no kidding. this is my last attempt to offer this. i have already paid for a hotel(priceline snafu) that i can't use. if anyone wants it plse let me know. oct15 thru 19th. sofitel rive gauche.

Too bad oldorch. I would help if I could.

Did you try selling it on eBay?

ohmigosh, this is KILLING ME. I swear if I had any extra cash for a plane ticket & food I'd take it.

Are you SURE this is not a troll?

My friend Michelle might consider this. Is the room free? You can e-mail me if you wish.

nope...haven't dealt with ebay...was actually hoping someone could use it there is time left..can't even give it away haha

Better check with the Priceline fine print. I'm pretty sure that you can't transfer a room.

anon..even for a hotel? if i say it's a gift to a friend? i know airline tickets can't be changed by name but the hotel has already been paid for. ps..not a troll

As I said, check the Priceline web site for the final word. Here it is:

http://www.priceline.com/Customerser...9&plf=PCLN

thnks anon...i emailed priceline and am awaiting a response..will revert when they respond.

Oldorch, I'm having a problem here. First, I referred you to the Priceline website and rather than looking up the answer yourself, you asked me the question again.

So I went to the Priceline website for you, looked up the answer, provided the link to it, and then you e-mailed them. Are you being difficult on purpose? Or did you just not understand -- the link above is from the Priceline FAQ and explains that you cannot transfer your room.

Ooops, sorry, my mistake, the link doesn't take you to the specific response. You want the "hotel rooms" "special requests" section, where it says:

Can I change the name on my reservation?

Once a priceline Hotel offer is accepted the name on the reservation cannot be changed. If more than one person is staying in the room, the reservation should be under the name of the person who will be arriving at the hotel first.

If your priceline Hotel offer is for multiple rooms, you can reserve each room under a different name - space will be provided on our website.

If you do give away or sell the room that you reserved through Priceline, I suggest before you complete the transaction that you email the hotel directly and inform them that in your place Mr/Ms/Mrs. [fill name in here] will be checking into the room instead. Ask for reconfirmation by email. Then provide the email messages along with your winning bid confirmation to whomever is going to take your place. There are some ways to get around Priceline's rules, but you have to dot all of your I's and cross all of your T's, so it's important to have the paperwork.

By the way, if you are planning on going to Paris anyway, you can check with the hotel and see if they might just change the dates for you either at no charge or at a small charge.

I was able to make a change on a Boston hotel and do what I mentioned above, however, my experience will not necessarily hold true for anyone else. In my situation, I was bidding on a hotel room for friends that were visiting from out of the US. It was too late for them to make a same day bid on the Priceline UK site, and they could not bid on the Priceline US site because they did not have a US address for their credit card. It is possible for a bidder to successfully bid on accommodations for someone else, however, on my second go around bidding from 4 star to a 3 star level, I forgot to put their names on the reservation. I won the room. Now, I could have gone to the hotel and checked in and let them stay, but I did call the hotel and spoke to the desk clerk. The desk clerk said that there would be no problem adding their names to the reservation as long as they had a major credit card for the incidentals. So, this can work as long as you can get the hotel to cooperate in correcting your faux pas.

thanks leslie...someone has indicated an interest in the room. now i will work on getting all the details sorted. many thnks.

Leslie, you're a freakin' genius!! Thanks, luv!!!!!!

Beatchick, if you are the beneficiary of this kind gesture of oldorch's and it is because of my experience, congratulations! But then, what are friends for. If you really are going, I have a transferrable $100 credit on NWA from my last Paris trip, that you're more than welcome to glom onto, as it expires at the end of February 2004.

leslie i have 100% confidence all will be worked out. ill tell beatchick the whole story tomorrow. prepare for paris because i know for certain this will happen.

I do believe that my faith in my fellow man's kindness has just proven true.

Aaaaack, Leslie, don't tempt me. This is for Michelle at work! She's already called her friend Joel and they are doing prep work as we speak. She can get really great airfares thru Delta (like 8 cents/mile). Don't ask me how. She can get me a ticket but not 3 (alas for my trip to Paris/London/Dublin with the kids ~ oh well). So really, all she needs now is food & sightseeing money. She says she is going to walk all over Paris. Good thing Paris is such a walkable city.

She hugged me before she left work - she is going BONKERS!!

Thank you, oldorch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

beatchick, the cheapest RT flight I could find out of Cincinnati departing on October 14, returning on October 19 is $513 and is a combination of flying Delta and Air France. Of course, I only checked Orbitz, so there most likely are cheaper fares going directly to the airlines, or at least changing the return date which is a Sunday. A Monday fare might be less. If you want to gamble on bidding via Priceline, let me know and I'll look at other fares and help you formulate a bid. No bargain through Hotwire, the fare was $551, so I know for a fact that you can get it for under $500 including tax via Priceline, and you can probably save about another $100 on the airfare at least. Just remember that when you bid on Priceline you bid minus the taxes, as they will be included in the end. Let me know if you want some help, but only after the hotel situation is sorted out and you've got confirmation of the name change on the reservation at the hotel.

let me know if this doesn't work out - i'm going to be in europe in october, and don't have any hotel plans for paris as of yet. i'd be very interested in a place to stay. good luck to you michelle !