How can you Priceline for 3 adults in one room?
 

Going to Rome IT later this month.^ Self + S.O. + mom = 3 adults. But PL default is for 2, double occupancy. They don't even ask how many people are staying. :confused: What's the best way to work this? I see the IC Hotel has been won for $150. I'd love to get that, but we have to sleep 3. Ideas?

Hotwire's "Central" zone is WAAY too big,:td: extending south away from the tourist areas.

B7

There really is no way to guarantee space for three adults when using Priceline. Some cities (I'm aware of Munich 4*s) tend to do the two queen or double beds, but I don't think Rome is one of them. You are more likely to get lucky at the 4 or 5* level, but still no guarantees.

Several of the other other hotel sites like Expedia and Hotels.com and Venere let you put in # of people.

Another approach is to just get mom a single? Unlike the US, European hotels sometimes charge significantly less for a single than a double. Rome is not one of the better ones for that, but there can still be a price break.

There is www.hostelbookers.com, and some inexpensive things are on there but they run a little primitive (bathroom down the hall, etc.).

You might ask in the Italy section about the beds in the IC? The IC is one of the main 5* wins for Rome, but again there are no guarantees a new/different one couldn't pop up at any time. You could also check betterbidding or biddingfortravel for reviews to see if people mention the bed configuration.

Romelle

Nevermind, was going to say that Hotwire will allow you to specify 3 people to 1 room, but just saw that you already checked Hotwire... sorry!

With Hotwire, you can get a good enough idea of the hotel, often, that you don't have to worry about the large zone. Using Priceline with most European cities, you simply will not get a room that is big enough for three adults (never once have I gotten a triple room, except once when there was problems with the smallish double room).

If you book a triple through regular channels, you will likely find the triple is not that large either. So I think getting two rooms is the best idea. Keep in mind that there are many good deals available outside of Priceline and Hotwire. Try www.hotelscombined.com for starters.

Or consider an apartment. That may be the best option, even for as little as a 3-day stay.

I would call in to the hotel anonymously and ask what their policy on an extra occupant is.

Also check venere.com for Italian hotel specials.

We are going to Rome next week and are staying at a Marriott. I know that their rooms are either 1 queen/king bed or 2 twins. We are a family of four, so we had to upgrade to a suite.

I used PL for some other travel to Venice/Florence/Milan. We had to buy two rooms and then I call the hotels and ask for connecting rooms. Most Euro rooms are just too small for two adults and two kids. I would find it too crowded with three adults.

This won't guarantee anything though - they can quote the policy for rooms with 3 people, but since the PL rooms only gtd double occupancy they may "win" a room with one double bed and if the hotel is sold out of triples on arrival they will be in a difficult situation. In a case where 3 ppl show up for a PL reservation, the hotel does not have to accommodate them, nor do they have to refund the money. It's a bad idea to do this in urban areas in the US (Boston, NYC, Chicago) where many older hotels have rooms with just one bed, and I wouldn't even think of doing it for an international destination. Just not worth ruining a vacation to save a few dollars.

It's just simpler to bid for two rooms and not worry. If you have to go down a star level or to a more remote zone because you just don't want to pay the money, you have to live with it. Alternatively, there are small hotels with designated triples - usually not very fancy but if you have to have a threesome, then that could work.

I agree to just bid 2 rooms. We traveled to Europe with our 21 year old son and all the hotel rooms were just too small for three adults. We just got 2 rooms the whole way.

What are the 5* hotels in Hotwire's Central sector?
 

What are the 5* hotels in Hotwire's Central sector? I'm worried about being too far south into EUR. I'd like to get the IC, but do not want to risk being remote.

Does the subway go to the south part of the Hotwire Central map? I've been trying to compare my various maps, unsuccessfully. Fine print.

B7

Check http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?showtopic=12693&

Great resource. The IC is the only listed at BetterBidding *so far*.

There was a poster on the Marriott board on here a couple of years ago FURIOUS that one of the Marriotts in Paris was charging his wife as much for the rollaway bed for the "third" person as they Priceline room cost in the first place. By the time they wound up paying the extra charges and priceline there were no savings. And Marriott told him "too bad", Priceline told him "guranteed double occuapany" and his savings GONE!

The subway system in Rome is essentially a big "X", formed by the two lines - the Red Line and the Blue Line. It doesn't grid the city quite as well as the subways of other cities do.

Not that they haven't tried to have more lines. My understanding is that every time they try to dig a new line, they run into ruins which the archeologists don't want dug through. Not sure if this is true, but it sounded reasonable.

But there are tons of buses, including those wonderful hop-on, hop-off tourist buses.

Romelle

Currently the deals on Priceline for Europe are really great. We just completed a trip to Paris and got the Marriott Rive Gauche for $89 per night. Next week we will be in Italy and the most I spent on a PL room was $105 for a 5*. It is definitely a buyers market out there.