bturner13

I have noticing the opposite of PL subsiding the purchase prices. In fact, I have noticed that PL is getting $2-4 more on some of the bids (according to the taxes paid) I have made recently. Perhaps it is just the cities I have booked or the competition in that area. I pride myself of hitting the nail on the head or getting w/in $1-2 of what PL paid for the room. I see PL upping their Processing Fee in the near future! :)

Great deal you got! Would you please post taxes paid and if this Amerisuites allows FREE parking up to 15 days if you stay with them 1 nite. Tks! :)

Did the $43 shake out to be about 7.8 to 1? Also, I will be curious to see how much the REFUNDED HK$200 Bonus Money works out to be after conversion. Keep us posted Z! Tks! :)

SPG is Starwood's Preferred Guest Program--Hotels like Sheraton, Weston, Four Points, etc. Check it out at SPG.com. Most all hotel Guest Prgrams give some sort of perks like FREE local calls or Club Floor access. Join them all! Often times one won't get points for PL stays but one will get perks and upgrades just for the asking. It has worked for me lots!! Call the hotel directly, not the general 800 central number, after you get your PL bid accepted & have them put your preferred number in the record along with your special request for NON-smoking, 2 doublebeds/king beds, close to elevator, etc! Thanks for asking! :)

Been hit with a challenge to aquire a 3* room in Rapid City, SD during peak season this summer! Would appreciate some help from you Savvy BetterBidders out there! 16-19 June 03. I believe the only 3 * hotels in Rapid City is the Radisson. May have to drop back to a 2.5* property. Tks! :)

Nice hotel with super treatment! I'm a SPG Gold member and this Sheraton Gateway put me on the Club Floor (Free Local Calls) with FRee Deluxe Cont' B'fast and evening reception with a super late 4pm check out!! :)

Z! I will be curious to see how the currency conversion shakes out for you (HK$/US$). I have done numerous PL/HK bids using the Bonus Money and find that this Bonus money covers most of the PL fees and taxes. Anytime one converst funds, one looses a little! Still waiting for PL/HK to refund the bonus money on all my bids. I also noticed that PL/HK was getting my requested rooms for a few bucks lower than PL/US. Have you noticed that? :)

Spanked hell!! Slapped down is more like it!! This board is so refreshing! :)

Plz be so kind to post your tax details for us. Tks! :)

Great deal you got! Since you paid in GBP you used a non-USA address, right? I have not been able to use the PL/UK site with my USA-address charge card although I can use/bid on the PL/HK site w/o difficulty. Any suggestions on getting around this limitation ?

ThereUAre! Your hard work on this super board is paying off! Be proud! Thanks! :) Bill

Booked thru PL/HK website & Used a HK$100 Bonus Money! Congratulations you got your price of HK$200 for a 2-star hotel room in Brunswick, Georgia. Sunday,23 March 2003 Monday,24 March 2003 Hotel Name: Hampton Inn Brunswick Brunswick, Georgia 31520 United States 912-261-0002 Your Offer Price: HK$200 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: HK$200 Taxes: HK$20.36 Processing Fee: HK$60 (per offer) Total Lodging Charges: HK$280.36

Used a HK$ 300 (HK$7.8=US$1) Bonus money with this 2 day stay! Booked thru PL/HK website! :) Congratulations you got your price of HK$300 for a 3-star hotel room in Raleigh/Durham. See your complete Friday, 21 March 2003 Sunday, 23 March 2003 Hotel Name: Millennium Hotel Durham 2800 Campus Walk Ave Durham, North Carolina 27705 United States 919-383-8575 Zone: Durham Your Offer Price: HK$300 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: HK$600 Taxes: HK$70.22 Processing Fee: HK$60 (per offer) Total Lodging Charges: HK$730.22

Why do you think this happened? Do you think it is a glitch in their system? I've seen folks having to split up stays in Vegas and other areas, getting the same hotels but at different daily rates for their entire stay. :)

And I will be in Okinawa Japan for April and May! But the Bottomline is that you have taught me a great deal about using Priceline and I thank you so much for saving me gobs of $$$ :)

