Using Priceline.com for Hotel in Paris?

Jenny I have not used Priceline and don't think I would bother, they will just put you in a big chain hotel.. which to me is yuck. I find that the hunt for a cute hotel in an area I like is part of the fun.. you can usaully get a good deal by booking hotel directly on their website.

Priceline might be good for people who like big chain hotels( some people do ) .

For the simple reason as you stated, you won't know what you get until you've won a bid, It's not worth it. You could end up somewhere you might not like, also I used Priceline when they first came into the market and got a great deal in Phoenix, but if I didn't have a car it wouldn't have worked out, I used them one other time, I went up to Seattle a few years ago for a Seahawks game, I used Priceline, the place I got was not near downtown, (if they don't accept your bid you are locked out so to speak of an area, can't bid for that area for a period of time)I ended up by the University, OK place but not convienent. Personally I don't think Priceline is worth the effort it once was. And being this is Paris there are so many other options out there.

yeah, Barry's priceline Settle example is spot on. Bidding for Seattle, you can wind up down at the airport which is 25mins from downtown with some pretty lame (comparatively) public transpo options.

Paris has soooo many hotels, I'd trip to shop around and book with one directly if you can! :)

In Paris, the areas are "iffy" - each area defined by priceline is partly terrific and partly somewhat remote. OTOH in Amsterdam, the areas are good. Lately some really great bargains have been found - rooms in 4* and 5* hotels under $100 with rack rates of $250-$500.

try mister bed city neet to shopping center and metro.

Actually in Chris' example, you would not get the airport unless you check the airport box. I have used Priceline in major European cities and got some city center bargains. But Pat is correct in that you will get a huge business hotel and not a quaint cute place.

Barry QUIT SELLING. I pretty much won't use your site for anything at this point!

To the OP. www.betterbidding.com Much more helpful info then you seem to be getting on here. I have done this. I was going in the summer and wanted to be sure of Air Conditioning. Got a nice hotel for under $100 (probably under $80, it's been a while)

I would do it again! Just depends. Just booked a Hotwire hotel for near an airport on my next trip since I have a 6 am departure! For $109 I am at the Shearton in CDG. Due to the early flight time I was going to have to deal with a Taxi to get to the airport..... So by the time you add in the cost of the night before and the taxi, this was cheaper. Just take the RER out there late the night before my flight...

Another option would be to rent an apartment in Paris. I did so last year and had a great place and a great time. Try vacationinparis.com. They are a US based company. The website is nicely laid out and you can review many of their apartments and the dates that are open.

Carol, I was thrown for a moment when you said Barry QUIT SELLING and you won't use my site, being that I don't have a site I was confused a bit! I didn't look at the names of the responders at first but I see me and someone else with the same name, however he spells his with a small b and is from somewhere called bur. It can be a little disconcerning when someone posts on the same message and has the same name and their response comes into question.

Barry,
Sorry I didn't realize the capitalization was a problem. (Didn't realize there were two folks with the same name on here!)

berry (with a little b) seems to be a troll for some website. ALL of his responses to ANY question are to go this website LOL!

I have had a good experience with parisinfo.com, which is run by the hotel association of Paris. Almost all hotels in the city are posted on there, and the website frequently offers big discounts (50% or sometimes more) for certain hotels. You have the ability to take a look at the details for each hotel - including its name and location - before deciding to book there.

Hi Jenny,

As mentioned above, Priceline is good at large chain hotels many of which are used mostly for business purposes and many of which have excess rooms available which Priceline can discount. The discounting means that to some extent these hotels are overpriced in the first place. If you are traveling on business and want a room in a chain type hotel, you might consider it.

Paris holds out the possibility of small hotels of character and identity with their own neighborhood. These are quite different than a typical chain and they are often available directly on the internet at very reasonable prices.

Jenny,

I use priceline all the time. If you really know what you are doing you can get some phenomenal deals on some very good properties. I don't see how I could turn down a 5 star chain hotel on the left Bank for under 100 euros. I don't spend much time in my hotel while traveling anyway. Others may see it differently, of course.

Check out www.biddingfortravel.com for strategies and help, if interested.

Gene did you really get a five star for under 100 euros , do you mind me askings which one? Even I would be interested in that, as long as it is not in timbuktu! LOL

After posting for a hotel in Paris the night before a 12 noon flight from CDG, getting responses and checking with tripadvisor forum I decided to stay by the airport. I used priceline and did get a fantastic rate for a 4 star about 80 euro. I know of success with priceline, mostly in the states and they all seem to be 4-5 star Hilton, Hyatt and Sheratons, so if that is what you are looking for it may work for you. If this is a repeat visit to Paris and you arent concerned with location I would go for it. Would I do it next time (8th visit)? Yes

I have used Priceline quite a bit in the US (especially in Seattle) and I would agree, if you know what you're doing, you can get a pretty good deal on a hotel room...chain or not. The key is to know the strategies to bidding on Priceline. I would recommend if you are going to use Priceline in the US or in Europe to visit sites such as biddingfortravel.com. They can explain the strategies to utilize Priceline to your advantage and to see winning bids for cities you may be interested in. Great resource. The bottom line with Priceline is you need to know exactly the parameters of their service, and the limitations that come with it.

If you want to stay in a chain hotel, priceline can be great. If you want to stay in a small, family run place, do your homework then call the place direct to book so that some agency doesn't take a 30% cut from that hotels price.

My first trip to Paris we were there for 5 nights. I got a good deal through Expedia - stay 4 nights get the 5th night free. The hotel was not a large chain. Our trip this past holiday season we rented an apartment. It was great to have the extra space, a kitchen, etc. You don't say how long you will be there, but I highly recommend an apartment if you will be there for more than a few days. We got ours through VRBO. I have used priceline in the states, but only did the "name your own price" deal when location was not that important. I wouldn't do it if you want to be in a certain location.

Jenny
I don't use priceline but I DO use hotwire.com, which is similar.

I did not use it in Paris (as I rented an apartment instead) but I DID use it in London, and got the Hilton Wardorf for $111 a night (that's dollars, not pounds!) and that included tax.

I basically pick a hotel that is at least 3 stars and use the icons to see what ammenities they offer (ie: restaurant on site, business center, etc.).

Knock on wood. I've been very happy with the hotels I've received and have used it all over Canada and the US as well.