Shoob Posted January 23, 2011 Report Share Posted January 23, 2011 Hey guys...I found this website and went through it for quite a while now and I feel that you all can help me a lot more than I can help myself in this arena... I don't commonly stay at hotels, so this is quite new to me. I need to be at the University of Toledo - Health Sciences campus on the 16th of February and plan on leaving the very next day, however I can't seem to decide where to stay and what cost is appropriate. There is a Hilton on campus that is listed at $101/night on Priceline, and though I would love to stay there (so that I can get to my interview on campus without worrying about finding the place on time), I can't afford such a steep cost. That is listed as a 3* on Priceline, and even the 1* hotels in the area (Downtown, Maumee, Holland, etc.) are in the $40-50 dollar range (which would be good for a a 3* but definitely not a 1*).I'm sure some of you might be familiar with the area there and can help me tremendously... I have no idea what Toledo is like. I'm driving there from Chicago on the 16th, and anticipate arriving sometime in the afternoon and I need to be at the campus by 6:30 pm that night, and then at a day long meeting/interview on the 17th. Please offer any help that you can, and any advice on bidding. I certainly appreciate your kind help. Thanks again!-Shoob Link to comment
yellowdog Posted January 23, 2011 Report Share Posted January 23, 2011 Welcome to BetterBidding!Start with reading this link: I've never used Priceline or Hotwire Also look at the maps for HOTWIRE and PRICELINE to get a feel for the area and the zone(s) you're willing to stay in. You can drive from the hotel the night before to campus so you know your way for the next morning if you feel insecure about the way.Let us know how we can help you further.Yellowdog.Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. Link to comment
AaronJB Posted January 23, 2011 Report Share Posted January 23, 2011 Welcome to Betterbidding. :)The University Health Sciences Building would appear to fall within the SW Toledo area on HOTWIRE, which doesn't appear too far from the Central/Downtown zone.I'm seeing a 3* in the SW zone w/Restaurant, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Childrens Activities, Golf, Laundry for $62, which would likely be the Holiday Inn Waterpark.If that is the HI, that would be about 2.7M from your destination.There's also a 3* in the Central/Downtown area that has not yet been ID'd, but I'm guessing may be the Park Inn for $56.Additionally, the Maumee area on PRICELINE looks fairly close (a few miles away) from where you're going, and my thought is that the hotels in the downtown area may charge for parking (not sure about the Hilton, but the Crowne Plaza is $16 and Park Inn $13 in terms of downtown) if you are driving there while I'm guessing most of the outlying area hotels probably do not. If you would like to bid for a 3* in this zone, please let us know.Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches. Link to comment
Romelle Posted January 23, 2011 Report Share Posted January 23, 2011 You may have done this already, but if you do a Quick Search (top center of page) just entering "Toledo" you will see lots of reporting of other bidder results. Rates can be date-specific, but it still will give you some general idea of what might happen.You've got plenty of time to approach this cautiously, as you are doing.Romelle Link to comment
Shoob Posted January 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2011 First of all, thanks to all three of you guys. I really appreciate it that you are willing to take the time to help me with this. I'm usually fairly busy with school and work, so it's tough to find help for this sort of thing. And Romelle, I'd certainly like to make an informed and cautious decision so I could get the best rate, and I'm sure with help (from those like yourself) I could get that.Okay, so I looked at the map. Now, I'm certainly not going to pretend to know the Toledo area... I live in a suburb of Chicago, so Downtown Chicago I usually go to by public transportation, so this will be a different experience. I'm not sure if you have seen the Hilton that is located at 3100 Glendale Avenue, Toledo, OH 43614, but this is almost literally down the street from where I need to be in the morning, and it has free parking, but the rate is $101/night on the 2/16 - 2/17 stay. However, when I put the address in for the place I need to be (3025 Arlington Ave., Toledo) on PL, the hotels shown as 3* seem to be in the $100 range, and at the least $70. Was the search that you conducted for those areas for those given dates? I ask because I can't seem to find deals like $56/night for 3*.I'm reading through the links you sent me. By the way, don't worry guys, I'm going to make sure to access PL only through your links to make sure you guys get your credit. Your help is invaluable, and that's the least I could do. If you all are familiar with the Toledo area... how is traffic in that area on a typical Thursday morning? How about evenings? How is the weather usually in Toledo? I know this might not be the place to ask this, but I'm interviewing there (like I said) and I might end up spending at least 4 years of my life there, and I'd love