Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies - Priceline "Non-Smoking Guarantee" & Hotel Attitudes Toward PL Guests?

I have read posts that state Priceline does and does not guarantee a non smoking reservation. Can anyone confirm which is currently true?

Is it true that some hotels have a bad attitude toward Priceline guests?

Thank you.

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Do you need a non-smoking or smoking room?
Priceline requests that our hotel partners provide non-smoking rooms. However, room assignments are based on hotel availability and are at a hotel’s discretion. If you require a non-smoking room or a smoking room, you may contact your hotel directly. All special requests are based on availability and at the discretion of the hotel. Please keep in mind that priceline cannot guarantee a non-smoking or smoking room. If you require a specific room type, try our partner Lowestfare.com.

As far as "attitude",it depends.
Overall, I can't say that I've been treated much differently.
I have,however, often got the "worst room available". This is why I stick to 4*+ properties.

Perhaps it was paranoia, but I've definitely felt as though the staff at some hotels figured I wasn't an important client given that I had used Priceline.

I sort of understand the logic, which is that I ostensibly didn't care whether I was there or another hotel. On the other hand, in a couple of cases I had used it to purchase week-long stays netting them in excess of $900 per visit, so it was irritating to say the least. Moreover, I've since stopped using Priceline, and my decisions about where to stay now are pretty well driven by how I was treated back then.

jakebeth & jabez,

You confirmed what I was afraid of. I'm new to Priceline.

Thanks.

Getting a smoking room doesn't usually happen, but is quite possible. I've had it happen most often in Europe, but also once in the US.

I've never been treated badly because I was a Priceline guest, however, I'm not one to require or look for a great deal of service from a hotel. If you have special needs or specific requirements, then Priceline may not be satisfactory. But if you're a solo leisure traveler with some flexibility and ordinary requirements from a hotel, it's a no-brainer. I've saved upwards of 50% on most trips.

Getting a smoking room doesn't usually happen, but is quite possible. I've had it happen most often in Europe, but also once in the US.

I've never been treated badly because I was a Priceline guest, however, I'm not one to require or look for a great deal of service from a hotel. If you have special needs or specific requirements, then Priceline may not be satisfactory. But if you're a solo leisure traveler with some flexibility and ordinary requirements from a hotel, it's a no-brainer. I've saved upwards of 50% on most trips.I'll reluctantly have to agree with this. I have more flexibility with work. But if I were going to have to choose for myself, it's tough to pass up Priceline. You can get rooms that normally go for $180 to $280 in Chicago, for example, for around $100 quite often.

I've gotten very little attitude from hotels in a number of Priceline bookings. One fairly recently was pretty curt at checkin, and it was combined with the whole smoking/no smoking thing. Priceline may well request a non-smoking room, but from this one experience I can say clearly that even in a fairly empty hotel the Priceline request may well come through as a smoking room. In this case, the woman at the checkin desk acted like she was doing me the hugest favor in the world to change it to non-smoking, and suggested it might not even work without costing more! If I thought it would have been worth it (and she wasn't trying to obviously brush me away as quickly as possible so she could get back to doing nothing), I would have noted that this service does not ever give its customers a chance to pick the room type. But with this one it still would have been my fault anyway, I'm sure. :rolleyes: I hate when I'm nothing but polite, and all I get is attitude back. Luckily it really doesn't happen that often. In fact, while a couple of other places have mentioned Priceline or Hotwire or such when I've booked those ways, I've never felt badly treated even then. But, sadly, it clearly does happen sometimes.

My bad experience was at the Four Points in Cranberry Township, PA. Might say Warrendale or Mars as address, actually, and/or something about Pittsburgh North or such. I can't remember the whole name. It's only a few miles from here. We had a weekend during a hot spell with broken A/C, and I played around with PL that Sunday not expecting to have a bid accepted, and it was. Heh. Was nice to have a comfy room before going to work Monday morning. A/C fixed Monday night.

It's fairly rare that you get an overt PL attitude from a hotel desk clerk. If I do, I smile and say, "I know if it were your money you'd use Priceline too." 100% of the time they nod approvingly. I also give them my hotel-chain elite card and explain that "'qualifying stays' are for when the boss pays." Usually I get my desired room type (nonsmoking king). Sometimes I even get treated like the elite that I am. They ought to, because sometimes I get to specify which property the project team stays at (at rack rate). So attitudizing PL guests can be counterproductive. Hotel lurkers, are you listening?

P.S. It's really pathetic that PL won't include a room type preference on its website, and then forward your request to the property.

I use Pricline quite a bit and at the very least get a comment from the front desk. Usually along the lines of, "Did you use Priceline to book this reservation?" (Is that a rhetorical question??) or "I see you used Priceline/the Internet to book this reservation." I'm not sure what they want me to say when they ask that... it's more a statement of fact: you are a low-class citizen. Oh well. Beats paying more.

I have never had any attitude from staff of nice (3*+) hotels, although they've responded all kinds of ways when I ask politely about getting elite benefits -- from automatically putting me and my two friends on the executive floor and comping us all to breakfast (Chicago Hilton & Towers ^ ) to laughing in my face (HGI Cleveland :td: ).

The only case of outright hostility was at the BWI Homestead Studio Suites, where we were greeted with a sneer, treated like prison inmates and received no housekeeping for three days/two nights. Morons; I will never return under any circumstances.

PL guests should be treated well because it's a chance to convert a brand-sampler into a loyalist. As I told the Homestead manager. ;)

Never had a bad experience with PL bookings. I'd only use them for 4* and above so perhaps that's the reason. I had particularly good stays at the Omni San Francisco and the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago. Both places I was treated very well and given upgrades. Even when I wasn't upgraded I felt that the service was exactly the same as a "rack rate" customer.

The only case of outright hostility was at the BWI Homestead Studio Suites, where we were greeted with a sneer, treated like prison inmates and received no housekeeping for three days/two nights. Morons; I will never return under any circumstances.

Heh, I wouldn't return there either. Mine was a Hotwire stay, actually, and while I don't remember feeling particularly slighted because of that, I do recall the checkin being inefficient. It was a little worse than I hoped for the quality level. Think Motel 6 with a kitchen in the room, and that would be about right. But it was just one night, and it turned out well enough. Got some laundry done and got some sleep. Are you sure the no housekeeping isn't par for the course? I can't remember, but I'm thinking along the lines of Extended Stay America and such where they drive the cost down by not having daily housekeeping. Not sure if Homestead is like that or not.

Vast majority of my places have never mentioned anything about Priceline/Hotwire except that they would say the room and tax are paid for but need a card for incidentals. (In fact, there are certainly other ways the room and tax could have been prepaid, but I suspect in most cases the clerks can tell the difference.) I have stayed at more 4* recently, which definitely helps with the discretion. The Four Points bad experience I mentioned above, I think it's a 3* or maybe just 2.5*, can't remember.

