WillTravel

This site http://www.bizave.com/cgi-bin/hotelratefromtax.cgi indicates the average rate per night that Priceline paid was $37.21. That doesn't mean you necessarily overbid by $8 per night, though. The following is a hypothetical example, which may or may not relate to your bid. It's also my understanding gleaned from reading, and thus is subject to inaccuracy :) It may be that this hotel has different Priceline rates for different nights. Some do, some don't. If one night was $44 Priceline rate, and the other 3 nights were $35 Priceline rate, the tax rate would still work out about the same on average. But you'd still have had to bid $44 to win all the nights, since Priceline doesn't average out the nights, but requires you hit the highest value of any night in order to win. In short, there's no way to know that you really did overbid this stay by much, if at all. And even if it is a slight overbid, you still got a great deal. (If a tax rate indicates a fractional, rather than a whole dollar amount, I suspect the hotel of having different Priceline rates for different nights in the stay, but I'm not sure if that is true or not. Strictly my guess.)

I know you probably wouldn't want to leave it so late or pay so much, but I bet if you showed up at the front desk on the morning of the 8th (or even asked about it on the 7th), you could get a rack rate room due to cancellations. Then you could always try a quick Priceline bid for less, and then come back for the room if you didn't get it. I don't really know, but from what I've read, hotels have different policies regarding whether or not they release rooms to Priceline and when they do so.

There are numerous tales of woe on the other board about people who were unable to get rooms with 2 beds. People who are informed about the areas they are bidding in probably won't run into problems, or have a backup plan if they do. But that's not going to be true for all travellers. On the one hand, you could say that it's their fault, since they should have read the Priceline legalese and they deserve it. On the other hand, few people ever do that realistically - they just assume this will be like a normal hotel purchase. Priceline certainly does not play up the fact that people may be stranded in a 1-double-bed room that is 8x12 or something ridiculous.

Most important, you definitely saved over the price on Orbitz and you got a nice place. Have a great time on your vacation! For future reference, this hotel does come up if you go to Orbitz, put Hershey, PA in the Location box, put "Suites" in the Specific Hotel box, and click Search. There were a total of 6 hotels that Orbitz considers in the area that have "Suites" in the name. But even with that, the phantom fitness center would have prevented anyone from figuring it out. Orbitz also says it's "6.9 Miles North of Hershey." I went to the map on Hotwire that displays the "Hershey area." Maybe for natives that would be easy to understand, but I don't think it's clear one bit! I don't see any scale markers for one thing. I wonder how high the probability is that if any given hotel on Hotwire will also be on Orbitz with conventional rates, given that Orbitz and Hotwire have a partner arrangement? I would assume a hotel's first choice is to have someone buy the room at full price with Orbitz.

I can see that being able to cancel your first booking might be an incentive, for sure. I don't know if Priceline.com is doing anything like these customer testimonials on the Priceline HK site. I thought they were quite charming. http://www.priceline.com.hk/eng/ourcompany...12364e8e1022014 Cbpcruzr, very nice thing you did for your employee. I hope he appreciates it too! I think the reason people see no incentive to save when they are doing business travel relates back to the whole issue of company loyalty. Employees may see little incentive to save money if they feel they are subject to layoff at any moment, for example.

It's funny to go to Priceline's site and see - Hello, [name]. Please sign in. I have profiles set up for everyone in my family who has a credit card. Question: are there any indications that one should not set up a profile? I like being able to look at my successful bids easily. The only possible downside is that Priceline could somehow use the info in the profile against you, although of course there is no evidence of this. I suspect Priceline tracks all bids by credit card number anyway (no proof, though) so any purported anonymity probably isn't there. I'd like to hear if anyone knows more about this.