to know why I'd be willing, if at all, to live there.So ultimately, 3* sounds good to me, even 2 1/2* might be ok, but how likely do you think it is for me to nail a hotel on those dates at $35 - $40? Maybe I'm pushing it, but I can move up, but honestly I don't want to have to pay over $50, especially because I don't plan on being in the room for very long overall. I just need to relax in the room and sleep from about 9 PM (I'll check-in in the afternoon though) till about 8 AM. I have to be at the location at 9 AM... maybe this all will help you get an idea of how far of a hotel I can manage and cost. Oh, and before I forget.... the University sent me a list of hotels which includes the Holland, Maumee, and Downtown Toledo areas, and they state to mention I need the UT Visitor rate, however I have a good feeling I won't get much by doing that, and PL will get me a better deal. Let me know guys... so yea, Maumee, Holland, and Downtown should all be fine as the university also recommends those areas... and free parking always helps tons. Okay, I'll wait on someone's reply. Thanks again!!!I'll drive more customers your way... I know plenty who are constantly traveling... I'll have them use your links at the very least.-Shoob Link to comment
thereuare Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 Assuming Holland, Maumee, and Downtown are all acceptable...At the 3* level you have TWO re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.Select 3* Downtown...Bid $35, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $38, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* Maumee...Bid $35, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $38, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* Holland...Bid $35, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $38, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* Downtown and Maumee...Bid $40, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $43, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* Downtown and Holland...Bid $40, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $43, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* Holland, Maumee, and Downtown...Bid $45, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $48, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $50Any questions feel free to ask.Thanks in advance for using the PRICELINE links on the board for your bidding and helping to spread the word about BetterBidding!Good luck and let us know how it goes. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
Shoob Posted January 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 I feel that I understand how this works now... How soon would you recommend that I start bidding? Does starting at the $35 mark sound reasonable (like in your example) given the rates shown on PL for 2/16 - 2/17? I will start the process as soon as you all think it's okay. Thanks again for the help.-ShoobP.S. To those of you who are familiar with the Toledo area, would it be a good risk to add Perrysburg into the bidding given that it is further away from the school than Maumee and Holland? Link to comment
yellowdog Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 ShoobYou can start bidding now :) The Perrysburg zone is further away and you have plenty of time to bid so i wouldn't include this zone now. It's better to try to hit a hotel in the best zones first.Let us know if you have any further questions before you start bidding.Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.Yellowdog. Link to comment
Shoob Posted February 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 Hey guys...Thanks for all the advice. Here's the problem... I actually had time to bid today, and as I went for the bid, I found that the hotel I really wanted (Hilton Toledo) that was in the 3* category is no longer visible when I do a search. I also noticed that a lot of the 2 1/2* hotels are pretty decent in those areas mentioned above. What would you say is the best plan of action from here on? Let me know what you think... Thanks again!P.S. Also, when I used the link in this thread to access PL, I found no indication of your website for credit. How can I ensure that I did it correctly? Link to comment
thereuare Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 The hotels shown in the 'retail' section of PRICELINE are not necessarily the hotels you will receive when bidding on PRICELINE... the two sides of the PRICELINE service use a different universe of hotels. Some only participate on the 'retail' side while other only participate in the 'bidding side'... some participate in both.If you were bidding 3* with the expectation of receiving the Hilton then you're likely setting yourself up for disappointment... when using PRICELINE you should be hoping for a hotel at a great price... not one hotel in particular.Whether you bid for a 3* or a 2.5* at this point really depends upon what you're looking for from this stay and your budget.Let us know and we'll advise accordingly.Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
