Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies - PL determined to shoot itself in the foot

PL has recently changed its website to make it unreasonably difficult to reach the Name our Own Price bidding menu, instead when you initially enter the desired hotel dates, would-be customers are steered to a list of rack-rate hotels (after a 1 min wait while PL looks up the rack rates).

Conversely, PL is currently running TV commercials in which William Shatner urges people to bid on hotel rooms and save $100 per night (which is accurate, if you can find the name-your-own-price link now buried inside PL).

Simply put, PL is trying to be another me-too player in the market space already occupied by hotels.com, etc. etc. while simultaneously alienating its customer base. Even if you know how to get to the Name Your Own Price screens, before you can get there, you have to sit there and wait as PL looks up and displays the rack hotel rates for your city. My time is valuable and I don't appreciate the gratuitous wait. Also, it's more difficult trying to explain to newbies how to use PL, as they have to navigate an extra screen to get to the bid page.

The first time I tried it it went stright to the "Name Your Own Price" page but now it does the search for their "specials" which really aren't so special. I think you're right about shooting themselves in the foot. Their business was based on the "Name Your Own Price" idea but this new set-up seems to be alienating their long time users. I still remember when I could bid for gas on Priceline, those were the days! ;)

So why even bother with PL anymore? That was the whole point. I will say that their service has improved on the CR end, but the opportunity to bid on deeply discounted rooms was what made PL stand out.

So why even bother with PL anymore? That was the whole point. I will say that their service has improved on the CR end, but the opportunity to bid on deeply discounted rooms was what made PL stand out.

It's not that you can't bid for rooms at all anymore, it's just that it takes a bit longer and a few more steps to get to the screen from which you can bid. I agree with mbstone's post in that the new setup is a pain in the butt. That's not to say I won't still use Priceline to bid for rooms...a minute or two (or ten, if we're talking about a complicated bidding process where you have to start over several times) of additional work is still worth it to save 50-75% off the otherwise lowest available rate. I can't imagine many people would feel differently.

I would gladly spend a couple extra minutes to get the discounted rates I have gotten from PL in the past. Think of a per minute cost savings...you won't mind the wait.

I have not used Priceline in over a year.I can usually come within 30% or better of the price they offer with a known brand,point earning,no bs about canceling your reservation hotel.It Just does not make sense to put up with the hurdles priceline presents unless I can save 50% or more like the old days.

I have not used Priceline in over a year.I can usually come within 30% or better of the price they offer with a known brand,point earning,no bs about canceling your reservation hotel.It Just does not make sense to put up with the hurdles priceline presents unless I can save 50% or more like the old days.

I used the Priceline every now and then, although not as extensively as last year, until they ended (eBay actually) the eBay Anything points linkage.

Ofthen you can come very close to what Priceline can offer if you can play the hotel game and switch your stays based on the promotions that hotels are running.

So why even bother with PL anymore? That was the whole point. I will say that their service has improved on the CR end, but the opportunity to bid on deeply discounted rooms was what made PL stand out.

If CR means customer relations, i have to disagree.

In july, i used priceline to get a room in Los angeles. There was a computer glitch and the priceline system gave me the wrong hotel. When i called, the female aganet talked in a tone that was condescending and gave me the impression that she was unreasonable and rude when she disregarded the hotel allocated to me. In her own words: "You were told in the beginning of teh system that all sales is final and that is the contract, Its final im not willing to make an exception for you. If there is nothing else, thank you and have a good day."

She said it in such a way that she refused to acknowledge that priceline may have made a mistake. I have also heard of other cases on the net where priceline says they alocate a hotel in a particular area when in fact its not and when you dispute it, you have to be really persistent and insist on talking to someone at management level(if you ever get there) for them to acknowledge that they misrepresented their hotel allocation and that you should get your refund.

In trying to do away with the name your price routine, it is true that it is destroying the intention of the way the business was intended to be and what customers expect.

But i dun think it will mean better customer relations. It may just means less possible disputes with customers.

