nelsonian

Sorry rkkwan for mangling your name!!! Too early in the morning.

rkkwan

Where did you read that a motel/hotel doesn't have 24-hour reception? Can you point to examples? Did you email them for clarifications?

I've done plenty of road trips in the US, and often I stop at a motel 1am or 2am in the middle of nowhere, and I've yet been to one that can't give me a room.

janisj

I have stayed at some places - like some Extended Stay America - that don't have 24 hour reception (but it is rare). What usually happens is the reception is closed but there is a courtesy phone on the wall where you can reach the on-site manager who comes down to check you in. But I can't think of that being the case at a 3 star place.

If you decide go PL - then as soon as you get your booking, call the hotel and tell them what time you are checking in.

Also - I wouldn't worry at all about a shuttle. If there is one - great. If not, a taxi will not cost much.

nelsonian

Okay I blew it. I don't think anything can be done but just in case I will tell you what happened.

I have been searching the dates 27th-29th May for a couple of weeks now, and have been declined time after time. This was actually good as it turned out as my DD and SIL have had to put back their flight by a week so they can get all the paperwork done for thier work visas. They were able to change their fares for only an additional $ 100.00 so now are arriving LAX 3 June, travelling on to Columbus same time as before.

I went into Priceline tonight and changed the dates for the booking to 3-5th June bid $ 60.00 and was declined. I then added a zone and increased the bid to $ 65.00. Got the Courtyard hotel BUT then I read the dates, 27th -29th May not 3-5 June as I thought. It must have defautled back to the original dates. My own fault for not double and triple checking before I pressed confirm.

Is there anything all that I can do or have I just wasted $ 140.00.
Anyone want to stay 2 nights at the Courtyard on 27th - 29th May.

janisj

The usual answer is - you are out of luck. But PL actually does have reasonable customer service and it is not unheard of for them to fix things. They will have a record of your original bidding history so if you call them there is a (slim) chance they will do something. Throw yourself on their mercy.

No guarantees of course - but worth a shot . . . . .

wliwl

Nelsonian -- Darn! That stinks. I'd give them a call anyway. I wonder if you could even plead insanity with the hotel itself? Let us know how it goes. Good luck!

nelsonian

I have got a friend in the US contacting Priceline for me, maybe I will be lucky and the dates can be changed, will let you know.

djkbooks

I would recommend calling Priceline. Many people have reported that Priceline has been willing to cancel your reservation and do a re-bid with you over the phone in similar circumstances.

nelsonian

Great news. My friend rang Priceline and they have cancelled the reservation, credited my with one night's accommodation, and when I rebook they will credt the other night less a $ 25.00 cancellation fee.

An interesting experience and a great result considering it was all my fault.

janisj

That is super - I've heard of other instances where PL went above and beyond. Just one more reason to use them.

djkbooks

I have found Priceline to be very reasonable. I've been booking rooms with them for many years.

One time, I booked a room for three nights, but then couldn't get flights those days. Our flights were for the day before and day after, so I bid for rooms for those two days, hoping for the same hotel. Got a different hotel, but that same one for first and last nights.

I called Priceline. They agreed to cancel all three reservations and rebid it with me over the phone. So, we were able to stay in one (of the two) hotels for all five nights and not have to move twice. And the rate averaged the same.

nelsonian

I think I am useless at using Pricleine.

Tried to rebook for the correct dates in June but this time instead of getting the Courtyard I got the Clarion Inn and Suites, this didn't appear to be in the 2.5 zone when I bid last time but obviously is now.

It doesn't have the greatest reviews I got it for $ 62.00 a night.

Has anyone stayed there? How long does it take to get there from the airport, is there a shuttle?

DD & SIL also wanted a cheap hotel for two weeks so they have time to find a house/apartment to rent. I got them 14 days at Baymont Inn Columbus North $ 32.00 per night. I really wanted Extended Stay Columbus North as it had a kitchen, I had read someone had stayed there a couple of times for between
$ 28.00-$ 32.00.

The Baymont Inn doesn't have the best reviews either but it's to late now.

yk

nelsonian - the whole point about Priceline is you're taking a gamble. If the hotel comes out as the one you thought you're going to get, great. But if it doesn't, you just have to accept the fact. If you find out you don't like this, then Priceline is not for you.

What are the rates for the Courtyard and the Clarion Inn and Suites for your date - if you book directly from the hotels? Are the savings substantial enough for you? Say you have to pay an extra $30/night for the Courtyard, would you have been willing to pay that?

The same thing w/the Extended Stay. How much would it have been if you were to book directly from the hotel?

Sorry it didn't work out for you this time. Maybe Priceline is not for you.

nelsonian

Yes I realise it's a gamble but the research I had done just showed the Courtyard as a 2.5 in the airport zone and that is what I got when I booked the wrong dates. Luckily Pricleine cancelled them for me so no complaints there. When I went to rebook I just thought I would get the Courtyard again but got the Clarion Inn and Suites. Obviously it has moved up a zone.

yk

<< Tried to rebook for the correct dates in June but this time instead of getting the Courtyard I got the Clarion Inn and Suites, this didn't appear to be in the 2.5 zone when I bid last time but obviously is now. >>

<< When I went to rebook I just thought I would get the Courtyard again but got the Clarion Inn and Suites. Obviously it has moved up a zone. >>

Again, I'm sorry that you are not happy with your PL wins. But your 2 statements I copied above are not correct.

The Clarion Inn and Suites is not reported on biddingfortravel or betterbidding. Perhaps it been participating w/PL all along but the price they set up is always higher than the Courtyard and hence no one has "won" the Clarion before. Or erhaps the Clarion just recently decided to participate with Priceline.

Either way, the hotel lists on both BFT and BB are foolproof - hotels can join in or drop out at any point. Perhaps someone had won the Clarion as a 2.5* in the past but didn't report on either website.

The key thing is PL didn't "trick" you by giving you a lesser hotel than you were supposed to.

What you got last time with the wrong dates had nothing to do with your new bid. What the inventory is available for those dates can be completely different than your new dates.

yk

I meant to say
Either way, the hotel lists on both BFT and BB are NOT foolproof

nelsonian

What you are saying YK is absolutely correct, I am not really complaining, just a bit disappointed I didn't get the hotel I thought. But as you say it is a gamble.

If I was booking for myself I would have gone for 3.5, 4 star range but DD and SIL are on a tight budget. They are young enough to cope if the hotels aren't that great. I will post a review on Trip Advisor once they have stayed there.

yk

Well, just make sure they have no/low expectation, then it won't be that bad.

For me, saving $ is important too, so when I use PL, I keep my expectations at a minimum. As long as the room is clean and the room temperature is acceptable, I'm content.

rkkwan

If you have used BFT for research, then you should post your winning bid on it so others will know about this "new" hotel for that zone.

nelsonian

Hmm it is getting even more complicated. When I checked the confirmation for the Clarion Inn (the second hotel I booked) it said my earlier bid ref number 536 838 581 68 had not been accepted but my new bid of $ 62.00 had been accepted ref number 629-216-731-02 for dates 3-5 June.

However I have a printout saying my bid of $ 32.00 for ref number 536 38 581 68 was accepted for the dates 5th June - 19th June. So now I don't know whether the Clarion Inn has been booked instead of Baymont Inns or in addition to it. The dates were different for both. hotels, but booked on the same morning.

It sould explain why I got the Clarion Inn which I think is actually in the Worthington zone, the same zone as the Baymont Inn, and not the airport zone.

I think I better give up.