Bid for the Best Hotel Rates at Priceline
Strategies to Maximize Savings When Vacation Planning
Sep 27, 2009
Priceline allows users to name their price in order to get the best deals on hotel room rates. From luxury hotels and resorts to spartan economy lodges, if it's in the website's database, it's fair game for thrifty travelers looking to score hotel reservations on a budget.
Before beginning the bidding process on Priceline, research the cost of booking a room at other travel sites as well as the hotel's main homepage. Travelers who do this have an advantage because it gives them an idea of what the going rate for a room is before they place their bid.
The Rules of Bidding on Priceline to Book Hotels
When travelers place a hotel bid on Priceline, first they must select where they are looking for a room and what type of hotel they need. Choices range from 5-star luxury hotels to 1-star economy lodgings, and then users name their price. Priceline also suggests the average retail cost of hotel reservations in that area of the webpage, and alerts customers when there is little chance of a bid being accepted.
The caveat with Priceline is that travelers can't select the exact hotel where they would like to stay. Using the selected geographic area and star rating, the website finds a hotel that will match the user's parameters as well as his or her bid price, if it's available. The service suggests that customers start with their best price because once a bid is rejected, they must wait 24 hours before they can place a bid within the same geographic area, star level and date range.
Once a traveler has made a bid, the website displays the total cost for the entire stay in addition to taxes and its booking fees. At this point, travelers continue to the next page to enter credit card information. If Priceline finds a discount hotel rate at an equal or higher starred hotel in the right geographic area, it automatically charges the card.
Hotel reservations cannot be canceled after a bid is accepted, and there are no refunds available. Priceline ultimately determines at which hotel the reservation is made, so flexibility is key when bidding to get hotel deals.
Using Neighborhoods to Get Cheap Hotel Rates
One way to get around the 24-hour rebid rule is to be open to staying in more than one neighborhood. Travelers who are looking for hotel in Las Vegas, for instance, have 11 different options when trying to find the best deal on a hotel room there, include two on the Las Vegas strip – one on the north end and one on the south end.
Bid first using the first-choice location, then, if the bid get rejected because it is too low, substitute a second-choice location and rebid instantly using a higher amount. It's possible to make a bid on the low end and get lucky using this method. A hotel may accept the rate. If not, a traveler can still go back and enter a higher value with a new location. Priceline will then search both the first- and second-choice locations at the new, higher price.
Using Hotel Star Ratings to Get Vacation Deals
Star ratings can be used like geographical regions when trying to get the best deals on hotel rooms at Priceline. Users should start the bidding with the highest star rating they can afford, then if bids get rejected, they can go lower until their needs are met.
Starting high works best, and allows the most immediate bids, because Priceline automatically searches at and above the parameters a traveler sets. Therefore, if a user selects a 2-star hotel at the outset, Priceline looks for hotels in the 2- to 5-star range using the low bid price. If it can't find a match, bidding is locked on 3-, 4- and 5-star hotels for 24 hours.
Help With Priceline Bidding
There isn't an exact science to figuring out which low rates hotels accept and how low is too low when it comes to booking hotel rooms through Priceline. There are, however, online communities like BiddingForTravel.com that provide a forum where travelers can ask questions and post their most recent low-price finds.
The site is an excellent resource for determining what to bid to get cheap hotel rooms, as well as for other accommodations like flights and rental cars. Geographic regions are broken down internationally, so users making hotel reservations across the globe can get help finding a bargain.
With a little luck, a little research and a Priceline bidding strategy that includes knowing the rules, being flexible, and using location and star ratings to their advantage, travelers can find the best hotel rates and have more money leftover for the rest of their vacation.
 |
 |
 |
 |