Well, for me, it's mostly academic, as I don't take that many flights, and most of the ones I do take leave from Vancouver - so I can't use Priceline or Hotwire or Orbitz for them. I could use Priceline or Hotwire to leave from Seattle, but that adds so many logistical difficulties with me having to get down there way ahead of time in case of a border delay, etc. Plus, I usually have specific times in mind, and don't want to deviate much from them. I can always leave from Bellingham, but that means a non-jet flight to a larger airport - and it costs a bunch more too. Still - whenever a friend mentions wanting to take a trip, I'm willing to look to see what I can find :). Plus, I'm always planning possible trips in the future. My verdict is that, unfortunately, there is no winner. You really have to look at every airline site and every search engine, and then it might drop in price the next day anyway.

I think some hotels are cooperative, and some aren't. Wish I could be more helpful :). But at least you have leverage with your conventionally booked stay. In theory, you could cancel it if they refused to cooperate (even if that's not practically possible).

I recall as a business traveler there is zero incentive (other than feeling guilty) to save the company money. If you have a per diem for meals, what is the advantage in not spending every last cent? Possibly some one cares, but most people see little evidence of it. If you are allowed a set amount for a hotel stay, again there's no advantage in taking a cheaper option. I can correct my post above - the Priceline HK site gives the following examples of the prices you can get: Priceline Hotel Price Examples in the UK So when I said a 4* hotel in London above, I should have said 3*. Still, a 3* hotel at a bid price of $64US is not wildly off-target at all. Go to xe.com or oanda.com for exchange rates.

The no refund thing has a really cold feel to it. It's obvious why it's done and it's quite possible some people would take advantage of a refund system to determine lower prices. But it's what bothers me the most whenever I want to make a bid. But you can just imagine someone mistyping something (and who doesn't make typos) - hitting Submit too quickly and not perusing the Summary screen - and wham, a room for 10 days in the wrong month. How many other ways can you lose hundreds of dollars in a split-second by a single click of the mouse? Even if it is possible to get a refund, most people are too intimidated by the thought of asking - after all Priceline says you can't. Yes, I am interested in hotel data - but not just that - e-commerce models generally.

The larger picture is that the hotel room price is far from being the only profit source for the hotel. There's the minibar, phone calls, business centers, hotel restaurants, gift shops, movies (of all sorts), etc. I'm curious how many hotels have VCRs - my perception is that the number is low, but I haven't really kept track. But the bill itemization and the fact that every non-room-price expense will show up would sure make Priceline a difficult sell for these businessmen. So how many Priceline hotel rooms are sold to families vs. single travellers?

Squeegee, is your thesis strictly about Priceline and hotel rooms, or are you considering other products as well? The main reason I have a hard time wholeheartedly recommending Priceline to everyone I know is because of the non-cancellable aspect. Maybe the best way to deal with this is to have a cancellable back up until the last minute, and then give Priceline a try. You might not get the best deal, but you would greatly reduce the chances of not knowing if you could use the reservation.

Priceline Hong Kong (which is owned in part by Priceline.com) has somewhat more realistic amounts on its web site. For example - it had 500 $HKD for a hotel room in Bloomsbury-Marble Arch (sorry I can't find the reference now and although I think it was a 4*, I'm not 100% sure). 500 $HKD is about $64US - I doubt that Priceline.com has advertised you can get 4* hotel rooms in London for $64 US (although you often can). I'm sorry for the lack of documentation here - I'm just going by memory. Re the call centers in India - it's a huge industry with numerous corporations from Lufthansa to GE having call center agents there. The agents are given lessons in how to sound American and they get to choose Anglo-sounding names (obviously America is not entirely Anglo, by far, but I guess they think this helps further the illusion). They keep up with cultural references by watching Friends. Read more here: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/21/technolo...9bfc4f9&ei=5070

Here's a list of Priceline's patents: http://digitalenterprise.org/cases/priceline.html Here's the Patent Office web site to look up these patents based on the numbers provided: http://www.uspto.gov/patft/