I have tried PL three times to book a hotel. Two of the times were at hotel near SEA and the stays were fine. However, the last PL bid was for the Hyatt Harborside at Boston Logon Airport. I am sure the check in agent could have given me a worse room but the one I got was a bit less than desired. Apparently they had a water leak on that floor and had to wet vac up the water. I walked into my room and it had just recently been vacuumed but the carpet was still wet. I called down and was moved to a new room. I was hoping for a better view but was only given a room (albeit dry) down the hall. When I checked out the next day, the agent asked me how my stay was. After my comment about the first room, he looked it up and it specifically said not to use that room. He couldnt explain why I was given the room in the first place. I will still use PL when I can.

I've used Priceline a bunch of times and have NEVER had a bad experience. I've had a bunch of 4* stays (eg, Grand Hyatt in DC for $80, Hyatt Regency Penns Landing in Philly for $30!) and 2.5*s (eg, Courtyard Chicago for $50, Courtyard Livonia just this week for $38, Country Inn and Suites Lansing for abt $35). I love the Courtyards, and they are always my hope for 2.5* stays. I've always gotten my preference for non-smoking rooms, and almost always for bed types (usually for one king) - last week they said they had no more king rooms, but otherwise I think I've always gotten what I requested, cheerfully. At last week's stay, I had asked after we checked in (and thus, they clearly knew it was a priceline stay) if they had mini-fridges available, and they said yes, they'd send one up - I asked how much it would be and they said it was no charge. I have nothing bad to say at all about any of my priceline stays, or any of the staff who've helped me at those hotels, and I've saved a TON of money, and stayed at much nicer hotels than I otherwise might have for leisure travel.

I stayed a Penn's Landing in PHL last month for two nights using Priceline. It was the first time I had evered used Priceline. I was worried about getting treated differently, but the stay went smooth. The clerk didn't mention Priceline at all. I was quite happy with the room, especially since the hotel website watned $230/night and I got it for $80/night.

I use Pricline quite a bit and at the very least get a comment from the front desk. Usually along the lines of, "Did you use Priceline to book this reservation?" (Is that a rhetorical question??) or "I see you used Priceline/the Internet to book this reservation." I'm not sure what they want me to say when they ask that... it's more a statement of fact: you are a low-class citizen. Oh well. Beats paying more.

When I've done that, it was to confirm that we would not be charging you directly for the room; that you already paid for it and we both understood that. Priceline reservations look sort of odd in any system I've used. It's not necessarily anything against you, just verifying everything.

Like many others here, have made 100s of nights thru priceline, and 99% of the time there is nothing above or below the hotels standard level of service.

Normally a hotel with a poor customer attitude in general is the problem not just to priceline guests its all it's guests,

Last week I was at a Courtyard in Joliet IL, on a Priceline $35 1 night booking,
I arranged to meet some collegues and gave them the hotel number off the in room phone to call me as my cellphone was dead, They didnt call back

In the morning I found out the hotel number on the phone was wrong, I mentioned it on checkout that it had caused me inconveinience, the manager who was at the desk, offered to Comp the room for the night, looked at the booking, and said "Oh it was a priceline stay, I can't credit the card on file because the refund will go to priceline" At this point I figured he was blowing me out, but he pulled $40 out of the hotel desk and refunded me in cash, and asked that I consider them for future stays.

Thats how a good hotel treats guests (Priceline or direct), and will certainly put them at the top of my list for anything in the future

Richard

This has been a terrific thread on the sbjects: "Priceline "Non-Smoking Guarantee" & Hotel Attitudes Toward PL Guests?".

I have not seen another thread annywhere as explicit as this one on the subjects.

It is interesting to note that the majority have good experience with Priceline within the scope of these subjects.

Let's keep this thread going!

In the morning I found out the hotel number on the phone was wrong, I mentioned it on checkout that it had caused me inconveinience, the manager who was at the desk, offered to Comp the room for the night, looked at the booking, and said "Oh it was a priceline stay, I can't credit the card on file because the refund will go to priceline" At this point I figured he was blowing me out, but he pulled $40 out of the hotel desk and refunded me in cash, and asked that I consider them for future stays.

Priceline pays for your stay using their "credit card" -- as I recall, it's a Mastercard account number.

For reference, prepaid Orbitz, Expedia, and hotels.com stays are paid using a direct bill account (no credit card). So it can be somewhat confusing to a novice clerk.

But definite ^ ^ ^ for the skilled handling of the situation!

currently at the Hilton Garden in Chicago for a couple of nights - pricelined at $55 per night. Arrived at 6am (early flight from HNL) asked if they could keep my luggage till 3pm check-in - no probs - asked if I could add my HH number - no problems gave it and the response was "oh you are Gold - you can have a room right now, also free breakfast and all the other extras" so in this case priceline didnt have any effect.
Slightly different response than the Wyndham O'hare last week tho ! definitely 2nd or even 3rd class citizen booking thru priceline there.

I have read posts that state Priceline does and does not guarantee a non smoking reservation. Can anyone confirm which is currently true?

Is it true that some hotels have a bad attitude toward Priceline guests?

Thank you.

I have never had a problem with staff attitude when I'm on a Priceline stay. I don't bid on anything lower than 3*, and the staff at the Marriott, Hilton, Doubletree, and Radisson hotels I've stayed at mostly haven't even mentioned that I'm a Priceline guest, just that my stay is pre-paid. I've even had Hilton hotels upgrade me to a nicer room (and once a suite) based on my Hilton Gold status, and appoligize that I wouldn't earn points on this stay.

My non-smoking request is honored at least 90 percent of the time. I always call the hotel directly a few days ahead of time to confirm that I want a non-smoking room.

not much of a problem with hotels but some of the airline people would love to shove you out of the plane at 30,000 feet. Car rentals are awful. I will never use priceline for car rentals again

We've been treated worse on stays using hotel points (even where we have top-tier status) than I've been treated on Priceline stays. But generally, the treatment is largely indistinguishable and have gotten the basic type of room required (bedding-types, smoking-types, etc.).

I bid mostly 4 star and above; My experience has been that they mention priceline at check-in about 50% of the time. I've also noticed by looking at the floor plan map on the back of the room door, that I've usually been assigned to the smallest room on that floor, or the one closest to the elevator or one extremely far from the elevator.

I was presenting my HH Gold or SPG card at the desk along with my credit card for incidentals, but after an episode a few months ago at the Millenium Hilton NY where the desk clerk literally tossed the card back at me, laughing in disbelief, and saying 'you're a priceline customer!' I've not been doing that. Ouch, that hurt.

I've had a couple of dozen PL reservations over the years, and not once did I sense different treatment. I really doubt that many front desk clerks give a rats posterior what you paid for the room. Sure, they might have certain criteria to use when considering upgrades -- and a PL res. would seem highly unlikely to get such an upgrade.

With upgrades aside, they generally check you into a room and move on to the next customer. They probably gave precious little thought to who you are, what you paid or what you said.

I can't remember, but I'm thinking along the lines of Extended Stay America and such where they drive the cost down by not having daily housekeeping. Not sure if Homestead is like that or not.


Homestead is part of the Extended Stay America network.

Housekeeping is twice per week one is a quick clean up the second is a full cleaning.

They are not fancy but they work well for long term stays. I am currently at one. Web site rate is $76 per night. PL for $44 per night.

