jo anne Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 Early this morning 1/17/2017, I was bidding for a 3 star room in the Chicago suburbs. On my third rebid I noticed an additional "hotel fee" of 15.50. This is in addition to the 10.36 Taxes and Service Fee for my bid of 42.00, bringing the total to 67.86. I am not certain if this fee was there for my first and second bid. Has anyone else experienced this? Shocking, to say the least. Are there any other tricks I should be checking? Granted I was bidding in the low $40-$42 range, but this seems like a very sneaky ploy. So does this end my priceline shopping? Jo Anne Link to comment
thereuare Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 Resort fees, if any, are shown on the 'Preview Your Bid' page. This fee is not charged by PRICELINE but would be payable directly to the hotel, just as any other guest of the hotel regardless of how they booked. If you were to win a hotel that did not charge a resort fee then there would be no fee... PRICELINE is trying to show you a 'worst case scenario' of the maximum that it would cost you. What star rating and zone(s) did you bid on your first bid? What did you add/change for the 2nd bid? What did you add/change for the third bid? Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
jo anne Posted January 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 So I chatted with Priceline. Here is the response: Charles: Whenever you place a request for a hotel, we attempt to disclose the average Hotel Fee for the area and star level you select. Once a hotel accepts your offer price, we will know the actual Hotel Fee and it will be displayed on your Accept Page. Please be advised that we did not charge you for these fees since the hotel will charge you directly at check out. In some instances, the Hotel Fee will be the same as what it is displayed on the Contract Page; however, it could be less or it could be more. Jo Deppe: I have never encountered this before. How do I know when to expect it, so I do not accept it accidently? Charles: Please make sure to review the summary of charges everytime you submit a request. Jo Deppe: Is this something new? Charles: Yes, it is. We are now trying to disclose the fee before booking so that this will not caught you by surprise when you get to the hotel. Link to comment
jo anne Posted January 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 I started at 40 for Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, Itasca, Elmhurst, Hoffman Estates, Bloomingdale, Oak Brook and Dundee. Added Lisle at 41. Added Naperville at 42. Always 3 star. Link to comment
jo anne Posted January 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 Do you think the Hotel fee could mean that my 42 bid was likely accepted, if I completed the bid? Why do hotels charge this fee and how likely is it that I would get stuck for it? Thanks for your input. The 15.50 seems pretty steep to me. Link to comment
thereuare Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 My guess is that you added Saint Charles to your bidding at some point (even though you didn't list it above) as the fee only appears when adding this zone. If you don't include this zone in your bidding (which as per your post above it appears you don't want to stay in this zone) then don't select it and the resort fee shouldn't appear on the PREVIEW BID screen. The Pheasant Run Resort is a 3* hotel located in this zone and charges a resort fee... i don't know if there are any others. Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Let us know how it goes or if we can be of further help. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
jo anne Posted January 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 You are probably right about st charles. Very helpful Information, thank you. Link to comment
AaronJB Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 I'm reasonably familiar with the outlying 'burbs. Are you looking for something in particular? Let us know more about what you are looking for (dates, desired zones and any other factors) and we would be happy to help. Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Link to comment
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