Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies - Three persons in a Pricline room in Shanghai?

With two other people, I'm off to Shanghai in a month. I'd like to place a bid for a room on PL but am insecure how well that will work since we are three people. We only need two beds, but will some hotels charge us for another room if we are three? Or is it better to simply not tell the hotel about the third person? Or perhaps stay off PL?

Thankful for any advice!

Catch 22 situation.

Whether you'll be able to get away with sneaking someone else in depends entirely on the hotel, it's got little to do with PL

Seems you can't get any specific advice on a hotel until you've bid and found out what it is.

Unless you can get 2 rooms for less than or the same as booking by other means, I'd avoid PL. Some hotels watch their clients like hawks.

Alternatively, if you're pretty certain you know which hotel you're going to land, you could always call them directly and brazenly ask them.

Asian hotels generally are quite strict compared to US hotels. You might have a problem. Speaking for myself, I would take such a chance in North America, not in Beijing.

I'd be happy to pay a surcharge for the third person, if it was like 100-200 CNY. But I guess there is no way to know if the hotel will accept that on a priceline rate. Since you say asian hotels are stingy with this I guess I'll have to bid for two rooms.
Thanks anyway!

You can always sneak someone in as a "guest", but IMO priceline is the wrong approach to sh hotels.

You can always sneak someone in as a "guest", but IMO priceline is the wrong approach to sh hotels.

Since I am thinking about a trip to Shanghi (and was considering Priceline) I would very much appreciate your info on the right approach to getting a good hotel there at a good price. Thanks

Since I am thinking about a trip to Shanghi (and was considering Priceline) I would very much appreciate your info on the right approach to getting a good hotel there at a good price. Thanks

As long as you don't need to stay in the top tier (those hotels are usually booked pretty solid and don't negotiate much), you will do fine. There are plenty of options on ctrip in the 400-600 range and some are in good locations (but, most are not). What's more, since that segment is heavily saturated, it's possible to put on a bit of a squeeze (e.g. "your competitor across the street offered me X"). I've recommended a number of properties I like in this group in other threads.

If you must stay in a (true) 5-star, I think latching onto a corporate rate is the only way to go. The problem with this strategy is that most good hotels in China tend to verify corporate affiliations, regardless of whether or not you book with a code. (The Portman does not, but the best corporate deal I know there is $185+; you can get a 2 br apartment in the attached residential buildings for only a hair more.)

Outside of the US and Canada, I can see problems with getting a third person into the room. Even in the US, some hotels have turned away the third person or told them that bedding for a third person is not possible.

Thank you for all your answers! I stayed away from PL this time and booked the Panorama hotel in Shanghai instead.

In this case, I think you've made a wise choice.

Have a great time!