Compared to the Residence Inn just down the road for $129.

I was presenting my HH Gold or SPG card at the desk along with my credit card for incidentals, but after an episode a few months ago at the Millenium Hilton NY where the desk clerk literally tossed the card back at me, laughing in disbelief, and saying 'you're a priceline customer!' I've not been doing that. Ouch, that hurt.
You might consider just phoning the hotel ahead of time and asking them to add your frequent stay membership number to the reservation. If they refuse, it won't be quite as painful as in person. ;)

Kathy's right. I almost always call in advance.
You never know if how each hotel handles PL customers. I have had points and upgrades at some and the "worst room available" with no extra benefits at others.

The elite status card at check-in seems to still help even if on a PL stay. I've found Hilton to be very good as of late with PL rates -- at least in terms of extending HHonors benefits despite the rate not being eligible -- including lounge access and breakfast and more. I hope the lucky streak continues. :) (I know that it's earned Hilton more business as the remaining weekday nights were given to the same hotels.)

The only case of outright hostility was at the BWI Homestead Studio Suites, where we were greeted with a sneer, treated like prison inmates and received no housekeeping for three days/two nights. Morons; I will never return under any circumstances.


I don't know about the sneer, but the lack of housekeeping wasn't about being a Priceline customer. The Homestead Studio Suites only provide housekeeping twice a week to ALL guests, however they booked.

I'm a tried and true Priceline user and use it all the time for family vacations. I would say 99% percent of the time everything turns out fantastic. The few times are probably the result of me not doing my research on location and the quality of the facility. For that you can use tripadvisor.com and biddingfortravel.com. Hopefully I can say that.
Never had an attitude from any clerk. I try to be polite and respectful. It's gotten me some perks like upgrades, free offers, etc. It also helps to have a hotel loyalty card as well. The safest bets are usually the 4 and 3 stars. It's true that if they were in my shoes they would probably use PL or the like as well. I believe some of the attitude develops because of previous PL guests who were less than cordial. As the saying goes, treat others as you would like to be treated.

Hotels are selling distressed merchandise via Priceline, rooms that might otherwise not have been sold. Now, if you have a hotel with 100 rooms, 90 nice, and 10 smaller, next to the ice machine and elevator, and smoking, and you expect to sell 90 rooms conventionally, then you'd consider your less desirable rooms your distressed merchandise and mark them down to move them. Now, if you were only going to sell 50 conventionally, then you would be much more inclined to offer the customer their choice of rooms.

Now, as far as attitude, I've only gotten bad attitude once, at the Crowne Plaza in Seattle. I got a room for $35 when their web rate was $99. At check-in, I requested 2 beds, non-smoking. I was met with a "well, since this was purchased through Priceline, we've reserved a 2 bed, smoking room for you." with a sneer. Since the beds were far more important than the smoking status, I just smiled, and replied in a tone just above conversational "Oh well, that's ok, I guess I really can't complain since I'm only paying $35 for this room!". Well, there were only about 20 other people waiting to check in. You should have seen the manager's head pop up!

Other than that, I've found that I'm usually met with a "Your room has been prepaid, however we will need a credit card for incidentals."

I have read posts that state Priceline does and does not guarantee a non smoking reservation. Can anyone confirm which is currently true?

Is it true that some hotels have a bad attitude toward Priceline guests?

Thank you.

I am staying the Hilton @ ORD this week which I booked via PL. I got it for $55 (~$72 all in) and I too was concerned about the potential "attitude" I might encounter. Since I am taking a red-eye from LAX that'll arrive about 6am at ORD, I was even hoping to get an early check-in. I don't expect great service using PL - but if they have rooms available at the time of the morning, my thought is will a Hilton clerk really discrimate simply because of the PL thing? I have even thought of mentioning that I'd be willing to pay a bit extra (hopefully only about $20 extra) to check-in early, but I wonder if my offer would offend or be well rec'd by same clerk? I guess I'll find out in a few days, and I'll post my experience here.

My experience has been very good with PL both in the US and in Europe. More than half the time I even got upgraded or a better choice of rooms when at the check in discretely offered a tip. (Win-win situation?)

My experience has been very good with PL both in the US and in Europe. More than half the time I even got upgraded or a better choice of rooms when at the check in discretely offered a tip. (Win-win situation?)

Thanks, I think your experience just added to my bravery! :)

I've booked hundreds of stays on Priceline. 95% of the time there is no attitude. They may mention "You booked through Priceline," but it's just to confirm to you that they know your room is prepaid and they are aware of how to handle it. On my last Priceline stay, I was upgraded to a suite at the Doubletree Washington DC. Just being nice and cheerful and chatting with the clerk (and being as flexible as possible) will go a long way. Phrasing everything as a request and not a demand is a must. I think I had a clerk one time (I don't remember where anymore) say, "That's all you get with Priceline."

I have found that at 2* properties the reservation almost always comes through as a smoking room. I have no idea why. At Baymonts consistently; sometimes at LaQuinta and Holiday Inn. It's very strange. Usually they're willing to change it if they have non smoking available. Even if you book conventionally, you can't guarantee these things, so Priceline is really no different.

The New York Hilton used to be notorious for their bad "Priceline Attitude." But I think enough people complained that they cleaned up their act.

I have read posts that state Priceline does and does not guarantee a non smoking reservation. Can anyone confirm which is currently true?

Is it true that some hotels have a bad attitude toward Priceline guests?

Thank you.

Well, I would say "no" with a slight condition. I just returned this morning from ORD to LAX having stayed one night at the Hilton at ORD. I initially tired to check in at about 6am (red-eye from LAX), but was told housecleaning did not arrive until 7am and since they were oversold the night before due to the snow storm (see theweatherchannle.com), I'd have to wait until about 8ish. I took the El into the city and tried to stay awake long enough to make my back. After a couple of snafu's and a some very polite dsicourse with a new desk clerk (i.e. not the same person who told me come back in few hours to get a room), I got in. She did mention "outloud" if I had booked via PL and I proudly agreed. Would I do this again for $55 a night? You bet!! :)

I have stayed at Hyatts, Wyndhams,Hiltons. Marriots I was allowed to checkin at 8 am at one of these properties at Logan Boston a few weeks ago. For $62 firm. I've never sensed any attitude from Hotels at Checkin.

I use the same approach that I would when at the airport...smile.. Use their name while you are being assisted and be upbeat and maybe small talk.
SHMOOZE.....

I can never pay full price on leisure travel again.

I have had points and upgrades at some and the "worst room available" with no extra benefits at others.

I bet this has as much to do with how full the hotel is. If the property was very empty that day and was using priceline to get ANY guests, the desk is more likely to have the ability to be flexible. If they were using priceline to fill the last few rooms available, they'd probably be strict about filling everyone else's preferences first.

Which I suppose is another reason to arrive as early as possible, while the maximum inventory is still available for that day.

