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Thank you for that info everyone. I was fooled into thinking those websites could actually save you money.
Umm, they can.
I usually look at their packages and then go price the items separately for comparison.
I just saved alot of money on lodging on my recent trip to London.
You do have to shop around.
I book around 1000 hotel nights per year through priceline (250 my own on average) and never have any problems. I love the site. Spider sites like kayak are my preferred method for booking flights and rental car because they link you to the direct sites as well. Completely disagree that you can find better deals going direct with hotels. Not a fan of the rewards programs, built up a crapton of points with wyndham rewards a while back and they didnt last long when I needed them
I have never used any other these sights...... I do not like to put out money and then have something happen and try to get my money back.....
For hotels I deal directly with the hotel websites.. I am a member of many and then I only have to put my cc number and they hold it no money spent until i get there....
Update: I went to Priceline.com to try to book a car for my upcoming trip next month. Priceline.com's one day rental via Enterprise (as one example) was $40, including taxes and fees (the car rental alone was $29). This is a rental from LGA and for either a mid-size SUV or full SUV. With that, I thought that I'd try the "name your own price." Surprisingly, and rather disappointingly, my bids for less than that amount were all rejected and the site recommended that I bid substantially more to have a better chance of being selected. That is insane and a ripoff, and is exactly why I will never solely try a NYOP when searching for a car (in fact, it'll be among the last things I try).
I have saved a tremendous amount of money using Priceline. Quite often, you save 50-60% off the best rate available at the hotel's own website.
In over 200 bookings, I have never had a problem with a Priceline booking. Well once, the hotel's server was not working and the clerk had to call the Priceline 800 number.
I have had MORE problems with booking through some of the hotel chain websites where my reservation was "mysteriously lost" on a night that they were sold out.
I realize this is an old thread I'm bumping, so perhaps if this member is no longer around someone else can assist me?
I'm a very budget-conscious traveler. My partner and I both turn 30 soon, and although we've been together for nearly six years we've never been on a "real" vacation together because we each earn sub-$15/hr.
We have already been approved for time off so that we can do a 3-day/2-night trip to Niagara Falls, NY and Buffalo, NY for 10/29-10/31. I wanted to stay in Downtown Buffalo since we're "city types" and figure Niagara Falls, NY can be done easily in just a half-day---Goat Island, Cave of the Winds, Maid of the Mist.
I've never used a site like Orbitz/Expedia/Travelocity/Priceline, etc before. I just went on Priceline and found a 3-star hotel in Downtown Buffalo for $57/night. There are a couple of "meh" 2-star/3-star hotels in Downtown Buffalo, but we don't mind staying in one of them since the location is ideal. We're okay with no gym/no pool/no breakfast/dated decor.
My one fear? In the fine print I read that your reservation is only guaranteed by Priceline for "the day of check-in". Does this mean I may arrive to check-in and be told at the front desk that we need to check out the next morning and find another hotel with same-day vacancy? Would I then have to battle Priceline for a refund of our second night's stay, or would I just be out the money since it's not "guaranteed"? Has anyone had this problem before? I'm so tempted to book through Priceline simply because everything else in DOWNTOWN Buffalo I can find via TripAdvisor and direct hotel web sites is closer to the ballpark of $150/night. Paying less than that for two nights, including fees and taxes, seems like a no-brainer.
Check prices for the Canadian side of the Falls if you've got enhanced driver's license/passport card in place that will let you across the border and back. It's actually very nice, the exchange rate against the loonie is quite good right now, and Ontario has put a fair amount of work into having other things to do besides just looking at water.
My one fear? In the fine print I read that your reservation is only guaranteed by Priceline for "the day of check-in". Does this mean I may arrive to check-in and be told at the front desk that we need to check out the next morning and find another hotel with same-day vacancy? Would I then have to battle Priceline for a refund of our second night's stay, or would I just be out the money since it's not "guaranteed"? Has anyone had this problem before? I'm so tempted to book through Priceline simply because everything else in DOWNTOWN Buffalo I can find via TripAdvisor and direct hotel web sites is closer to the ballpark of $150/night. Paying less than that for two nights, including fees and taxes, seems like a no-brainer.
This is an Express Deal, right?
If so, then it's a prepaid booking ... PL is simply selling the room on behalf of the hotel so you've paid for the whole stay (no refunds, cancellations, etc). In other words, don't worry about it.
This is an Express Deal, right?
If so, then it's a prepaid booking ... PL is simply selling the room on behalf of the hotel so you've paid for the whole stay (no refunds, cancellations, etc). In other words, don't worry about it.
Thank you! It's indeed an Express Deal. I just made the reservation! Two nights for less than the price of one night listed via the web site for the same hotel. I would have been happy even if it was a Bates Motel---as long as the location was where I wanted. I'm glad you're able to filter by city neighborhoods for larger city. I was able to nix hotels that were outside the city near the airport.
I wonder why the price was so low, though? Maybe demand is very low for that weekend, and the hotel would rather book the rooms at half-price than not book them at all?
Thank you! It's indeed an Express Deal. I just made the reservation! Two nights for less than the price of one night listed via the web site for the same hotel. I would have been happy even if it was a Bates Motel---as long as the location was where I wanted. I'm glad you're able to filter by city neighborhoods for larger city. I was able to nix hotels that were outside the city near the airport.
I wonder why the price was so low, though? Maybe demand is very low for that weekend, and the hotel would rather book the rooms at half-price than not book them at all?
Downtown Buffalo is cheap for a reason. It is NOT particularly close to Niagara Falls. You should not have any problems there.
If you are in Buffalo, stop at the two Karpeles manuscript museums in town. They are both very interesting and FREE.
Also, remember that you are in a major wine country area.
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