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I was wondering whether the Sheraton Lincoln Harbor in Weehawken was downgraded or upgraded as far as star level between this post and the date of the last update of the Priceline hotel list. I see on the list it's 3.5* but this is the last data point this board has and it's listed as a 4* win. Either the list is outdated, or there is some magical non-posted data point proving it was downgraded since December to a 3.5*. ^^; Just wanted to get clarification on this.

I walked them through the bidding and they were worried about having to wait for 3* rebid, so they wanted to start higher at $90. It was accepted immediately at the Hyatt (upgraded to 4*). We probably overbid, but they seemed happy enough.

Thanks, thereuare! Sadly for 3* there are zero free rebids. I also haven't bid yet 'cause my relatives are being picky and indecisive. New rates this morning are: Doubletree 159 Marriott 209 Westin 179 W Hoboken 206 Hyatt 199 Also seeing a 4* on Hotwire for $136 for what looks like the W Hoboken due to there being Tennis as a listed amenity. As an aside, I discovered new info for Candlewood Suites, I posted in the Hotwire section with details. Have any ideas on what to bid for 3*? I'll only have 1 24hr later rebid.

Just wanted to let you know I'm seeing an updated listing for what I'm pretty sure is the Candlewood Suites. 2.5* Free Parking, Complimentary Breakfast, Suite, Smoke Free Rooms, High-Speed Internet Access Recommended by 85% of guests.

I'm a bit rusty at this so wanted to check with the experts here on the best bidding strategy. Looking for a Newport Jersey City hotel for relatives for this coming weekend. Check-in: 5/12 Check-out: 5/14 I haven't attempted any bids yet since I'm aware Sat night check-in inventory isn't released till last minute usually. The 3* hotels are best located for us since they are in Newport. The 4* hotels... eh, there is the Westin and the W Hoboken isn't too far. But the Hyatt down at Exchange Place would be kind of inconvenient so I'm not sure about the 4* option yet. Checking each hotel chain's websites I see the following rates: Doubletree $159 Marriott $189 Westin $179 W Hoboken $239 Hyatt $199 I also see a 4* Hotwire Hotel [Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business Center, High-Speed Internet Access & 95% Recommendation Rate] going for $126/night. This rate just popped up tonight after Midnight EDT! Earlier tonight it was $159 but with the Sheraton Lincoln Harbor amenities & 95% Recommendation. Based on previous posts, I'm guessing this is the Westin Newport? What do you think is a good amount to start low bidding at? I guess I shouldn't go over $100 considering the $126 Hotwire rate? Thanks in advance!

okay, i have looked into getting a Blue Cash card before... but the thing that bothers me is that whole "Up to 5% cash back" thing. i called Amex before to try to ask them to give me the EXACT breakdown of what the earning structure is, but they didn't have that information. there are a lot of MC and Visa cards that give you a flat 1% cash back no matter what. (Citi Dividends for example) i just don't see how Blue Cash is necessarily better than those cards. does anyone on this board actually HAVE a Blue Cash card? would you be so kind as to share the exact earning structure? thanks!

Phaelon56, why don't you apply for either a Hilton HHonors Amex or Visa? as long as you earn some HHonors points, your current points balance shouldn't expire. also, you can combine the two accounts using an online form. just login to your account online and fill out the form. check out Flyertalk.com for more help.

hi Scout... my guess on this one is maybe the Buena Vista Suites on World Center Drive. seems to fit the amenities. but this is a just a random guess.

tsb4, i highly suspect that the 3* which matches the amenities you listed (make sure it's an exact match) is the Best Western Lake Buena Vista on Hotel Plaza Blvd near Downtown Disney. it's been recently renovated, and is in a great location! please report back if you decide to go for it. good luck!

John, just thought i'd mention that only your first night 11/7 seems to be sold out. maybe you could stay at a cheaper hotel on the first night. try for a 3* or something. and try bidding for 11/8 - 11/10 for a 4* or higher in the Beach zone. have you also checked Hotwire for you dates, btw?

hi robcomp. this is a great hotel! for future reference, you probably could've gotten it for a few dollars less. the "Raise your bid by $12" thing that you got was a Counteroffer from Priceline. Counteroffers are usually higher than the dollar amount you would need to win a bid. this way Priceline makes a little extra money. you can usually undercut the Counteroffer. have you read through the bidding tips here on the boards? they would've helped you figure out that you can reject Priceline's counteroffer, and rebid a lower dollar amount (like $50). try: http://www.betterbidding.com/show.php/act/...t/ST/f/173/t/16 http://www.betterbidding.com/show.php/act/...t/ST/f/173/t/19