I've used PL for over 40 stays and agree with posters here that I rarely get attitude. The only issue I have occasionally had is that PL always books you for King room (disclosed in the TOS.) Some hotels will switch you to two doubles with no problem and others request an additional fee for any change like this. Even though I have no right to it - since the TOS is clear - it does sometimes irk me that they won't give me two doubles when their website shows availability and that doubles are the same rates as Kings. I don't complain but I do think this is because of the PL booking. About 20% of the time when I make a request for two doubles the clerk will say they can do it for $20 more a night or so. This is at 4* and above hotels, not just cheaper hotels where they sometimes charge more for additional guests.

I have noticed that for longer stays I seem to be more likely to be given a "bad" room at the hotel versus times when I book 1 nighters. Makes sense that they wouldn't want to tie up a potentially higher paying room for a longer stay I guess.

I've never tried my HH Gold card on a clerk with a PL reservation but based on this thread I will from now on, since some posters seem to get the upgrades!

My approach is always to bid so low that I feel ok about whatever room I am given at the hotel.

It does sometimes irk me that they won't give me two doubles when their website shows availability and that doubles are the same rates as Kings. I don't complain but I do think this is because of the PL booking. About 20% of the time when I make a request for two doubles the clerk will say they can do it for $20 more a night or so.

It's the same $20 they want me to pay to get a king instead of two doubles....

I've never tried my HH Gold card on a clerk with a PL reservation but based on this thread I will from now on, since some posters seem to get the upgrades!

I forgot to mention that when I did get my early check-in, the clerk accidentally gave me an occupied room. The "do not disturb" door hanger was on and I could hear voices behind the door. When I went back downstairs to inform the deskclerk, they were aware of the mistake seconds after I took the elevator up and were trying to track me down before I knocked on the guests' door. I politely said it was no problem and I did not disturb the occupants in the room. The hotel manager apologized profusely and then upgraded me to "Parlor Room". I had 9th floor view with floor to ceiling windows to watch the ORD runways in action! It was great and although I, too, was a bit skeptical about flashing my HHonors card, I won't next time. I am now a fan of PL....to say the least.

I haven't stayed nearly as many nights on PL reservations as some other posters, but usually I've offered my Priority Club Platinum card at check-in and asked that they enter the number into my folio/reservation. I'll say "I know that I will not earn points on this stay, but if you enter my membership number, you may be able to offer me upgrades or other amenities suitable for a Platinum member." About 75% of the time they actually enter the number (estimated from the fact that 25% of the time, the stay never shows up); and about 50% of the time, I get an upgraded room. So as long as you present the frequent stayer card to the check-in clerk without giving him or her attitude, I see no harm and only possible good resulting.

Agreed. I always give them my number; sometimes it works in my favor, and when it doesn't, I still paid far less by using PL. :)

Overall, I find that I get upgraded on many of my PL stays because of my status. The best chains for upgrades are Westins, Lowes and Omni.

Overall, I find that I get upgraded on many of my PL stays because of my status. The best chains for upgrades are Westins, Lowes and Omni.I've been lucky enough to have been upgraded on PL stays even without status. Being friendly to the check-in people goes a long way.

My experiences with Priceline bookings have been positive so far.

The most recent was a stay at the Royal Palm in Miami in September. The people were pretty nice. The hotel management has had issues and they are changing hands, so any negative was likely due to that, rather than due to Priceline. One thing that irritated me about that stay was the resort fee, tacked on at check in. When I questioned it, the person at the desk whispered to the manager that it was a Priceline booking, so they pulled out a copy of the Priceline agreement showing that resort fees may be additional. What bugged me about that was that I did not choose the "resort" category when placing my bid. I did get the room for a cheap rate (like 60 or 65 dollars a night). The Priceline total was 155 dollars for two nights including taxes, the resort fee was another 45 dollars for the two nights. For that, you got towels at the beach and internet access.

The room was small and the hotel was not 4 star.

On the other hand, I had a great experience at the Seelbach Hilton in Louisville, Kentucky. Perfect service, beautiful room.

fuzz

This has been a terrific thread on the sbjects: "Priceline "Non-Smoking Guarantee" & Hotel Attitudes Toward PL Guests?".

I have not seen another thread annywhere as explicit as this one on the subjects.

It is interesting to note that the majority have good experience with Priceline within the scope of these subjects.

Let's keep this thread going!

Agreed!

itsme (no relation to itsme2, at least none that I know of, unless itsme2 is the sib the gypsies stole so many years ago)

Wow! My search on "Priceline" first brought itsme2 to my attention, and now Justme123456. Could Justme123456 be the cousin the gypsies nabbed so many years ago? Could it be that through FT I have discovered long lost family members?

Wow! My search on "Priceline" first brought itsme2 to my attention, and now Justme123456. Could Justme123456 be the cousin the gypsies nabbed so many years ago? Could it be that through FT I have discovered long lost family members?

I knew I'd find you! You see? Not only can you find great deals and name your own price at PL.Com, but you can find long lost relatives! The chills I am getting are as powerful as a slurpee head freeze.

I have read posts that state Priceline does and does not guarantee a non smoking reservation. Can anyone confirm which is currently true?

Is it true that some hotels have a bad attitude toward Priceline guests?

Thank you.
I have found that priceline is a great alternative, used it for flights and hotels. By first hand experience they do not guarantee non somoking/smoking rooms, and bed options, this is based off of the hotels availability, I have had only one instance when my request was not granted. as for bad attitudes this is not fully true either, twice I had problems where they wanted to charge me 80 doolars to use the garage to park, at first they used the you booked with priceline card, but after al little conversation my charges were reversed both times.

I have found that priceline is a great alternative, used it for flights and hotels. By first hand experience they do not guarantee non somoking/smoking rooms, and bed options, this is based off of the hotels availability, I have had only one instance when my request was not granted. as for bad attitudes this is not fully true either, twice I had problems where they wanted to charge me 80 doolars to use the garage to park, at first they used the you booked with priceline card, but after al little conversation my charges were reversed both times.

todd5244, forgive me, I'm not sure the official greeting, but it's something like, "Welcome to FlyerTalk!"

i once had a problem with priceline. i booked a 2 star hotel room, they gave me the homestead hotel. when i arrived they already had my room assigned, which was the lowest rate room they had, i requested a room with 2 beds instead of 1 (priceline doesn't let you choose), and they charged me an additional $15, (besides that the hotel was crap, had to buy my own shampoo from the front desk!), which for that price i could have gotten the hilton, which i booked for the following weekend. never did 2 star again. instead i do 3 star, and i receive normal brand name hotels, (marriot, hilton, hyatt etc.) i usually get it for 60% off the hotel website rate, and never had any problem with requests like that (what type of room; amount of beds, smoking etc.) again. on the contrary, those hotels look to make sure you are satisfied., regardless of whether you booked it through them or priceline.

I just used priceline for two hotel stays in CA. First one was the Marriott LAX, got the room and bed type we wanted (king, non-smoking) and the second was the OMNI in San Diego. Again, got the room and bed type we wanted. I didn't feel like a second class citizen in either hotels because I'd booked through priceline, and there was no mention of our having used priceline at either hotel, not that it would bother me if they had. I'm quite proud of the fact a little bit of net savvy can save me a ton of cash and get me a hotel I wouldn't pay rack rates for.

