Step one: Go to priceline.com and punch in your details as if you were going to buy a hotel at "their" price. Notice what "star" level hotels they offer prices on in the area where you want to stay. Note if there are four star hotels, three-star, and so on.

Step two: Go to http://p070.ezboard.com/Missouri--Kansas-City/fpricelineandexpediabiddingkansascity to see what other people have bid at priceline.com to get the same kind of hotel that you want in KC. Note that this site also lists what star-level hotels are available through priceline in KC. See the "Kansas City Hotels List" at the top of the list of topics.

Step three: Now that you know how much priceline would sell the hotel room for, without you "naming your own price," and now that you know how much others have successfully bid on KC hotels like the ones you want, go to the "name your own price" section of priceline.com.

Step four: Make your first bid. A good starting point is about 51% of what priceline would have sold it to you directly without you bidding. Gauge this with the successful bid prices you saw at the ezboard site.

Step five: If priceline did not accept your first bid, look back at your notes to see what star-level hotels are available in certain areas of KC. For example, if your first bid was for a three-star hotel near Country Club Plaza, look for an area in KC where there are NO 3-star hotels. Priceline makes you change one of your criteria for a second bid attempt, so you can keep your bid for a 3-star hotel, knowing that there are no 3-star hotels in the second area of KC that you have now added for your second bid. Also, maybe up your bid to 60 or 70% of Priceline's "no bid" price for this try.

Step six: If they reject your second bid, try adding another area where you know there are no 3-star hotels for a third bid. Or, clear all of your cookies and browsing history and try another bid in your wife's name using one of her credit cards. Note, you could also add two star hotels to your bid, but then you need to make sure you remove the second KC area that you selected before, just in case there are 2 star hotels in the area that you didn't really want. Also, you may want to adjust your bid price a little bit lower, if you think you might really end up with a lower star-level hotel.

Step seven: Try Hotwire.com or Travelocity.com to see what they have.

Step eight: Start a thread on Athomedad offering to pay to share a room with someone who already has one.

Good luck.

I just booked a room at the homestead studio kansas city for $85 a night. It's on Main street, about 1/2 a mile from the convention hotel. It's an extended stay type hotel. Here is a link: http://www.homesteadhotels.com/minisite/?hotelID=92
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On Fresno Dome

I have reserved a suite at the covention hotel and have room for someone if they need. Let me or Paul Wolford know. Both Paul and I are from California and arrive on Friday.

Bob Bain