Priceline? I'm chicken....

[teachingmykids]

What does priceline consider as a 3-star hotel? Holiday Inns are always rated as 3 stars by other travel companies, but does Priceline use the same rating?
Please give me examples of what you have requested (stars/money) and what did you get? Do you have any recourse if you get a dump?
Thanks,
Georgia

 

[travelitis]

I used Priceline in Miami for an airport location, offered $50 and got Embassy Suites. That was perfect for us because we wanted only one night. It was rated as 3 star or better. Priceline does give you a description of what they look for regarding the star ratings. We were very pleased with our Priceline experience. I like to shop and hand pick my hotel, but I was thrilled to get that hotel for $50. We were there one night pre-cruise, so it wasn't as important as selecting a room for a week at Disney. If I'm going for more than a night or 2 I like to maybe pay a few more bucks to pick where I'm staying.

 

[kml2000]

We wanted to use Priceline for a cheap hotel for one night. We decided to go down an extra day than what our MAIN reservations are for. I have two issues that make me afraid to use it:

1) There are 3 families in our party (yes, we are getting 3 rooms) but one family has 4 people, one with 3 people and one with 2. I read somewhere that you are not guaranteed a room with 2 beds. We could end up with 3 rooms with one king size bed and that would be a problem.

2) Two of the families want non-smoking rooms. It is my understanding you can't specify this.

Any suggestions???

 

[travelitis]

Most hotel rooms have 2 double beds rather than 1 king. I wouldn't book a 1 or 2 star either, because you're more likely to get 1 queen bed in a budget place than mid-range and above.

 

[WildGrits]

We have used priceline with great results. If your looking for more than one room then I would suggest that each family make their own reservations.

 

[kml2000]

If each made their own reservations, we would be assured of being at the same hotel, would we?????

 

[robinb]

Let's see if I can answer some of your questions ...

First of all, www.biddingfortravel.com (BFT) is a great resource for learning how to bid on Priceline. Make sure you print out and read the Hotels FAQ and read the Orlando Board before bidding! You'll want to also check out the Florida hotel reviews.

(1) Priceline uses it's own ratings for hotels. BFT has a list of hotels that come up in the Orlando area BFT's Orlando Priceline Hotel List. Some hotels have not come up in months (like the Swan and Dolphin) and others not on the list may come up at any time. But ... it's a very good starting point. If you bid at the 3* level you would probably come away with the Renaissance Worldgate, the Hyatt, the Doubletree Suites on 192 or the Sheraton Safari. I just booked my mother into the Renaissance for $35 per night .

(2) If you get a complete dump you can complain to Priceline. I stayed at an awful hotel last December in South Carolina. It was supposed to be a 3* but was not even a 1*, IMO. PL gave me a special link that I could use to get $10 off another bid up to $50 total. I am a frequent PL user and saved more money with the "sorry" bonus link than I would have just having my money refunded for the dive.

(3) Most hotels in Orlando will accommodate families of 4 with 2 beds on a PL reservation. I have heard of the Hilton being stinky once about putting someone in a king room, but that was the only time I read a complaint about not getting 2 beds. Hotels outside of family tourist areas may not be as flexible. Once you have your reservation wait a day and call and request the bedding that you need.

(4) Rooms are usually automatically "non smoking" requested. Like other requests at all hotels (including Disney, BTW) you may end up with a smoking optional room. Again, make your smoking request after you have your reservation.

(5) To insure that you will all be in the same hotel you will need to make the reservations all at once. I believe that you can make a reservation for 3 rooms. It gets trickier if one family wants to stay a few extra days. In that case I would coordinate bidding so one family bids and wins and the other families bid the same winning amount right away. You do run the risk of being in different hotels, though.

(6) Remember, a PL reservation is not cancelable! Make sure you know your dates and are 100% sure you are going.

 

[WildGrits]

I think the whole priceline concept is if your making reservations last mintue. Hotel and airplines figure an empty spot is worst then practially giving it away. We are able to get rooms in Myrtle Beach all summer long for $20-35 dollars. Even on the 4th of July. I dont know how well it would work for a large group. But if it's any concelation (and I dont mean to go off the thread) Courtyard by Marriot is offerring $20.02 a night for a room that sleeps 4 starting in August from Sunday to Thursday. And if you ask nicely, you can get the other two night for $59 a night. That's the Marriot at Downtown Disney.

 

[leslieh]

I just got two separate ressies using priceline for Best Western in Downtown Disney, got five nights $27.00 per night in Aug. and in Sept. got two nights $25.00 (thanks Robbin). I have one night at Courtyard $20.02 the only night they had available (booked this a few weeks ago, non refundable), so we will move across the stree to the BW. Check Biddingfortravel.com there are plenty of hits.

 

[tar heel]

Definitely spend some time on the board RobinB recommended -- it is really a big help. I've used priceline three times for one-night stays when were looking at colleges for my son. We paid $25 for a Fairfield Inn and $26 and $32 for Amerisuites -- couldn't have been more pleased. I'll use priceline again when we go for parents orientation in August. I love priceline, but I'm not ready to stake my whole vacation on it. We're planning our next Disney trip now and will be leaving at night and driving part of the way. As soon as we can determine how far we're going, I'll bid for that night and also for the night we leave Disney.

RobinB -- where was the SC dump?

 

[robinb]

Oops! Sorry wrong state. It was the Ramada Fayetteville, North Carolina. The carpet was soaking wet in spots, the bathroom was dirty, the heat didn't work and the blankets were thin, the common areas were dingy, the elevator was filthy, the peep hole was blurry (someone knocked on our door at 3 am) and the privacy lock was broken. It ranks probably 2nd in the "worst hotel I've ever stayed in" category only outranked by a place that had roaches!

 

[stacie_d]

I have had pretty good experiences with price line. We actually booked the wrong nights once, and the hotel (this was in Pittsburgh) let us change the night. Then, we decided to only stay one night because I was really sick, and they refunded us for the second night we had booked. But this was a small hotel, so we were really lucky.

 

[teachingmykids]

Thanks for all your advice. I think I'll try it for a weekend trip and not mess with my WDW trip.