I thought the whole "name your price" thing was a gimmick, but I actually used Priceline last summer to book a hotel and it was amazing. Obviously if you name your price really low, you're only going to get 2 star hotels or hostels, etc, but I put in a relatively low price, looking for something 3 stars or higher, hoping for a bad motel at worst. What I ended up getting was an old Marriott with a huge history (old bank vault in the bottom, gorgeous lobby, etc)....for about 40 bucks....in downtown San Diego. Yes, downtown. That price is ridiculously low, but they just happened to have an opening the following night and accepted that low bid, so I was stoked. I need to dig up pictures to show everyone, I think, hehe.
Oh here's a picture of the inside lobby. And here's what the rooms inside looked like: These aren't my pictures, but they do look like what the hotel room I got was. Did I mention it was in the downtown area!?
Wow thats pretty awesome! I use Priceline when booking flights and I got a oneway trip from where I live (hawaii) to the mainland in salt lake city for 500$ one way. Pretty good deal. I like the lobby of that hotel! Looks amazing!
What a beautiful hotel. You scored on that one. We used Priceline to rent a car last summer. We had to drive to Seattle. We got a small SUV for $17 a day and drove in luxury. We were also able to sleep in it at a Walmart parking lot a couple of times. We probably saved $100 a day on this vehicle by renting it at Priceline.
Wow, that's a really good deal, too. Renting cars is expensive anyway, but especially if you want a larger one or SUV at all. Not only are there flat fees, but then the mileage costs and insurance as well. I've never had one come down even closet o $17 a day, even with discounts.
That's amazing! I am in the process of planning a trip myself, and will likely use Priceline after seeing this! That's a very beautiful hotel you stayed in, I'm sure it was an amazing trip!
I used pricline when it first came out and was able to get some really good deals. Now, I have the hardest time trying to find plane tickets. They are great for hotels and cars. Plane tickets have gotten extremely expensive on every site though. I tried to use Priceline to plan a trip to Minnesota, but the cheapest plane tickets I could find would still cost my family over $1500 and that was out of our budget. The hotel that you were able to book is lovely. I am going to keep trying once our funds are a little better.
I love priceline's "name your own price". I've gotten dirt cheap hotel stays by looking around at other websites for sample prices and then doing the "name your own price" thing at priceline. Usually I can get at least 30% off the lowest price that I can find elsewhere on the internet.
I should have gone through priceline when I went to San Diego last year, haha! I ended up staying in a kind of run down but generally comfortable cheap motel in the bad part of town for $165/week. Granted, $40/night is more expensive, but the quality difference is astounding.
wow!! that is a really good price! Im actually looking to book a flight and hotel myself..for FLORIDA!! Hello ocean here I come! I'm really excited..but the sites I have looked at so far are so CRAZY expensive! Im gonna go try to check out priceline one more time.,.
Wow - what an amazing hotel. I have had good and bad experiences with Priceline. I'm glad you had a great experience with them! For the most part, they are great for bidding on last minute hotel deals. Unfortunately, if you bid and change your mind, you cannot get a refund for your money or even change your reservation. I had that happen to me this past weekend and lost out on $60 because my brother no longer needed the hotel I booked for him. I haven't had good luck with bidding on cars either. It was cheaper for me to go to the car company's website and get my rental than it was for me to bid on Priceline.
Wow that's an awesome deal, and that lobby is spectacular. I would book a stay in that hotel just to see the lobby and take some pictures. It really looks like a high end hotel and you paid 40 bucks to stay there.
The only issue I have with Priceline's bidding is that you can't really choose any details. Like you can't pick when you want a flight to leave, or where exactly you would like a hotel. If you aren't really worried about those things (like most people on a budget aren't) then this option is awesome, and I happen to use it all the time.
You're right, Shell. If you can be flexible AT ALL, then using a site like Priceline is ideal. You can get such great deals compared to needing a very specific time that you fly in or a set block that you need a hotel on.
This is good information about Priceline. I always wondered if it actually worked or not. It also good to know more about how it works. I can see where it may not work in some cases but if you can be flexible, it is definately the way to go.
That is amazing! I am going to be taking a trip to Ohio this summer and I will def have to check it out. I checked out flights yesterday and found a trip from LA to Cleveland for $444. Yikes! I remember the days when I would fly to Boston for $222. I hope Priceline saves my summer travel budget. Thanks so much for sharing!
That sounds like a really good deal! I haven't used their name your price feature before but after reading this I think I am going to try it on my next trip! I hope you had fun in San Diego, I love it there.
I use Priceline quite often and bid for a hotel. I usually research the area I am going to first if it isn't an area I am familiar with. This will give you an idea of where you want to stay and what is available. Trip advisor is a good website to visit to research. Always ask for a high starred hotel to guarantee a nice hotel. Last week I stayed in Downtown Disney area in the highest ranked hotel for $50. Always start low as you can bid each day so start a week or so early. We have family in Sugarland, TX and many times we travel there and stay at the beautiful Marriott by the City Hall for $50. Please note that Priceline adds a charge(that's how they make their money). It isn't a lot.....maybe equal to $3 a night.
Wow! That hotel does look amazing! I've used Priceline's Name your Own Price for several hotel stays. I've gotten the best deals there than anywhere else. I stayed at the Hyatt Place in Orlando for $40 a night and the Wyndham Resort in Orlando for $35 a night! I really liked both hotels too. After staying at the Wyndham Resort, I went back there a few Thanksgivings with my family to eat at their buffet. It's really good. It's about $25 per person, but when you get the hotel so cheap, you can afford it!
Beautiful hotel lobby. A friend told a group of us at a meeting that she was able to book a room that cost $120 a night for only $50 in my city. I always thought it was a gimmick, now I believe it really can get give a good discount to people.
