You can NOT beat Priceline.com
 

I am brand new to FT and I have spent a few hours reading through posts and I am shocked that more people are NOT bidding on Priceline. Even without the points etc ... the price is just too good.

These are my Hilton winning bids.

Hilton Metrotown (Burnaby, BC) ... $30
Hilton Cherry Hill, NJ ... $33
HGI Fairfax, VA ... $26
Hilton EWR ... $49

Well....most of us are traveling on business...Priceline requires pre-payment ...I don't know about others but my trips change quite often...leave early..stay longer....this means you lose your money if you check-out early...and what if you need to stay longer? Your corporate rate may not be available ...have to pay RACK rate or possibly even switch hotels.
Bottom line....Priceline is tough for a lot of us to use due to changes in plans....it's OK for leisure though where one would not change.

You are completely right. I had to swallow my loss last weekend with the blizzard. I was supposed to visit Delaware.

Yeah, priceline is not for me either. Personally, I'd rather pay double and earn status than get locked in to a rate that is not refundable and does not get me any status.

If I need a super hotel deal, I buy on Ebay all day long. I still amazes me that people even use Priceline. If one know how to look the right way, Ebay offers twice the value and over than Priceline.

Let's face it, most Priceline buyers aren't getting suites, just bottom of the barrel std rooms.

I just picked up a 50% off Starwood cooupon for $6. that saved me over $700 on a 3 day presidential suite at the Sheraton Yankee Trader.

100k Hilton Points for $400 saved me $730 on a 3 day 5 star Langham Hilton stay in London.

priceline is a huge accounting headache for business travel. Also, the loss of room nights in group room blocks and corporate contracts can have a detrimental result on the organization.

Transparency, too. If one needs or even wants to be in a specific hotel, PL is usually not a viable option.

If price is the only factor then Priceline can't be beat. Hence for my leisure travel I use Priceline 90% of the time. But for business travel, it's not a flexible enough product.

As a student, I wouldn't know all the details of biz travel, but I use Priceline all the time for myself and friends. I find that not only does priceline beat the reg rates, but often in the neighbourhood of 75% off! That being said, even if you cancelled (w/o refund of course) half the time (which seems high to me, but again, I'm a student) you'd still be saving much more.. am I missing something? Other than status, and upgrades? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I received status and upgrades on priceline stays last year. What have been your experiences since Jan. 1, 2003? Have people been receiving stay and night credit on Priceline stays this year?

It depends on the place, but I will usually try when I checkin- sometimes before via telephone, if they say no, I may try to later on in the stay if the person who refused isn't around anymore at the FD. Everytime I have put my number in, it has gone through OK. One methos that I find works OK is to just say I want to put my airline number in, which I think works better than the hotel number, I always seem to get the miles.

Most? not sure, phrase it some of us.

BUT and let me repeat to all of you BUT, where can you get a hotel so cheap. For me, I would be staying in Joe's Motel for $35 BUT now, I get Radissons, Hiltons for $30's.

In Canada, Marriot's for $23.

For those of you that travel for work, that is completely understandable OR even for those that can drop a couple hundred a night and not feel a pinch well, enjoy your suites.

I am loving every minute of it and for me, a 3* dinky hotel room is my palace. That is until my MBA starts paying off ... than I will be an 'earned gold member'.

------------------
Canadian studying in New York

Howdy,

To add my two cents - I used Priceline once, needed a car for 2 days and 1 hour. Got charged for 3 days. I don't need that kind of hassel.

Like many of us, I don't pay for my own travel. But if I had stuck a clients accounting department with a bill like that - they would have pushed back - and I'd end up eating it.

My best tip - call the hotel/car rental from the airport. Often I've gotten walk-up rates that beat anything I could do online/advance res. (Drake for 95, Palmer House for 74 - and with Diamond Status - I end up with a suite).

Keep the faith,

Pakse

Last year I did quite a bit of priceline stays, but now it is very rare for me to bid on a priceline room. I own my own business and take my family on a lot of trips and with 3 kids 3 and under I would rather pay $150 a night for an Embassy Suites than $29.00 for a priceline stay in a regualr hotel room.

I cam e to that conclusion after getting stuck in the Candlewood Suites in Rockford, IL. We got there at 11:00 PM and found out the room had one full size bed and a lazy boy. They offered no cribs and no maid service. So I had to go buy sleeping bags and a playpen at a Wal Mart at midnight.

I do travel by myself some, but I prefer a hotel that has a restaurant etc, so it is very rare for me to bid on priceline anymore. They don't take Diner's Club and it takes up to an hour and a half sometimes to play the bids. I have stayed at the Atlanta Hilton for $25.00 on priceline, but now I don't want to risk getting stuck in a dump.



[This message has been edited by SuperCat (edited 02-21-2003).]

thesqueegeekid, welcome to FlyerTalk. I like your style. Saying your piece but keeping it fun.

Here's one up on Priceline though...

In 2002 I had 11 nights, 8 stays, and three companion flights, all on points. I had no paid stays at all.

2003, so far, 3 nights, 2 stays, 1 RT airfare.

I haven't paid a red cent yet for any of this travel (except for the paid fares with companion fares). And I have two RT's and one week at a resort already coming up.

How? Hilton Amex, Visa, CNTU (got the 50K on reward stays), double points promo on Amex, all FF miles funneled into HHonors points, www.savingsbonds.gov.

Priceline is good. Free is better. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif


[This message has been edited by Rut Dog (edited 02-21-2003).]