Shoob Posted February 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 Well, I'd still like to stick 3* since you suggested I could try starting at $35. The Hilton in Toledo is the hotel that is ON campus, and it was a 3*. I wasn't expecting to get that hotel, but instead was hoping, as it would be nice (due to location, not due to name). So I'd like a hotel at a great price, as you stated. So in that case, should I begin with the suggested you suggested earlier? I'd like to start bidding now since I have some free time. Let me know... Thanks! Link to comment
thereuare Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 Yes, i would begin with the strategy above.If you click the PRICELINE link on the board to access PRICELINE there shouldn't be any problem with the tracking.THANKS! and good luck! Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
Shoob Posted February 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 Yes, i would begin with the strategy above.If you click the PRICELINE link on the board to access PRICELINE there shouldn't be any problem with the tracking.THANKS! and good luck!Very quickly (sorry for all the questions... I'm anxious)... since there are two re-bid zones, can I start the bid a bit lower (e.g. $32) in Downtown Toledo, and if rejected, re-bid Downtown Toledo with Oregon area at $35, and if rejected again, re-bid Downtown with Toledo North at $38?I ask this because in your strategy you mentioned the two re-bid zones (I think those are the ones that I named), but you did mention two re-bids before closing the browser. Please let me know ASAP as I'd like to finalize this today if possible. Thanks again... I hope you understand my anxiety (don't have much in the bank)! Link to comment
Romelle Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 If you are just wanting Downtown Toledo and you bid that first, then you are correct in your assumption that the two free rebid zones available are Oregon and Toledo North. And you can increase your bid within the same 24 hour session by adding these two zones one at a time. Hope it works for you.Romelle Link to comment
Shoob Posted February 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 If you are just wanting Downtown Toledo and you bid that first, then you are correct in your assumption that the two free rebid zones available are Oregon and Toledo North. And you can increase your bid within the same 24 hour session by adding these two zones one at a time. Hope it works for you.RomelleHey guys,Well, I won the Crowne Plaza at $43 (I followed your strategy exactly). It was a nice win, though a bit bittersweet because I found that almost everyone who stayed here complained about parking. Supposedly they "force" you to valet park at the rate of $16/day, and nobody seems to be offering advice for those who don't want to pay the valet parking fee.Does anyone familiar with this hotel or the region have any suggestions as far as parking is concerned? Also, how is traffic in the area? I have to attend a meet-and-greet (at the school) on the evening of my arrival, and my interview is in the morning around 9AM (how much time should I give myself?). I'm sure others can offer some good advice about the region. Oh, and does anyone know if I am forced to use the valet, if I can park, leave for my meeting, and come back and park without incurring any further charges? Where can I find info on check-in and check-out times...? I hope I can check in by 4PM...Sorry for all the questions... I've just never been to this place before, and I'm fairly anxious. Oh... any good eats in Toledo (preferably inexpensive)? Link to comment
yellowdog Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 ShoobThank you for sharing your result with the board!Enjoy your stay.I don't know this area so i can't help you. But a suggestion is that you look at the hotels site for C/I and C/O times etc. You might want to look at TripAdvisors forum for local information. Please use the site's HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links to start future purchases.Yellowdog. Link to comment
Romelle Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 I found this site:http://www.cvent.com/rfp/toledo-hotels/cro...32d71f77dc.aspxthat says the CP has free parking. Maybe it is just the valet part that is costly? Don't get your hopes too high though as things do change. But when you come to the hotel, also don't automatically assume that valet parking is your only choice, meekly handing over your keys. Ask when you come in with your car, and if you don't get the answer you want, park under the front awning for check-in (free for a little while) and then ask again at the front desk. Maybe print out a screen from the above web site and highlight where it says "Free parking". Show it to the front desk. Don't go down without your best fight.A quick email to the hotel might answer your check-in time question, although I don't know that I've ever seen a hotel with a check-in time later than 3 pm. You should be fine with the 4 pm time. It is more of an issue when one takes an overnight flight to Europe and wants to check in at 9:00 AM. You might try www.flyertalk.com and find the US - Midwest area. The site is very active, and people tend to be very willing to answer a specific question or three. The college also might be willing to answer a few visitor type very specific questions. And they would be more accustomed to dealing with student budget limitations. Romelle Link to comment
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