I just used priceline for two hotel stays in CA. First one was the Marriott LAX, got the room and bed type we wanted (king, non-smoking) and the second was the OMNI in San Diego. Again, got the room and bed type we wanted. I didn't feel like a second class citizen in either hotels because I'd booked through priceline, and there was no mention of our having used priceline at either hotel, not that it would bother me if they had. I'm quite proud of the fact a little bit of net savvy can save me a ton of cash and get me a hotel I wouldn't pay rack rates for.

I am a complete newbie to PL. (Just struck out bidding for 4* this coming weekend, New Year's, in PHL.) Would like to hear details of bidding for those hotel rooms, so as to learn from your experiences. Did you bid far in advance of your dates? Successful with first bids or only after waiting and re-bidding? (Did you have to wait to re-bid?) How did you decide what to bid and what did you get the rooms for vs. rack rate for rooms? Etc.

Can I suggest heading over to http://www.betterbidding.com or http://www.biddingfortravel - both sites have tons of information for Priceline newbies. Everyone has their preference between the two; I think Better Bidding is more user-friendly for newcomers.

Can I suggest heading over to http://www.betterbidding.com or http://www.biddingfortravel - both sites have tons of information for Priceline newbies. Everyone has their preference between the two; I think Better Bidding is more user-friendly for newcomers.
I personally like the betterbidding.com website. Lots of info and sharing on strategies for bidding and what hotels are going for what prices.
I think you risk being badly treated at 2* hotels if you use PL, not because you used PL but because that's why they are 2*, poor management, etc.
I only use PL for 3* and higher, 4* and resorts are fantastic deals. I always flash my hotel rewards card at checkin and that usually gets them to treat you well - Hyatt Pier 66 in Ft Lauderdale upgraded 2 rooms in March for me when my PL rate was one third of the hotel website.

Can I suggest heading over to http://www.betterbidding.com or http://www.biddingfortravel - both sites have tons of information for Priceline newbies. Everyone has their preference between the two; I think Better Bidding is more user-friendly for newcomers.

I did look at both sites quickly, and the former did seem distinctly friendlier. Will return to study them more.

I was disappointed that there was not more bidding information there. The more bidding info, the more valuable those sites would become. Enough bidding info would offer a huge advantage in bidding.

Again, I did not spend much time on either, so maybe will gain more with return visits, but neither seems to me a truly optimal introduction to the hotel bidding game. (Someone told me to go look at PL for Dummies. Extraordinary that there should be such a title out there.)

On <www.betterbidding.com>, someone had posted a Venn diagram to explain how to get additional bids by adding zones in which there were no 4* hotels. Very useful, though wish it was clearer exactly what hotels were in each category and in each zone. (Why should bidders be left in any doubt as to how many *s PL assigns a hotel?)

PS: I followed the link there to see your knitting work. Rather impressive looking craft.

delete (repeat)

I did look at both sites quickly, and the former did seem distinctly friendlier. Will return to study them more.

I was disappointed that there was not more bidding information there. The more bidding info, the more valuable those sites would become. Enough bidding info would offer a huge advantage in bidding.

Again, I did not spend much time on either, so maybe will gain more with return visits, but neither seems to me a truly optimal introduction to the hotel bidding game. (Someone told me to go look at PL for Dummies. Extraordinary that there should be such a title out there.)

On <www.betterbidding.com>, someone had posted a Venn diagram to explain how to get additional bids by adding zones in which there were no 4* hotels. Very useful, though wish it was clearer exactly what hotels were in each category and in each zone. (Why should bidders be left in any doubt as to how many *s PL assigns a hotel?)

PS: I followed the link there to see your knitting work. Rather impressive looking craft.


How much clearer could it be? Theres a list of all the hotels that have been reported as a win in each city on each of the sites you were told to visit.

If you do your home work you should in most cases know the hotel before you buy it. A lot of hotels can be targeted if you watch the two sites for a win in the city you want to be in.

[QUOTE=itsme]On <www.betterbidding.com>, someone had posted a Venn diagram to explain how to get additional bids by adding zones in which there were no 4* hotels. Very useful, though wish it was clearer exactly what hotels were in each category and in each zone.[QUOTE]

That is the point of Priceline and Hotwire. They can not advertise which property you will get. It does not matter how much past bidding info you have you will never know which properties are in the system for a given night at $$$.

But by using sites like betterbidding you can prevent over paying. I have saved a lot of $$$ using betterbidding. I spent 4 nights in a property @ $45/night when the hotel website showed a rate of $129. The travel agency that I work for part time had a deal for $99.

So if you want to know exactly which property you want call a travel agent or book with the hotels website.

How much clearer could it be? Theres a list of all the hotels that have been reported as a win in each city on each of the sites you were told to visit.

If you do your home work you should in most cases know the hotel before you buy it. A lot of hotels can be targeted if you watch the two sites for a win in the city you want to be in.

What I saw on PL were some national chains said to be typical of that number of *s on PL, not the actual hotels in the pool in the desired city. (And while there is some degree of uniformity from city to city with those national chains, individual hotels in those national chains do vary more than a little.) And from the relatively few and not so recent successful bids reported, I got very little idea what properties a successful bid by me would yield. (For example, with downtown PHL, the only area I think with 4* properties, the Hyatt Penn's Landing was identified a few times. Is that what lies on the other side of the curtain for the successful bidder, or would it be some properties that others have snagged longer ago?)

You don't disagree that if more people posted their results, successful and unsuccessful, on these sites, then it would be a great boon to all of us, do you? (If I were registered on those sites and more familiar with them, and didn't wish to avoid a rebuke from the moderator of one for failing to use the link which supported her website, and my experience wasn't in all likelihood an atypical one on account of it being for New Year's and there being little availability anywhere, then I would have posted for the benefit of others. I struck out offering $125/night for 12/30 and 12/31 before calling the Loews and booking there at $179/night.)

[QUOTE=powerplantop]That is the point of Priceline and Hotwire. They can not advertise which property you will get.

***Understood that they cannot advertise which hotel your bid will snag, if successful, but regretable that you don't know the possibilities, whether from a city-specific enumeration by PL or more info from those website about recent experiences of others.

[QUOTE=powerplantop]It does not matter how much past bidding info you have you will never know which properties are in the system for a given night at $$$.

***If by "you will never know" (italics mine)," you mean you will never be 100% which particular property you will get on "a given night at $$$" should you be successful, then of course. But if the universe of possibilities for a given city were specified, whether by PL directly or indirectly by means of more recent bid info, I, a newbie, would bid more freely, not so apprehensive about getting something I wouldn't be happy with.

[QUOTE=powerplantop]But by using sites like betterbidding you can prevent over paying. I have saved a lot of $$$ using betterbidding. I spent 4 nights in a property @ $45/night when the hotel website showed a rate of $129. The travel agency that I work for part time had a deal for $99.

So if you want to know exactly which property you want call a travel agent or book with the hotels website.

