Priceline Hotel: 2* Birmingham (Oxmoor-Homewood) Towneplace Suites Homewood

[Memphis_Guy]

A year ago I won a decent night's stay at the La Quinta in Homewood for $42.

With that in mind, I checked the list of known hotels for Homewood and thought, "Hmm...that was a really clean and comfortable room, and it looks like we're aware of only one 2* hotel in Homewood." So I decided to lowball the price and see what would happen. Last year I won with $42. This year I would go with $31.

I selected only one area of town: Homewood, and I selected 2*. Then I bid $31, just to see. It was rejected, and I was given the chance to bid again if I could add extra parts of town.

After checking this forum carefully, I knew from the list that there were no 2* hotels near the airport, only a 3* hotel. So I added the airport and bid $32. This time I won. But it was NOT the La Quinta. It's a new hotel to add to the list: TownePlace Suites Homewood.

{sarcasm on} JOY! {/sarcasm off}

The most recent TravelAdvisor reviews of the hotel say that it has undergone renovation, so maybe the earlier reviews that complain of a general grimy-ness are out-dated. I'll let you know how it goes. If the room is clean and the staff is competent, it will be a great bargain!

Here's the Priceline info on that property:

Towneplace Suites Homewood 2 Star

Oxmoor - Homewood

500 Wildwood Circle

Birmingham, Alabama 35209

205-943-0114

See Hotel Website

View Map and Directions Check-In Date:

Sun, Feb 28, 2010 / After 03:00 PM

Check-Out Date:

Mon, Mar 1, 2010 / 12:00 PM

Amenities: Remote control TV w/ premium channels Telephone w/ messaging Radio Alarm Clock

Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $32.00

Subtotal: $32.00

Taxes & Fees: $11.93

Total Charges*: $43.93

Used this forum's PRICELINE link to place my bid.

[AaronJB]

Sorry to hear that this was a bit of a mixed result, but hope that the renovations for this property will lead to a better-than-expected stay.

Thank you for letting us know about this new PRICELINE property to add to the site's Priceline Hotel List for the state.

Thank you for sharing your win with the board and using the site's PRICELINE link to start your purchase.

Enjoy your stay.

[thereuare]

After checking this forum carefully, I knew from the list that there were no 2* hotels near the airport, only a 3* hotel.

Actually, the Airport zone does contain 2* hotels... do NOT use the hotel lists on the board to determine your re-bid zones (this noted at the top of every hotel list). See the techniques in this thread: Priceline Re-Bidding Explained regarding the correct way to determine your re-bid zones. Feel free to ask any questions you have regarding this subject.

Thanks for the post and sharing your PRICELINE experience with the board.

[Memphis_Guy]

Ok, I'm about to check out, and I have to say this was a decent place to stay.

GOOD: Clean. Extended stay type property with a kitchenette (fridge, stove, microwave, etc.). New carpet in the room. Mostly new (if generic and inexpensive) furnishings and cabinetry. Nice flat screen TV. Comfortable newish memory-foam mattress on the bed. Check in was easy. Staff was very polite, professional and accommodating.

BAD: Too much room deodorizer in the hallway and in the room (very sweet smell), no pay per view, hi-speed internet was much slower than at home (streaming Hulu or YouTube was impossible), couch was upholstered in some kind of synthetic plastic material... something better than naugahyde, but not as nice as real cloth.

My list of negatives seems long, but they're only minor. Everything here is clean and usable. And the room was quite cheap. I've stayed in MANY worse 2* places that should never have been granted 2*. This was a good deal.

[thereuare]

Glad to hear you enjoyed your stay and found this to be a good value for the price paid.