Bump... Want to see this get to 200...

agreed GoTravel.

However, I prefer not to use Priceline often just because, call me stuck in my ways, I just like to know where I'm staying.

kellyhaves: if you do your research, you pretty much KNOW which hotel you'll get at which * level at which bid price. Or it'll be one in a group of hotels acceptable to you.

At least for me, that's the case for about 75-80% of the time, if not higher.

For example, for Orange County in Southern California, I will get either the 4* Hyatt or the Hilton, sometimes the Westin and very rarely the Marriott. Any one of these hotels is fine by me. They are all pretty much grouped together so location is not a problem.

Bidding on Priceline is really pretty simple but it's like learning to ride a bike. You just have to learn how to do things and then you're off. Instead Mark has wasted a lot of time fussing over nothings instead of learning how to bid properly.

&lt;&lt;getting a Hilton in London for $77 when the rack rate is $335 - now that is the kind of savings I can get used to)&gt;&gt; <b>janis</b>, that is truly nice. I am fortunate to get really good rates at Hiltons too, as my SIL works for them. :-D

&lt;&lt;Really? So you've never been to a sale where it said, &quot;all markdowns are final, no returns, no exchanges, no refunds&quot;?
Or you've never gone for the specially priced plane ticket or hotel reservation that said, &quot;prepaid only, no refunds given&quot;?&gt;&gt;
<b>Neo</b> - that would be &quot;NO&quot; and &quot;NO&quot;. I do not buy anything at stores that have an overall policy as such and I do not buy &quot;markdowned&quot; items that I cannot return for valid reasons. Nope. Can't think of a single time I've bought something I couldn't return. Especially clothes.

And I refused to pay a deposit on any of my hotels in Europe last year, for the same reason. There are still plenty of hotels and B&amp;Bs that will take a credit card to hold your room- without charging you until you've actually shown up or cancelled according to their policy. Probably why I have NEVER even looked at Priceline.

And to all others posting who've obviously not really read what I wrote:

Have to point out that people posting here should READ what is written and not make assumptions: My statement was &quot;IF&quot; Priceline's website said XX. I did not say Mark had a case, I said he MAY have a case IF what he was saying was true. I could not say he DID have a case, as I've never been to Priceline.

Peace :)&gt;-

&quot;I did not say Mark had a case, I said he MAY have a case IF what he was saying was true.&quot; Oh, well, then that clarifies it. He doesn't have a case after all since much of what he said wasn't true -- starting with the hysterically funny &quot;I did state that I wanted a 4 STAR and that I expected a resoanble discount for that hotel.&quot;

Has anyone ever even guessed WHERE he stated that on the website?

I must say that there are strang things at play here. So I am not pointing any fingers of how this got started. But I do spend about 160 days a year on the road and in hotels. I Have used Priceline / expedia / Hot wire / Travelocity / Hotelcom
and have found one thing for sure.

Rarely do you get a 40% - 50% discount from the hotels rate that will be quoted by the front desk of that hotel.

I do use Priceline for booking flights and they are pretty much the best on that one.

The hotel business has been corrupted so much by these third party booking companies that I never book without first calling the hotel directly.

My last trip was booked by expedia by my office. When I got to the hotel it was the same price as if I walked in the door off the street.

I use Tripadvisor to first locate the location of the hotel that works the best. Then I look up the hotel website. When I call them I almost always find the price is the same. If it is not I quote them the price I saw on the third party site.
They always meet that price if it is lower (Which it rarely is). Also never believe anything on tripadvisor it is bull. When you book direct the hotel gets all the money and you are treated better than a bargain hunter. Expedia gets abot 25-30% of the hotels funds. The hotel also gives me a more decent room. The only people I hear complaining, when I do, is ones that have booked through a third party booking service. They have come to believe that these third parties have some pull. They really don't. Remember that the hotel does not get your money for as much as thirty days. You have morepower when you book direct. Now you can get on with your argument. But please let me leave you with a story.

When the train is headed in a bad direction (Like a cliff). It makes no sence to argue what side of the train is best to sit on. Someone needs to get out of the train a lay some new track.

Sometimes it is more work to do all this research than just pik up the phone and call.

marly10: <i>"But I do spend about 160 days a year on the road and in hotels."</i>

You have my sympathies. One year, I spent 80% of my time on the road and I could care less whether I was in Vienna Austria or Binghamton, New York. Hotel rooms just got to be the same, the same, the same. so glad I'm retired now.


Good point, tho, about booking directly with the hotel - except that Priceline does give a better than hotel rate, but I personally would never use Expedia et al. There was an article years ago which said that these "full price" middlemen get as much as 60% of the price of a hotel room for doing essentially nothing.

Why top a thread from 2008?

Priceline only gives a better rate when you use "name your price" feature. Their regular bookings, is pretty much the same as the other booking sights.

wliwl: "<i>Why top a thread from 2008?</i>"

Actually that is pretty good -- her only other post topped a thread from <B>2004</B> :D

Good point, MFNYC. I keep forgetting that Priceline has that newer non-bid feature.

Marly10: thanks for your input. You make excellent points, despite the age of the original posts.

"Why top a thread from 2008?"

Why not! You are reading it. Yes?

Lol I read the whole thing(again). I wonder if poor Mark actually stayed at the mystery hotel. We will probably never know.

OMG. Hysterical thread with some practical advice on a variety of travel questions. (Skimmed some comments, stopped and noted some advice.)

I'm not a business traveler and I prefer rental homes and apartments for my vacation travel. More space, privacy, full kitchen, etc. Often less expensive than hotels when traveling with family and friends. May not work for short stays but worth investigating for trips of a week or more.

When I do book hotels I try to get the best price from the hotel itself, following some research on two or three web sites. I'm not interested in doing much more for a trip that may involve several cities or countries. It can become tedious. I agree with the comment about getting better service when you deal directly with the hotel, based on my somewhat limited experience.

I admire the commitment to getting the best price on quality hotels that many wrote about.

And, a final thought: I wouldn't count on the customer "service" offered by any travel web site. You takes your chances . . .

We've all had our travel disappointments, it's not the end of the world.

Why NOT top a thread from 2008, if it's useful? I just topped a thread about London flats.

This forum isn't just a real-time "conversation," but a reference for folks who are using the "search" function. So no matter how old an original post may be, there can be useful info in it that can be updated.

OMG, i just "yelled" because i put the word "not" n CAPS!!!? Mea culpa to overly sensitive readers.

I appreciate ALL (yup--yelling)the shared info here, including the OP's. thanks to those who contributed to this sometimes hysterical (you called it right, PortiaPeru) and hysterically funny discourse.