***I think we all understand this, even newbies like me.

itsme, the key thing to successful priceline bidding in my experience is dong a lot of research first, I do it to the point where it drives my wife nuts. I don't just check out the star price levels for each zone, I also look at the hotel reviews so if a particular hotel is bad I won't bid it's star level.

I'm still not au fait with the free rebid concept yet but with each try I get more adept at using them.

Keep at it though. Once you've gotten a successful bid under your belt you get a taste for it.

We just stayed at the MSP Hilton. Got it for $47 and think I overbid. They gave us a view room, non-smoking. Mentioned that they could not give us Hilton points [showed card] as we had reserved on Priceline but that's the only reason that P/L even came up, I think. We were treated very nicely. Of couse, who really wants to go to MN. in December!

I just got back from London, Paris and Vienna. I booked all the rooms on priceline. In Paris I did not have a problem, stayed at Intercontinental Le Grand. Beautiful room and fabulous stay. In London stayed at Thistle Charring Cross, got a free upgrade and the staff were very gracious. Vienna Intercontinental was another story. A nightmare from the moment I checked in. It was clear that they viewed me as a second class citizen due to booking on priceline. Had two rooms that had possibly the worst view in the whole hotel, noisy room on the 2nd floor. Would never stay there again, and it has soured my attitude towards booking with priceline.

It was clear that they viewed me as a second class citizen due to booking on priceline.
Did they mention that you had booked on PL when you checked in or could it be attributed to a terrible staff and bad service that anyone would get?

Itsme, thanks for the kind words :) Amidst the knitting on my site there's "Priceline for the Timid" http://www.leighwitchel.com/blog/archives/travel/priceline/index.html - a guide to bidding that explains concepts such as rebidding.

Now, as far as attitude, I've only gotten bad attitude once, at the Crowne Plaza in Seattle. I got a room for $35 when their web rate was $99. At check-in, I requested 2 beds, non-smoking. I was met with a "well, since this was purchased through Priceline, we've reserved a 2 bed, smoking room for you." with a sneer. Since the beds were far more important than the smoking status, I just smiled, and replied in a tone just above conversational "Oh well, that's ok, I guess I really can't complain since I'm only paying $35 for this room!". Well, there were only about 20 other people waiting to check in. You should have seen the manager's head pop up

I think the real problem is that the Seattle Crowne Plaza is just pretty much all around awful. We stayed there once for business. The owner of the store I work at paid for our rooms and I believe she paid a regular rate. The front desk manager was somewhat rude, and the staff generally innefficient, and the room was pretty much crap (huge carpet stains, poor lighting, tiny ill-planned and shoddy bathroom, etc...), as well as countless other little things that were annoying about the hotel. No hotel has ever left me with such a bad memory :mad:

My point is that I suspect everyone at the Seattle Crowne Plaza gets less than stellar treatment, regardless of how much or how little you pay and whether or not it is a PL rate. Though it is possible that they use a PL reservation to go the extra mile in "snarkiness".

[QUOTE=powerplantop]That is the point of Priceline and Hotwire. They can not advertise which property you will get.


So if you want to know exactly which property you want call a travel agent or book with the hotels website.

***I think we all understand this, even newbies like me.


one difference which i've seen between priceline and hotwire is that with hotwire they show you which amenities you will get with each star level (e.g. swimming pool), whereas with priceline you have no idea

[QUOTE=itsme]


one difference which i've seen between priceline and hotwire is that with hotwire they show you which amenities you will get with each star level (e.g. swimming pool), whereas with priceline you have no idea

This is why it is easier to identify the Hotel on Hotwire.

One more big difference on Hotwire you can reserve a room for more than 2 people. With a PL room your only guaranteed a room for two. Which is why I don't use PL for family travel.

Usually I get a room with two beds but I don't want to take that chance.

[QUOTE=levy]

This is why it is easier to identify the Hotel on Hotwire.

One more big difference on Hotwire you can reserve a room for more than 2 people. With a PL room your only guaranteed a room for two. Which is why I don't use PL for family travel.

Usually I get a room with two beds but I don't want to take that chance.

when i do hotels i do it with priceline or hotwire. the only time i had an issue with beds was when i did a 2 star with priceline and i got homestead suites and they wouldn't give me two beds unless i paid an extra $15, however all the 3 star hotels which i've gotten (hilton, marriott, embassy suites, holiday inn) have never given me a problem, and when i checked in asked me politely what type of room i wanted (2 beds, non smoking etc.)

[QUOTE=powerplantop]

when i do hotels i do it with priceline or hotwire. the only time i had an issue with beds was when i did a 2 star with priceline and i got homestead suites and they wouldn't give me two beds unless i paid an extra $15, however all the 3 star hotels which i've gotten (hilton, marriott, embassy suites, holiday inn) have never given me a problem, and when i checked in asked me politely what type of room i wanted (2 beds, non smoking etc.)

When PL makes the reservation they request 2 beds. So most of the time it is possible to get two beds. I would hate to show up and have to deal with a problem at check in.

From reading on Better Bidding the Venetian in Las Vegas charges from $15 to $30 for a room with two beds. So it is not limited to 2* hotels.

I recently finished a contract in CT. I was able to get the Shelton, CT Homestead Suites for $44 /night. They have a $20 charge for a second bed. Just down the street the I was able to get the Amerisuites (2 1/2*) with two beds for $55. So if I would have had my family with me it would have been cheaper to bid for the Amerisuites.

This gets back to itsme's point of bidding when your not sure of what you will get. If I could be more sure of what I would get I would bid more often and higher than what I do now.

I do want to add that I have never recieved any bad vibes from hotel staff when using PL or Hotwire.

[QUOTE=itsme]


one difference which i've seen between priceline and hotwire is that with hotwire they show you which amenities you will get with each star level (e.g. swimming pool), whereas with priceline you have no idea

and many times this helps you identify the hotel exactly as per the info on betterbidding.com, i.e. only one hotel in an area has a "business center".

Also, using the lists on betterbidding.com, I have found in some areas of some cities there is only one 4* or resort hotel on PL so you do know what hotel you are bidding, you can get greta deals this way.

I just got back from London, Paris and Vienna. I booked all the rooms on priceline. In Paris I did not have a problem, stayed at Intercontinental Le Grand. Beautiful room and fabulous stay. In London stayed at Thistle Charring Cross, got a free upgrade and the staff were very gracious. Vienna Intercontinental was another story. A nightmare from the moment I checked in. It was clear that they viewed me as a second class citizen due to booking on priceline. Had two rooms that had possibly the worst view in the whole hotel, noisy room on the 2nd floor. Would never stay there again, and it has soured my attitude towards booking with priceline.

Curiosity prompts me to ask - how much did you pay through P/L for those rooms in London, Paris and Vienna; and how much would you have paid for them going through their own reservations system?

If the room one is given is unsatisfactory for whatever reason(s), is it out of the question to ask for a different room or ask if one can pay to upgrade to something nicer, though the booking was through P/L?

Curiosity prompts me to ask - how much did you pay through P/L for those rooms in London, Paris and Vienna; and how much would you have paid for them going through their own reservations system?

If the room one is given is unsatisfactory for whatever reason(s), is it out of the question to ask for a different room or ask if one can pay to upgrade to something nicer, though the booking was through P/L?

