bidding on price line for hotels

What city are you referring to?

So sorry, Amsterdam.

Be aware that Priceline doesn't support triples or quads. Hotwire, which can get you similar pricing, does allow for this.

You didn't say you wanted a triple, just throwing it out there in case.

Holy cow! Five star and seventy bucks don't fit in the same sentence. The l'Europe is probably one of the most expensive and rooms there push a grand per night. Where are these stars coming from, the hotels themselves?

I've used and highly recommend betterbidding.com, if you haven't heard of them, you should.
5* hotels in Amsterdam for $100 per night are very real. 4s often go for $80 or less. Now, a 5 hotel in Europe might only equate to 4*s in the US but do a little reseach, betterbidding.com is an amazing resource and guide to effectively bidding for empty rooms via Priceline. Leave to William Shatner to be ahead of the curve yet again!

You are correct. I've read bidding.com and it helped me with US hotels in the past. I wasn't sure if PL had the same deal in Europe. I also agree with you on the star levels. But it was suggested on trip advisor to bid on 5 stars first because all are located in the central area of Amsterdam and would be good buys whichever hotel you were given to purchase.
janines

I'd never heard of betterbidding.com so I thought I'd try it out. A few days ago I made reservations for a hotel in NYC, so I followed the instructions for betterbidding.com and it came up with a list of hotels and prices. The hotel I booked a few days ago was on the list but it was considerably more $ than what I got it for a few days ago by calling the hotel directly. Am I missing something?

Susan, what I think you are missing is the "Name your own price" option on priceline. When you select this option, you don't see the names of the hotels. You pick a location, dates, the number of "stars" for your hotel, and bid an amount. You also provide your credit card number. If you "win", the name of the hotel is then revealed to you and the hotel is booked. If you do not "win" your card is not charged. So with priceline "name your own price", you need to be willing to buy without knowing the specifics of the hotel.

Betterbidding is where people post tips and identify their winning bids. Biddingfortravel.com is similar.

Thanks Laura, I understand what you're saying, and I appreciate your response...I did put in an amount though after saying what dates and what neighborhood. But you did make it a little clearer, there must be different ways to do it and I didn't do it the way you've explained. Thanks!

Laura, I just tried it again and you're exactly right. The first time I did it I clicked on "shop and compare prices" not realizing I needed to scroll down farther for what you explained. Thanks very much!

After reading a similar post here a couple of weeks ago, I tried Hotwire for a hotel close to CDG (Paris) and scored the Hilton for $106 a night. We prefer small, family run hotels but opted to do this for convenience at the end of a 6 week trip we'll be taking in June/July when we will be tired and ready for a quick hop on the shuttle.

I am curious about how this works with regard to cancellations. If there is a problem, can you cancel and get your money back?

No refunds or changes permitted.

Thanks. Then I'd rather make reservations the regular way where I could cancel within 24-48 hours if need be.

For real emergencies, travel insurance would take care of it just like any other prepaid items. Also if you are looking at hotel 'best rates' they are often now prepaid, non-cancellable, non-refundable as well.
Though priceline will sometimes make exceptions for valid reasons, and will keep a fee for doing it.

Eli, I typically use priceline for last minute or when I need a hotel near an airport and don't particularly care which one. I would agree that they are not the right choice if you need flexibility.

Priceline offers cancellation insurance for just $5 per room per night. I've never taken the insurance though. I figure that if I can get a $350 room for $70, its worth the gamble and I don't have much to lose. I have used Priceline countless times and have never, ever been disappointed. Sure, you give up flexibility, but you get to stay in total luxury for Motel 6 rates. When I'm paying a fraction of the rack rate,I don't expect extra privileges. However, that being said, one time in a 4 star hotel my daughters and I were upgraded to suites when the hotel was not very busy. Not bad for a $75 Priceline bid! In fact, we have never had so much as a raised eyebrow from front desk people over the use of Priceline. In every instance we have been treated extremely well. Priceline helps hotels fill their rooms and is an excellent way for smart, well organized travelers to upgrade.