Interesting that this comes up now, at least for me. My last two stays I've ended up doing non-Priceline bookings when I ordinarily would have gone for it. First was last month in Charlottesville, VA. Bidding options didn't look that great, and our trip happened to coincide with UVA homecoming weekend with a football game vs Duke. Rooms were pretty scarce, and with the crummy bidding options we just went with the sure thing at the Courtyard north. Decent stay for two nights, can't complain, bit more than I like to pay at 99 bucks for that type of room, but I really don't think we'd have had good luck getting something better for 50% less, and it might have resulted in having to pay for parking, etc. which would offset much of the savings.

And we just stayed one night last weekend in Columbus, OH. For this one I was much closer to pulling the Priceline trigger, but I was thinking the same thing as far as bidding downtown for parking, and I wasn't excited about the suburban bidding either. I got a $59 rate out in Dublin at the Drury Inn, and I wanted to try that chain anyway. (It's a rare beast in the hotel world, over 100 hotels that are all company owned and operated, still run by the family that founded it. http://www.druryhotels.com/ It compared favorably to the Courtyard from the previous trip, probably cleaner plus lots of extra freebies included. Try them if you're traveling in the South or Midwest.) I might have gotten a nicer room at a similar price from Priceline, but that would only have been at one of the downtown hotels where parking would cost money. Yeah, on the weekend, maybe street parking would have worked, but this was a good bet. There wouldn't have been a big savings to be had, just a higher level hotel which wouldn't really have mattered at all to us on the one-night stay.

I doubt I'll be abandoning Priceline totally. There are still places where you can get 50% off pretty easily. I have good luck in Baltimore and DC, for instance. But you do have to check other options carefully and weigh the inflexibility of the opaque process vs the savings.

I still love Priceline although their hotel inventory in San Francisco and New York has gotten a lot more expensive.

I still love Priceline although their hotel inventory in San Francisco and New York has gotten a lot more expensive.

Same here...whenever I am travelling, I will check out PL options. Of course, as a rule, I will never use PL if there are only 2 or 3 star options, and I will also make sure, using biddingfortravel and betterbidding sites that I like the ones available for the 4* ones. Last month, we went to Asheville and I used PL to get rooms for us at the Renaissance and it was really nice and I paid all total $295 for 2 rooms for two nights.I have stayed at the Venetian for $99 thanks to PL, and I have rented cars for $17 per day if now cheaper. I admit gone are those days when I used PL to get groceries and gas, but this is still a great way to save money while travelling... just me 2 cents...

D.

My last 6 hotel reservations have all been through PL. I like staying at Airport hotels so I usually get a very good rate (35-45% off normal internet pricing).

I only had one problem. At the STL Hilton, they couldnt find my reservation, but I think it was more of a Hilton problem than a PL problem.

This is what Ive gotten:

Sept 3-DFW -Harvey Hotel 3 Star- $45 all in
Sept 17-Doubltree Boston Downtown - $80 all in
Sept 18-Hilton Logan Airport- $75 all in (upgraded to Executive Level)
Sept 23-Rutland, VT Comfort Inn- $55 all in ( Normal fall rates in VT were 100-150 for 2 star hotels)
Sept 24- Seattle- Hilton Airport $52 all in
Oct 8- STL- Hilton Airport- $46 all in

I'm happy with PL. I just booked a room for November 15 at the LHR Holiday Inn M4 for $61.39 all in. Not bad.

I always ask to be moved away from the elevator and most locations have been very gracious. I don't get any points but I guess thats the sacrifice.

Bidding today I didn't have to go through their conventional booking options first. (I haven't encountered it yet, actually.)

Of course gone are the days of $47 for the Park Hyatt SFO and $75 4* bids in NYC (MTE).

But Priceline still has its uses, e.g. $35 airport stays (Doubletree) in SEA.

Gary makes a good point above, yet for me, PL is for when you are really desparate! ;)

Mark

Bidding today I didn't have to go through their conventional booking options first. (I haven't encountered it yet, actually.)

Of course gone are the days of $47 for the Park Hyatt SFO and $75 4* bids in NYC (MTE).

But Priceline still has its uses, e.g. $35 airport stays (Doubletree) in SEA.

