Priceline bidding in the “name your own price” category won’t fit every travel situation. However, there are times when it pays to be a budget traveler.
Priceline is perfect for situations where you want to low-ball a downtown hotel and snag a room at half-price. It would be much easier if you knew what bids have succeeded for that specific area and hotel class in the recent past, but Priceline maintains vendor anonymity.
How It Works
Most of these sites are organized by state and city. Larger, more touristy cities attract more visitors, so entries from several successful Priceline users will often show up, highlighting rooms in three-star hotels at significantly low rates.
When you place a bid on Priceline, you might receive a warning indicating your bid is too low. The advisory suggests that Priceline wants you to succeed, so it might be wise to “increase your original offer price.” You can choose to maintain your low bid or opt to increase your offer. The results may vary, but if you believe in that bargain, sticking with your low bid is advisable.
“Name Your Own Price” Details
Priceline collects your credit card number before you bid. If they discover a service matching your bid, the transaction will be processed immediately. Please note that refunds are not issued.
You will not select flights, hotels, etc. The outcome entirely depends on where Priceline can align your bid.
Additionally, processing fees and taxes may contribute up to 20 percent to your total. Parking fees, energy fees, and other add-ons are not included as well.
If your first bid is unsuccessful, you’ll have to revise your offer and modify other factors — such as location or star-level rating — on your next attempt. If modifications aren’t an option, you will need to wait 24 hours to try again.
Regarding accommodations, you will only receive a room. Special requests, such as non-smoking rooms or two beds, may be acknowledged, but the hotel is not obliged to fulfill any requests beyond providing a bed.
BiddingForTravel.com is an established site that shares secrets on bidding. They provide assistance with airfares, car rentals, hotels, and vacation packages. There are thousands of posts, helpful FAQs, and a section for reporting system glitches.
BetterBidding.com is another platform that indexes numerous bidding histories, including information on Hotwire and Priceline.
Priceline’s Take
One fundamental rule of effective sales is to never disclose your lowest price. This secrecy fuels Priceline’s success since its inception in 1998. Upscale hotels prefer you not to know they might accept your reservation for $50 per night when they usually charge three times that amount.
Priceline may tolerate these insider websites due to the exposure they provide. Therefore, it is likely that these sites revealing bids will continue to grow alongside Priceline. Use them wisely for your travel planning.
A Checklist
Begin by checking standard rates through the major airline, hotel, and car rental company websites (Expedia and Travelocity are particularly useful for this purpose).
For hotels, start with a few four-star properties, then progress to three-star or even two-star options (typically decent rooms without a lobby gift shop).
Next, visit bulletin boards to examine successful and unsuccessful bids, and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Keep in mind that securing a room, flight, or rental car at a particular price last week does not guarantee a similar outcome tomorrow. Economic circumstances fluctuate with holidays, travel seasons, global events, and additional variables.
Be patient. If you have several months for planning, avoid hastily bidding a high amount or lowering the quality rating.
It is entirely possible to find half-price deals for Manhattan hotel rooms using Priceline, but remember that your outcomes will vary significantly. At times, you may exceed expectations; on other occasions, you might struggle to secure any discount. Exercise patience and strategic thinking.
Happy hunting!
