Priceline?

[Fantasmico!]

I have never used Priceline, I have read that people got very good inexpensive deals on good hotels and I am very curious as to your bidding experiences. Did you bid close to the last minute or quite a bit ahead of your trip? What hotels, rental cars,and/or flights did you get and what did you pay? What would you do different during bidding, after bidding, etc? How was your experience with the hotel staff knowing you used Priceline? Would you use the site again? What strategy worked the best for you?
I have been looking at Bidding for Travel for a while to gauge what people won, when they won, etc.

I know there are lots of questions but I like to know everything before taking the plunge and others would probably like to know too. I am seriously considering Priceline so I can better afford some MiceChat meets!

[SCUBAbe]

Re: Priceline?

I have gotten some really good deals at the hyatt, crowne plaza, hilton and holday inn.

I would never go lower than the max stars again due to they put us in the candlewood hotel when we went one star lower. They were very short staffed, there was blood on our mattress, pet stains all over the carpet (they except pets) and I doubt the room was even cleaned. I think they just remade the bed witht he old sheets, due to there was a bunch of trash in the cupboard and crumbs all over the counter...oh and the blood. The room was truly disgusting and there was only one girl working trying to do everything. She did change out the mattress...eventually.

there is a website where you can see what people bid and what hotels they got. I don't know the website, but I'm sure someone does.

[Darkbeer]

Re: Priceline?

I also like Hotwire.com, one benefit here, you can enter your exact dates and see the rates without being required to buy. Similar to Priceline, you don't know the exact location/airline/rental company until your purchase, but you have an idea of the going rate.

One big point, if you want to use Priceline/Hotwire, you really need to have a rental car, since you won't know where you will be staying.

[pratt55]

Re: Priceline?

I use www.biddingfortravel.com to see what others are bidding and winning on Priceline rooms. We stick with 3* and usually end up at the Crowne Plaza, Hilton Suites or last time the Holiday Inn. I think the best deals usually are about 5 to 6 days out before our visit. If it is a firm date we are planning to arrive I will make backup fully hotel reservations that I can cancel for free and then use Priceline using the strategies that biddingfortravel has in their FAQ.

[stinkerbell]

Re: Priceline?

I also recommend www.biddingfortravel.com. I would never use priceline without knowing exactly what I'm in for and biddingfortravel gives you all the right strategies.

Be sure to read the hotel reviews and information. You don't want to get the Hilton and then be surprised by the $17 parking fee, for example.

[samsma]

Re: Priceline?

I used priceline this summer for the first time(not for Disneyland), and was very impressed. We saved over 65% off the hotels website. The staff was fine and our room was great. I dont think I was treated any different than any other customer. Good luck!

[Aladdin]

Re: Priceline?

At Priceline, they initially let you choose from various
specific hotels, and tell you what price the room is
for those hotels. BUT if you want to bid lower than
what the initial offers are, then you won't know the
exact hotel that may accept your offer, until its already
paid for.

I have done Priceline, primarily just for myself. And
usually only one week prior my trip. The last 3 times,
I've gone to one star in Anaheim and got Extended Stay
America, near DL. They don't make your bed daily,
and for fresh towels, you bring your old ones down to
the front desk. I've never had any horrible experiences
there.

[Fantasmico!]

Re: Priceline?

Wow, you all have some great tips. I would have never thought of a rental car as I thought Super Shuttle would take you to the hotel and I just figured out that the hotel could be in an area without ART service.
I will look at Bidding for Travel then do lots of homework!
I didn't know Priceline had a section that showed you the rate for specific hotels then you could bid for a lower rate. Hotwire may be a good thing to look at too.

Thank you for your posts! Anyone else out there have suggestions, comments or whatever?

Would it be beneficial to look at Expedia etc for Priceline homework?

[SCUBAbe]

Re: Priceline?

Be sure to read the hotel reviews and information. You don't want to get the Hilton and then be surprised by the $17 parking fee, for example.

parking fees never surprise me...not having a valet surprises me. I will always valet if one is available. The holiday inn had free parking (no valet) and free internet that only worked for 10 minutes.

[Goin2DL]

Re: Priceline?

I have never done Priceline but I have used Hotwire a few times. If you do some research you can usually figure out which hotel it is before you book it. Betterbidding.com is another good site for help with Priceline and Hotwire.

[Pirate Lover 68]

Re: Priceline?