I can tell you about our recent experience with Priceline in London. We stayed at the Thistle Charing Cross in December through Priceline and saved quite a lot. We paid $89/night. I can't remember exactly what the website rate was, but it was somewhere between $300 - $500/night. The exhange rate is not good for Americans right now. With Priceline, you bid and pay in dollars and don't have to worry about the exchange rate. The hotel never mentioned that we paid through Priceline and our room was very nice, so we didn't have to request another one. I'm sure they would have accommodated us if we were unhappy. Breakfast was not included in the Priceline rate. There are so many restaurants around London, we never missed it. Some hotels do offer an upgrade for an additional fee if you are interested.

We are staying in the Thistle Marble Arch in the spring for $53/night through Priceline. With taxes and fees, the total for 7 nights is $511. I just checked the Thistle website and the least expensive room at the hotel is $263/night during that time. Paying the website rate, the week would cost $1842. Priceline will save us $1331. We saved even more on the December trip.

I highly recommend doing your research first on www.biddingfortravel.com and www.betterbidding.com before bidding on Priceline.

I have read posts that state Priceline does and does not guarantee a non smoking reservation. Can anyone confirm which is currently true? Is it true that some hotels have a bad attitude toward Priceline guests?
Thank you.

While I've only used PL a few times over the last 5 years, I (past and future) expect that I may be treated in slightly less welcoming fashion by many if not most. After all, I've chiseled a bit at the bottom line, am unlikely to be the sort of guest who runs up a big room service tab, and if in the lounge at all, probably order a well drink instead of a call brand. That's the rerality of bargain hunting.

How much less good treatment would I or should you tolerate? Not much, certainly not a crappy room, or one in which housekeeping has fallen on hard times.

Some hotels can exhibit obnoxious reaction even to near "full fare" customers (in the sense that nobody really pays the rack rate). I go to Chicago several times a year for trustees' meetings, and in the beginning our consultants routinely booked me into the Hilton/Palmer House (at their high corporate rate), a comfortable old dowager hotel. I'd show up at the Honor's Desk, cane in hand, sporting a pretty good limp that hard living has left with me, to be assigned a room three football fields from the elevators. After the third time, I found another hotel, nicer, better, shorter hallways, and the capacity to look over the counter at the patron approaching to notice canes, limps or other notable impediments.

So when rolling the dice with PL, I expect to receive a bit less welcome than a full-fare patron, but when coming aboard at full or near full fare, I expect something beyond being semi-ignored.

TMO

How much less good treatment would I or should you tolerate? Not much, certainly not a crappy room, or one in which housekeeping has fallen on hard times.

So when rolling the dice with PL, I expect to receive a bit less welcome than a full-fare patron, but when coming aboard at full or near full fare, I expect something beyond being semi-ignored.

TMO

I have to say I don't. Chances are the room is going to be empty otherwise it wouldn't be on priceline so whatever price I pay above marginal cost is of benefit to the companies bottom line. 2nd most desk staff aren't owners of the hotel especially as most are chains, why should they care what I pay? 3rd, the hotel has a choice, if priceline customers aren't worth the effort, why bother listing there?

I expect the same basic amenities as the fully rated guy. I booked through P/L so that's all I expect but the one thing I expect above all is the same courtesy, which costs nothing. Priceline or not I am still a customer.

(If I were registered on those sites and more familiar with them, and didn't wish to avoid a rebuke from the moderator of one for failing to use the link which supported her website, and my experience wasn't in all likelihood an atypical one on account of it being for New Year's and there being little availability anywhere, then I would have posted for the benefit of others. I struck out offering $125/night for 12/30 and 12/31 before calling the Loews and booking there at $179/night.)

Personally, I would have appreciated that information, had you been booking for Austin. I had a lot of trouble with Austin for New Year's and wish another bidder had helped me frame my bids. Your thesis seemed to be to post as much info as possible. So please, post as much info as possible. :D

2nd most desk staff aren't owners of the hotel especially as most are chains, why should they care what I pay?

A lot of properties are starting incentive programs for desk staff. For example, this could explain why some properties charge upgrade fees. The clerk may be getting a cut.

I think what you find is that it's more likely a hotel will deliver a standard room to a priceline guest whereas it may be somewhat more likely a near-rack guest will get a complimentary upgrade or more favorable room. But I personally haven't been in experiences where the desk will give a substandard room.

Just always remember, no matter what you want to believe or what happens 99% of the time... you are only guaranteed a clean room that sleeps two people. Every other preference is just a preference! If you can't tolerate the 2% risk you might be forced to take a smoking room, don't use Priceline. I've never personally been forced to take smoking, but if I was, I'd take it graciously. I know the rules of the game. If someone stands at the desk arguing loudly until a manager comes over, that person isn't holding up his or her part of the deal.

[QUOTE=MDtR-Chicago]A lot of properties are starting incentive programs for desk staff. For example, this could explain why some properties charge upgrade fees. The clerk may be getting a cut.

I think what you find is that it's more likely a hotel will deliver a standard room to a priceline guest whereas it may be somewhat more likely a near-rack guest will get a complimentary upgrade or more favorable room. But I personally haven't been in experiences where the desk will give a substandard room.[QUOTE]

The incentive program idea bothers me and I hope it doesn't catch on. After a long flight, I only want my room key and not a high pressure sales pitch. We have used Priceline for 5 years and have had pleasant experiences and all non smoking rooms. I pack a small spray bottle of Odo Ban just in case. At first I was embarrassed to be a "Priceline" guest and was scared it would be mentioned out loud at check in. Now, I try not to worry about it because it is nobody's business how I pay for my room. I do call the hotel or email them after a winning bid and request a non smoking room. This also lets me know that our reservation is in their system. Has anyone had any luck with Priceline for airline reservations? I only tried that once and didn't save very much.

It's been a long time since I used PL for air. I did it then for my wife who wanted to join me in Seattle on one of my business trips.
I will not use it for business travel. My time is too important to take the risk on connections or inconvenient arrival and departure times.
I also never use it for auto rentals.
Generally, I might use it for certain cities if I think I can get a 4 star+ at a good rate.
As a HH diamond, most of my rooms are through them (I love spending my points!).
There have been times that I have been told that I was getting "the runt of the litter" rooms when checking into my PL stay. I look at it as part of the risk of trying PL. I also have asked and received upgrades and points on PL stays.

I've used priceline.com at least two dozen times in the last year. (for personal trips) almost always got great rates.
Most are in major US cities, plus a few in Europe. I usually
select 3* or 4*(or above, if available)

Not once have I been treated differently by the front desk clerks simply because my reservation came from Priceline.

There was one time at a 4* hotel where the clerk said "your reservation was booked on priceline.com, correct? and you requested a non-smoking room, correct?" I nodded and said nothing. He seemed surprised at the rate and said "I didn't know we could let the room go for only this much money"....

my reply? "I saved all that money so I can spend more money for room service and on tips at your property" the clerk smiled and gave me a smile...

