Priceline Hotel: 2* No. Virginia (Dulles IAD) Fairfield Inn

[Mulval]

Fairfield Inn by Marriott - Dulles Airport South - Chantilly

Priceline quality level: 2*

Priceline zone: Dulles Airport (IAD)

3960 Corsair Court, Chantilly, Virginia 20157

703-435-1111

http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/IADFC

Check-In Date: Tuesday, February 1, 2005

Check-Out Date: Friday, February 4, 2005

Offer Price: $40.00

Number of Rooms: 1

Number of Nights: 3

Subtotal: $120.00

Taxes & Service Fees: $20.65

Total Charges: $140.65

Bidding on January 17, 2005:

1) 2* for $40 in Dulles Airport (IAD) -- and my price was accepted.

Rate:

The best available rate from the hotel Web site for the same dates was $139.00/night.

Location:

This hotel is in the south end of the Dulles Airport (IAD) zone. The exact location is on the northeast corner of the intersection of Route 28 (Sully Rd) and Route 50 (Lee Jackson Memorial Hwy).

Quality Level:

I have stayed at this Fairfield Inn by Marriott before. In my opinion, the excellent quality and amenities of this hotel (Priceline 2*) are no different from AmeriSuites by PRIME (Priceline 2.5*) located two traffic lights south along Route 28 (Sully Rd). Both offer clean, comfortable rooms, and a good breakfast.

[thereuare]

I noticed you more often bid 2.5* in this zone... were these dates difficult at 2.5* or were you looking for somerthing different for this stay? <just curious :) >

[Mulval]

My goal was to get a 2.5* or a 2* hotel room for around $40/night. I tried bidding, unsuccessfully, a number of times: in December 2004, on January 4, 2005, and then in the middle of January 2005. Here's what I tried on Thursday, January 13, 2005:

A1) 2.5* for $39 in Sterling

A2) 2.5* for $40 in Sterling + Falls Church East

B1) 2.5* for $38 in Dulles Airport (IAD)

B2) 2.5* for $39 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Falls Church East

B3) 2.5* for $40 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Falls Church East + Sterling

B4) 2.5* for $41 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Falls Church East + Sterling + Manassas

C1) 2* for $38 in Dulles Airport (IAD)

C2) 2* for $39 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Sterling

C3) 2* for $40 in Dulles Airport (IAD) + Sterling + Manassas

After that I waited for over 72 hours. I wanted to avoid winning a 2* Homestead Studio Suites in the Washington Dulles International Airport area, because Homestead properties don't include breakfast. Then, on Monday, January 17, 2005, a friend of mine bidding for the same area for the same week told me that he won a $41 bid for 2* Fairfield Inn - Washington Dulles Airport South in Chantilly. I would have been happy to stay at Fairfield Inn, because it's a great property, with a nice breakfast, a convenient location, and a lot of cable TV channels offered. So I immediately bid $40 for 2* in Dulles Airport (IAD) zone, and won.