Gone but not forever. These things are cyclical. Right now, hotel space is extremely tight in NYC (and elsewhere undoubtedly). Ergo, rates (and thus, P/L) are high. When things take the inevitable downturn (God forbid), rates will come down again. Not very useful info for the moment, but don't give up on P/L just yet. ;)

I have not used Priceline in over a year.I can usually come within 30% or better of the price they offer with a known brand,point earning,no bs about canceling your reservation hotel.It Just does not make sense to put up with the hurdles priceline presents unless I can save 50% or more like the old days.

Staying tonight at Harvey DFW
Hotels own Rate : $129
Expedia.com : $89

My Priceline accepted price $35, the Old Days are still available, the secret : research via www.biddingfortravel.com and www.betterbidding.com

I have used Priceline multiple times in the past year and have gotten good deals (<$50/night for 3*+ hotels) -- mostly in San Jose and near the San Francisco Airport.

I second KentownFlorida's reference to the two forums (betterbidding and biddingfortravel). Biddingfortravel has more information, but be warned that that the moderators are quite strict about their rules.

Ive Only tried /used PL a few times for Overseas stays when nothing cheap was to be had.

Having said that, I Totally disagree with the Title of this thread. Had PL been the owner of All or Most of the Hotels then I would agree. But the fact is its the Hotels themselves that decide if they will give PL any inventory and at what price. PL then will sell it to us if we at least meet their min they need to make a profit. Since most hotels have been having record Capacity the past few years , they dont need to dump anything PL way, they dont have any excess and what they might throw to PL is at a higher rate. Im sure PL would love to get its hands on the rates it got in yesteryears.

Priceline still is quite useful, but it's not as great as it used to be. Then again, that's to be expected with the general pick-up in travel demand helping hotels from having to find alternative channels to distribute or to dump distressed inventory.

Are betterbidding.com and biddingfortravel.com (in the aggregate) having fewer reports of success than several months or a year or two ago?

With biddingfortravel, it seems like a lot was lost -- including momentum -- when ezboard had some crash or technical issue and lost data.

With biddingfortravel, it seems like a lot was lost -- including momentum -- when ezboard had some crash or technical issue and lost data.

IMHO its biggest problem was and still is the lovely moderator.

Yesterday I was at yet another Starbucks which T-Mobile Hot Spot had been banned by the Biddingfortravel.

IMHO its biggest problem was and still is the lovely moderator.

Yesterday I was at yet another Starbucks which T-Mobile Hot Spot had been banned by the Biddingfortravel.

Talk about someone failing to heed the basic advice: "Don't cut off your nose to spite your face."

This thread is about the recent changes to the PL website -- its newfound insistence at directing one to a fixed-price menu before allowing blind bidding -- and has nothing to do with:

1) the amount and price of hotel inventory available to PL;
2) issues with BFT which have been discussed at great length in other threads;
3) issues with PL customer service (non-service) which likewise have been discussed at great length in other threads.

Methinks PL lurkers are reading this thread, since I originally posted it, PL has begun displaying the "$100 off" price tag while you are waiting for the rack-rate search to conclude, and the screen reminds users that they should click on the "Name your own price" link to bid. Kind of like, "To continue in English, press 1."

PL has recently changed its website to make it unreasonably difficult to reach the Name our Own Price bidding menu, instead when you initially enter the desired hotel dates, would-be customers are steered to a list of rack-rate hotels (after a 1 min wait while PL looks up the rack rates)........Even if you know how to get to the Name Your Own Price screens, before you can get there, you have to sit there and wait as PL looks up and displays the rack hotel rates for your city. My time is valuable and I don't appreciate the gratuitous wait. Also, it's more difficult trying to explain to newbies how to use PL, as they have to navigate an extra screen to get to the bid page.

I have had this too. But mostly for smaller places..... I looked for NYC hotels for a friend and we could go right to the bidding page, same with Atlanta for my booking.

I don't like the changes. Still, Priceline has given me great prices. I am always looking for 4-star hotels. That gives me a lot of free bits in big cities.

Its funny you mention this. Somehow they have it setup to give people different pages when first entering the website.

I went to walk my sister through free re-bid aspect over the phone and it was aparent she was getting different web site pages than I was.

She was getting what you are mentioning.

I was getting the traditional bidding pages.

