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Strategies for Saving on Priceline Hotels

Quick overview of priceline hotel bidding

• What you need to know about Priceline's accommodations (opens in new window) and its Best Price Guarantee (opens in new window).
  
  
• Bidding tips to help you get the best savings.
  

May 2008 update

• Even with occupancy increasing again (post-9/11), Priceline still gives you savings of 30-59% over Expedia, Hotels.com, and Travelocity at most popular destinations, such as Midtown Manhattan, North Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Las Vegas, and Union Square in San Francisco.
  
  
• See actual winning bids for Priceline hotel rooms in larger cities:
  
  Name Your Own Price Hotel - See Winning Bids in Top Cities!
  (When the map opens, click on a city to see winning bids.)
  
  During a large convention or special event, plan to bid higher than what is shown. Also, you won't usually get such a large percentage off lower ranked 2- or 2.5-star hotels.
  
  
• You can now bid for hotels up to 11:00 p.m. local time in the city where you want to stay.

Complete bidding tips for priceline hotels and resorts

1. Do your research.
2. Consider days and seasons.
3. Remember Priceline rules.
4. Prepare your money-saving bid on hotel rooms.
5. Compare your proposed bid to Hotwire's price.
6. Submit a "smart" bid that increases your chance for savings.
7. What to do if your bid is accepted, or if it isn't.

1. Do your research.

As always, BidonTravel's best tip for bidding on hotel rooms is to do your research first. Look for the best current prices on discount travel websites like Hotels.com that list prices for specific (named) hotels. Be sure to check these prices the same day you intend to bid on Priceline.

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2. Consider days and seasons.

• Keep in mind the days of the week you want to book.
  
  Hotels in most cities offer their lowest rates and biggest discounts on weekends—Friday, Saturday, and sometimes Sunday nights—and around holidays, except during special events.
  
  Because weekend rates are usually priced 25 - 50% off regular rates, do not base your bid on a Wednesday rate if you are actually arriving on Friday.
  
  Exceptions: Weekends prices are higher in Orlando, Las Vegas (more information), Reno, and most resorts.
  
  
• Of course, hotels in resort areas give bigger discounts during off-seasons.

3. Remember Priceline rules.

• You can rebid on hotels only once every 24 hours. You can rebid immediately if you change the neighborhood, city, dates, or star category.
  
  However, there are specific ways to rebid to maximize your savings. Exact instructions are given in Section 6 bidding tips.
  
  
• Once you authorize Priceline to charge your credit card, your reservation becomes non-refundable and cannot be changed in any way, even by paying a penalty.
  

Click on Priceline.com Hotels to bid

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4. Prepare your money-saving Priceline bid.

• When determining your bid, consider everything, such as season, school holidays, days of week, the prices for specific hotels you found in your online research, as well as how much you want to go.
  
  
• In general, the higher the star category, the greater percentage off the listed price you should bid.
  
  
• If you saw a lot of hotels in your quality range available at an online site like Travelocity.com, you can bid lower on Priceline.com Hotels.
  
  
• Currently, the majority of successful bids range from 25 to 59% off prices available on discount sites that list prices for specific hotels. BidonTravel believes you should never bid less than 30% off these prices, unless you are traveling during a convention or busy season.
  
  

Click on Priceline.com Hotels  to bid

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5. Compare your proposed bid to Hotwire's prices.

• A great way to avoid overbidding on Priceline is to check Hotwire.com's prices just before you bid on priceline.
  
  Priceline and Hotwire.com are similar. (You don't know your hotel name until you pay, no refunds, no changes . . ..) However, Hotwire offers only fixed prices and no bidding.
  
  Although Priceline has relationships with many more hotels, which increases your chance to save, Hotwire.com gives you more room choices (such as kitchenettes).
  
  
• The 15% rule: In most cases, plan to make your Priceline bid 15% less than Hotwire's displayed price, which excludes taxes and fees.
  
  
• The 30% rule: Before you submit your Priceline bid, make sure that 15% off the Hotwire price is at least 30% off the rates you found on other online sites, for the same dates and star rating. In the rare instance when Hotwire's price is unusually high, this policy will help you avoid overbidding on Priceline. (Again, the exception is that you may need to bid higher during large conventions, special events, or busy seasons).
  
  
• If your Priceline bid or rebids are not successful, you can go back to Hotwire within its payment deadline, and still get a bargain price.

6. Submit a "smart" bid to Priceline Hotels.

Here are BidonTravel's best strategies for bidding and rebidding. Priceline does not teach these tips, so follow them carefully to maximize your savings.

• Remember priceline's 24-hour rule for rebidding on the exact same star quality and dates. However, you can bid again before 24 hours if you change a date, city, star category, OR neighborhood.
  
  
• Use star quality as part of your bidding strategy. Start bidding with a higher star quality so that you can make immediate rebids using lower stars.
  
  For example, if you start your bidding with 2 stars, Priceline checks for 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-star hotels in your price range. You cannot rebid using 3, 4, or 5 stars (even if you want to bid a higher price).
  
  But, if you start with 4 stars, you can rebid for 3 stars and then for 2 stars right away.
  
  
• When you tell Priceline.com Hotels what city you want, you are usually given a choice of neighborhoods. If you are interested in more than one neighborhood, hold back your second choice neighborhood (or several), in case you have to bid again.
  
  Using this flexibility allows you to rebid immediately, and also to make an especially low first bid. You may get lucky. And, if you have to bid again, both your first choice AND second choice neighborhoods are included in your bid.
  
  
• When you enter a bid, Priceline gives your total cost, including taxes and fees, before you confirm payment. If this total is higher than you want to pay, adjust your offer as many times as you like before submitting it as an official bid.
  
  

• Destination: Check-In: Check-Out: Rooms: 1 room 2 rooms 3 rooms 4 rooms 5 rooms 6 rooms 7 rooms 8 rooms

  

7. What to do if your bid is accepted, or if it isn't.

• If your bid is accepted, congratulations!
  
  Print out your itinerary and receipt and take them with you to your hotel.
  
  Also, be sure to visit Hotel Check List to help your trip go smoothly.
  
  
• If your bid is NOT accepted, go to hotel rebidding for some options for your next move.
  
  Happy traveling!

Still have questions about priceline hotel bidding? Please read our hotel FAQ.