Priceline Hotel: Using Priceline to use NYOP for Europe hotels

[adhoc]

Hello,

Having just booked travel within Europe over the last weekend for 28 Jul - 7 Aug, I am now looking for the best way to book hotel rooms. I recently learned about how Priceline and Hotwire work and am interested in trying one of these methods. We are a family of 5 - 2 adults, teens aged 19 and 17, and a 9 year old. We will be booking 2 rooms. Cities we are staying in are: Amsterdam (3 nights), Cologne (1 night) and Paris (6 nights), in that order. Trying to stay within a budget of £150-200 total on rooms per night. We usually try to stay quite centrally to avoid travelling in and out of the city and being able to pop back into rooms during day to freshen up etc. Although a short ride by bus or metro (provided stops stations are nearby) is fine.

At this point I would welcome any advice on the best way to book suitable rooms in these cities. I would love to try Priceline but all my searches show that only a room for 2 is guaranteed with maybe one bed to share. This is actually not a problem for us with respect to the kids sharing a bed, as all three are girls - my concerns are: 1) size of bed; 2) whether hotel policy will allow it; 3) how much additional charges might be for eg. extra person or upgrade to bigger (2nd) room. Hope the above makes sense.

I'd appreciate your thoughts and experiences on booking rooms in Europe - another thing I've read is that rooms tend to be small in European hotels. When booking hotels in the normal way in eg. Barcelona we always found double and triple sized rooms (3* and 4*) to be well sized.

Looking forward to tips and advice. Thanks!

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

PRICELINE only guarantees one bed/double occupancy. This can be a particular issue in European hotels with smaller rooms. The hotel may not allow an upgrade to a larger room or may not be able to or may charge more. HOTWIRE - where you can indicate the amount of people in the room - may be a better choice in this case. 150-200GBP budget would be about equal to $235-310 in USD$ terms.

We'll use this thread for the Paris stay - what would be your desired star rating and which zone/s would be of interest? Additionally, what are the date/s of travel for this portion of the stay?

Please start new threads for the other destinations. Thanks.

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

[Romelle]

Looking forward to tips and advice.

You might enjoy these resources on this board:

The Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins in the Tools menu above. You can select your destination city and then see results other bidders have reported - both for PRICELINE and HOTWIRE.

The Search functions (top right) - both the "I Want To..." and the "Search.." below it. As an example, you could search on Paris and a particular zone name. Besides the winning bids above, you will see threads where people are just starting the process. Even ones where bidding has failed for some reason.

The Hotel Lists. These show all reported wins by location. You can get a better idea as to what you might win. Of course it is always possible to get an as-yet-unreported hotel, but I think that is part of the fun.

The Hotel Reviews - very last area on this site. The reviews here have a slightly different perspective than those on TripAdvisor, since the reviewers have gotten a bargain rate.

Romelle

[adhoc]

Many thanks to you both for the helpful suggestions. Apologies for the late reply.

This is a first trip to all these cities: Ams, Par, Col. I had been looking at Amsterdam as this is where our trip begins so hadn't looked into where we might stay in Paris as yet. I've been looking at the Tripadvisor forums for info on these cities. A quick look for Paris suggests 1st - 8th arrondissements might be ok for somewhere fairly central? Essentially we would prefer to be within short bus/metro rides to the main sights to see. I'd appreciate suggestions for zones I should therefore consider?

We will be in Paris 1 - 8 Aug. I would prefer value for money/bargains through eg. Hotwire, than budget hotels so 3*+ ? Is this do-able on our budget?

In the meantime I'll continue to explore your website for advice, tips and details on recent wins.

Thanks again.

[thereuare]

Is this do-able on our budget?

If you search HOTWIRE for 2rooms/2adults/3children does anything within your desired star rating, zone, and budget?

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

[adhoc]

Hello I'm back! I have been busy trying alternatives while dipping occasionally into this forum and priceline/hotwire.

I am not interested in Hotwire - whne I search by 4 adults (teens are aged 17 and 19) + 1 child, searches always throw up rooms for 4 adults only - I don't want the risk of a paid for booking I am unable to cancel where a child can only be added at extra cost.

I am wondering whether its worth simply bidding on 3 rooms and then asking any hotel I 'win' to perhaps gives us a larger room instead of 2 of the doubles?