I wonder if its a study of usage and revenue to see which is better overall or just based on cookies to revert to the one a person has used most before starting with the default of showing specific hotels. Heck I don't even see how to get to a section to choose a specific hotel at a discounted price but it came up for my sister as the default.


PL has recently changed its website to make it unreasonably difficult to reach the Name our Own Price bidding menu, instead when you initially enter the desired hotel dates, would-be customers are steered to a list of rack-rate hotels (after a 1 min wait while PL looks up the rack rates).

Conversely, PL is currently running TV commercials in which William Shatner urges people to bid on hotel rooms and save $100 per night (which is accurate, if you can find the name-your-own-price link now buried inside PL).

Simply put, PL is trying to be another me-too player in the market space already occupied by hotels.com, etc. etc. while simultaneously alienating its customer base. Even if you know how to get to the Name Your Own Price screens, before you can get there, you have to sit there and wait as PL looks up and displays the rack hotel rates for your city. My time is valuable and I don't appreciate the gratuitous wait. Also, it's more difficult trying to explain to newbies how to use PL, as they have to navigate an extra screen to get to the bid page.

Bump.

As of Jan. 10, PL announced it is now, again, attempting to be Orbitz or Expiedia by directing customers to a "product path" (this is PL's euphemism for having wasted one's time) where full-price rates for hotels and cars are displayed first, and people have to hunt for the "name your own price" links in order to bid.

Not only that, but now, iif your bid is rejected, you have to wait again while PL re-displays the rack-rate options for your itinerary. This means an additional 1-2 min wait between rebids.

If I pass on the rack rates, and instead rebid one too many times, is that now going to be considered computer harassment subjecting me to possible arrest and prosecution?

Is PL's goal to draw unimformed customers to website with their "Save $$$" claim and then hope those people think they are saving money by booking the advertised price?

i have to throw my 2 cents in that i have had a phenominal year using priceline. some of the best deals ever since the start of 2005. i have used it maybe 25-30 times. never a dud in the bunch. i always stick to 3* and above and use betterbidding for info.

some highlights:

seattle (the good old doubletree) $49 all in (3 times this year)

toronto (marriott airport) $40 all in (3 time past year)

san francisco doubletree airport $49 all in for a 4 day weekend LABOR day holiday weekend.

albany ny during saratoga racing season. albany marriott $50 all in (rack rate was over $200 a the time)

baltimore embassy suites $55 all in

detroit homewood suites, 4th of july weekend, $59 all in per night for 3 nights



its still routine for me to get what i consider to be total low ball offers accepted. i try to stay in the airport zones (those seem to work best for some reason) and to do lots of research prior to booking.

just for kicks i even got a car rental in vegas on priceline for $10 a day for a midsize plus taxes. the car rental agent cursed a storm when i got to the counter and i didnt even care. on that note though i have been treated very well by the hotel staffs also and have seen a tremendous improvment in that area past few years. join every frequent stay program and dont be afriad to wave the card at checkin. good luck

just for kicks i even got a car rental in vegas on priceline for $10 a day for a midsize plus taxes. the car rental agent cursed a storm when i got to the counter and i didnt even care.

How unprofessional. I have to admit I'd be intimidated. Was it just because you had managed to get something so cheap? Was it personally directed at you?

just for kicks i even got a car rental in vegas on priceline for $10 a day for a midsize plus taxes. the car rental agent cursed a storm when i got to the counter and i didnt even care.

What the rental car employee needs to remember is that it was his/her employer who determined the Priceline rate, rather than Priceline themself.

I think the "distressed" inventory of rooms-n-seats Priceline was selling is drying up. They now are changing but now PL will be a me-too outfit with much competition.

FWIW I have avoided PL for many months because no really nice deals were available. I could book and get ff points, upgrades, free breakfasts, exact street addresses etc for 20%-30% over the PL rate. and thus a nicer overall deal.

After reading this thread, I went toPL to bid on a room. Although I previously booked dozens of PL rooms it took me over 8 minutes to actually find where I could bid on a room.

IMHO PL is doomed. Sell it short.

MisterNice

Good. Less people using up the inventory. In the meanwhile I'll keep booking on Priceline and Hotwire and getting rooms in London or Brussels for 60-70% off. ;)

Some hotels I had bought for $35-45 are now $55-$65. Still some good deals out there but it's obviously gotten more difficult. The fact you have to wade thru the regular listings indicates that the sales in the old model aren"t what they used to be.

