ggordon

Yes, it was quite a good "hot rate" deal. Also, I should have mentioned in my post earlier today that the $90/95 website rates I quoted were inclusive of tax. The base hotel rate for the king bed room was $72, and $77 for the king with microwave and refrigerator. When I booked on HOTWIRE, I did have bed choice of king or two double beds, but no choice of room with refrig/micro.

Enjoyed my short stay at this LaQuinta; the room was clean, bedding comfortable and front desk help friendly. Just wanted to mention that there was no refrigerator or microwave in my room, and the front desk said that Hotwire customers would need to pay an extra $5 per night for that room upgrade (which I discovered of their website was the same as regular customers). The LaQuinta website "best available" rate for the night I stayed was $90 for a regular room with a king bed, or $95 for the same room with refrig and microwave. I stayed at a Milwaukee airport hotel specifically because I had an early flight the next morning. The LaQuinta free airport shuttle runs from 7 am to 11 pm, so anyone needing to be at the airport prior to 7:15 am needs to pay. They ordered a shuttle service for me leaving at 5:50 am where the rate was $11 for one person or $13 for two. Also, although most of the cold breakfast items were available prior to my shuttle leaving, the hot breakfast is not open until 6:00 am.

Total price $55.34 after addition of $11.34 taxes and fees. Amenities: Free parking, Free breakfast, Free Internet, Pet friendly, Airport shuttle, Smoke-free rooms, Fitness center, Business center, Internet access. Accessibility: Accessible bathroom, Accessible parking. And, I used the HOTWIRE link on the BetterBidding homepage!

Most travel sites are showing $109 per night for this location. I used the HOTWIRE link from BetterBidding Much better deals were available in the Sheboygan area, but I wanted to be closer to Elkhart Lake for this trip, so I bit the bullet and took the $84 per night rate for two nights. I have been avoiding HOTWIRE recently because of the extra fees, but I attempted to get this hotel bidding on PRICELINE, and was unsuccessful up to $71 per night, at which point I gave up and took the Hotwire rate. This reservation is not yet showing in the My Account/My Trips page of HOTWIRE, so these amenities are from my reservation confirmation: Free parking Free breakfast Free Internet Indoor pool(s) Smoke-free rooms Fitness center Pool(s) Business center Self-service laundry

I used the links on the WinAlerts App on my iPhone to check for Hotwire and Priceline Express rates about 15 minutes before I wanted to check-in. Hotwire was $64 and Priceline Express was $67. I was in a rush and chose Hotwire, even though I know from experience that the fees from Priceline are usually lower, and the overall price from Hotwire may have been a few dollars higher. I paid $64 plus $17.08 for taxes and fees for a total of $81.08. This property is currently listed in the Pennsylvania Hotwire Hotels list as the Holiday Inn, but the name was changed in the fall of 2014 to Park Inn by Radisson and is undergoing renovation. My room this stay was in the "King's Court" wing, which only has rooms with king beds. The room had aging decor, but was clean and quiet. I seem to remember a small refrigerator in the room when I stayed under the Holiday Inn brand a few years ago, but neither of the two rooms I had here in the last two weeks had one. Amenities on the first Hotwire search page: Business center Fitness center Free parking Indoor pool(s) Pet friendly Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Self-service laundry Accessibility amenities: Accessible for visually impaired Accessible for hearing impaired Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Accessible bathroom Accessible parking Roll-in shower

This is the old Holiday Inn right next to the Turnpike exit; the name changed in fall of 2014, I believe. I used the Better Bidding links to check Hot.wire and PRICELINE EXPRESS. The Priceline Express was $1 cheaper for what seemed to be the same property on Hot.wire, but lower booking fees brought the transaction to about $6 cheaper on PRICELINE EXPRESS: $62 for one night plus $11.75 tax and fees = $73.75. Amenities: Free Parking, Pet Friendly, Indoor Pool, Spa, Non-Smoking, Gym, Restaurant, Handicap Accessible, Business Center, of which only Pets Allowed, Free Parking, Business Center, Restaurant, Indoor or Outdoor Pool, Fitness Center showed on the first search page.

On the first "search results" page, only "free internet" is listed, which is also the case when you click on that hotel for more information. After clicking the "book now" button, a complete list of amenities (including the accessible amenities) shows up when you click the "see more" hyperlink under "room type" on the right side of the page. This list shows "internet access" in addition to "free internet", as does the complete list of amenities in the "trip details" under "my trips". There is never any mention of "high-speed internet".

Aaron, you are correct. I neglected to include the accessible amenities, as they were not listed on the first search page. The complete list of amenities for this property should be: Free parking, free breakfast, free internet, pet friendly, smoke free rooms, fitness center, golf nearby, tennis nearby, accessible bathroom, accessible parking. And thanks for the comment regarding the "retail price". I remember learning that a couple years ago, but must have forgotten, as I am not traveling as much recently.

