Anybody use Priceline

[AnaAndDaniel 0]

We will be spending a weekend in Los Angeles in the middle of March.

(i know know, beware the ides of march... )

anyhoo, started looking for hotel room. amongst other sites, i check priceline. i was wondering if that has worked out well for anybody?

thnaks for any input.

Daniel

:energetic:

[Married_my_love 0]

amongst other sites, i check priceline. i was wondering if that has worked out well for anybody?

I had a bad priceline experience. I reserved a "supposed" 4 star hotel, after all was complete they showed me the name of the hotel. I used tripadvisor.com to check it out. I read these reviews that said half the hotel had been renovated and that if you got in the west tower you were sheesh-out of luck. All the people who reviewed the west tower were stuck with it from Priceline.

So I called the hotel and said "Hi i have a reservation can I request the East tower please?" They said No problem! When I checked in (it was my bday weekend), the girl at the desk LAUGHED at me and said, "honey, you booked with Priceline. We don't put priceline people in the east tower!!"

My room smelled, it had stains on the carpet and couch. It was dark and dingy. It was NOT 4 stars by any means. With what I paid I could have been in a nice 3 star for full price.

I know some people do ok with it, so this is just my story.

visit trip advisor for "real people" reviews of hotels. I use it first, then find the hotel in the area with the best reviews and try and then use their "quick check" to find the best deal on it.

[Baileyj96 0]

Hi AnaandDaniel,

Well I had a look a few months ago. I ended up not using them and book straight from the hotel. It was actually a bit cheaper. A friend just recently used Hotel.com and had good luck with them.

Hope you have a good time in Cali

Baileyj

[Welshcookie 17]

I always check out hotels on Tripadvisor also....

[kc456 0]

I used Priceline for car rental and it was pretty good. Of course, compact car from one place is the same as a compact car from another, so you're pretty safe there. With hotels, I'd be a lot more cautious -- it's like "buying a cat in a bag."

I've found that you get a really good deal with the "studio" or "budget" hotels like Hilton Garden Inn or TownePlace Suites from Marriott. They are often newly built, and have a lot of nice amenities (esp the suites places). The prices are low, especially on weekends.

[Steph1010 1]

I used priceline for a hotel twice. each time we got a hotel in miami for $25 a night. it was a fairsfield inn. it wasnt a 5 star hotel but you cant beat that price and it was a nice hotel.

[lolo2358 0]

i use it for car rental and always got good deals. Also used it for hotel booking and wasn't disappointed.

Check this website: www.biddingfortravel.com

It is a forum dedicated to priceline bids. It helps with the bidding strategy and you will also see how much people bid and what they got for the money.

[usarandyo 0]

what I do is check priceline and then call the hotel/car rental direct. Compare prices and go with the best. Be sure to ask the hotel and car rental if they have any specials running.

[Steph1010 1]

if your bidding you cant compare witht he hotel direct...it doesnt give you the hotal name until after the bid is accepted.

www.biddingfortravel.com

[lolo2358 0]

yes, that's the risk of bidding with priceline, you dont know for sure which hotel you will get. however they only have a limited selection of 4/5 stars and you bid by zones. So when you place your bid, you know which hotels you are likely to get, if you bid is accepted. We book hotels for business trips and find it fine for us.

[Peter Miami 0]

what I do is check priceline and then call the hotel/car rental direct. Compare prices and go with the best. Be sure to ask the hotel and car rental if they have any specials running.

Good idea.

Try hotels.com

[meddykomp 0]

I havent as of yet, but I might if it was to go to a hotel that I am already familiar with.

[pri 0]

I did once at Newrak, NJ as i had not much choice, but at later stage found it could hv been lot cheaper

It was Best western just off the airport, i believe the area matters with the price

[slim 1,525]

If you're going to book a hotel in the States, your best bet is to call and talk to someone at the desk. Check the yellow pages for the city you're going to and start calling.

(Everyone says calling is too expensive, but call at 2 AM on a cell phone. Free call, and the person at the desk is bored out of their gourd, so they'll be glad to help you find a great deal.)

The internet does have great specials, but just like everything else on the internet, sometimes it's a super deal, sometimes you're stuck with #######.

[AnaAndDaniel 0]

thanks for the input guys and gals!

dangi love this vj community. all sorts of knowledge around here. i am going to check out that one site about bidding online. current thinking is to bid on the 4/5 star hotels for a good price. if can't do that, then tey the hotels.com route..

Daniel

:energetic: