Hotwire and Priceline

dingding

To get the best deals should I book now for the Summer (LA and San Francisco) or leave it till nearer the time. Has anyone used them and how did the find these sites.

Thanks

babaduck

I use Priceline a lot - it's cheaper than Hotwire and we've never ended up in a bad hotel (our honeymoon hotels in NYC & Boston cost us $120 per night on PL - the regular rate was $400... do the math!)

Before you bid, you should do A LOT of research as the bookings are non-refundable or changeable, no matter what. I'd highly recommend www.biddingfortravel.com and www.betterbidding.com as starting points.

If you need advice, feel free to PM me - I actually used PL again today for my bro who's going to London at the end of April. Nothing available under £75 in the area they wanted (and that was for a dodgy hotel) and after some trawling, I got them the Thistle Kensington for €85 per night r/o... the online special rate was £145 per night... a saving of €120!!!:D

dingding

Does the time to travel reflect in the price. For hotels in the US june and July, should I book now or leave it nearer the time.

Thanks for the tips on the sites, I will get looking at those now.

Thanks

babaduck

I would book now TBH - we booked in January for October and got amazing hotels. Nearer the date, people were reporting problems getting accom at a reasonable rate. Just DO YOUR RESEARCH first!!!

dingding

Thanks

dingding

Got some great hotels at great prices (1/2 expedia's price) using priceline.

Will save about 1,000 on the holiday using it.

Thanks

babaduck

Well done!!!

Smokeyskelton

To the two posters above.

Just wondering if you had a problem, as the FAQ section states that non-US residents must have a US billing address. Did you use your Irish address and put in a fake zip code? I saw on one forum (mentioned in the thread) that there can be problems using an non-US Visa card or mastercard, what card did you use?

Secondly what star level hotel did you get for $120, and did that include taxes, what hotel did you get? Was that last October? Obviously inflation must be taken into account. But do you think $115 per night ex taxes for a 3 star would be a reasonable? I know you can't give me a definitive answer, but as you have used the service, does that sound ok?

Did you get a hotel in Mid-town?

Sorry for the barage of questions, but booking for mid July at present and never used priceline (or hotwire) before.

Thanks

Smokey

babaduck

Smokeyskelton wrote:

To the two posters above.

Just wondering if you had a problem, as the FAQ section states that non-US residents must have a US billing address. Did you use your Irish address and put in a fake zip code? I saw on one forum (mentioned in the thread) that there can be problems using an non-US Visa card or mastercard, what card did you use?

I always use CA 84553 (it's Martinez, California where my friend lives). Also, your phone number should be xxx-xxx-xxxx or the system won't recognise it

Finally, I've used a BOI Mastervard & an NIB Visa to book PL, and have had no problems at all - 2 years ago I could only use the MC

Smokeyskelton wrote:

Secondly what star level hotel did you get for $120, and did that include taxes, what hotel did you get? Was that last October? Obviously inflation must be taken into account. But do you think $115 per night ex taxes for a 3 star would be a reasonable? I know you can't give me a definitive answer, but as you have used the service, does that sound ok?

I got a 4* hotel & taxes were extra

€115 p/n seems ok for a 3* - but do check the websites I recommended for help & advice pre-bidding. BFT is rather narky, but they know their stuff, Betterbidding is more friendly

Smokeyskelton wrote:

Did you get a hotel in Mid-town?

Yes - we ended up at the Marriott Marquis Times Square... a wonderful hotel bang in the middle of things.

Smokeyskelton wrote:

Sorry for the barage of questions, but booking for mid July at present and never used priceline (or hotwire) before.

Again, do your research bigtime - make some stupid bids to get used to the system (i.e. $10, just so you know how it works and you're familar with the process before you actually make your real life bid.

dingding

Just back from the holidays, all the hotels worked out well and no problems. Can't recommend priceline enough.

Ruu_Old

Nice one OP, thanks for the feedback. I might be booking from Priceline shortly myself.

dingding

Ruu

No deals to be had over holiday periods, could not get anything around the 4th of July Had to book 4 nights normally. It might not be any good over Christmas / New Year.

Cheers

bazzert

I have used hotwire a lot. In general it is best if you can be specific about the area you will be staying. In my case it is mostly downtown Toronto. I have been able to get 4 star hotels for US$100-120 a night which includes all taxes (you prepay). Be aware though that you cannot cancel or change the reservation (In one case the hotel allowed me to move a reservation; but that was purely at their discretion). In other cases I have stayed additional nights and the hotel has given me the hotwire rate (but once again, that was at their discretion).

You should also do a search on orbitz.com or the like to make sure you are really getting a deal.

Baz.

mel123

I am going to try Priceline for New York, would picking a 3/4* in mid-town be a safe bet?

Ive tried to get the Venetian in Vegas on a few bids with Priceline, but i never win :-) any suggestions babaduck??

babaduck

Try to stick to a 4*, because you could get any old sh*te with a 3*!!!
Midtown West is where we got our hotel & it was amazing

Also, do your homework by checking out www.betterbidding.com and www.biddingfortravel.com before you even ATTEMPT to bid

mel123

thanks, ill go and do some homework now on them sites

mel123

thanks, ill go and do some homework now on them sites

in priceline they give u upper, lower or midtown manhattan, which should i go for, i want to be central to things like shopping, times square etc...i stayed in ramada new yorker before and was happy with that location...beside macys...would that be midtown do u know??

babaduck

According to Priceline, you can choose from

Downtown - SoHo - Financial District
Midtown East
Midtown South
Midtown West
Upper East Side
Upper Midtown - Central Park South
Upper West Side

We chose Midtown West & ended up with the Marriott Marquis in Times Square - fab location close to absolutely everything