Leigh Witchel

« I invite you to dinner! | Main | Priceline for the Timid: Part II - Pre Bidding Research »

March 31, 2005

Priceline for the Timid: An excruciatingly detailed primer.

Priceline has changed the way I travel. When I went to London in 2000 I stayed at a B&B on Gower Street for the economy price of £41 per night – and got what I paid for – a claustrophobic little dank box of a room with en-suite facilities that included a non-flushing toilet and an (unintentionally and randomly) removable shower head. It was a panic attack waiting to happen.

In 2003 on a Priceline bid, I spent $81 total (about £47 at the time) to stay at the Marriott Marble Arch. Being able to travel like a civilized human has made all the difference. It’s much easier to love a city when you’re happy where you’re staying.

I’m going to London again this summer and even with the soggy dollar I still managed to score rooms in decent hotels (Hilton and Millenium chains) in Kensington for between $94-$104 per night, tax included. Priceline offers tremendous discounts on hotel rooms if you have the flexibility to use it. If you’ve been nervous about trying it, I hope this primer will demystify it slightly. It’s quite long and overdetailed, so I will post it over several days.

I’m over-explaining each step, which makes bidding look like it is harder than it is. And as you get more experienced, you will recognize situations where steps can be skipped. But for your first bid let’s go through the whole process as a useful exercise.

When should I consider Priceline?

• Priceline is a great idea you are a single traveler or an intimate couple who does not mind possibly sleeping in a double bed, and are flexible in your needs. If you're a family or a larger group, Priceline can still work for you, but you may not be able to fit everyone into a single room in certain situations.

• Priceline provides a room with double occupancy with the amenities listed at the star level you selected, anywhere within the map of the zone you agreed to. Double occupancy does not mean your choice of bedding; it could be a double (full size) bed rather than a larger one. If you have specific needs as a traveler – a non-smoking room, a king-size bed, a view, to be within walking distance from a certain location that must be met or you will not be able to use the hotel, then Priceline is probably not appropriate for you. This does not mean you will not get basics like a large bed or a non-smoking room on Priceline; most often you do, or better. It means you have no recourse if you don’t.

• Getting a smoking room against your wishes is more common in Europe and rare in the US. There was one case of a California hotel only allowing priceline customers smoking rooms and charging them $20 to “upgrade” to a non-smoking room. If this happens, complain loud and long to both Priceline and the hotel corporate management.

• Getting a room with a smaller double bed can be common in large cities with older hotels; the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco and the Boston Park Plaza are two recent ones where I have been given a smaller room sold primarily to Priceline guests. As a single traveler, though, I found them just fine – in fact I really liked the Westin – and I saved about 50% of standard rates. Cities where most of the hotel inventory is newer tend not to have this problem. If you must have two beds, Hotwire is your best option; they will let you specify occupancy in the room. Specify four adults; that will guarantee two beds. In European cities, rooms with two single beds are also common.
  

What star level should I bid?

• Priceline ranks its inventory from 1* (budget) to 5* (luxury). You’ll get a better idea by doing your research and finding out what inventory people have won. You may find 2* hotels that suit your needs exactly. The Hampton Inn I stayed at in Ann Arbor, for instance, was 2*. No special services, but it was just fine. You you may only be satisfied with 4* or 5*. In NYC 5* hotels that have been reported on Priceline include the Waldorf Astoria and the Pierre. 4* are Hiltons, Marriotts and Hyatts.

• If you’re bidding for Europe, mentally deduct one star to get a more realistic equivalent to American hotels, which tend to be extravagant. Except in circumstances where I know what’s available very well, I tend not to go below 4* in Europe. 3* in Paris is a very wide range from barely above tourist class to just below business class. In an opaque situation, that’s not worth the risk.

• In the United States, I am often very happy at a 2.5* hotel, and they tend to be the best values, because they are places such as Residence Inns with all-inclusive prices including breakfast, high speed internet access, etc. In larger city with a large market of older hotels and fewer chains, a 2* or 2.5* hotel might be a dump. Checking Bidding for Travel or Better Bidding is the best way to get a feel for the inventory in a zone. The healthiest discounts for bargain hunters though are usually in the higher star properties.

Next: doing your research before bidding

Posted by Leigh Witchel at March 31, 2005 12:57 AM

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.leighwitchel.com/cgi-bin/mt-tb.cgi/62

Comments

Posted by: HelsinkiFlyer at April 4, 2005 12:31 PM

Post a comment

Name:

Email Address:

URL:
Remember Me? YesNo

Comments: (you may use HTML tags for style)