Price Line for hotel reservations, shold we trust them?

[jamjam]

Booking direct with a hotel or Princess seem to have very reasonable rates. We always read about the lucky traveler, or the guy who lucked out with what was selected for him by Price Line. Who can fess up with some unlucky experiences with Price Line or other sites like it? Were you actualy satisfied with what was given? Would you have rathered pay a few dollars more to get what you realy wanted? Is Price Line realy worth booking from?

[sue d. miller]

I have done both. Last year I used hotwire for Amerisuites. I got it pre and post for $50 per nite with free parking for the week. We had no problems. When we returned from the cruise, we found out that the boat show is in Ft Lauderdale the same time every year. Also some hotels wer still doing the free shuttle to the pier, But no shuttle back to the hotel. Also Embassy had joined the book with Princess hotels. Because we are traveling the same week this year, I booked direct with La Quinta Airport, with free shuttle to the pier, and got a 15 passenger van to return to the hotel. It wad $80 per nite, but gave me piece of mind.

Sue
7 days on Star Princess 10/24

[DavidO]

Priceline can get you good deals on hotels BUT you must do your homework first. You need to know what hotels are in the various zones for each star rating so you know what you might get before you decide and also to know how much to bid. Some zone/rating combinations have few hotels in them so you have a better chance of knowing what you will get in advance.

www.biddingfortravel.com (http://www.biddingfortravel.com) is the largest site with priceline data and experiences. www.betterbidding.com (http://www.betterbidding.com) has some information specifically related to hotels for pre-cruise and about parking at these hotels.

I have gotten several decent deals in the past on hotels using priceline. Note that you cannot cancel your booking once it is made and you are charged when the booking is made even if it is made well in advance.

Good luck with your bidding!

David

[Coral]

I only use Priceline for hotels and I have always been pleased - here are some examples I have gotten in the past 2 years -

$45 - Hyatt Riverwalk in San Antonio
$45 - Hyatt Austin, TX
$65 - Vancouver Hyatt
$65 - Embassy Suites FLL
$45 - Renaissance Vancouver
$45 - San Pedro Hilton

As long as you do your research before you go (Bidding for travel) - you will not be disappointed.

[cnmiranda]

Have booked more than 25 times with Priceline and have only received a bad room once. Was refunded my $$ after I told PL about the bad experience.

Majesty of the Seas (2)
Norwegian Dawn
Monarch of the Seas
Diamond Princess (5/04)

[usavvy2]

Hotels booked thru Priceline (not all for me)
June 2003 - Renaissance Hotel, Ft. Lauderdale (close to the pier) $75/night - 6/22/03
Dec. 2003 - Embassy Suites, Ft. Lauderdale
(close to the pier) $56/night - 12/27/03 (rack rate $199)
Jan. 2004 - Radisson Hotel, Downtown Miami (close to the pier) $38/night - 01/31/04 (rack rate $179)

Feb. 2004 - LaQuinta Airport, Tucson $56/night - 2/27/04 (rack rate $115)
Mar. 2004 - Holiday Inn, Green Valley, $69/night - 3/18/04 (rack rate $89) - TRIP CANCELLED - LOST ALL MONIES PAID!
Apr. 2004 - Embassy Suites Napa Valley $60/night - 04/22/04 (rack rate $209)
July 2004 - Vancouver Airport, - TRIP CANCELLED - LOST ALL MONIES PAID!

no bad experiences yet...
personally, it's hard for me not to want those valued rewards points but when the difference is more than $25/night, it's not worth the rewards points for that kind of savings!

Like previous posters said, you MUST do some research first to make sure you don't overbid, you know Priceline's counteroffer strategy, etc.

I did not do that when I booked my first car rental, got Alamo (which I HATE), and I could've booked it myself at that rate directly w/Alamo and had a cancelable reservation! Lesson learned- make sure you don't hurry thru the car category class (I thought I clicked Premium and I really clicked full size so I didn't save any money), only use Priceline for short one/two night hotels or car rentals. When staying a long period of time, you really want to be sure you can cancel it for unforeseen reasons do crop up! Good luck!

not taking vacations but collecting experiences - usavvy2

Royal Princess 9/04/04 - "Europe or Bust!" http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=008080&cdt=2004;09;04;22;00;00&timezone=GMT-1000