The reason I say this is because I have been looking at various hotel booking sites inc. Accor, booking.com. Expedia, hotels.com, laterooms, lastminute.com, travel republic, agoda.com etc. (you see I have been busy trying the known hotels!). I ahve even looked at booking apartments to rent. For six nights I am easily heading into $2000+ for a triple+double, or an apartment in a desirable area for 5.

What are your thoughts on being able to stay within a total of $370 (inc. taxes and fees) per night for 3 rooms, within the following priceline zones:

Le Marais

Opera West

Opera East

Gare du Nord (I know, nothing above 3* here)

Latin Quarter

I am trying to find somewhere in the inner arrondissements (preferably 1-5, possibly 10) yet with easy access to metro and to Paris du Nord (ie. minimal line cahnges as we are arriving quite late).

Using priceline is it possible to get 4* rooms within my budget?

Through priceline express deals I found today a 3* at Gare du Nord area for $82 per room for 3 rooms, with wifi and breakfast. This is well within my budget (breakfast added bonus!) but from what I have read about the priceline star ratings I am reluctant to book without knowing it was definitlely a 3*. From your list the only 3* in this area is the Holiday Inn at Gare du L'Est.

As always your advice is much appreciated. Many thanks!

[thereuare]

I don't have any insight into this 3* property, but note that star ratings in Europe are more generous then their US counterparts... so this 3* is more likely equivalent to a 2*/2.5* in the US.

I would look at PRICELINE EXPRESS and the 4* Champs Elysees-Arc De Triomphe for $119/nite (which also has a 8.0/10.0 user review rating) along with COUPON CODE: Summer comes in right at your budget (or within a few dollars if i'm not mistaken)... at lower user review ratings (7.0/10.0) is the 4* Eiffel Tower hotel at $110/nite... 4* St. Germain at $115/nite.

As well, i'm not sure why you're giving up on HOTWIRE... if you've resolved to get 3 rooms on PRICELINE, why not also search HOTWIRE for 2rooms/3adults/2children? (your 17 year old is considered a child as per the HOTWIRE website).

Your thoughts?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... and please click each of these links before replying.

Thanks.

[adhoc]

Hello

thank you for those PRICELINE suggestions - I'm off to check them out now! One question about the ratings - the 7/10 would be based solely on priceline user reviews right? In your experience how do they compare to eg. tripadvisor or booking.com reviews (even ratings between these two vary wildly!).

With HOTWIRE, whenever I add in children (well 1 child), the results only ever turn up for the (4) adults? I'm worried about the child place not being included in the booking. I'll try the 3+2 combo and see what that yields.

Do you think I would be able to find (3) rooms using NYOP, within my budget for 4* hotels for the zones mentioned in my last post?

Incidentally, I first learned of your website/advice through MSE and posts by one of the travel board mods there (blindman), who recommends you highly!

[thereuare]

One question about the ratings - the 7/10 would be based solely on priceline user reviews right?

Yes, just from PRICELINE users. I have never take the time to do an in-depth comparison to the rating of other services other than the superficial "it has good ratings on both". Would a 7.0 PRICELINE hotel have a 3.5 TA rating... sure, that is something that i would expect (and it could just as easily be a little higher or a little lower), but you won't likely find a 9.0 PRICELINE rating and a 2.5/5.0 TA rating... they're generally not that far apart.

With HOTWIRE, whenever I add in children (well 1 child), the results only ever turn up for the (4) adults? I'm worried about the child place not being included in the booking.

I see what you mean, but i thin this is a bug in HOTWIRE's new interface. However, if you click BOOK NOW and proceed as if you were going to make the purchase, at the very last step (after you input your credit card information but before the final click to purchase) the occupancy should show correctly.

Do you think I would be able to find (3) rooms using NYOP, within my budget for 4* hotels for the zones mentioned in my last post?

Yes, as per the PRICELINE EXPRESS deals i posted, and using coupon code SUMMER i think you should be within your budget (and if not, then at least very close)

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.

Let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll advise accordingly.

[adhoc]

HOTWIRE prices today for a 4* using 3+2 for preferred (central) areas are above my budget and I don't wish to chance an iffy 3*. (Besides I found an Ibis styles triple + double through the Accor for less, that includes breakfast).

