Can any priceline experts help me?

[Kellydelly]

I just booked an upscale hotel in PA and got it for $65 ! The rate offered by the hotel is $139 and up per nite. So after I "won" the room I called a few minutes later and requested a nonsmoking room with two double beds. The gal who I spoke too asked me "didn't you ask for that when you made your reservation?" I told her I had gotten the reservation through priceline and all it asked for was a rate and area, no specifics on the room. She was pleasant and said she would change my reservation to reflect my requests. Now the priceline site states that the rooms will accomodate 2 adults. We are a family of 6. The person checking on our reservation didn't ask how many were in our party. Will I run into a problem with that number? The little ones are 16 month old twins. I was under the impression that most hotels don't count anyone under 2 as an occupant. I'm just wondering if when we check in we should sneak the babies or the older two in seperately . Is this something I should address with the hotel before our stay? Is it totally no big deal? Any info would be appreciated. I never expected to get my bid accepted ! The Holiday Inn in the same town is $77 per nite.

 

[richs52]

Yes, I would call the hotel and see what they can do for you...right away! Priceline only guarantees rooms that can fit two adults. A lot of hotels save their smallest rooms (and a lot with only one bed) for Priceline customers. The hotel is not under any obligation to accomodate you if you have more than two adults, but as long as they are not overbooked or sold out, in my experience, they will try to help you out.

I know it's not the best news, but hopefully everything will work out for you and your family!

-Rich

 

[Kellydelly]

The young woman I spoke to tonite told me that she would change my reservation so I have two double beds and nonsmoking. So should I expect that we will end up with that? Should I call again tomorrow and see if my reservation shows the requests?

Also is there a way to book suite rooms with hotwire or priceline? We are traveling to the DC area and will need a hotel for 5 nites. I'd love to get a bargain but we really need a suite that obviously will allow a family of 6. Is it possible to book suites or is it just a matter of luck?

 

[ladysoleil]

The young woman I spoke to tonite told me that she would change my reservation so I have two double beds and nonsmoking. So should I expect that we will end up with that? Should I call again tomorrow and see if my reservation shows the requests?

Also is there a way to book suite rooms with hotwire or priceline? We are traveling to the DC area and will need a hotel for 5 nites. I'd love to get a bargain but we really need a suite that obviously will allow a family of 6. Is it possible to book suites or is it just a matter of luck?

If they have a double room available, they'll give it to you. I'd check the hotel website or listing through Expedia to see if they have cribs or rollaways available, but it really depends where the hotel is. If it's above the legal occupancy, they may have a problem with it. Give it a couple of days and call and check the reservation, but you have to keep in mind that Priceline only guarantees you occupancy for the number of people on the bid, which could mean a single queen or king bed, depending on what the hotel has available.

As far as I know, the only way you'll get a suite is if you get a hotel that offers only suites, like Homewood, etc. I don't know if any of the all-suite chains participate in priceline in the DC area. You might want to check the messageboards on Betterbidding.com to see what hotels routinely come up for DC- that might give you some bidding strategy.

 

[sln88]

The young woman I spoke to tonite told me that she would change my reservation so I have two double beds and nonsmoking. So should I expect that we will end up with that? Should I call again tomorrow and see if my reservation shows the requests?

Also is there a way to book suite rooms with hotwire or priceline? We are traveling to the DC area and will need a hotel for 5 nites. I'd love to get a bargain but we really need a suite that obviously will allow a family of 6. Is it possible to book suites or is it just a matter of luck?

hotwire will show you if the hotel is a suite, priceline won't

 

[my3kids]

For Washington I would book 2 rooms. You'll still spend less than booking a single room in the conventional way. There are a lot of true business rooms in DC which may well have a single queen bed. You'd hate to be in one of those with 6!

I've not had problems with hotels giving me the bedding requested...either a king or 2 doubles if travelling with my children. I booked one room and when I called said I'd have my childen with me and we ended up in a huge suite despite PL, but that is certainly the exception. Another time I got 2 rooms but they didn't have connecting rooms. They ened up putting us in a seperate locked off corridor with 2 rooms across this private hallway from one another.

I wouldn't present all 6 of you at the check in desk though. I don't think that PL would come into play, but it may just plain be against their fire safety rules to have 6 together.

 

[Lewisc]

With PL you're booking double occupancy, NOT SIX. Some hotels, in large cities, give PL customers the smaller rooms. In some cases there isn't even enough room to put a cot. Hotels in Orlando normally don't have a problem with 4 in a room (two beds). The hotel might not have a problem with kids under 2 but there really isn't any guarantee there will be room for 2 cribs. All of your requests are only requests. If the hotel is sold out they will be within their rights to give you a room with one K bed and give the larger rooms to guests who are paying more. NOTHING THE HOTEL TELLS YOU IN ADVANCE WILL CHANGE THAT. Check-in early and hope for the best. You really don't have any recourse if the hotel wants to charge you for a second room or for a larger room. You really don't want to keep calling. The hotel could tell you NO, mark your file and then you'll have real problems checking in. As long as the hotel isn't sold out they should work with.