Interesting, squeegee. I wonder if corporate rates have dropped due to Priceline - any data on that? I posted an email exchange I had with Priceline customer service on the other board. I was trying to clarify their upgrade policy - which I sort of know, but I wanted to see what they would say. Anyway, I did not get a clear answer, either because they do not know or do not want to say. I suspected after the emails that Priceline uses offshore developers in India to develop the software. It turns out that I appear to be right. http://www.cfo.com/printarticle/0,5317,8943%7C,00.html

Squeegee, are you saying that this zone report lists the total PL activity for the zone, or the PL activity per hotel? Is it confidential which hotels participate with Priceline (other than the fact that people post their bids obviously)? Actually, I can envision perfectly legitimate corporate espionage where hotel rivals have people assigned to bid on Priceline in various zones to get an idea of what going rates are for various places. I have no idea if this happens - but I'd totally expect it - just like I sometimes see people wandering around supermarkets with a clipboard noting prices.

I've never bought with Hotwire (although I search it a lot), for whatever reason (mostly because Priceline always seemed a better deal). After you do the Hotwire purchase, can you still see the Amenities you are supposed to be getting? Do they appear anywhere on your confirmation? How about the star level? Perhaps you should take a screenshot of the Hotwire screen before you click Continue and get to the purchase screen, so you can prove that you are entitled to those specific amenities?

I forgot to put this review up here. My bid was $19 USD per night. Our stay was March 21-23, 2003. We were treated just as well on a Priceline stay as we were with a previous corporate rate stay. This time around we got a microwave in our room, which was nice and unexpected. This is much like a Motel 6, but a few touches nicer. It's a typical motel property with three floors and exterior stairways. We were given a 2-double-bed room without asking, which is what we wanted. Staff were very friendly. We borrowed a hair-dryer without trouble. We asked for a few extra items (like styrofoam cups and shampoo), as there were 3 of us. Priceline didn't seem to be an issue. It was just mentioned regarding prepayment. Rooms were clean. The decor is standard and neutral. There were two chairs and a table, and a night table (attached to the wall) between the beds. The bathroom (in the two rooms I've stayed in) was what I see as British-style or just old-style. The tub/shower and toilet are in the bathroom, and the sink is in an adjacent area. This is fine, so far as I'm concerned. The motel has an attached restaurant, which serves quite cheap 50s-American-style food. A hit with kids. There's also a guest laundry. Parking is free. I like this place, and would stay here again. I wish it were about 8 short blocks closer to downtown, but it's pretty central. With a bid rate of $19 US, I saved about $30 Canadian total for the two nights over the corporate rate I normally would have paid. ============= Next weekend, we'll try the Accent Inn (bid experience on Priceline HK posted elsewhere), and I'll be able to compare two Victoria-area 1* hotels. As I posted elsewhere, this hotel doesn't seem to be available for $19USD during the summer. But late fall, winter, and early spring are so slow in Victoria, that there are bargains to be had. Based on other bids I have seen and my bid on Priceline HK that got Accent Inn, I think a bid of about $33-35 USD is likely to nail a 1-star hotel in Victoria during the summer months.

This is not a thread that is particularly useful for people who want to place a bid. However, it may be useful for people who want some indication of what type of company Priceline is. I want to emphasize that I think placing Priceline bids for hotel rooms is a very safe activity. The only thing that can go wrong there generally, provided you bid carefully for the right location and dates, is that you might have second thoughts about a non-cancellable reservation. Similarly with flights and rental cars. (In a few cases your hotel room or car or flight might turn out to be unsatisfactory, but that can happen without Priceline too, and then it's a general customer service matter.) That said, I like to know about the companies I do business with. Here's the press release about the latest 2003 Quarter 1 financial results: Priceline.com Reports 1st Quarter 2003 Financial Results; Hotel Service Sets All-Time Records: http://www.hotel-online.com/News/2003_May_...1051889400.html Please add information to this thread about anything related to Priceline's press releases, software, patents, business relationships, etc.

