Question for those who have done a Priceline.com bid for motel

[Kay1]

Sheryl and Beth, you both give fantastic advice and help lots of us save plenty of money. I don't work for or represent Priceline in any way, but I do have an interest in their continuing success because we take frequent, small trips and have saved hundreds of dollars using Priceline. I have not been disappointed yet and they have always fulfilled their promises. We have four in our family and each time we bid, we do so knowing that the hotel may give us only one bed. Every time we've recieved a second with no problem but one day our luck may run out and we'll decide what to do when that time comes, but we won't take it out on a company that is only doing what they've said they would do. If we were ever given a room with a twin bed, that would be different, same thing with a misrated room, but fair is fair. The reason we are getting outrageously low hotel rates is because some risk in involved, but we Priceline is upfront and honest about what those risks are. Priceline isn't for everyone, that's for sure, and I'm sure they do some things that deserve complaint, but promising and delivering a double room just isn't one of them.

 

[darbella]

I like hearing BOTH sides to a story, but I think
peeps have been very effectly told NOT to share
their bad experiences about Priceline and I think
that is wrong. It sounds like Priceline is very
rigid in their rules so I for one was glad for
the warning (since I would be booking things as
a family)...which makes me wonder WHY doesn't Priceline go and do something for the FAMILY market....but instead they state again & again their
very rigid policies that for some reason is written in STONE.....I know I will get flamed for
these thoughts....and I think that is a shame because after all its just my opionion

 

[BethR]

Now why would anyone want to flame YOU??? You have some very good thoughts.

<font face="papyrus"><font size=2><font color=blue>BethR
Budget BoardCo-Host
And Just ONE of the Beths...and a Dagny ... Hosting the Rewards Board
BethR@wdwinfo.com</font>

 

[TravelSheryl]

Sharing one's experiences, good or bad, is one thing. Misplacing blame and/or misrepresentation is something totally different.

Priceline is in the business of selling distressed inventory, not in accommodating individual needs. That is made abundantly clear when reading and agreeing to their rules.

 

[piratejacksmom]

Just to clarify, I did not misplace blame or misrepresent my situation, just told what truly happened to me in hopes of saving someone else from the same situation. I knew what I was doing when I bid, it was my mistake to expect more. Please use caution when bidding and accept the fact that the outcome could be good or bad. What was most unacceptable to me in the end was the condition of the property and its' being presented as 3*. Have a DISNEY day!! ê

PirateJacksMom

'71-Fort Wilderness
'72-Comtemporary
'80,'85,'86,'93-offsite
'92-Dixie Landings
'95-Grand Floridian
'99-Contemporary
'99-Vero Beach
99/00 New Years Eve Dixie Landings
2000-Poly Concierge
Nov. 11 2000 7 Day DCL!
Oct. 27 2001 7 Day Halloween Cruise!!
o

 

[robinb]

It's nice to see you back on the Budget Board.

IIRC, there are a few times where you can't always get 2 double beds from a PL hotel. 2* properties, especially the 'extended stay' variety, only have 1 bed. Also, most hotels in New York City also only have 1 bed (and only 3 inches of room around the bed ).

I think that as long as people bid on 3*'s in Orlando they're going to be okay. Most hotels will try to accommodate you. However, we should also be prepared to not be able to get that extra bed as per PL's rules.

I also agree with piratejacksmom that PL's customer service could be a little nicer. Yes, the rules are the rules but PL has exhibited some 'wiggle room' in the past when it comes to customers messing up bids. They have recently become more hard-nosed about things to their detriment. Places like PL rely on good word of mouth. Bad news travels much faster than good news ... especially on the internet.


-- Robin

 

[robinb]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>What was most unacceptable to me in the end was the condition of the property and its' being presented as 3*.[/quote]

Now that's a different animal! Now you have my curiousity up ... what was the hotel you stayed at in Chicago? Did you tell PL it was not a 3*? I have read that PL will refund your $$ if you can prove that the hotel was misrepresented.


-- Robin

 

[Bill Seattle]

I bid for a 3* in June for the WDW vicinity. There is only two of us and they gave me Quality Inn Suites in Kissimmee which has a kitchen and accomodates at least six people per room. I did not want a kitchen or living room with a couch sleeper in Kissimmee but that is what I got and I must take it. Sheryl's advice was always perfect. And after I and one other person received this hotel she immediately posted a warning about winning bids outside the Disney/LBV area (but within priceline's WDW map) and to be cafeful when bidding this zone. This hotel probably is a 3* since the recent remodel and the preferable Hyatt was booked with a special convention for that weekend. I knew what I was getting into but still messed up and Sheryl's advice was right on the money. I actually wanted the Swan/Dolphin but could not get that to work on Expedia...