What hotel and what town?


YOU REALLY HAD NO BUSINESS USING PRICELINE unless you were bidding on two rooms. You're only guaranteed double occupancy and you have 6.

 

[goofyforlife]

From my experience with priceline/hotwire, if they request two beds for you, you should be fine.

The twins could probably fit easily in a pack and play. If the hotel doesn't have one. (I'd bring one or two along)

But as others have mentioned before; as they get older you probably should be requesting 2 rooms.

 

[lizziepooh]

We got a room in Orlando thru priceline and they would only give us a king size bed. We requested two beds, but they said they only gave king size to Priceline customers.

Thru Hotwire we got a room in St. Pete Beach which did have 2 double beds, but the room was the smallest hotel room I have ever seen. There was barely walking space around and between the beds. There was absolutely no space for cribs or a rollaway. It made the rooms at Disney All star hotels look huge!

I would think that 6 people in a regular hotel room might be over the limit for fire codes, etc. in many rooms. Good luck! I hope it works out for you.

 

[disneycrazed139]

I think you'll be fine with your special request. Generally, I don't think they guarantee bed requests, but usually they can accomodate you. Once I bid and they couldn't accomodate 2 beds, so they ordered up a cot instead for us. Don't worry, it should work out. : )

 

[HaleyB]

Here is my take on it- if you end up needing two rooms you would have needed two rooms with or without PL. So you saved big on the first room. Call the hotel and tell them what you need, if they say you must book a second room ask for a direct rate. If it is very high ask to speak with a manager.
We have gotten our bed request everytime with PL. I actually booked a King room via a direct website (at a higher price than 2 bed room) ad when I asked to be switched at check in (after not being happy with the location of my King room) they wanted to upcharge me! So I guess I am saying not to feel like the PL room is extra trouble because I had more trouble with that direct booked room than I have ever had with PL.
One great PL tip- use betterbidding.com and biddingfortravel.com to see what hotels are being won in the area you are bidding on. Then check them to see if they have all doubles (two beds either queen or double), or doubles and Kings (one King sized bed), or doubles, and singles (one double bed). Avoid bidding in any area that has hotels with singles (those are the ones they will want to put you in) but don't worry if the only 1 bed option is a King unless it is a sold out night (they will put you in the double because they charge more for the King room). On sold out nights be sure to check in early or risk getting whatever is left...

 

[Lewisc]

We got a room in Orlando thru priceline and they would only give us a king size bed. We requested two beds, but they said they only gave king size to Priceline customers.

What hotel? When? People are posting, here and on BFT, that hotels in the Orlando area will always give guests 2 beds. Most hotels have very few rooms with only one bed.

It's important that PL customers understand the risk. Hotwire allows you to specify the number of guests in the room and the hotel will give you a room that will accomodate your party.

Haly--BFT tells you which cities/zones, NYC for example, have hotels that only provide double occupany BUT any sold out hotel might stick their PL customers in a left over K HA room.

 

[eeyore45]

My take on the OP is that this is in PA, and an 'upscale' hotel... from what I understand that hotels sell a certain "block" (or number) of rooms to PL, Hotwire... and when you check in it is noted on your reservation it is an "internet" booking... my sil works in the hotel industry, few years ago, they verbally snided about "PL" because they knew they werent making, but 'losing' money on those rooms, and sometimes they (the hotel staff) felt (real or imagined) the PL rooms didnt "deserve" high class treatment... fast forward, and now sil says they call them "internet" reservations, and we dont always know if its a web rate from corporate, or PL, (some hotels are also putting out internet rates) so she felt in her hotel, there's less 'animosity' towards internet bookings...

However, if the hotel is full, they cannot accomadate 'internet' bookings. If there are rooms, they will try and make the guests 'happy', ie non smoking, 2 dbl beds...

Good luck with your family of 6. I had booked a PL room in Indy, a "suite" and ended up taking 5 (at one point it was going to be 7!) a wedding, and my boys decided to bring their gf, so dh and the boys brought sleeping bags!! Imagine my surprise when the Comfort Suites, was not a "SUITE" at ALL! Talk about cramped, but for one night, for sil's wedding, I'd do it again -

So, enjoy, dont worry what others think, and if I were you I wouldnt keep calling the hotel, you called, they noted your request, so I feel they will honor that reservation...

imho

 

[tar heel]

There is absolutely no way to guarantee a suite or even two beds. Ditto for nonsmoking, although we've only been given a smoking room once on a priceline bid. You can get a pretty good idea of what you might get at www.biddingfortravel.com, but it's harder in places with lots of rooms (such as Washington). The places I bid most often have Amerisuites and Residence Inn rated 2.5 stars, but Courtyard by Marriott also has that rating.

When we roll into interstate hotels at midnight, we only book one room, but we have sleeping bags, pillows and blankets in the van. When we're staying longer or on vacation, we pay more and get the bedding we actually need.

I can't see any reason to present all six of you at the check-in desk, regardless of how you're paying. In our family, either dh or I takes care of the business end while the rest of the family unloads our stuff.