For hotels in Europe, Priceline's star level criteria is slightly different than for U.S. hotels. Ho

Here's why: American hotel owners have struggled since the 2001 recession to boost their room rates back up to the profitable levels of the 1990s. Today, they're reluctant cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd to cut their advertised rates. Many hotels are turning to Priceline to deeply discount their rates up to half off and fill their empty beds without starting a price war.
No wonder cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd that Priceline is probably the largest seller of hotels in the U.S. today. (I can't say for sure that it's the largest because cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd Travelocity is a private company and doesn't publicize its numbers, though I'm skeptical that Travelocity is number one.)
Did you know, for instance, that Priceline lets you "blind book" air/resort packages? You don't have to place a bid because cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd Priceline tells you the total price of a package plus the name of the resort . The twist is that Priceline doesn't tell you the name of the airline or the departure time for the plane tickets automatically packaged with the deal. You will, however, be told the number of layovers and the airports you'll be stopping at, plus the window for flight departures cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd (between 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.). If the flight doesn't work, you can choose from other available flight cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd options. The package will usually cost less than the price of the flight and hotel room booked separately. Savings can total 50 percent.
While Priceline is a full-fledged booking engine, it's most valuable for its bidding system. As you may know, you don't learn the hotel (or airline, car-rental company, or vacation package cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd details) until your bid has been accepted and your credit card has been charged. You'll find out whether your bid has been accepted cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd instantly. (In the past, it took quite a while to hear back.)
Beware of this catch: Despite denials from Priceline, it seems all-too-common that hotel managers give Priceline cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd users their least desirable rooms, cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd next to noisy elevators, restaurants, and ice-making machines. We've heard the most reports of this treatment happening at two-star hotels and below. So bid on three- and four-star hotels, and even if you get a room that's slightly less desirable than what a hotel gives its repeat customers, you'll still be in great digs in a great location at a great rate. But expect cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd your window view to be of something like rooftop air-conditioning units instead of something pretty.
To help judge how much you should bid, visit Priceline's Hotels page and look for a section on the right called Winning Bids . Click on it to see recent winning bids for specific star level hotels in various cities around the country. You would have to look at this section before you make your bid because it's not embedded in the booking process. For an independent perspective, turn to BiddingForTravel.com for examples of recent successful bids.
For hotels in Europe, cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd Priceline's star level criteria is slightly different than for U.S. hotels. However, company spokesperson Brian Ek says that, "by clicking on the specific star level during the bid process, we will provide a list of amenities that the property will have along with a description of what that star level will be like. So, in terms of quality, you'll have a good idea of what you're going to get before bidding." Priceline has a broader selection of hotels in Europe than you might imagine. That's partly because of the relationships it has built up as owner of Booking.com , Europe's largest online seller of hotel rooms.
Priceline has an informal "rewards" program, in which repeat customers occasionally receive surprise rewards. For example, if you use Priceline at least once, you may receive an e-mail with a $25 coupon good for your next hotel purchase. The reward would typically be for a Priceline product you haven't tried yet. If you bought cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd a plane ticket, cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd your coupon might be for a future hotel purchase. But there are no set rules about when Priceline hands out rewards, so you may book several cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd times in a row without receiving any perk. Sigh .
Priceline also asks every one of its hotel customers to fill out a review of their hotel. The site has more than a half-million reviews of U.S. hotels now. Priceline only posts reviews by people who have actually paid to stay at hotels, eliminating fake reviews by hotel owners. A spokesperson says that if a hotel gets multiple negative reviews, the property is automatically evaluated to decide if Priceline should cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd stop selling its rooms.
No one I know has recently used Priceline to bid on airfares, given the sales that airlines are throwing on their own websites . But airlines have cut back their service to smaller cities, and fares have skyrocketed on these routes. For these unfortunate cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd markets, especially when it comes to last-minute (less than 14 days before cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd departure), Priceline may offer enough savings to be worth its additional hassle. cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd And you'll get an instantaneous response to your bid. No more waiting, although Priceline may first make a counter-offer in some cases.
Given that Priceline now responds instantly to your bid, it makes sense that before you buy a high-priced, last-minute ticket directly from an airline you should make at least one quick bid on Priceline, starting at about 20 percent cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd lower than the fare you know for sure you can get. For some travelers, saving 20 percent or more off an expensive ticket may be worth the uncertainty of knowing when your flight will depart.
One key point to understand is that Priceline does not offer "interline flights" for a flight you bid on. In other words, the site only sells tickets for flights cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd on a single airline, not a mix of airlines. By going to a site such as Kayak instead, you may find cheaper fares for tickets that use more than one airline to cover a route. (CLARIFICATION cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd March 2: Since publication of this post, Priceline's spokesman Brian Ek has reminded us of the following : Kayak's two interline cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd search partners are Orbitz and CheapTickets. Both charge $7 to $15 booking cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd fees per ticket. Priceline offers interline ticketing as part of our published-price airline ticketing cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd service. The difference is, Priceline doesn't charge booking fees for its published price tickets. It charges a fee for its Name Your Own Price tickets but doesn't disclose what that fee is.)
For flights you bid on, Priceline does not guarantee a non-stop flight, but it does promise a maximum of one-stop each way. All layovers capped at 3 hours. Flights cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd may depart anywhere between cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., however, the site guarantees that your trip will end no later than 12:30 a.m. the following morning. Says spokesperson Ek, "You can instruct us to broaden our search cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd and theoretically increase your chances of getting a ticket by adding a redeye option that could get you to your destination cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd by the following morning. But the default cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd is no redeyes."
If you're planning a reunion of family or friends, you may want to use Priceline's reverse bidding cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd service. It's free. For hotel bookings, fill out a request for specific locations and dates and type of event, and Priceline acts as a manager of a reverse bid process cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd in which hotel managers from several properties compete cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd for your group business. In other words, Priceline shares the details on the type of group booking cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd you want with hotel managers who come back to you with their best offers. You choose which one you want (or none if they don't work for you). The service is free.
In case you missed cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd it , Priceline recently launched its Ekspert blog , penned by its longtime spokesman Brian Ek, who is not to be confused with Priceline's other spokesman, William Shatner. cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd (Where's Shatner's blog, anyway?) [ ekspert.priceline.com ]
November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August cheap hotel reservations in fargo nd 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007