Priceline Hotel Stories

[Goingtodisneyworld]

Has anyone ever had a bad experience with priceline for hotels ~ thought the room was not worth their bid?

Also, any good experiences?

We are looking at Hilton Head & their highest category is resort, which says in coastal towns this will be on the beach, if so I certainly think this would work for us, I am very afraid of disappointing the family, plz help.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

We won a bid for the Wyndham Orlando. It is supposed to be 3 or 4 star (can't remember) and it looks gorgeous from the outside but the rooms are HORRIBLE!!! We had to be moved three times before we could find a room that was clean enough and didn't need maintenance. Also, we realized after we checked out that my DS had left his Gameboy case with about six or seven games inside. We called immediately and they wouldn't even go look in the room or ask housekeeping if anyone had found it. We knew it was a long shot but really thought someone would at least check into it.

Our reservation was over Thanksgiving weekend. I should have known anything that wasn't already booked must have a reason why.

 

[2minnies]

Check out www.biddingfortravel.com. Even if you don't ask for bidding assistance, there is a lot of information regarding hotels that come up in bidding and many reviews.

We have had booked priceline rooms over a dozen times and have never been disappointed in the quality or have been treated like second class citizens...except to have a front desk staff member announce our rate in astonishment!

 

[summerrluvv]

Just letting you know that if you book on priceline through the Upromise.com link on your account page (if you have an account) , you get I think 3% of your total purchase in your upromise account

 

[powellrj]

Originally posted by 2minnies
Check out www.biddingfortravel.com. Even if you don't ask for bidding assistance, there is a lot of information regarding hotels that come up in bidding and many reviews.

We have had booked priceline rooms over a dozen times and have never been disappointed in the quality or have been treated like second class citizens...except to have a front desk staff member announce our rate in astonishment!

We have used priceline and have never been disappointed with the rooms we have gotten. Biddingfortravel is a wonderful place to learn to use priceline. I would never have gotten the nerve to use it without the help of this site. Make sure you read EVERYTHING before you post.

 

[summerrluvv]

Originally posted by powellrj
We have used priceline and have never been disappointed with the rooms we have gotten. Biddingfortravel is a wonderful place to learn to use priceline. I would never have gotten the nerve to use it without the help of this site. Make sure you read EVERYTHING before you post.

Yes, if you don't read EVERYTHING the moderator of that site will get very nasty with you.

 

[CarolA]

I have used Priceline extensively. I have never had a bad hotel room (including the Wyndam Palace in Disney) I have read up on the HH hotels and I think they would be fine. (I was hoping to get down there for a weekend, but it didn't work out)

Another site that is friendlier, but not quite as comprehensive is www.betterbidding.com

As for www.biddingfortravel.com I just let the mod yell at me. Who cares? I don't know her!

 

[olbear]

we always use priceline. I've stayed at DTD Best Western for $25 a night!! Days Inn across the street for $20 a night. etc etc.

The only bad experience was Park Inn. YUCK!!!! the one next to water park on 192 east. Horrible. I called priceline when we got home and told them our experience. I asked them to remove this one from their choices. Rug, sheets, pillowcases dirty. No coffee pot, no toaster, no hair dryer, all of which were to be in room.

Otherwise, I am quite happy with my results from priceline.

 

[madelyn]

Had great success with Priceline in the past, including my most recent stay at the Dolphin this June for $70/nt. The one disappointment I had was a Wellesley Inn in the Dallas area. However, I went all the way down to a 2-star for that one night stay. The winning bid for only for $25 so I can't complain too much, but the place was a little too worn/slightly dirty for my taste. My general rule of thumb is to bid 3-star or above, especially if the stay is for more than one night. I have been pleased with all my 3-star and above bids.

 

[BonnieA]

I've used priceline as much as I can. Stayed in some wonderful hotels that I would never have considered on my own because of the price. I've stayed in places like Baltimore, Gatlinburg, San Francisco and, of course, near Disney. Gotten great hotels like Hyatt, Westin, Sheraton and Doubletree. I usually stick with 3* but went down to 2* in February for Disney because what I read on biddingfortravel made me believe I would get La Quinta Lakeside. That's exactly what I got for $22/night and it was quite acceptable.
I have found that by reading what other people have gotten for the same time frame, there will be a good chance I will get that also (no guarantee of course). But it has worked like that for me. I have no horror stories.

 

[CheapMom]

Goingtodisneyworld- great idea for a thread - thanks-
I have only used Priceline once. I bid on one night in Cocoa Beach area for the night before our cruise. I got Holiday Inn Oceanfront for a bid of $40. It has gotten terrible reviews all over the place online. I thought by bidding 3* I would be getting something nice. I have a heard a few positive things but mostly that it is dirty and has bugs. (Haven't stayed there yet0 they are remodeling and I am hoping it will be ok)
I don't think I would use Priceline again unless I was pretty sure of what I was getting by using biddingfortavel.com. Even then there is no guarantee.

By the way- people have been saying 3* or above- do they have a 4* rating on Priceline or only hotwire?

