Priceline Hotel: 3* Toronto (Downtown South) Residence Inn

[MelP]

I am heading up to Toronto for the U2 concert on the 3rd and just generally to experience how Canada does a festive time. :) I know it is usually advantageous to wait until it's closer to the time of one's stay but with Canada Day, concert, and Toronto Pride, I was getting a bit antsy about securing someplace decent on my budget. Conventional prices overall were not too bad, but I am on a tight budget and the only decent backup I could find in my under $90 price range required a non-refundable deposit. So I started bidding Priceline now.

Over the past week I did three rounds of bidding Toronto Downtown, both South and North, at 3.5* with many free re-bids, starting at $50 and going up to $85, with nary a nibble - I figured there most likely isn't inventory yet. This morning, after perusing people's bidding histories some more, I decided to take a chance and bid 3* with precisely this hotel in mind (I do know there is no way to guarantee what you get though). I started with Toronto DT South at $65 - no dice, but I got a message saying that they had a hotel in that zone if I bid $17 more. I know you can usually hit it with less than the suggested, so I ignored that, added Toronto East (the only re-bid at 3*) and bid $71. Turned out to be a little low, and I was rejected. So I added Toronto DT North (not a free re-bid but acceptable), bid $76 and, bingo! Got the Residence Inn, exactly what I was eyeing. :) Taxes/fees added $40 to the total. Could not be more perfect for this trip (well, except for the Renaissance but with the concert, I knew that wasn't going to come up)! Great that it has free hot breakfast and internet as well. Lowest rate on the Marriott website was $189. Could not be more pleased!

I did use the PRICELINE link to place my bids...thanks again for all the tips and tricks. :o

[AaronJB]

Congratulations on your success. :)

Sweet deal for this Residence Inn property, and glad you were able to get the hotel you were looking for! Free breakfast is always a nice added value.

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

Enjoy your stay.