Priceline for International stays

[EcbLovesMickey]

Has anyone used Priceline to name your own price on international stays? I am traveling to London this summer and the hotel prices are just ridiculous. I would love to stay for less and a friend told me Priceline was pretty good.

Also, how does it work, you put in a price, give them your CC number and hope for the best?

 

[JennCa]

I've used Priceline everywhere, including London. I just need to warn you that rooms in London and most of Europe are for only 2 people, one time I stayed at a Sheraton by Heathrow airport and was given 2 twin beds! It has saved us big bucks and I continue to use it, but you need to understand the limitations. Do not expect cribs or rollaway beds. They say 2 people and you may have to deal with it. That said I have had my daughter sleep in a double bed with us before or bring a bouncy chair to sleep in and no one complained.

It is non refundable, non changeable. I would look on bidding for travel to get a better explanation. They have decent lists that tell you what properties have come up in different zones with different star levels so you have some ideas.

You put in your date requested, zone requested and price you offer and then it tells you if you get it or not. If you get it, your card is automatically charged, no chance for changing. If not, you can rebid in 24 hours or you can change your bid slightly. ex. you bid for a 4 star hotel in zone A, you don't get it. then you should raise your bid slightly and add another zone like B that doens't have any 4 star hotels so in essence you are just raising your bid. Read all the info before you bid.

I find that I can almost always get a better hotel than I planned at a cheaper price by using Priceline, but you need to know what you are doing. For your first experience you might find it helpful to have someone who has experience do it with you or try it and go all the way until you give a credit card number just to see the steps and think about it.

Jenn

 

[bumbershoot]

Check out betterbidding.com (the priceline, hotel, section); they give tons of information about various hotels, and you can get a good idea of what hotel you are being offered.


That said, I like hotels.com. We've gotten some really good prices the last few months, on various international (though not European) hotel rooms for DH's travel. It's prepaid, but *most* of the rates are refundable, if you cancel before a certain date (and each hotel will tell you when that date is, if you take your time and READ everything, click the links under room description, etc).

And if you're a member of a "rewards" site, if the site has hotels as a merchant, you can click through and get some rewards for the purchase as well.

 

[wdwfam]

Yes, we used Priceline before in London. We needed one night after we returned from Paris. Ended up, we got a 4 star in the theater district. Like previous posts state, if more than two people, you'll need two rooms. We were a famly of 4 and needed two rooms. At the beginning of our trip, we stayed in a room that would accommodate all four of us, but since it was on Marriott points, we got that room free. It would have been over $400/night if we had to pay the exchange rate. Priceline ran us about $100/room. When bidding, you'll get what the room costs in US dollars. Betterbidding.com is a great site to check out the strategy of bidding.

 

[Purseval]

My wife got a London hotel through priceline and saved about 50% off the best price she could find before bidding.

 

[Evi]

When I went to Paris we used priceline it was a group decision and I was out numbered. Personally I found a couple that were renting a flat that they managed as a business for much less but couldn't convince the rest of my party that it would be a better option for us. It would have saved us a bunch of money. That said I can't complain about where we were or the accommodations we received. We were in central Paris walking distance to public transit and restaurants and museums in a major hotel.

It all depends on where your going and what kind of experience you want to have.

 

[sk!mom]

We used Priceline for London about 5 years ago. Check out biddingfortravel.com to see the areas, winning bids, and hotels being offered. Realize that star levels are not the same in Europe. I wouldn't bid any lower than 4*.

We won the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in Kensington and it was wonderful. A tube stop just across the street. Pubs close by.

 

[krcit]

We used Priceline for London about 5 years ago. Check out biddingfortravel.com to see the areas, winning bids, and hotels being offered. Realize that star levels are not the same in Europe. I wouldn't bid any lower than 4*.

We won the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in Kensington and it was wonderful. A tube stop just across the street. Pubs close by.

I was just going to post this also about the star ratings.