Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies - PL experiences

Hi-

Does anyone know about, or have experience with:

1) Booking a room via PL for say 5 days, but not showing up until the 2nd or 3rd day? Naturally, I'd have no expectation of getting 5 days from that point, but I'm curious if hotels cancel reservations out for no shows at some point.

2) Using PL for a car where the pickup/dropoff are different. I know there sometimes are these exhorbinant "drop charges" and so I'm wondering since you're bidding on the price of the car, if these charges a) sneak up on you in the way I suspect, or b) get diminished by the PL process (e.g. smaller drop charge, etc).

Thanks for any feedback.

1) Booking a room via PL for say 5 days, but not showing up until the 2nd or 3rd day? Naturally, I'd have no expectation of getting 5 days from that point, but I'm curious if hotels cancel reservations out for no shows at some point.

At almost every hotel I've seen, not showing up the first night cancels the entire reservation and forfeits the prepayment.

If you find your plans change, it would be at the discretion of the Front Office/Guest Services Manager if they'd allow you only to forfeit the missed part of the reservation. You'd want a guarantee from that person in advance.

FWIW, at most properties I know, as long as there's a prepayment or valid credit card guarantee, the reservation is semi-officially canceled at the night audit, generally around 2am. Most places I know will at least theoretically hold the room until the next morning, especially if you call ahead. For example, I had a priceline room held until 7am for me when plans changed, and the supervisor at the hotel was VERY nice to us and let us keep it until 3pm. That was some incredible sleep.

But always talk to the manager on duty at the property or risk not having a room.

Call the hotel and talk to the front desk manager. Let them know you won't be arriving until ?? and see if they can check you in over the phone so you don't lose your room.

Hi-

Does anyone know about, or have experience with:

1) Booking a room via PL for say 5 days, but not showing up until the 2nd or 3rd day? Naturally, I'd have no expectation of getting 5 days from that point, but I'm curious if hotels cancel reservations out for no shows at some point.

Hotels are greedy and would love to get paid twice for your room. You need to call the hotel if arriving anytime after 6 PM, so that your room will remain available.

2) Using PL for a car where the pickup/dropoff are different. I know there sometimes are these exhorbinant "drop charges" and so I'm wondering since you're bidding on the price of the car, if these charges a) sneak up on you in the way I suspect, or b) get diminished by the PL process (e.g. smaller drop charge, etc).

There are two types of drop situations to consider.

First of all there is the free drop that any "normal" car rental customer gets. Within the same city, say LAX-LGB-BUR-SNA-ONT or DCA-IAD-BWI or LGA-EWR-JFK, free drops are normally always allowed without pre-arrangement. I would never count on getting this type of free drop on a PL rental, however on those occasions when I have had to drop at another airport I have generally been allowed to do this without charge. This may not be so much because of the goodness of the companies' hearts as much as the fact that tinkering with a PL reservation in the computer is more hassle than the return-counter people want to deal with. If you call in advance and ask, you might be told that PL rentals are not entitled to a free drop. Moral: Drop in the same city if you have to, do not tell them in advance, generally you will not be charged, but be prepared to pay something (which in any event would be less than or equal to a cab ride from airport X to airport Y).

The second type of situation is where you want to drop in some other city. PL does offer one way rentals, so after checking on orbitz for the "normal" rates try bidding it. If you want to drop in another city after originally renting on PL for a return in the same city where you rented, call the company. One time I had rented in LAX, intending to return there, and found myself in LAS wanting to return the car there. I called the company and they gave me a free drop! You never know.

fantastic responses, thanks.

indeed i was thinking about the "second" scenario for ITO-KOA.