Trip Adviser vs. Priceline
 

We are going on a trip to Paris/London at the end of Sept. We will spend 6 days in each city. I already have my Paris hotel reservation (Hotel Fleurie) and am trying to navigate my way through the tons of possibilities in London. I have one reservation through Holiday Inn for the Holiday Inn Mayfair, that is cancellable. I think it is high considering what I found when I went to Trip Adviser. The comparisons of hotel prices almost made my head spin. I have never attempted the priceline process. Should I be going that direction instead of Trip Adviser. Any help would be appreciated.

The one place we have felt we had good luck with Priceline is London. We got a 4* in the theater district for $110 USD a night. Tripadviser will help you make a smart bid on priceline. We like to stay in the West End/Theater District (all one place) because it is close to the stuff we like to see and do in London.

I did and I'm thrilled!!!! We're going 9/12-9/22 and spending 5 nights in London..we needed 2 rooms...the best I could find through reviews at tripadvisor and begging the hotel (great reviews but small mom/pop meaning harder to get lower prices) I got 2 rooms for 200 pounds with full breakfast.

I bit my nether lip and tried my hand at Priceline...starting out in Mayfair/Soho zones...5* only...nope they wouldn't take my $150 offer..just had to give it a shot (had heard of them taking this before)...then added in Kensington and included 4*...I offered $84 per night per room and it was accepted!! The hotel I got was the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum...the same double room goes for lowest rate on their site for $300 a night...so I saved over 2/3 of what they were asking and $1000 on what I was going to pay for the other.

I had to try 2 nights and I kept sticking with offers in the $60's the first night...but upped it to $80 the next and got it right away..

Good luck! Although this hotel is a HUGE hotel and nowhere near the English charm of the smaller one, the money we saved can go a long distance in paying for extra sites that will give us that history and charm we're going for.

Good luck!
Tara

Oh, meant to add to check out www.biddingfortravel.com for tips...
Tara

It would be well worth your while to study the hotel FAQ's and recent winning bids for LONDON at www.biddingfortravel.com

We've had fabulous luck (three trips) with Priceline for London, paying 1/3-1/2 what we would have paid for the same hotels otherwise. You do have to do your homework, but the results will truly be worth the time and effort.

You have plenty of time to study, research, and bid. So, take your time...

For a multitude of reasons, I would not use Priceline for Paris, because of the "Priceline" hotels and locations. Just because I'm fussy about location and prefer smaller hotels to the major chains in Paris. And, because hotel rates in Paris are just not as outrageous as London.

Be aware that despite the "lists" of hotels you'll see for various European cities on sites such as BiddingforTravel that site very prominently warns you that those lists are NOT all-inclusive so the idea that there are only "certain" hotels for any city such as London and Paris nthat Priceline uses is not true.

Furthermore, the star rating Priceline uses does not necessarily coincide with the "real" system (which BiddingforTravel also warns you about.

I'm not saying not to use Priceline because I have used it and been very satisfied with it. But be aware of the various issues before bidding.

Thanks for all your tips. I will try the"bidding for travel" site first and then give priceline a shot. Is it best to try first for 5* hotels, then if that fails, go for 4*? When you are offered a bid, is there time to check out the hotel before you have to accept? Which London areas do you think are best? We will be pretty much into the sights, theater and people watching vs. shopping. We need good city transportation as I have a foot problem that can hamper the amount of walking I can do. I understand the tube and buses are great, but that the buses can take a lot longer to get around. Do you have to walk down stairs to get to the tube or are there escalators?

I had a great deal with priceline..I was able to get the Sheraton at CDG for my last night in Paris , for only 100US Dollars.
Now this is what I call a Great deal.