letscruise

Hi Everyone,
Just received word about a death in the family. The trip for the funeral would be really long for a one dayer. So I thought about Priceline.

I've used Priceline a couple of times but it's been a LOOOOOOOOOOOOG time ago. The town we need to stay is small and Priceline only lists one and two star hotels, so doesn't give us much room for bidding. I'm thinking a one try shot, is this right?

I guess my question is....since this is a holiday weekend can I expect the prices to be higher? I need the room for tomorrow night so don't have the time advantage either. The town shouldn't have a big draw for the weekend since not much goes on there.

Any info is appreciated. Oh, by the way, I checked biddingfortavel and the town was not listed. The closest one had one post for $35 if that helps any. I understand the taxes vary depending on the town but how much are the service charges, I couldn't find that information. Thanks

rkkwan

Sorry for lost.

But please tell us where. If you want good answers, you need to be specific.

Anonymous

Since you said "us," there are at least two of you traveling. If you each have a credit card, you can register separately at PL and thus double your bidding opportunities. I strongly suspect that PL can't tell when one person registers twice using different ccs.

joan

Be sure to call the hotels first, or check their websites, for availability and the going rate. Then I'd cut the price in half and begin bidding there.

Have you also checked betterbidding.com?

janis

"since this is a holiday weekend can I expect the prices to be higher?" w/o knowing where you are going, it is impossible to know if prices are higher or lower because of the holiday.

Some areas totally book up far in advance for the weekend and prices go up -- but lots of other places are just about deserted and rates are lower because of it.

letscruise

We need to be in Lufkin, TX. There will be 2 of us. I haven't called any hotels directly but did try several sites traveocity, expedia, hotels.com and they all show lots of availablity.

Got a bid 3-4 years in this same town for $35 for a Ramada (another funeral). Thinking about trying that again.

jlm_mi

Availability is one thing, but cost is another. When you checked all those sites, what was the going rate for a room at the level you'd be interested in ? You wouldn't want to bid $35 if the hotels themselves are only charging $40 . . .

I believe priceline's service charge is $5, but I'm not sure if that's per bid or per night. Still, if you're only looking at one night it wouldn't matter. I'm certain I've found that information on their site before. Actually, if you go through and make a fake bid, you'll see the breakdown of taxes and charges before you actually have to place the bid. Choose the town, zones, star-level, etc. and put in a reasonable price, then head to the next screen. You'll see the total cost of the bid, with all taxes and fees included.

rkkwan

Lufkin is listed in the probable hotel list on biddingfortravel.com. One hotel reported - the 2* La Quinta, but last report is 2+ years ago. And two 2* listed in Nacogdoches - another La Quinta plus Holiday Inn Express (probable).

Priceline give you a close approximate of the tax and fees befor you bid. Some locations cost more than others. The person who posted the winning bid at the Nacogdoches La Quinta paid $11.90 for tax and fees. If you win a Lufkin bid, it should be similar.

Considering the same La Quintas are asking $60-70 for a room this weekend, a $30-35 bid is not a bad deal.