TravelGuy

New York Ave. is quite long, and the the bad 1 to 2* hotels with the bulletproof glass are toward the far end of it, leading out of the City, in a completely different part of town from any of the Priceline zones. I generally wouldn't worry about safety when bidding in Washington. Although using some extra caution late at night might be advisable if staying at some of the hotels in the Downtown/White House or Convention Center/Capital Hill zones - but no big deal.

Saw this priced low on vacation packages and decided to take a chance. $179 on Hamptoninn.com. $47 failed. Hampton Inn Newark-Harrison-Riverwalk 100 Passaic Avenue Harrison, New Jersey 07029 Your Offer Price: $52.00 Extend Your Stay Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $52.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $15.87 Total Charges*: $67.87 This place is within walking distance to the PATH and gets excellent reviews from Tripadvisor.com. Decent pool, exercise room and free hot breakfast. Has to be the best budget option for New Year's Eve in NYC this year. I'm glad I got it.

A 4* should run around $65. Priceline does not offer 5* bidding in DC. Hotel occupancy is quite low Christmas Eve, so you should have no problem. Enjoy your trip!

$99 on Radisson.com Hotwire wanted $56. $38 failed. Radisson Hotel Providence Harbour 220 India Street Providence, Rhode Island 02903 Your Offer Price: $39.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $39.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $12.52 Total Charges*: $51.52

$189 on Hyatt.com $64 failed. Your Offer Price: $69.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $138.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $31.09 Total Charges*: $169.09

$209 on Hilton.com First bid, same day, upraded from 2.5*. Hilton Arlington And Towers 950 North Stafford Street Arlington, Virginia 22203 Your Offer Price: $49.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $49.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $14.08 Total Charges*: $63.08

$169 on marriott.com First bid, same day, for someone else. Courtyard By Marriott Arlington 1533 Clarendon Blvd Arlington, Virginia 22209

Some additional information along the same lines in this 12/12/06 USA Today article.

Interestiing 11/9/06 USA Today article. By Barbara De Lollis, USA TODAY The steep run-up in hotel room rates and occupancies in the USA's biggest cities is slowing as discouraged travelers seek alternatives to high-priced stays... Don't expect hotels to give you a break anytime soon. Industry forecasters such as Smith Travel Research expect rates to jump again next year. But there is some good news: Demand for rooms is stabilizing, so hotels won't be able to boost rates... Growing resistance from consumers indicates that hotels are nearing "that magic ceiling" for rates.

Hyatt Regency Miami 400 S E Second Ave Miami, Florida 33131 Check-In Date: Saturday, November 18, 2006 Check-Out Date: Sunday, November 19, 2006 Your Offer Price: $65.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $16.30 Total Charges*: $81.30 Showing sold out on hyatt.com but $219 in various other places. $59 failed.

Century Hotel 140 Ocean Dr Miami Beach, Florida 33139 Amenities: Boutique, Near Beach, Complimentary Breakfast, Tennis Nearby (vacation packages has above amenities + fitness center) 1 room(s) @ $52.00 per night x 5 night(s) SubTotal: $260.00 Taxes recovery charges and fees: $37.87 Total: $297.87 Have stayed here before - just about ideal for my needs. Check-out is 11/18 and not 11/15.

Unfortunately there

Welcome to BetterBidding! What is the most you'd like to spend per night on a hotel+parking?

I would second San Francisco. There are a large number of boutique hotels there that would be perfect for a romantic getaway in one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. I was there for a weekend recently and got the Harbor Court for $68 and loved it. Public transportation is superb, so you can easily do without the expense of a car. As someone living on the East Coast, I find flights to the West Coast enjoyable. The time usually goes by quickly with some good music and a movie, and with the time zone difference, you only lose 2 1/2 hours on a 5 1/2 flight. Returning on a red eye allows me to spend the whole last day of the trip out there, and I'm sometimes nearly startled to wake up to an arrival announcement after what seemed like maybe just an hour spent in the air.

Very pleased with this. Looks just about perfect for me. I saw this on Priceline Vacation Packages priced low for such a nice place, about the same as a couple of Holiday Inns and substantially less than other boutiques. So I decided I would try to maneuver myself into it. Started at $64 for USE/Boutique, which got a counter offer to add $17. $66 failed. $159 on hotel's website. Hotwire wanted $108. Harbor Court Hotel, A Kimpton Hotel 165 Steuart Street San Francisco, California Check-In Date: Friday, August 25, 2006 Check-Out Date: Sunday, August 27, 2006 Your Offer Price: $68.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $136.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $27.84 Total Charges*: $163.84