I believe the hotel is in Priceline's Executive Center zone and the following might be helpful.... "ASTON AT THE EXECUTIVE CENTRE HOTEL Here's a great option for the corporate traveler who wants to avoid Waikiki. Downtown Honolulu's only hotel is an all-suite high-rise in the center of the business district, within walking distance of the Aloha Tower Marketplace and 10 minutes from Honolulu International Airport. Suites are on the top 10 floors of a 40-story glass-walled tower, providing views of downtown and Honolulu Harbor. Each unit has a separate living area and kitchenette stocked with cold beverages. Some units have washer-dryers. Continental breakfast is included. www.aston-Hotels.com. 116 suites. Restaurant, in-room safes, kitchenettes, pool, gym, business services, meeting room." BTW, I have NOT seen this hotel come up on PL or Hotwire. Also, we have booked this zone on PL and got the 2 Star Pagoda Hotel--rooms FAIR but the restaurant buffet is fantastic! :)

Great news! Plz post the details of your accepted bid including taxes and such, when you get a chance! Thanks! :)

You got your price of $22 for a 2-star hotel room. Homestead Village Durham University Check-In Date: Saturday, March 15, 2003 Check-Out Date: Sunday, March 16, 2003 1920 Ivy Creek Blvd Durham, North Carolina 27707 Your Offer Price: $22.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $22.00 Taxes: $2.76 Processing Fee: $5.95 Total Charges: $30.71 And got a room upgrade to a King Deluxe!

You got your price of $25 for a 2-star hotel room. Hampton Inn Brunswick Check-In Date: Friday, March 14, 2003 Check-Out Date: Saturday, March 15, 2003 112 Tourist Drive Brunswick, Georgia 31520 Your Offer Price: $25.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $25.00 Taxes: $2.60 Processing Fee: $5.95 Total Charges: $33.55

But what does this tell one about the hotel industry and/or the power of Priceline?!? :)

Many of the hotels near and around MCO have a Stay, Park (up to 15 days) & Fly Program. Do you know if this Renaissance has something like this? At $5-10/day to park, it pays one to stay at a participating hotel before or after a trip!

Want to know more about the PL/HK Scratch Bonus Money? See my Brunswick, GA post for this weekend. :) I used a HK$300 Scratch Money Bonus on this bid. So the total including all taxes and fees shakes out to be about $36 for 2 nites!! Yes, to clarify, $18/nite TOTAL for a NICE & CLEAN room with a microwave & Frig with 2 FREE drinks and Full Buffet B'fast (Eggs & meat). This was a steal!

So glad there is not many or any hotels/places in the USA, right now, that charges 20% tax! Would it be some sort of tax law violation for PL to charge more or indicate they paid more taxes to the hotel than they real did? Here is a quote from PL on taxes and surcharges, "What taxes and surcharges will I pay? If there's one thing in life you can't avoid, it's taxes, and hotel rooms certainly have their share. So in the interest of being up-front, here's a breakdown of the taxes and fees you'll pay when you buy hotel rooms through priceline.com - which, by the way, are the same taxes and fees you would pay if you buy rooms through a travel agent or from the hotels directly: Standard state and local taxes (which currently average about 12% and will not exceed 20% of your offer price) are not included in your offer price - they will be added to your total cost and charged to the credit card you provide if a participating hotel accepts your offer. Depending Depending on the city and property you stay in, you may also be charged a "Hotel Occupancy Tax", resort fees, parking charges, room service, etc. as these costs are not included in the price you pay priceline. These charges, if applicable, will be payable to the hotel directly at checkout. On both U.S. and International hotel offers, priceline adds a standard $5.95 per room charge to the final cost to cover processing costs associated with your offer."

I will be making a bunch more hotel bids shortly and will be back to all on what price Priceline is paying for those rooms. That way we can confirm if PL is indeed running an unadvertised promo that cuts into their processing fees and profits. I have been doing PL long enough to know that nothing they do surprises me! :)

LOL!! :)