Priceline Hotel: 4* Fort Lauderdale (Ft Lauderdale Beach Area) B Ocean Resort

[PDB_905]

Not too bad for a 4* hotel on the beach in high season.  Opening bid was $135.  PL counteroffered $188, I started a new bid adding a free rebid zone.  $152 accepted.  Was hoping for the W, Westin, or Marriott, but this will do for the price.

 

Hotel lists a best rate of $314/night for those dates.  Opaque sites have a best rate of $287.

 

One thing I'm unsure about - below you see a "hotel fee" (I assume equivalent to a daily "resort fee") of $40.  But it is not reflected in the total charged.  I guess that means I pay the hotel directly when I get there?  Unless the $51.08 taxes & fees includes the $40 hotel fee, but I doubt that.

 

Started all bids via BB's PRICELINE link.  Thanks again.

 

Offer price:$152.00/night

Hotel fee:$40.00

Number of rooms:1 room

Number of nights:2 nights

Room subtotal:$304.00

Taxes & fees:$51.08

Total charged today:  $355.08

[PDB_905]

BTW, sorry, I meant NON-opaque sites have a best rate of $287.

 

So I've never really used PRICELINE EXPRESS before, and I decided to do a search for the same dates.  It gave almost the exact same rate for a 4*, which I'd be willing to bet was the same hotel.

 

I've been doing PL Name Your Own Price bids for years and have done really well, but I'd like to know more about PRICELINE EXPRESS.  Am I basically wasting my time still making all these bids when I can find the same deal on PRICELINE EXPRESS?

 

Is there a topic where I can go to educate myself more on the differences between PRICELINE EXPRESS and PL Name Your Own Price?

Thanks!

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success.

 

Very nice win for this Fort Lauderdale property. Glad you are satisfied with the result. 

Resort fees are paid at the hotel.

 

PRICELINE EXPRESS is like HOTWIRE in that you are presented with a set of listings for your dates that offer some information (some amenities, star rating, zone) and are told the name of the hotel after purchase. Given that they are less opaque than bidding, PRICELINE EXPRESS is usually slightly-to-moderately more expensive than bidding. Please let us know if you have any questions at all.

 

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

 

Enjoy your stay.

[thereuare]

To add to the above re: PRICELINE EXPRESS vs. PRICELINE bidding...

 

Putting price aside, the advantage(s) of PRICELINE EXPRESS vs. bidding on PRICELINE are:

-you can guess at the hotel being offered

-ensure a hotel that is well reviewed

-guarantee certain amenities that may be important for a given stay

 

The above may be worth the few dollars extra that PRICELINE EXPRESS may ultimately cost vs. bidding, but as we usually have a priceline coupon available for an additional discount, the difference between bidding and a PRICELINE EXPRESS deal becomes even less

 

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

[PDB_905]

Thanks for the info.  Good to know.

[thereuare]

You're welcome... we're happy to help!