Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies - PL not such a great deal anymore?

Ok-I used to be a priceline evangelist.
And then Pl started changing zones(combining WeHo/Bev Hills.Union Sq.E/union squae W etc)and then they raise the fees(twice within the last year)
And the hotel chains don't want to play ball with Pl anymore (no stay credits etc)
So I have found myself booking via The Hotels own websites.If I cannot save 40% or more off the LOWEST rates I can find-it is not worth it to me.
PL,get back to your original plan or count on losing many more customers
I have booked my last 3 stays(2-8 nights each)via marriott.com and come within 20% of PLs price-BEFORE THE FEES!

Whether PL is a good deal clearly depends. But in my case it often is. The main reason I choose not to use Priceline, if I don't, is because I can't live with the zone map. And it sounds like that's a big issue for you too.

I've booked the Marriott Springhill Suites in Seattle three times on Priceline for a rate of $45 USD + taxes and fees. The online rate is never cheaper than $99, and more often like $120.

What cities are you getting the great Marriott rates?

Just stayed at the Renaissance P Marquette in NOLA(fabulous)$99 a night which included $30 aday b'fast or room service plus some attraction passes.
BFT has shown this around $75-$85 before fees-and I had a $100 bonus buck
so it came out to $39 for 2 days!
Now I know this is a fluke-but I have been able to finagle like deals on my last 3 three stays(two in montreal)by paying close attention to the Marriott thread on Flyer Talk.The deals are out there-and you won't be treated like PL scum(or have to deal with the restrictions inherent in opaque sites(and get loyalty points from the hotels.
Now I am not saying I won't use PL again-but only after seeing if I cannot do better myself.
And I am very greatful to Biddingfortravel.com for showing us how to get the best deal out of PL,and to this site for showing us how to get deals without PL.

Last month, Priceline beat hotel prices for all my stays.

Hyatt Jersey City $40 vs $229
Sheraton Boston $175 vs $279 (Day 1-2 of the World Series)
Harbor Court Hotel (Boutique SF-USE) $70 vs $149

Yeah, the deals aren't as good as those from few years ago, but in my situation, Priceline still wins.

Bigguyinpasadena, Union Square East & West are separated again. I didn't know about WeHo/Bev Hills being combined, that's too bad!

And your ability to use EBay anything points :)

PL in San Francisco region can usually get you rates that are 1/3 to 1/3 of lowest normal rates.

Like everything else, priceline may or may not be a good deal depending on when and where you are traveling.

Lately I have been rejected for the "usual" priceline rates posted at BFT when I am bidding < 1 month in advance at times of peak demand. For example, last August I ended up paying $80 via PL for a 4* room in San Diego that usually goes for $55 at a better property. Then I paid $106 corp rate (and later a $71 weekend rate) for a room in Woodland Hills that often goes for $50/nt on PL. This weekend I am paying $85/nt via PL for a 4* room in New Orleans when rooms at a better 4* property normally go for $62.

So I would have to agree that it is often difficult to obtain rooms at the lowest priceline rates when you are bidding late in the game for periods of peak demand. Since I value the hotel stay credits and points at around $15-20/nt, IMO it is not worth using PL unless you are saving at least $25-50 per night, particularly if you are close to achieving status with a particular chain.

That being said, I have also scored some great priceline deals like $95/nt at the Waldorf Astoria (when other 4* were quoting $200+) and $83/nt for 12/31 at the Hyatt Lake Tahoe ($405/nt at hyatt.com).

In sum, I find that you get the best rates if you bid as early as you can, with a few notable exceptions (documented at BFT) such as Vegas 5*.

Priceline has treated me right on several occasions. Most notably was $75/night for a 10-night stay at the Amsterdam Marriott last Christmas/New Year for a €399 room (around $500 at the time). Of course the first five days were off season and it is a giant hotel but I was going anyway. I also recently scored a room this December in Kauai for $50 that listed for $89. Researching BFT helped tremendously with both of these and neither was booked on the first try.

I have become increasingly careful with PL stays outside my normal travels.(I have a few recurring trips where I can guarentee Hyatts for FFN and Stay Credits and I am a frequent contributor to the Las Vegas economy).

With the fee increases, limited flexibility, possible second class treatment, and inability to earn stay credits it's a tougher sell.

It requires more research now, and really knowing the markets where you will be staying. It's still a great thing, just a little more hit or miss.

I used to use PL quite a bit for personal travel but with 100's of Marriott bonus bucks being available on eBay for about $25 each, PL simply isn't competitive any more.

For those not in the know, a $100 bonus buck is treated as cash and can be used on 2-night stay at JW, Marriott and Renaissance branded hotels. By buying the bonus bucks on eBay, you are basically saving $35-40 per night off of the lowest price you can find on the web. This is in addition to the benefits of elite treatment and points/stay credit, plus flexibility in changing your reservation.

Any way, until bonus bucks become less frequent on eBay, its going to be really hard to consider PL...

You do have to do your homework, both at the bidding information sites and at the hotels' own sites. One factor to keep in mind is that some chain properties sometimes give PL a standard ration of rooms, even when the dates turn out to be high demand. Recently in Las Vegas, I got a $53 rate at a non-strip hotel when the property ended up selling out at $229.

Last year I made maybe 60 to 80 hotel bookings through Priceline.

This year I had to re-evaluate the whole thing because of the promotions that the hotels are running and after I got tired of bidding on Priceline and getting quite a few choices with which I did not feel too comfortable with.

In March I put 23 nights to IC/HI properties and earned 150K+ Priority Club points enough for 5 nights at better IC's. Couple of IC stays and I can get RA too.

This month I am staying at Hilton properties on 5/10/15 promotion and making a Diamond.

When the next Hyatt FFN promotion starts I will change my nights to Hyatt to earn FFN's.