Okay Then, Don't Use Priceline

[plumtreeblossom]

You people never believe me, so I'll finally concede: do it your way and don't ever use Priceline to book hotel rooms. After all, it would be terrible if you scored a 2.5 star hotel room in Times Square during the holiday season for $100 on a busy weeknight. A cushy en suite room near the subway with complimentary breakfast and free wifi for $100 is no way to travel. That would be utter suck.

No, I think it would be better if you did 10 hours of exhaustive online searching for affordable travel digs until you reach tears of frustration and consider canceling the trip, and then settle for a $100 cot in a shithole hostel shared with vomiting-drunk sorority girls from Indiana or gamboling Scandinavian roughnecks on tour, where your wallet will be stolen from your backpack and you'll be kept awake all night by incessant chanting of "IF YOU LIKE IT THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE PUT A RING ON IT." Alternately, you could stay in a microtel for $149 a night and enjoy the warm fuzzies of sharing a one-seater bathroom with 11 other guests. You're right and I'm wrong, that's definitely the way to go.

But under no circumstances should you trust William Shatner to find you a dirt-cheap, clean, secure, and very likely posher than you could ever dream of affording at rack rate room. We just keep making that mistake over and over, and suffering the resulting horror of lux amenities like fully-equipped in-room kitchenettes, complimentary artisan soaps & shampoos, free fair trade coffee.... it's been hell, I tell you. And Priceline is to blame. Don't go down that route, whatever you do.


_{Off to New York Thursday for a quicky trip. I trained my wuzzle well, and he was the one who scored the Priceline deal this time. Back on the weekend!}

Comments

[scholargipsy.livejournal.com]

Speaking as someone who has used Priceline, among other similar sites, who is pitching a fit over your endorsement of it? I'm not asking you to give names, or anything, but your post implies a chorus of disapproving voices, which I am surprised by. I wonder what their objection is, especially since Priceline has changed their "Name Your Price" commitment policy to something much less binding.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

It's like this...

Every time we land our underpaid asses in posh accommodations for a song via Priceline's "Name Your Price" program (which has been every time we've used Priceline), I've posted about it and plugged Priceline. I also suggest it when someone is bemoaning their perceived inability to find affordable accommodations and how far up shit's creek they are. And essentially every time, I get "Oh no, none of that for me, nope, nope." They think they'll have to surrender all control, or be the victim of bait & switch. They'd rather stay in a tourist pod where they and their spouse have to sleep in bunk beds than try Name Your Price, which offers rooms in vetted, full-amenity hotels for the same price. After numerous attempts, I've just given up suggesting it. All the more rooms for us.

[beowabbit]

Er, off to New York Thursday, love! Unless you want to go without me. I hope not, though, I’m so looking at the trip with you! My meeting is on Friday.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Er, yeah. Yesterday was Monday. Today is Dumbday. Then Wednesday, then Thursday. I can haz calendar comprehension.

Okay Then, Don't Use Priceline

[http://users.livejournal.com/urban_faerie_/]

Dude, maybe you just have better priceline-fu than I do but I've never been able to find real deals on it. The only rooms I've ever found using p-line were fair to midling both in comfort and price. It didn't seem better than booking direct. Is there something I'm missing here? Please do share your strategy.
Also.... Enjoy your trip!

Okay Then, Don't Use Priceline

[http://users.livejournal.com/urban_faerie_/]

Omg omg omg... Just for shits and giggles I looked up hotels on priceline for an upcoming wedding in new Orleans. I got a 4 star delux in the French quarter for 100 a nite. Wowie.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

TOLD YA!

Did you buy the room?

Okay Then, Don't Use Priceline

[http://users.livejournal.com/urban_faerie_/]

Not yet, I want to confirm with the couple that the hotel is close enough to their reception and confirm my flight first.

[chienne-folle.livejournal.com]

I've never used Priceline and don't know how to go about it. Do you have tips for novices?

Have fun on your trip!

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

The "Name Your Price" option is where the epic bargains are.

First, do a search of their regularly priced rooms to get a feel for the average rate for the kind of room you want. Then, go to "Name Your Price." It will ask you the minimum star level that's acceptable, and which neighborhood(s) you're interested in staying in. Then, underbid the rack rates you saw. Priceline will instantly contact all vetted hotels in their program that match your specific criteria, and see if any of the hotels will accept your bid. Sometimes none will, and you have to up your bid by a few dollars and try again. But once one or more hotels accepts, Priceline will give you the best one of those that accept. They don't allow crappy hotels into their programs. Jay and I are people who would ordinarily only be able to afford the very worst motels and tourist hellholes. But because of Priceline we've stayed in places nicer than I've ever expected to stay at.

[chienne-folle.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[eclecticavatar.livejournal.com]

I've never tried priceline and will definitely give it a shot! I usually just do my own research and end up somewhere good for a fairly reasonable price, which is how I found Hotel 17 and The Jane, both of which I love to pieces.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

But you do have to watch out for glass-walled bathrooms... :)

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

You just had to bring that up, didn't you? :-)

I travel with gaffer's tape now. If there's a glass-walled bathroom, a bedsheet will go up!

[joyeous.livejournal.com]

Sadly, I've tried Priceline several times and their automated bid response system always laughs at me and tells me I'd have better luck if I bid higher. :-( I don't think my bids are that insulting! I mean, I bid like $75 a night for anything in Key West (in August, off season) 3 stars or better. I got nothing. Then you can't bid again, unless you follow a very specific set of stipulations that guarantees you'll spend more. But I could get a 3-star for $100 no problem using hotels.com or other sites. I have every faith that Priceline is not a scam and that it really works for people. I just think I have shittier luck than most.

[docorion.livejournal.com]

About the only reason I don't use Priceline is that I usually must have a hotel exactly adjacent to a specific location. It must be there and nowhere else. Usually it's a venue, and there are many hotels in that location, but the size of the "neighborhood" in Priceline is larger than the maximum radius I am willing to walk to the venue.

I will say that if I head to NYC anytime, I will definitely try them, as your luck seems to have been excellent.

[heliopsis.livejournal.com]

Inspired by your example, I used Priceline a year ago to book a hotel on Maui. It worked great!

[daisytells.livejournal.com]

WTG, Plums! Hope you and Wabbit have a great time!

[curly-chick.livejournal.com]

Based on your recommendation, we did use Priceline for our Thanksgiving trip to NYC and it was great. I found that it saved us about fifty dollars a night, which was extremely helpful. Plus, when the room our first night was less than stellar, they bumped us up to a sweet room for the second night.

I would definitely use it again! And thank you for coaching me through it.