Priceline Hotel: Rome bidding help

[anyway]

Considering to bid in Rome for a very price-sensitive friend. He would like to stay in center, so probably Central and Vatican City zones, but is not concerned about star rating, so 2* will do. The dates are 26.03.2006-29.03.2006 and he is willing to spend 60-70$ max.

I did a search of course, but seems that Rome is extremely unpredictable city.

So, bidders more experienced in Rome - is Priceline a viable option there or better deals in his price range are found elsewhere?

Any thoughts about other zones, would it be reasonable to assume hotels there can be reached by public transport if 60$ in the center is rejected?

I know my questions are vague, but with no experience in Rome I'm just trying to gather as much info as possible. Thanks in advance!

[WillTravel]

Do you mean $60-70 with the taxes and fees included?

Has he checked out regular booking sites already? It's possible to get single rooms for 50 Euros where you know the location, and this seems like the best option in the case of Rome.

I'd start by looking here: http://www.venere.com

Once you find a promising hotel, try looking up the hotel directly. This is only one site - there are many others to peruse.

If interested in a B&B, try here: http://www.cross-pollinate.com

[anyway]

I meant 70$ with taxes. Of course I checked all the usual sites, hrs, Expedia, Orbitz, hotels, bookings, alpharooms, laterooms, mobissimo, kayak, and so on... Laterooms had the widest availability in the low end (45-60 EUR for a double with breakfast), I will probably suggest going with some of the hotels found there. Hrs (IMHO) provided best deals in the 90-100 EUR range.

I guess Priceline is not the best option for Rome (at least in the low end) unless the gambling aspect of PL is what attracts you. :)

Thanks for http://www.cross-pollinate.com, didn't know that!