Maybe staying off-site, anyone use Priceline?

[LilGMom]

Started off innocently... DH mentions the conference, tells me that we can stay at YC at the conference rate , I look up places to eat, find out park hours, check my leave hours and kids' Spring Break and we all get giddy about going before we even know if DH is going to be able to attend the conference.

Sooooooo, having said that if he can't get the ok for the conference we want to go anyway but will probably only go for 304 nights. We will be doing this budget on a tight budget since we just went on vacation in Nov. and our DVC points are already set to be used at the end of this year so that lodging option is out.

Has anyone used the "name your price" option with Priceline? If so how did it go, where you satisified with your price and hotel, would you do it again? DH is very reluctant to use it since you don't know exactly what hotel you will be getting. Any other economical sites for booking hotels? TIA

 

[Purseval]

There is a sticky right above this post with 30 pages full of Priceline bidders. It is safe and can save you a lot of money. I use it whenever I'm looking to stay in a hotel.

 

[LilGMom]

There is a sticky right above this post with 30 pages full of Priceline bidders. It is safe and can save you a lot of money. I use it whenever I'm looking to stay in a hotel.

Wonderful! Thanks for the info. Guess I should have opened my eyes a wee bit more.

 

[travelfanatic]

I have used it several times & have never been disappointed. I am very particular about where I stay though so I only bid on 4* & up or resort. You can check out betterbidding.com to get some great information on how to use priceline to your advantage. There is a lot to know before you start bidding on rooms. You need to study their maps, rating system etc. Otherwise you could end up disappointed. I just got a rate of $80 for Renassiance Orlando @ Sea World which looks like a very nice resort. The lowest rate on the web was $169 per night so I felt like I got a great deal. Better Bidding helped me recognize which hotel I was bidding on so that helped. Good luck to you!!!

 

[Miniefan]

Never used Priceline but I have used Hotwire and never been disappointed with the hotel we got. And I have used the betterbidding.com site and was able to figure out two of the hotels before I got them..

Good luck
Kim

 

[Lewisc]

Any resort or parking fee charged by the hotel is in addition to the amount you paid PL. The hotel charges you directly. Not fair or ethical JMO.

Hotels rated as a resort charge parking and resort fees that can total $20-$30. Still a great deal if you can "win" a hotel like the Gaylor Palms for under $100.

Non-resorts (even 3*) hotels frequently charge for parking and/or have a resort fee. Figure up to $10. Book directly and you might be able to find a hotel without such a fee and one that offer a free breakfast.

Check travelzoo.

 

[DOOM1001]

I've used Priceline Name Your Price 5-6 times and Hotwire probably over a hundred times.I use them in conjunction with Betterbidding to get the possible hotel I'll be getting based on stars and the amenities shown.I don't like Priceline's system because say you want a 2.5 star hotel in a certain area and you see the possible hotels in that area on betterbidding and like them all,so you pay and afterwards they show your hotel which all of a sudden was "Upgraded" to a 3 star hotel which is really a lame duck 3 star hotel as I know it's not as good as the 2.5 star hotels they have in the area.They're supposedly upgrading you to make it look like you're getting an upgrade which in reality you're not.It happened to me twice and both times I got the same one.I prefer Hotwire.

 

[Purseval]

Any resort or parking fee charged by the hotel is in addition to the amount you paid PL. The hotel charges you directly. Not fair or ethical JMO.

What hotel website includes resort and parking fees in the price when you inquire about a room? It's common nowadays for companies to be deceptive in order to make their prices appear to be more attractive, like the $99 airfare that ends up being $300 when you add in all of the surcharges and tax. I don't see how that has anything at all to do with Priceline.

If you win a bid on Priceline you should go to the hotel's website or call directly and see if they have any resort fees so you won't be surprised when you go to check out.

One method of cheap insurance on a longer stay is to book one or 2 days on Priceline then before you leave the Priceline site open another window and check out the hotel to see if it satisfies you, has the amenities you expected, charges extra fees, etc. If it does you can usually go back to Priceline and book extra days at the same rate. They will charge you another booking fee of a couple of dollars but it can save you a lot if you find out you are getting hit with an extra $20/day, well worth the expense. If you don't like it try to book somewhere else. A bit of a hassle to relocate but if resort fees bother you that much then you shouldn't mind.

Book directly and you might be able to find a hotel without such a fee and one that offer a free breakfast. Check travelzoo.

Even if you throw in resort fees Priceline still easily beats rack rates through other sites hands down. The one saving grace anyone has over PL is the horrible economy which is forcing hotel chains to lower their rates and offer specials that can make it worth looking around. But even with that you can note the special offers, bid lower on Priceline and pick it up. It all boils down to how hard you want to work to find a deal.

 

[Lewisc]

Hotel websites generally list parking and resort fees on their website. Customers are free to take the time to find them and include their analysis as to the cost of the room. Customers can also include the value of amenities like internet and free breakfast.

"Winning" PL customers are responsible for a resort fee in an amount that's no known before their credit card is charged. I "won" a 3* hotel for $60. That hotel has a $8 "resort fee". There might have been a hotel for $65 dollars that doesn't charge a resort fee.

It is dishonest for PL to say they found a hotel that accepted my price when that is a lie. The way PL handles resort fees is unethical and probably illegal.

Resort fees for hotels in the resort category might be justifiable.

Hotwire now tells us if a hotel charges a resort fee. It's only a matter of time before PL (and the hotels) are forced to include mandatory resort fees with the cost of the hotel room.

Places like travelzoo offer promotional rates. A free breakfast and a known resort fee can easily offer better value then a 3* PL hotel.

edited to add: Purseval--I put a URL on your visitor's page. It's beta and I'm not sure it's ready for people who aren't familiar with PL bidding.IT'S NOT MY SITE. There is a thread on Flytertalk

What hotel website includes resort and parking fees in the price when you inquire about a room? It's common nowadays for companies to be deceptive in order to make their prices appear to be more attractive, like the $99 airfare that ends up being $300 when you add in all of the surcharges and tax. I don't see how that has anything at all to do with Priceline.

If you win a bid on Priceline you should go to the hotel's website or call directly and see if they have any resort fees so you won't be surprised when you go to check out.

One method of cheap insurance on a longer stay is to book one or 2 days on Priceline then before you leave the Priceline site open another window and check out the hotel to see if it satisfies you, has the amenities you expected, charges extra fees, etc. If it does you can usually go back to Priceline and book extra days at the same rate. They will charge you another booking fee of a couple of dollars but it can save you a lot if you find out you are getting hit with an extra $20/day, well worth the expense. If you don't like it try to book somewhere else. A bit of a hassle to relocate but if resort fees bother you that much then you shouldn't mind.



Even if you throw in resort fees Priceline still easily beats rack rates through other sites hands down. The one saving grace anyone has over PL is the horrible economy which is forcing hotel chains to lower their rates and offer specials that can make it worth looking around. But even with that you can note the special offers, bid lower on Priceline and pick it up. It all boils down to how hard you want to work to find a deal.

 

[MarcJ55]

Never used Priceline but I have used Hotwire and never been disappointed with the hotel we got. And I have used the betterbidding.com site and was able to figure out two of the hotels before I got them..

Good luck
Kim

Yeah, I love Hotwire. Priceline is good when I travel alone but not with kids (need pool, breakfast, room for more than 2). Also use hoteldealsrevealed.com as a cross reference before PL or HW.

 

[Bernarde]

I always use it , It really helps you in having fun and don't even came out of your budget .
And is the best for the people who have low budget option , They should try it .