<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">I'm not a fan of Priceline because I don't like the idea of not knowing which particular property is available before I give them my credit card.</font>
I agree with you for the most part. I was just thinking if you check biddingfortravel I suspect it's highly likely you'd be getting something better than Motel 6 for the same price. I've only used it twice and that was when I was pretty much assured of what I was going to get. Most recent was for a five-star in Chicago and I got the Drake for $90. Cheapest rate elsewhere was $245.
The other thing you might try are bed and breakfasts in the area. You might find something quaint for comparable cost.