts/hotels in the area. Since the sand is extremely dense/hard, it's easy to run and bike. We've been to other beaches that have a more beautiful look and feel, but this did not disappoint. Ocean water was warm, and strong waves rolled in for most of our visit. We spent much of our time exploring the island and Savannah, so we didn't eat at any of the hotel restaurants, except to order drinks by the pool. The fitness center looked nice, although we didn't use it. Bikes are available for checkout for about $25/day, and we noticed fitness classes at random times. Hilton Head is a very pet-friendly place, and dogs are allowed in the hotel...we saw several. Valet parking is available, but it seems wasteful since free parking is directly next to the valet lot. We didn't golf so I can't comment on that, although the courses looked sweet. Overall a great stay, minus a few of the cosmetic issues with the room and pool. This concludes my marathon review.

Ahhh....really! Did not know that. Makes things easier for sure...

Won at $70, previously rejected bid at $65. Strange how my rebid within 72 hours went through as a standard rejected bid rather than a "you cannot bid yet" kinda thing. That happen to anyone before? I've tried that before and have always been denied the chance to bid. Anyway, the details: Westin Hilton Head Two Grasslawn Avenue Hilton Head Island, South Carolina 29928 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 4 Subtotal: $280.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $40.99 Total Charges*: $320.99