Michael :eek:


I think the "distressed" inventory of rooms-n-seats Priceline was selling is drying up. They now are changing but now PL will be a me-too outfit with much competition.

FWIW I have avoided PL for many months because no really nice deals were available. I could book and get ff points, upgrades, free breakfasts, exact street addresses etc for 20%-30% over the PL rate. and thus a nicer overall deal.

After reading this thread, I went toPL to bid on a room. Although I previously booked dozens of PL rooms it took me over 8 minutes to actually find where I could bid on a room.

IMHO PL is doomed. Sell it short.

MisterNice

i just wanted to add that i pretty much blasted the rental car guy. i did in fact tell him exactly what you said. that it surely wasent my fault his company accepted my crazy low bid and if he didnt like it there were plenty of good jobs waiting for him elsewhere. at that point he shut up and simply completed my reservation. i only pointed this out because it seemed to me i used to encounter more issues a couple years ago when i started using priceline. most hotel employees were very surly when i started using the site but lately i have been treated like every other guest and i even had a classic moment at a hyatt in cleveland last year when 3 of us were checking in at once and we ALL had used priceline. even the staff laughed about it. thanks and good luck in your bidding

I'd like to know where these folks are booking hotels for only 20-30% more than Priceline? I've made big believers out of several coworkers and now regularly book Priceline rooms for others in our company, we typically save 30%-50% or so, but that's compared to the hotel we would stay at otherwise (Hampton Inn, Courtyard, and such types of properties).

Just pulling up my last ten bids for myself and/or coworkers (not just cherry picking the best deals):

Marriott Hickory Ridge Conference Center - $60.12/night all in (weekday)
Hyatt Regency Chicago - $79.59/night all in (weekday)
Radisson Hotel Norfolk - $68.38/night all in (weekday)
Hyatt Regency Baltimore - $83.29/night all in (weekday)
Renaissance Ft. Lauderdale - $58.22/night all in (weekend)
Sheraton Waterside Norfolk - $73.04/night all in (weekday)
JW Marriott Las Vegas - $109.18/night all in (weekend)
Marriott Charlotte City Center - $74.69/night all in (weekday)
Peabody Orlando - $92.11/night all in (weekend)
Radisson Hotel Norfolk - $88.18/night all in (weekday)

These are all in the past 3 months, not old bids ... dare I say that the rumors of Priceline's demise are greatly exaggerated? I'd sure like to know where I could book these hotels or even comparable ones for rates that earn points and benefits for just "20-30% more" as a few posters in this thread have stated.

IMHO its biggest problem was and still is the lovely moderator.

Yesterday I was at yet another Starbucks which T-Mobile Hot Spot had been banned by the Biddingfortravel.
Yep.. basically killed that site.

I like the interface for betterbidding.com as well...

Beckles
I think PL is still a great hotel resource. The savings may not be as extreme as they once were, but are surely much better than other discount websites. For me, and many other FTers I'm sure, it's a matter of points/status/location vs. savings.

Had not been on the site in a while and I was thrown off. Not a good move on PL's part.

Hotwire has been giving Priceline a better run for my money. It used to be that Priceline used to give me better deals than Hotwire almost always. Now it seems to be a closer match.

One of the benefits of Priceline is not having to do a price research... If I just have to visit a town for a couple of days, I select central zones and after some rebids have the cheapest 4* or 5* room available there...

Well, maybe you can get the hotel you desire for 20-30% more if you want exactly that one, but think about all the time spent browsing booking sites, combining discounts, etc... Not worth it IMHO. Any 4* is OK for me in most cases.

I really don't like the new interface either. PL has been a great travel resource when used with the discussion boards about prices/markets, etc. But in recent weeks, I have tried to have my secretary help with me with a bid and twice had my wife make her own bids. Each time they were snared by the screens with fixed prices and they made the reservations there.

I really don't like business models that are based on fooling people. And we have to think seriously about commiting a lot of energy to figuring out how to use what is now just a "button in the corner of a webpage." As long as it lasts, then fine I guess ......