Priceline Hotel: 3.5* Birmingham (Central Birmingham) Sheraton Birmingham

[bahiapuller]

I have been bidding for the last several weeks up $75 for a 3.5* hotel in Central Birmingham with no success.

Today I started at $60 and was accepted for Sheraton Birmingham -- where I wanted to stay.

2 nights - $148.64

best available rate is $159/ night not including 17.5% tax.

I emailed the hotel and requested 2 beds and they added the request to the hotel reservation.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see you were accepted at the hotel you were hoping for and are happy with the results.

Thank you for sharing your win with the board.

Please use the requested PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your future travel purchases.

Enjoy your stay.

[bahiapuller]

I bid on a 3 1/2 star hotel in Birmingham Alabama and got the Sheraton Birmingham in Central Birmingham. There is a Dance competition there for the stay we have (reason why I bid there) and some mothers at my daughter's Dance studio were told my wife that the hotel is near full occupancy and the hotel said they will not be honoring Priceline reservations. They said that the hotel would place Priceline customers in another hotel, but there is not another 3.5 star hotel in central Birmingham. I have not spoken to the hotel because that would seem to invite trouble. Can they put me in another hotel outside the area I bid in? Birmingham only has two 3.5 star hotels. One in central Birmingham and one in Inverness by checking the bidding areas.

[bahiapuller]

I bid on a 3 1/2 star hotel in Birmingham Alabama and got the Sheraton Birmingham in Central Birmingham. There is a Dance competition there for the stay we have (reason why I bid there) and some mothers at my daughter's Dance studio were told my wife that the hotel is near full occupancy and the hotel said they will not be honoring Priceline reservations. They said that the hotel would place Priceline customers in another hotel, but there is not another 3.5 star hotel in central Birmingham. I have not spoken to the hotel because that would seem to invite trouble. Can they put me in another hotel outside the area I bid in? Birmingham only has two 3.5 star hotels. One in central Birmingham and one in Inverness by checking the bidding areas.

Also would the hotel have to inform you prior to arrival that they are not honoring the Priceline reservation or can they just tell you at check-in that they have no room for you?

[AaronJB]

A few thoughts:

1. If a guest has to be walked to a hotel, it should be a similar hotel (if available) within a reasonable distance. There should also be compensation for the issue and I'd recommend politely asking for compensation from PRICELINE, especially if you are moved to a hotel with a different star rating.

2. If the hotel is overbooked, it may be best to find out now and have PRICELINE/the hotel or some combination work out a solution now; if this is a very busy time period in the area, there may not be as much of a solution last-minute. There is the possibility that the hotel could tell you last-minute.

Overall, it's hard to say without knowing the details/if the hotel is in fact planning to move PRICELINE guests. You could try calling PRICELINE first, but I think it may be worth considering getting the situation worked out in advance (if there is definitely a situation.)

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[bahiapuller]

My wife called the hotel and they are booked solid. Without mentioning we had a priceline reservation, she inquired about priceline and they told her that they "may" move priceline customers to their Aloft Hotel in Homewood (4.3 miles away) but a 3 star property according to Priceline. We bid 3.5 star in central Birmingham because we knew if accepted it would be at the Sheraton where the dance competition is. Staying 4 miles away is inconvenient if you plan to use the room for dressing/ rest during the day.

I have a back up reservation at the Sheraton, but I don't want to lose my money with Priceline or get stuck somewhere else.

[AaronJB]

You may want to consider contacting PRICELINE and tell them that you have to be aware of what the status of the reservation is, because of the event (and because of the event, you can't be four miles away.) If the hotel does plan on moving customers, I would ask for some sort of compensation - but I would recommend trying to contact PRICELINE and see what they can do to straighten out the situation so that you don't have to deal with the situation last-minute. Otherwise, beyond contacting PRICELINE, there are not too many other options given that the hotel has apparently not confirmed whether it will be "walking" PRICELINE guests for these dates yet.

Thank you for keeping us updated.

[bahiapuller]

I have emailed Priceline and am awaiting their reply on their policy of moving guests outside bidded areas and into lower star level hotels. When you say I should ask for compensation from the hotel if this occurs, what exactly would you ask for?

[Romelle]

Definitely check in as early as you can manage. I'd guess the last customers are more likely to be walked than the first, no matter who has Priceline reservations and who has conventional reservations.

Romelle

[bahiapuller]

I contacted Priceline customer service and they called the hotel and the reservations supervisor said they did not plan to move us. She also wanted to know who it was my wife and the other people spoke with, but we did not have a name.

I emailed the hotel just to get that in writing and the hotel reservations supervisor said they did not anticipate moving Priceline guests, but guests are "walked" to other hotels from time to time when situations arise. She said a note adressing our concerns would be placed on my reservation and two other people with Priceline reservations that I discussed with her.

I will reply again after the stay to let you know how it went.