I may risk one night (3 rooms) at the 3* advertised on priceline .express for a 3* hotel located near Gare du Nord (we arrive at 8pm so would prefer not to lug bags around and taxi for 5 may be expensive). Will let you know how I get on. I may then continue to look for a more central hotel for the remainder of the visit. Our departure from Paris is on an evening Eurostar, so will need to ensure late checkout is allowed.

Once again thanks for your very helpful advice.

[thereuare]

Keep us updated on your progress and what you decide.

If you do go with the prieline express offer, please remember to note the amenities showing before your purchase and use the board's PRICELINE EXPRESS link and code SUMMER for 5* off.

Also, if you decide to go with the triple room note that we are an affiliate of Accor Hotels, please use this previous link (also found in our Support Page) for any hotel direct purchases you make there or thru any of the other hotel links provided.

Thanks.

[das_ubersoldat]

The reason I say this is because I have been looking at various hotel booking sites inc. Accor, booking.com. Expedia, Hotels.com, laterooms, lastminute.com, travel republic, agoda.com etc. (you see I have been busy trying the known hotels!).

You don't have to check these sites individually. Just use www.trivago.com which crawls all major booking sites.

[adhoc]

You don't have to check these sites individually. Just use www.trivago.com which crawls all major booking sites.

Thank you. I have looked at trivago too (and did again just now! and others that I haven't listed). The problem is that the trivago searches are based on a double room for 2, as are the expanded results. When I check further for other types of rooms, the deals are still for double occupancy only.

[adhoc]

Hi,

After much to-ing and fro-ing I decided not to bid through Priceline or Hotwire for our stay in Paris. I used lastminute.com (UK) to book the Hotel Magenta. As much as I would have loved to book a 4*, this hotel is within our budget, good metro links/near(ish) to Gare du Nord and gets decent TA reviews.

On a separate note, I didn't bother to post separately about Amsterdam. This is because after my first post here I decided to try bidding through NYOP. Rather recklessly I moved from bidding on 5* to adding 4* without following the guidance on re-bidding. I regretted it right away when I saw my offer was accepted. It turned out to be the NH Carlton - 3 rooms at $75 per night for 3 nights. On balance the total cost was within my budget, but after that scare I asked for help on this board about bidding for Paris!

Would you like me to list the 'win' as a separate thread for others?

Once again thanks for all the advice.

[thereuare]

Would you like me to list the 'win' as a separate thread for others?

Of course... your win can help another user in the future. Please post your Amsterdam win as a NEW TOPIC and include the star rating, city, zone, hotel name, room rate per nite, and dates of your stay... you can still view all of this information by going to PRICELINE and clicking the MY PROFILE >> MY TRIPS link near the top right of their home page.

Glad you found something that works for your needs for the Paris leg of your trip.

Thanks.

[Adeleg]

Although it seems as if you have pretty much completed your search, as a hotel professional having worked all over the world INCL Europe would like to mention that I do not see the following mentioned enough in replies for people looking to have more than 2 people in a room.

It is not whether you care or not if your kids/uncle/brother in law are squeezed into one room. There are VERY strict fire regulations in many European countries with regards to number of persons in a room, in some countries you are still required to hand over your passports. If you state you are 2 in the room, and there are more than 2, NO MATTER IF IT IS A 2 MONTH OLD INFANT - the hotel has the right to CANCEL your reservations with NO REFUND. And no, your cc company cannot back you up in these cases.

I really would like to see this fact mentioned more for those wanting to sneak in an extra person. And no, it does not matter if you "put it in the notes or special requests", or call the hotel after. Forewarned is forearmed, and don't yell at the reception on arrival if you have issues in this regard.

[das_ubersoldat]

never heard of that and i live and have travelled a lot in europe. most hotel websites don't give you the opportunity to book infants and/or state on their website that they are free of charge.

[Adeleg]

You may have is read my post - infants are an example. I am stating that you are legally required to state the correct number of persons at the time of making the booking. Trust me, i have magedhote reservations departments over 5800 rooms. YOU may not have heard about it it, or it may not have happened to you, but I am giving some advice so it does NOT happen to others. This is particularly prevalent in Europe.