Pros

by Lois Lawrence

Created on: July 26, 2008   Last Updated: July 29, 2009

Using Priceline.com in a methodical and intelligent way yields savings that are unmatched by any other service. Using Priceline blindly can lead to disappointment. The difference is just a question of doing a little bit of homework.

One of the most luxurious hotels I have stayed at using Priceline was a Westin property in Vancouver, Canada. Our room overlooked an enormous outdoor well-heated circular swimming pool and, beyond that, spectacular Stanley Park, the largest urban park in North America. From our balcony, we were able to watch sea planes land on the waterway beneath and scullers from the nearby rowing club slice through the calm waters. The service was impeccable. Housekeeping employees we encountered in the hall invariably greeted us by name. The lobby was massive the amenities superb and the bedding luxurious. Once, after leaving the elevator, my husband confessed wanting to shout out, "Is anyone else paying $80 for his room?"

We have stayed in the Copley Plaza in Boston through Priceline for a similar price, and in three star hotels in Washington, D.C, Richmond, Virginia, and Montreal, Canada for far less.

By bidding on airline tickets through Priceline, we have traveled to France for more than two hundred dollars less than the lowest discount ticket we were able to find during a three week search on Cheaptickets.com and other discount airline sites.

Detractors from Priceline generally warn that Priceline is too risky to use because it does not disclose the names of hotels you are bidding on until after your bid has been accepted. It is quite true that Priceline does not guarantee a choice of hotels, but only a choice of location and star-level. Detractors also complain that one must wait at least twenty four hours after having a bid rejected before bidding again unless one is either willing to include another area of the city in one's bid, or is willing to accept a lower star level.

Who wouldn't be discouraged by such restrictions?

However, another, lesser-known website has, for us, taken away the worry. Biddingfortravel.com is a sort of watchdog website on which Priceline customers post the results of their bidding efforts. By going to Biddingfortravel.com and selecting a state and city, one is able to see what prices have been accepted by specific hotels on certain dates.

Biddingfortravel.com also posts lists of participating hotels in most locations and in various star levels and makes a very diligent and successful effort to keep those lists current. For example, if one plans to bid on a three star hotel in downtown Montreal, by consulting Biddingfortravel, one can learn that the hotels considering the bid have historically included the Delta, the Hilton/Doubletree Plaza, the Holiday Inn Select, and the Hyatt Regency.

One will also learn how much successful bidders have bid for each individual hotel. By clicking on links to reviews to each of these hotels, potential bidders can decide whether there are any in downtown Montreal that they would find unacceptable or for which they would not bid above a given dollar amount. In our case, although we have favorites, we know before bidding that snagging a room in any of the three star hotel list for Montreal will be a steal at $50 to $60 dollars which is the range of prices we have historically paid there using Priceline.

No such hotel lists are published on Priceline, itself, so it is imperative to use both sites in conjunction with one another.

Another worry detractors from Priceline generally cite on the issue of bidding for hotels, is that Priceline guest will be treated with less courtesy than guests paying rack rate which is normally at least twice the Priceline price. We have never experienced such treatment. On the contrary, on the day following a successful bid, I always call the hotel which accepted by bid and make several requests. First, I ask for a room with the bed configuration I prefer. Next, I ask for a non-smoking room. Finally, I request a high floor and a quiet room away from elevators and ice machines. In almost all cases all my requests are honored upon check in. If I happen to land in a hotel whose frequent guest program I am enrolled in, I also ask at check-in for an upgrade. Sometimes this request is granted, and sometimes it is politely refused, but I have never regretted asking the question.

There is no doubt that providing discount lodging is Priceline's strongest and most valued service, but there is no reason to overlook the potential opportunity to buy discounted airfare and to rent cars at reduced rates. Here again, Biddingfortravel can help. On that site, you will find lists of airlines which entertain Priceline bids for your destination. After reading negative reviews of Air India, which served a destination my husband and I were considering bidding on, we decided not to go through Priceline. However we have used Priceline on routes served by better-rated airlines with great success.

Using Priceline wisely to bid on airfare is a three step process. First, we research prices to our destination through a number of websites including Cheaptickets, Expedia, Orbitz, and individual airline websites. Next, when we have found a price that seems promising, we call the airline directly, reserve our seats and request the longest possible lag time before ticketing is required. Normally, this is twenty four hours, but often airlines allow longer windows of time, up to a week, before ticketing is required. We use this time to bid on Priceline. Since Priceline does not guarantee short layovers and, normally requires the bidder to agree to at least one layover, our Priceline bid is far lower than our reserved ticket price. Sometimes we win and, when we do, the savings can be substantial for a family of four.

Rental car savings are reportedly Priceline's weak point. Here again, though, there is nothing to lose by bidding on Priceline after securing your best price through conventional sources. There are fewer risks in bidding for rental cars on Priceline, so one must simply be aware of the best prices available elsewhere before committing to reserve and prepay through Priceline.

Using Priceline wisely can be the key to securing affordable travel. Do it wisely and your certain to reap the rewards.

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