Who'sused Priceline?

[Soupermom]

Hello all. I'm trying to get a low-rate hotel for Wash. D.C. this summer and was thinking of trying Priceline...Is this an okay way to go? Can anyone recommend an internet site to use? TIA!

 

[Microcell]

If you know the area well, you can get a really great rate on a very nice hotel, but sometimes you get a so so place.
Here are two examples-

I don't know Denver very well, so I bid to be anywhere but downtown (they have sections you can choose) a 2 star at $25.00 a night and got Candlewood suites in an iffy area of town. It had a kitchenette and was fine, but not the absolute cleanest I ever stayed in.

I also bid on an area I knew well, West Dearborn MI and for $30.00 a night I got a Hyatt at the mall there, pretty swank digs.

You have to be ready for whatever you get. They charge your card and you get no choice in hotels, they just assign you one. There is also no refunds.

I have more good than bad experiences.

I have also found that the bigger the metro, the better the room, if you choose the upscale side of town. Start bidding low and choose higher star levels if you want only nice places. All they can say is no. The most I have ever paid is $35 a night, but I was willing to stay at a two star.

 

[CarolA]

I always read the hotel lists on www.biddingfortravel.com and make sure I can take whatever comes up in the categoires.

I don't normally go below 3 star.

In DC I have gotten two differnet Hyatts, both were great, but I don't recall what I paid.

 

[dturner]

go to www.biddingfortravel.com; they have a list of hotels that come up for each * in each city. You can also see what people have gotten recently, how much, which hotel, etc.

I use Priceline all the time in San Antonio to go to SeaWorld - I bid on a Resort level, always get the Radisson for around $62.00/night and their published internet rate is something like $179.00/night. Not too shabby!!

 

[LeoGrrrrl1982]

I will give another motion for using biddingfortravel.com. It gives you the information to make an informed bid. I have heard good things about priceline except in instances where people big 1 or 2 stars. It seems the quality and bargain of the deal goes out the window when you drop star levels.
In my one experience with Priceline I got the Sheraton Studio City for 36 dollars a night. Fit right into a bargain, last minute, Orlando trip.

 

[jeancbpugh]

Has anyone used Priceline for ski resorts in Colorado?

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

You can also use www.betterbidding.com as a tool to see which hotels are being offered in the city you are interested in. They have forums for both Priceline and Hotwire.

 

[kilee]

I've used priceline for Orlando and NYC. The thing to remember is that in more "business cities" you are very likely to only get that 1 bed. This was true in NYC. We only needed the 1 bed, but they gave us the worst room and such-- and this was 4*. They weren't going to budge on the beds either. I'm pretty sure you'll run that risk in DC too. Just so that you know in case you need more than 1 bed. We've had good expierences in Orlando w/ our priceline rooms and requests.

 

[c&m]

We used Priceline for our Washington DC trip in August 2004. We bid for a 4* hotel in the Convention Center/Capital Hill area (see www.biddingfortravel.com, under Washington DC hotel list). We got the Grand Hyatt Washington for $72/night. It was a wonderful hotel, very comfortable. On check-in no mention of Priceline was made, just that our stay was prepaid and that we were all set! We were very happy there, and the front desk, bell hops and concierge treated us well and were most helpful.

 

[TracyK]

I've used Priceline more times than I can remember. If you do your research well on Bidding for Travel then you already know about the areas and a list of all hotels used by Priceline to date. I never bid below 3* . I have had some fantastic deals. I personally don't see how you can go wrong. You choose the area, the price and the rating. If you are worried about a particular hotel then don't bid that area. My last successful bid got me the Marriott Marquis in Times Square over New Year.

Good Luck

Tracy

 

[Kay1]

I've used it many times for Orlando and a few times for Naples and Ft. Myers. I just got a room in Orlando yesterday and must say it seems prices have gone up. I usually can get the Wyndham on I-drive for $32, but had to py $44 yesterday. Also, we were on a day triip to USF/IOA last weekend and noticed the hotel signs we could read from I-4 offered higher than usual prices though it wasn't busy at all in the parks.

I wonder if this has to do with inflation in general, higher electricity prices, the falling dollar which attracts more foreign tourists, or what? My hope is they're just upping the prices early in the season and they'll drop again in spring.

 

[CarolA]

Travel is up overall. People seem to be taking more vacations and the prices are rising. I think that is going to be reflected in Priceline.

I agree with the poster on the bed issue. In Orlando it is usually not a problem to get two beds, but other places are not as agreeable. My theory is that Orlando has more Two bedded rooms then your average city since it is a family vaction town.

 

[moonmomma]

Hello.....i use priceline ALL OF THE TIME to go to DC....my son goes to school there. I, like many of the above posters, use bidding for travel.com to reaearch the possible hotels for the areas chosen, as well as the pricing trend for the time that i am going. I always bid for 4* in DC and have never paid more than about $85 for a room (parking is always extra though!). You must do a little research to see which zones you would be happy in. I usually bid for downtown, convention center, white house, foggy bottom....good luck!

 

[Soupermom]

This is all so new to me! How early out can you bid? I'm not going until June...is this way too early?

 

[littlestix]

I too was wondering how soon do you try to get a room?

 

[powellrj]

No, its not too early for June. If your bid is rejected and you don't change your request in someway other than price, you need to wait 72 hours before you can bid again. Bidding for travel has a great FAQ section. Beware, read EVERYTHING before you ask a question. They can be a little harsh if they think you are asking questions without doing your homework first!

 

[Conkozan]

We used it many times for trips that were not Orlando. The only down side is if the 4 of us go we have to get 2 rooms. Twice we had a King bed and there were no double/double rooms we could switch to. They only guarantee a room that sleeps 2.

 

[tax58]

We used Priceline for a 4* close to the White House. We got the JW Marriott for $70 last fall break. We loved the motel and its location. We were able to get two beds at check in for the four of us.

 

[seashoreCM]

A problem still in the current Hotwire and Priceline systems is that hotels can still add on resort fees, parking fees, internet fees, etc.

I would suggest never bidding more than 50% of the lowest discount rate for the area where you want to stay and the kind of hotel you want. If you are a member of a club like AAA you can get tour books that list lots of hotels and you can use those rates as a guideline.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm
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