 

[Goingtodisneyworld]

Thank you all very much!

I did take a look at biddingfortravel however, just decided to lurk & gather as much info as I could & come over here for a much friendlier atmosphere as she just seemed way too stressed for me!
A) I want to send a HUGE Thank You out to all our Wonderful, Very Friendly moderators & B) She needs a Disney vacation!!!

I am going to go ahead & give priceline a try with what I’ve gathered & will be sure to let everyone know how it goes ~ Does anyone know how long it takes for a response?

CheapMom, I believe it may depend on your destination as to the ratings they offer, HH only had upto a 2 ½ and than Resort catergory, not even a 3, I have not yet visited hotwire, if anyone else has any info. jump on in.

Happy Friday!

 

[CarolA]

My priceline rule is that I normally only bid on 4 star or resort properties unless I am SURE that I can be happy with anything shown on biddingfortravel in the lower category.

Normally I get a 4 star or resort for less then I would pay for a cheaper hotel. My rule at Disney is that I won't bid more then the All Stars cost for a resort and so far so good.

 

[Tink10]

I use both Priceline & Hotwire a lot & the only bad experience that I had was the Grosvenor in DT Disney.

It was, by far, the nastiest hotel/motel I've ever stayed at. Other than that, we loved the Wyndham Palace (nice upgrade to a suite). The Hilton in DT Disney was wonderful too.

So, I also now have a rule that I'll only use Priceline for 4* and above & with Hotwire, I'll only purchase the room if I know exactly what hotel the hotel is.

As far as car & airfare, I can normally find air cheaper than either would offer & cars can still be had on both for pretty good prices.

 

[deltachi8]

Never have been dissapointed in a Priceline stay. Have used them for stays in Orlando, Tampa, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Albany and more.

If you use the resources on biddingfortravel.com your "bidding confidence" will be much higher.

 

[Anne34]

We used Priceline for a one night stay on Hilton Head at the end of March before checking into our Disney villa. We went with the 4star/resort property category and got the Crowne Plaza hotel. It is a niice hotel right on the beach. There were a few things for the kids to do every day. Also had bike rentals there. Room was clean and nice -- but watch out the toilets flush louder than the ones on a cruise ship -- and the person in the room above us used his every half hour all night long!!!! It didnn't keep the kids awake, but I sure knew everytime they flushed!! We were there on a Sat during Spring break (March 27?) and paid almost $90 including taxes and priceline fee.

 

[jgates]

Just remember - you are never guaranteed a room with 2 beds, although I believe most hotels will provide one if available. That's why I have had a reluctance to use it when all 4 of us are travelling. If only 3, then DD could sleep in a sleeping bag.

 

[kilee]

I've used priceline in NYC and Orlando multiple times. The one time in Orlando I couldn't get a 3 star to come up--- well I dropped after all my re-bids and I got the Holiday Inn Nikki Bird. It was only $27/nt. Figured I'd give it a try as it had mostly bad reviews but at the time some Diser's had given some recent decent reviews. Also, I've stayed in many Holiday Inn's and they are usually pretty nice and comfortable. Well, to me, this hotel was dirty and grimy and everything I didn't want!!! We stayed as it was only 3 nights. When we got home I had received an email survery from the Holiday Inn Coporate Headquarters. I filled it out rather honestly, exressing my disappointment and the feeling it was more in par with a budget motel like Econolodge. Not even 48 hrs they had refunded all of my money including my priceline fee's. They didn't have to do that as I wasn't looking for a refund. I wouldn't of even complained had they not sent the survey.

Other than that, all of the hotels I've had have been great. Really loved the Sheraton Safari in Orlando for $37/nt!!!

 

[vhoffman]

Well, here's my experience with Priceline. We recently bid on a hotel in Waikiki, Hawaii. the hotel we got looked depressing even from their website. We decided just to forget it--it was about $250. We didn't even bother checking in. I figured if it looked depressing from the website, where they're trying to put their best foof forward, its probably even worse when you get there. Well, we were never charged! The charge has never appeared on our bill! Perhaps it will come through at a later date, but if not, that's their problem. Just shows you how poorly run Pricewire is--they don't even collect their own revenue! However, if someone is stung with a lousey hotel like we were, they might just try not showing up and maybe they'll have the luck we did. However, I really think it was just an error on their part. BTW, when we were in Hawaii we happened to drive by it. I couldn't believe it was a hotel--I thought it was some sort of homeless shelter! Really! It was in a crummy area of town we just happened to get lost in. My 7 year old son saw the hotel sign and said "What a crappy hotel!" Glad we decided to pass and stayed at the Hilton. I'd NEVER trust part of my vacation to PL. Don't gamble with your hard-earned vacation dollars. KNOW YOUR HOTEL!!! Just set your sights on where you want to be, dig for the best rates, and save for what you want. Don't get stuck in a "crappy hotel!"

 

[vhoffman]

Oh, BTW, our "crappy hotel" in Waikiki was a 4 star.