hi Lou. i just recently did a lot of research on Ft. Lauderdale hotels + booked a pre-cruise hotel for a friend. the closest hotels to Port Everglades are: Renaissance Hotel, Marriott Marina, Amerisuites Convention Center, Embassy Suites, Hyatt Regency Pier 66, Holiday Inn Express Convention Center, and Comfort Suites Cruise Port. some of those hotels are available on Priceline or Hotwire (check the Hotel Lists here) others need to be booked conventionally. these are all in downtown Ft Lauderdale, and are all under 2 miles away from Port. although the Hyatt Regency Pier 66 (see my winning bid post for details) is actually in the Priceline Beach zone. but it's not actually ON the beach. i think it's pretty close to the beach though. maybe you go by water taxi? if you want to be closer to the beach, try: Sheraton Yankee Clipper, Marriott Harbor Beach Resort, Radisson Bahia, or Doubletree Oceanfront. Best Western Oceanside Inn or Days Inn Bahia Cabana are budget options near the beach, but these might be more motel like. i didn't research them, i just know their location is within 3 miles of Port. i think the Doubletree Guest Suites Galleria and Holiday Inn Oceanfront are near the beach too, but they are a bit further away from Port. still under 5 miles away though. you can try to see what the rates at these hotels are like conventionally. book a backup hotel reservation first. get to know what the hotel rates are like, so you can figure out what kind of deal (or bidding limit) you might want to aim for. and then you can come back here and see about attempting Priceline or Hotwire. hope this helps!

Randy. $160 in Hotel Circle! wow. well i guess it's a suite. but Hotel Circle's not so good in terms of ambience. you don't have an Entertainment Book, do you? a lot of San Diego hotels participate w/ the Entertainment Book. actually, you can just call them and book the Entertainment Rate as a backup. and then you can buy the Entertainment Book later if it turns out you do need to use your backup reservation. i got back from San Diego recently, and experienced the city from 3 different neighborhoods. i stayed in Mission Bay (Dana Inn through Hotwire), La Jolla (Empress Hotel at $74.50/night Entertainment rate), and Downtown (Embassy Suites on Hilton points, but this hotel is available on Hotwire also). (it's complicated, we had a segmented trip w/ a jaunt to Vegas in between). the first 2 neighborhoods we had a car, and then when we stayed downtown, we saved money by using the public transportation system. we went to Seaworld, the Zoo, and walked around Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, La Jolla and Coronado Island, and Torrey Pines State Reserve. our favorite hotel was the Empress Hotel La Jolla. it was a great rate, and La Jolla is absolutely gorgeous. it's w/in walking distance of La Jolla Cove, and much nicer than staying near the highways. we avoided Mission Valley and Hotel Circle because we didn't want to go to San Diego and stay next to the highways. if you're bidding up to $90 for downtown... have you thought about trying for Coronado bids? the Marriott and Loews sometimes come up for $99. Coronado Island is so beautiful. the beach is breathtaking IMO. also, not sure if your 9-year old is a boy or a girl. but perhaps they might find it interesting to see the Navy SEALS training on Coronado. let me know if you have any questions.

bid this a month ago for an emergency trip. i can't recall the exact bid history, but i believe i started at $40 or $45 and went up $2 per bid? to $50 when it finally hit. it came to about $63 after taxes/fees.

does this hotel really need a review? :) well i'll mention that the front desk was very courteous, and there was no mention of Priceline at all. they discreetly said that our reservation was prepaid. we had planned to ask for an upgrade to Strip view, but then forgot about it after walking into the lobby and just being in awe of how nice it was. so we never got to test out whether they upgrade Priceline customers or not. we weren't planning on using the $20 trick. hotel room elevator banks are manned by uniformed security who will ask to see you room key before you are allowed in. (we didn't see that when we stayed at the MGM Grand. guess that's just another difference between 4* and 5* hotels. heh.) there is a food court (we were surprised), and a decent priced casual restaurant that's owned/operated by the company that runs the Cheesecake Factory. btw, they sell Krispy Kreme donuts at the food court. the in-room fax/printer is a great amenity (only 25cents per page), as we happened to need to print out a certificate for our upcoming stay at another hotel the next night. unfortunately, the printer was out of ink when we finally got around to printing it at 3am the night before check-out. they have technical guys on staff 24-7 of course (5* hotel) and sent someone up to install the new print cartridge. there were broken light switches, and burnt out light bulbs in the room. but we didn't care. they don't have too many outlets in the bedroom/living room for plugging in your electronics though. we used the ones in the bathroom. the Venetian rooms have the nicest bathrooms i've ever seen. oh how i wish my own bathroom at home looked like that. anyway, we'd be crazy not to go back. i'm already planning to start randomly bidding for the Venetian for upcoming dates. i've left out a bunch of stuff, but there's really not much that needs to be said about the Venetian.