This is great because you knew what you wanted and got what you wanted. However, if I were selecting a hotel "blind" I would be annoyed to get a Anaheim-Disneyland South hotel that was actually in Garden Grove. However, the map is drawn so that this hotel is in it - it's just the title of the zone is misleading.

The Springhill Suites in Hershey doesn't list a fitness center (so far as I can see). The Hampton Inn and Suites in Hershey says it has an exercise gym. Maybe phone up the Springhill Suites, the Comfort Inn, and Best Western, and confirm this point. Also, did you try looking on Orbitz and using Suite in the Hotel Name - for example, what about Rodeway Inn and Suites (although no fitness center I can see listed there)? But several hotels come up when you specify Suites in the title on Orbitz for Hershey. This is like a good mystery!

Another site I've been using: http://www.flights.com ItaSoftware.com definitely has its weaknesses when it comes to international itineraries. It came up with weird results for me that were unbookable, although they sounded great. Plus, I was looking at summer LHR-TLV itineraries for a friend, and flights.com was able to do considerably better with apparently real fares.

Try this - these are just possibilities. Go to Google and do a search something like: hotel Hershey Pennsylvania suite fitness center Go to Switchboard.com. Find all businesses in Hershey with the word Suite in them. There are two: Springhill Suites by Marriott and Suite on Hershey. Then investigate each of these. No guarantees of course :)

In my limited experience so far, TravelAxe seems to have trouble with the following, even when doing a Full Search: Class level - could a hotel in London with shared facilities really be a Class 3 (even if Expedia also says it is)? The number of people you selected and the number of beds - the rate that comes back doesn't always account for this. Different currency values and foreign exchange Not linking to the hotel web site - This is sort of understandable, because I guess it would harm their business, but still, it would be easiest. Just do a Google search to get the actual hotel web site to look at the real rates. Hidden taxes and fees - double-check! Still, it is really helpful to have a list you can sort in various ways and investigate line by line. Expedia makes things much more difficult.

TheSqueegeeKid did get help in this case. If you look at Priceline.com's help site, to the best of my knowledge if you make a mistake, you're officially stuck. This rescue is not an official policy. Here's what the Priceline.com help says: What if I make a mistake? Once you finish giving us all the details of your trip on our website, we summarize your offer for you on what we call the "Contract Page". Putting your initials in the box at the end of the summary lets us know that we got everything right. If your offer summary shows a mistake, you can go back and change it before you click "Buy My Hotel Rooms Now." To see an actual example of a Contract Page, click here. Once hotel rooms are purchased, they cannot be changed or cancelled -- by priceline or by the hotel that accepts your offer. We know this policy is strict, but it's the agreement that keeps this great savings service available and the reason we ask you to carefully review the details of your offer before you click "Buy My Hotel Rooms Now" on our website. Keep in mind that not checking into a hotel on the designated check in date may result in the hotel offering your room to another guest. Refunds are not issued if you fail to check in to your hotel as reserved. In contrast, here's the corresponding help topic from Priceline.com.hk (Priceline Hong Kong) Made a mistake If you made a mistake on an offer that was not accepted, resubmit your request with the correct information. If you made a mistake while submitting your request on an offer that was accepted, please send an e-mail to our Customer Service Department by clicking here. We'll do our best to accommodate you. Priceline.com.hk also allows rebidding after 24 hours, instead of 72. Alternatively you can raise your bid by HKD$50 (about $6.50 US). I can't say for sure whether you will do better with Priceline.com.hk and whether they are more helpful in practice. But I just can't help but like them somehow. (Of course, if I have problems getting my Lucky Money, that may change.) And of course you have to be super-careful with amounts when bidding in a foreign currency. EDIT (by thereuare): the above rules and conditions can change at anytime and if this aspect is important to you of affects your bidding strategy, you should consult each division of Priceline for their up to date rules