Absolutely got reamed by Priceline. It wouldn't let us pick anything but a 3 star, and then in spite of saying they give up to 50% off the average price, it kept rejecting our offers. I figured, no problem, I've stayed at the Motel 6 before, and the 2 star hotels it suggested all were names that I would NORMALLY think are a step above Motel 6. I bid, and bid accepted. We have reservations at the Candlewood which I am AMAZED is considered 2 star. From all the reviews I've seen, it's cleaned only once during your several day stay, you have to change out your own towels and the deal we got???... 6 dollars less than their usual price. SIX DOLLARS?!?!?! I have had a couple of decent experiences with Priceline... in situations when I could specify 4 star or with a rental car...but I would STRONGLY CAUTION anyone wanting to stay near the resort to NOT USE PRICELINE bidding option.

At this point...with our trip coming, we are bring sleeping bags and our own towels and doing EVERYTHING to minimize the potentially horrible hotel stay we are in for.

[pratt55]

Re: Priceline?

I am sorry you did not get a good deal on Priceline. Only one time have I had a problem getting a room and that was during Spring Break when alll the hotels were filled. Did you read the FAQ on biddingfortravel.com Before placing a bid? I highly recommend it.

I have gone back over the pasty few months of my Priceline experiences and here is what I have come up with.

February 2007 - ***Knott's Berry Farm Hotel - won at $50.00 per night (2 rooms for 2 nights). Rack cost of room $120.00

March 2007 - ***Knott's Berry Farm Hotel - won at $48.00 per night (2 rooms, 2 nights)

April 2007 - *** Hilton Suites in Orange - won $45.00 per night (this was one of my favorite wins) Regular room rate $99

May 2007 * Extended Stay America - $30.00 per night. Aladdin did a mini-review a few messages back. Regular room rate 89.00

July 2007 *** Crowne Plaza - $50.00 per night + 9.00 resort fee. Regular room rate was $119.00

These are not all the winning bids but as you can see I have never felt that I got ripped off. I have always been able to choose my star level although they highly recommend 3* or more.

[SCUBAbe]

Re: Priceline?

but I would STRONGLY CAUTION anyone wanting to stay near the resort to NOT USE PRICELINE bidding option.

We got stuck with candlewood once as well. We still use priceline, but we never go down in stars anymore.

[PirateMickey]

Re: Priceline?

We're very happy with Priceline.

We've never had to pay over $50/night and we have stayed at the Hilton, Crown Plaza, and the Hyatt.

We've never felt that we were treated "differently" just because we used PL versus direct. In fact, we took advantage of the deal offered by the Hyatt one trip in which you could upgrade to a suite for an additional $40/night (there was a sign on the check-in counter). I asked if that included PL folks, and she told us yes, so we did.

Nice bonus!

[flynnibus]

Re: Priceline?

priceline can be great if you do some research. biddingfortravel is where its at.

You first learn how to get free rebids (easy to do for DLR)
You learn where others have stayed and what winning bids have been

And no you don't need a rental car when using hotwire or priceline. The regions they use are small enough you can easily specify to be within walking distance of the park (or use ART as well).

Hotwire is usually easier as its less committal, but priceline can be used effectively if you just read ahead.

For my stay in June at DLR, I used priceline and got the marriott (or hilton I forget) for like $56/night.

Learn how to get free rebids, read what other going rates have been, and use the site properly. You'll be fine.

The DLR area is EASY to rebid on

[Fantasmico!]

Re: Priceline?

So do not go down in stars when rebidding. Good to know.
I wanted to use priceline to stay at someplace a bit better than a 2* this trip. I usually stay at a Super 8 or Motel 6 if I'm by myself which are fine motels but this trip I wanted a bit more comfort plus a bit cleaner room for roughly the same price as a 2*.
I am confused about doing some reasearch for Hotwire to determine what hotel you would stay at before it being revealed upon paying.

[flynnibus]

Re: Priceline?

read the faqs at biddingfortravel to understand how to get free rebids without lowering your stars at priceline.

Basically - assume you want a three star. BEFORE you bid, First look at all the regions, and find out which do NOT have any 3 star hotels. Then, when your first bid on the region you want gets rejected, simply add a region that does NOT have any 3 star hotels. Since that region can not match your criteria, and you expanded your search, you effectivly get a free rebid at the same star level.

For hotwire, based on the areas, people are talking about trying to match up hotel ammentities listed on hotwire with other websites, etc. You can narrow down which hotels they are offering typically, or at least know which out of a few they are offering. Plus, other sites list which hotels people are getting, etc.

Hotwire has only really let me down once, and that was a 2 star. My last stay was a 3 star holiday inn that was subpar as far as holiday inns go, but it was ok, not great, but ok. But I do almost all my hotel and cars with hotwire, including all my business trips.

Hotwire is defiantly the way to go for rental cars too - by far. Only negative is you can't use express checkin. But if you get alamo, they have kiosk check-in, etc.