Priceline question
 

Hi,
My husband and I would like to stay at CDG the evening before our departure back to the US (on Icelandic Airlines) in October. While searching this forum, several folks recommend using Priceline and suggest asking for a 4* hotel, which would probably get us either the Hilton or Sheraton. Is this correct and can someone explain how to use the site? We are thinking of staying at one of these hotels because we may go into Paris for dinner the night before (sans luggage) and the RER is convenient.

Thanks, Margret

www.biddingfortravel.com has a lot of info about how to use priceline.

i recommend you start there

Priceline is very easy - but <u>definitely</u> study biddingfortravel.com or betterbidding.com before venturing into PL.

(you'll become addicted after your first successful PL bid)

You might want to look into staying at the Ibis at the airport. It's fine and a bit cheaper than the others--to put it mildly. It is also convenient to the RER if you want to go into the city for your last night.

I always stay at the Ibis when I have an early flight out or just want to avoid the &quot;jitters&quot; about getting to the airport in time. I should point out that, when I go to Europe, it is generally on a home exchange and I customarily spend 3-4 weeks there. I am usually in for a restful night (and finished with sightseeing) before going home. It might be a bit different if you were only in Europe for a week.

Absolutely do go to Bidding For Travel. A few minutes spent there will pave the way for major savings. I use Priceline a lot for domestic and international travel and have typically gotten discounts of 50% of more from the prevailing rates. Although you may get the Sheraton or the Hilton, you may get a different hotel in the same class. When you bid, you specify the area, the quality level, and the price you are willing to pay. If the price is accepted, you learn immediately where you will be staying. If not, you can bid again, but only if you add another zone or wait a specified period of time. All of the details on how to proceed are found at Bidding For Travel.

Definitely do your homework before bidding on Priceline. Have a look at Hotwire as well. But, everything turns on your date...

If you learn how to use the amenities list to identify the hotel (see http://www.betterbidding.com/), then Hotwire has much less uncertainty than Priceline (but is usually slightly more expensive). I find it works well for Paris.

There are three hotels at the CDG RER station: Hilton, Ibis, and Novotel. These seldom show up on the bidding sites. The Novotel and Ibis are run by the same company (Accor) and the best rates are usually on www.accorhotels.com. The Novotel is usually only slightly more expensive than the Ibis, but is a VASTLY better experience.

The Sheraton is in T2, which is now connected to the RER by the CDGVAL automatic train. All other hotels involve a shuttle bus.

I forgot to mention that to use the Accor web site, and several others, you need to know that the town for CDG is Roissy-en-France.

For the CDG zone on Priceline, there is <b>no strategy involved</b>. Bid it, and you can get any of these three hotels - Sheraton, Hilton or Sofitel.

There is no &quot;free rebid&quot;, so if you bid isn't accepted, you wait 24 hours and try again.

Most recent report is the Hilton for $105 + tax/fees.

<b>Do not ever bid 3* in the CDG zone.</b> Because you may get the Novotel Surviliers that's 15km from the airport with no shuttle or public transportation.

I should add that for the 4* zone, ~$100 is about average. Some have gotten it for $80, some $120. But around $100 is the norm.

is priceline available only to Americans?

Not at all :) I'm Spaniard and have used it for London several times.

justretired:
My sister used Priceline last year for CDG. She bid 4*, $100 and got the Sheraton. She bid 3 wks ahead for mid-September.

I met them there and saw the hotel, their room, etc. It was very nice. Someone said it connects to the RER by the new autotrain. But, unless they've moved the RER station, the escalator down to the train was right outside the hotel door.

Good luck. I hope you get the Sheraton.

Postscript: Now that I think about it, she may have paid $110.

Priceline works as a bid. You say how much you are willing to pay, if they say yes they bill you immediately. If they say no then you can't just raise your bid (for 24 hours) but can expand the area and change the price. Try hotwire.com, same kind of prices but easier to use.

Chris Christensen
---
Amateur Traveler Podcast (AmateurTraveler.com)

The escalator down from the Sheraton takes you to the TGV, not the RER.

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sherat...propertyID=125

The TGV and RER uses the same station underneath the Sheraton at CDG2. So is the CDGVAL people mover for Terminals 1 and 3.

You're right. I'd forgotten there's a second RER station at CDG.