 

[codfish]

I like your style TravelSheryl and have learned a lot from your informative board. We enjoyed two stays in the "Disney zone" of Orlando at 3* properties at $20/night because of the no nonsense way you present the rules. PS, I miss Howard Cosell on Monday Night Football too! (no offense intended if you didn't like Howard)

 

[bh1]

I saved hundreds last year with Priceline, but you have to be very informed. Sheryl site is an incredible source of info. Thanks Sheryl!!!

I haven't been disappointed with Priceline yet. I realize a certain percentage of the time, even the most informed bidders will get stuck with something they don't want. That's the tradeoff that you must make when using Priceline. Someday, I'll be disappointed with the outcome of a bid, but I'll get over it.

People routinely get 2* hotel rooms on $2 - $10 Priceline bids. After charges, a 1 night stay could be less than $10. Realistically, is it ok to be disappointed with the hotel on occasion at that rate? I think so.

Without using Priceline, I think you'll be dissappointed on occasion staying at any 2* hotels, but you'll pay $40 or so for that type of room without Priceline. As we all know, you never know what you'll find when you're looking form something off the Interstate. Priceline isn't going to fix that fact that there are crappy hotels out there.

Some of my Priceline experiences:

I paid $60 a night at the Marriott Orlando World Center on my Disney trip when other conference goers were paying $169 and up.

This year I paid $16 total for 2 rooms at a 2* hotel (Homestead Village). I got them just so people wouldn't have to drive home from a company holiday party. The rooms were fine. They had 1 bed at this location.

5 minutes after I got an Internet quote from Hertz for $138, I rented a Hertz car on Priceline for .

 

[uneamie]

Rules may be rules...
but "good customer service" goes a lonnnnnnng way.
Some companies have a false sense of security due to their own success...when down the road the word gets out that they are not very customer friendly and so it goes. They start to lose their image etc, etc, etc.

[This message was edited by uneamie on 01-06-01 at 11:36 PM.]

[This message was edited by uneamie on 01-06-01 at 11:37 PM.]

 

[piratejacksmom]

The property I stayed at in Chicago was actually not a hotel at all, but rather a corporate owned "membership" property that Priceline owns a membership. It was rated a 3*, but has only 1 bed in each room, no restaurant (it lists one on their website, but it is not open yet, still being built), no healthclub or pool, no extra amenities at all that would earn the rating of "upscale". We had 2 rooms that were not actually connected but had a common vestiblule with a locking door that entered the hall. We were able to shut that door at night and prop the 2 room doors open so we felt closer to the kids, although no one knew how to make a key for that door? One of the rooms had a horrible odor, an extremely strong sewer smell. It was unbearable. We had tickets to the Shedd Aquarium's kiddie New Year party and we needed to get a cab right away. I stopped at the desk and let them know of the smell, they said they had no other "connecting" rooms available so I begged them to try to do something about the smell. They didn't! We returned to our rooms about 1 am after an exciting, but fun New Years Eve with our family to find the smell stonger than ever. Keep in mind that we actually paid for 4 nights at this property, but since only one bed was in the room we were changed to 2 rooms for one night after much begging. We paid over $200 for one night in what was at best a 2* property. Oddly enough, it is through advice on Travelsheryl's website that I will dispute this charge. I have emailed Priceline about the problem, but I have no idea if they will respond with anything other than a "form letter" answer. The name of the property was Club Quarters. If you are looking for a place to stay with no extras and one bed, it would be fine. Bidding on a 3*, I expected more.

 

[sunshine]

Knowing that many hotels do not allow more than 2 or at the most 4 in a room I was unwilling to take the risk of having to pay full price if we should get "caught". Plus my husband always wants to do the right thing. So we have always gotten 2 rooms whenever we use priceline. Then as soon as I have confirmation I call and request connecting rooms. We still save a bundle by using priceline and have the comfort of being able to spread out in 2 rooms. I will continue to use priceline every oppotunity I get as we have had nothing but good luck with them.

 

[darbella]

sounds like a great idea---thanks for the advice......I do however have a question is 2 rooms at the same hotel guaranteed or is there a chance that the 2 rooms would be in the same town
but different hotels? Thanks so much in advance.

 

[TravelSheryl]

When bidding for a hotel stay through Priceline, you can bid for 1-4 rooms. For a single bid (up to 4 rooms), all rooms are guaranteed to be at the same hotel.

 

[darbella]

thanks for the fast reply.....just when I had pretty much decided that I could not do Priceline
for my family its nice to find out that families
are guaranteed rooms in the same hotel........