Hot.wire search page showed $50 per night was 52% off regular rate of $105, and recommended by 95%. Total for two nights including $23.71 tax and fees = $123.71. (When I checked the LaQuinta website shortly after making the Hotwire booking, the rate for a standard room on these dates was $80 for a senior and $89 regular, not $105.) Amenities: Free parking, free breakfast, free internet, pet-friendly, smoke-free rooms, fitness center, golf nearby, tennis nearby.

I have been traveling to Madison a couple times a year for the last 10 years or so, for both business and pleasure and usually use either Hot.wire or Price.line. Usually I get the hotel I want, although it is sometimes difficult to figure out the 3.5 star hotels downtown. Sometimes I want to be near the Capitol, and sometimes I want the free parking and central location/easy driving from the Sheraton, even though it is not walking distance from downtown. Through trial and error over the years, I have discovered that it is impossible to know which property you will get using Priceline, but the you can guarantee getting the Sheraton through Hot.wire because it is currently the only 3.5 star property with free parking. This trip I waited til the last minute, and was rewarded. A month ago, the 3 to 3.5 star properties were all between $90 and $120 per night on Hot.wire and Priceline.Express. I finally noticed this $67 rate on Hotwire (a 65% discount) a day before my trip and snapped it up, using the BetterBidding HOTWIRE link. Amenities: Free Parking, Free Internet, Pet friendly, Indoor pool(s), Smoke Free Rooms, Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business Center, Internet access 3 nights Hotwire Hot Rate Room@ $67.00/night $201.00 Tax recovery charges & fees $42.26 Subtotal $243.26 Hotwire Total $243.26

Won room with PRICELINE EXPRESS. Do not remember the amenities, and my receipts do not show them. Cost was $63.00 plus $13.69 taxes and fees less $3.15 five percent "summer14" discount code = $73.54. Had an issue at checkout, and I will report back and describe after I see how it is resolved.

Saturday Aug 31 is a home football game for the Wisconsin Badgers, so you can expect the Friday night hotel rates to be higher than normal. It is a risky game to play, but I have found that the rates go down a few days before the game for non-conference games, and UMass is not a big draw. On the other hand, folks might be standing in line to watch Coach Andersen's first game. You might consider getting a regular refundable reservation at a modestly priced hotel and taking your chances on a 3 or 3.5 star place closer to your visit. Good luck!

There were no hotels listed in the Sheboygan area in the Hotwire list; I was hoping this 2 star deal was one of the Choice Hotel options, particularly the Quality Inn, which was closest to my destination. This deal on the Super 8 was only 10% savings over the regular $54.40 one week advance, pay in advance rate on the Super 8 website, which in turn, is 15% better than the normal $64 per night rate. (Actually less than 10% savings if you figure in the booking fees.) One unusual thing happened during this booking. My initial Hotwire search from the BetterBidding website showed a $49 rate for a one-star hotel, which I suspect might have been an America's Best Value Inn, which I try to avoid, and a $49 rate for a two-star hotel. When I clicked through on the two-star, the rate changed to $48. No complaints here! My rate summary: 2 nights Hotwire hot Rate Room@ $48.00/night $96.00 Tax recovery charges & fees: $22.63 Trip Total: $118.63 Amenities: Free Breakfast Free internet Pet friendly Smoke Free Rooms Laundry Facilities (self-service) High-Speed Internet Access Golf Nearby

Needed to stay close to the airport and take a shuttle for an early morning flight. Used the BetterBidding HOTWIRE link to learn that there was a 3* available at $54 and a 2* at $40 (probably the marginal Days Inn). So then used the BetterBidding PRICELINE link and bid $40 for a 3*, thinking that if I lost, I could come back and bid $35 for a 2.5*, where I have won a room at the airport Ramada several times (which to my knowledge is not available on Hotwire). I won the bid at $40 plus $13.24 taxes and fees for a total of $53.24. After winning the bid, I checked the Wyndham website to learn the cheapest rack rate for this night was $89, so I am pleased with the win. I forgot to check the BetterBidding Priceline Maps feature prior to bidding, and later noticed a few wins in the high $30's for this property.

Used the BetterBidding Priceline Maps function to figure out that there was likely only one 4 star (Marriott), one 3.5 star (Crowne Plaza) and one 3 star (Courtyard) property available from Priceline in the airport area(and similar research results re Hotwire). Noted that Hotwire price for a 3.5 star property was $98; 3 star was $97. and 2.5 star ranged between $73 and 76 over the past two days. Normally I am satisfied with 2.5 star properties, but recent reviews suggested construction and other difficulties at that property. So I entered a stink bid of $67 with Priceline for 3.5 star and above at the Montreal airport location., figuring I could come back and bid 3 stars and above. Bid was refused and Priceline gave me a free rebid at $88 which I accepted, since it was $10 cheaper than (probably) the same property at Hotwire. Possibly could have gotten a slightly better deal, but did not have the time to waste over another 10 bucks. Final score, $88 plus $23.67 tax and fees for total US$111.67. (3.5 star on Hotwire would have been $98 plus $27.20 tax and fees for total US$125.20.) The best rack rate on the Crowne Plaza website for that Sunday night was CAD $164, not including tax.