I think it 99% of the times it really doesn't matter what kind of rate you're paying. It's your attitude towards the front desk people. They stand there all days long... they really have very little energy to be the rate police...

Even if the Priceline hotel experiences were not very recent, I would find it useful to know which hotels, especially the 4* ones, in which cities and at what prices. Knowing which hotels have fallen out with the blind bidding process encourages some confidence in newbies like me, and maybe those not new to travel bidding, to try it. It is, of course, about what price will produce a successful bid, and that may vary greatly at different times, but it must also be about what hotels one gets in different cities with a successful bid, and I expect the past is some guide to the present and future in that regard.

(Incidentally, only hotel needs I can project for myself right now is a 4* near San Diego convention center in latter part of April. Any thoughts about how much to bid and what hotels like to come up there, around that time?)

I've used priceline.com at least two dozen times in the last year. (for personal trips) almost always got great rates.
Most are in major US cities, plus a few in Europe. I usually
select 3* or 4*(or above, if available)

Not once have I been treated differently by the front desk clerks simply because my reservation came from Priceline.

There was one time at a 4* hotel where the clerk said "your reservation was booked on priceline.com, correct? and you requested a non-smoking room, correct?" I nodded and said nothing. He seemed surprised at the rate and said "I didn't know we could let the room go for only this much money"....

my reply? "I saved all that money so I can spend more money for room service and on tips at your property" the clerk smiled and gave me a smile...

I think it 99% of the times it really doesn't matter what kind of rate you're paying. It's your attitude towards the front desk people. They stand there all days long... they really have very little energy to be the rate police...

Even if the Priceline hotel experiences were not very recent, I would find it useful to know which hotels, especially the 4* ones, in which cities and at what prices. ....

That's what sites like www.biddingfortravel.com are largely about -- people posting what bids succeeded and what failed, sorted into message forums by geographic areas and posters largely adhering to a pretty consistent Subject line format to help people find comparable bids others have previously submitted.

That's what sites like www.biddingfortravel.com are largely about

Or www.betterbidding.com (http://www.betterbidding.com/) ^ ...there's even some recent San Diego bidding there.

I'll also point out our San Diego Priceline Hotel Maps (http://www.betterbidding.com/show.php/autocom/custom/page/san-diego) ;)

Full list of available maps can be found here: PRICELINE MAPS (http://www.betterbidding.com/show.php/showtopic/14724)

I'll also point out our San Diego Priceline Hotel Maps (http://www.betterbidding.com/show.php/autocom/custom/page/san-diego) ;)

Full list of available maps can be found here: PRICELINE MAPS (http://www.betterbidding.com/show.php/showtopic/14724)

I've posted a couple of winning bids on your site. I must say I prefer the layout to BFT, it's less congested and looks more professional. I would ask one thing though, is there going to be a time when non-US cities get broken down into sub-groups particularly the European capital cities like London, Paris and Rome?

is there going to be a time when non-US cities get broken down into sub-groups particularly the European capital cities like London, Paris and Rome?Yes, eventually… but probably not as divided as you imply above. (if you look at California, that area is already sub-divided)

In the meantime, we take great efforts to make sure that every topic title is in the same format, including city and zone name. One reason we do this is so that it makes it possible to find exactly what you’re looking for by using the SEARCH function (found on the top right of our board). If you have any problems or need help with how to search send me an email or PM thru our BetterBidding.

Car rentals are awful. I will never use priceline for car rentals again

I totally disagree with that. Priceline works best for car rentals since a full size car with one agency is pretty much the same as with anyone else. Also it doesn't really matter whether you have to take the yellow, green or red shuttle bus from the airport terminal as they all leave from the same place.

Addiotionally there won't we any surprises with airport facility, taxes and other junk fees. Car rental is the one area where there product/ service is as close to commodity as possible in travel industry.

I totally disagree with that. Priceline works best for car rentals since a full size car with one agency is pretty much the same as with anyone else. Also it doesn't really matter whether you have to take the yellow, green or red shuttle bus from the airport terminal as they all leave from the same place.

Addiotionally there won't we any surprises with airport facility, taxes and other junk fees. Car rental is the one area where there product/ service is as close to commodity as possible in travel industry.

Thanks for your comment, it is informative. I have no experience go after a car rental with P/L (and only an unsuccessful effort in the past bidding on a hotel). I would have relied on the negative take on P/L for car rentals, but your reasoning makes sense to me ("won't be any surprises with airport facility, taxes and other junk fees...as close to commodity as possible in travel industry"). So, with no way to lose (is there?) trying P/L, I will check it out soon.

Any suggestions about how to go about the bidding for a car on P/L? I suppose because a mid-size is a mid-size is a mid-size, the thing to do would be to contact the companies for quotes on my dates, then use that to bid through P/L. How far under those quoted prices ought I start? Is it the same as with hotels in the event of an unsuccessful bid, that is a lock-out on rebidding for 72 hours?

Years ago, car rentals could be incredibly cheap and they handed out FF miles so promiscuously (1500 CO miles with Thrifty for a day rental), that I would rent cars just for the FF miles. Not any more, though.

BTW, what about all the fees that pile on top of the daily rate? Are those included or not in what one bids and pays through P/L if successful, or do they come later when picking up the car? With cars through P/L, I assume that one ought not expect to get the measly number of FF the car company may hand out, right?

Also it doesn't really matter whether you have to take the yellow, green or red shuttle bus from the airport terminal as they all leave from the same place.


But not all rental agencies require a shuttlebus at all. If given a choice between an offsite location (shuttlebus required) and an onsite walk-to locataion I would choose the onsite almost every time.

One exception is if the shuttlebus has added services: if they check you in while you're on the bus, and then drive you direct to the car, I'll take it. But I've only ever gotten that service as a Hertz #1 Gold member, and P/L is unlikely to provide you with a Hertz car....

But not all rental agencies require a shuttlebus at all. If given a choice between an offsite location (shuttlebus required) and an onsite walk-to locataion I would choose the onsite almost every time.

True, but one has to pay for that convenience or for the certainty of having the convenience. I think that there is much less room for dissappointments with Priceline car rentals than with PL hotels.

I never had to pay one cent more with PL car rentals at the airport either at the time of the pick-up or drop-off.

The only exception was when I asked what upgrage options there was for and I agreed to pay $40 more to get a full size SUV for my weekend rental at Hertz. Even then I was credited the extra fee upon return when I complained about the various warning lights (check engine, etc.) that kept coming up.

I've used PL for hotels as well and have generally been happy, but when renting cars on my own dime PL (or Hotwire) is the way to go.

I do use Hertz or Avis when travelling on business when I need to get in and out the same day, but on longer business trips I often use PL for car rentals as it allows me to get bigger car for less money.

I rather deal with slight inconvenience of not knowing the agency beforehand if I can have full size car instead of compact. And theoretically I should also be happy to reduce the expenses for my employer as well.

ITSME:

If you check the Hotel lists at either BFT or Betterbidding for the area that you are interested in, you will see all of the possibilities at each star level.

You can be pretty sure that you will get one of the hotels listed. The only time that you would get something different is if the Hotel just started participating with priceline and had not been reported yet