When Priceline doesn't provide maps

[WillTravel]

I hope this isn't a duplicate of any other topic.

I wrote to Priceline to ask what area you would be placed in if you bid successfully for a city that has no map.

I got this response:

Thank you for taking the time to send us an e-mail. We understand that

you would like to know which areas are included in the zone that you

select in the city of Malmo and Gothenburg in Sweden.

(name) , when you request a hotel room in a city and no map is

provided for you, we will search for a hotel located within city

limits.

We are unable to search for a hotel that is within a specific area of

that city.

We look forward to serving your future travel needs.

Sincerely,

Vijay C.

The priceline.com Customer Service Team

=======

I take this to mean that you need an official map of the city so that you know what the outer limits of the zone are. I have known of towns and cities where people had addresses that indicated they lived in that particular town, but they were nowhere close by my reckoning. I would guess that Priceline probably does not go to city hall in each city and look up the legal city limits, but probably goes by the name of the town in the hotel address.

I know there are numerous European cities that have no maps on Priceline. I think there are US and Canadian cities like this also, but I can't think of any examples. Does anyone know of any?

[thereuare]

I interpret this, and have always believed, that if no map is shown than the address of the hotel would have the same city name as the name of the zone.

[Scorp]

I know there are numerous European cities that have no maps on Priceline. I think there are US and Canadian cities like this also, but I can't think of any examples. Does anyone know of any?

I think it is pretty common with smaller towns/cities in Canada/US -- Nanaimo or Parksville on Vancouver Island have no maps, and neither does Whitehorse.

[WillTravel]

I think it is pretty common with smaller towns/cities in Canada/US -- Nanaimo or Parksville on Vancouver Island have no maps, and neither does Whitehorse.

Have you ever succeeded in getting a bid with Nanaimo or Parksville (or Whitehorse for that matter!)? I have tried with Nanaimo several times, but I wasn't willing to pay more than I would for Victoria :). I think Nanaimo might be one of those places where you can go quite far out and the street address will still say Nanaimo, but I could be wrong about that.

[Scorp]

Have you ever succeeded in getting a bid with Nanaimo or Parksville (or Whitehorse for that matter!)?

I have tried bidding Parksville and Whitehorse both, actually! And no success! But I was trying for Parksville for a relative who is visiting on a weekend in mid-July and let's face it, Parksville hotels are in huge demand for those days, so I don't think it is likely they would be giving inventory to Priceline .... and the dates in Whitehorse were extremely busy, also - I actually found most of the hotels were sold out for that date (including the Westmark, which I suspect is one of the Priceline clients there). I really wish Priceline would just tell us when there are no rooms available, rather than letting us bid and bid... at least with Hotwire, you know when there are no rooms available! It is very frustrating with Priceline when you can't determine if there is any availability at all!

I have tried with Nanaimo several times, but I wasn't willing to pay more than I would for Victoria :). I think Nanaimo might be one of those places where you can go quite far out and the street address will still say Nanaimo, but I could be wrong about that.

I know what you mean, the Priceline prices in the smaller towns are sometimes way out of line! And you are right, Nanaimo is a bit of a sprawling town. Also, it has some places and areas I would not want to stay in at all.