# Have you successfully used Priceline for hotel/car?



## DianeH (Apr 14, 2009)

We need hotel accomadations in Modesto Calif and a car rental (Sacramento airport) for 4 nights.  We are thinking about using Priceline but I've never used it and I am afraid we'll get a hotel too far away from my aunt in Modesto.

Anyone used them?

Thanks
Diane


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## Luanne (Apr 14, 2009)

Yes.

I've used them successfully for both hotels (San Francisco and Porland) and cars (San Diego and Hawaii).

I'm sure you've already read the tips about going to biddingfortravel.com first to see what kind of bids are being accepted.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Apr 14, 2009)

DianeH said:


> We need hotel accomadations in Modesto Calif and a car rental (Sacramento airport) for 4 nights.  We are thinking about using Priceline but I've never used it and I am afraid we'll get a hotel too far away from my aunt in Modesto.
> 
> Anyone used them?
> 
> ...



I use Priceline (and Hotwire) extensively for exactly that type of travel.  My only PL Sacramento rental was to visit in-laws in Turlock.

As regards location in Modesto, there is a map that indicates the areas within which hotels are located.  Often, if you know what hotels are regularly being offered or that are accepting bids in an area, you can have a good idea of where you will be.  

IMHO - Biddingfortravel.com is the best site for PL info but has no HW info.  betterbidding.com is essential if you investigating Hotwire.


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## Luanne (Apr 14, 2009)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> IMHO - Biddingfortravel.com is the best site for PL info but has no HW info.  betterbidding.com is essential if you investigating Hotwire.



You know, that's the site I meant.  I'm going back to edit my original post.


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## AwayWeGo (Apr 14, 2009)

*Yay PriceLine Dot Com.*

We've had more success using PriceLine for hotels than we have for plane tickets & car rentals. 

For $25 per night, we stayed at StayBridge Suites (outstanding) in Jacksonville FL March 13-16, 2009.  We got a spacious 1BR suite with luxury bathroom, big wide-sreen TVs in bedroom _and_ living room, fully equipped mini-kitchen, free breakfast every morning -- not just pop-tarts & Tang, but real foods, including eggs or omelets with sausage or ham.  Yum.  

Now we're working on a 3-star hotel in New York City at a ridiculous price for May 2, when we're heading up there to take in an off-Broadway evening performance of Our Town.

If PriceLine doesn't come through, we'll take whatever looks best over at HotWire Dot Com. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## DeniseM (Apr 14, 2009)

Hmmmm.....I was going to look up some biddingfortravel info. for you, but it's been changed to biddingfortravel.yuku.com and they say I've been banned???  Anybody else try to log in?

Note that your bid is binding and you will be charged immediately if it's accepted.  I would start bidding really low for Modesto.  You can alway rebid in 24 hours. Modesto is very small - as long as you pick a zone IN Modesto and at least a 3 Star you should be OK.


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## julienjay (Apr 14, 2009)

BETTERBIDDING.COM is great.


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## dougp26364 (Apr 14, 2009)

DeniseM said:


> Hmmmm.....I was going to look up some biddingfortravel info. for you, but it's been changed to biddingfortravel.yuku.com and they say I've been banned???  Anybody else try to log in?
> 
> Note that your bid is binding and you will be charged immediately if it's accepted.  I would start bidding really low for Modesto.  You can alway rebid in 24 hours. Modesto is very small - as long as you pick a zone IN Modesto and at least a 3 Star you should be OK.



If it's the same person running that site and that person feels they've been slighted by you or, you challange their knowledge in any way, I can see them banning you. It didn't take me long to get tired of that high toned I-know-everything-and-you-know-nothing tone she took with me a couple of times when I questioned something to get me to NOT participate on that site. 

I suppose the next step was to ban anyone they didn't want from even reading the site. Makes prefect sense to me.


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## DeniseM (Apr 14, 2009)

I agree, but I haven't posted there for several years, and I've never been banned, but I still use it as a reference....I guess I won't be any more!


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## grest (Apr 14, 2009)

We use Priceline for hotels all the time...not always for car rentals, because I often can find better elsewhere. 
Connie


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## falmouth3 (Apr 14, 2009)

I've gotten a number of car rentals through priceline.  I just experienced a first today though.  I've had a car rental reservation (not a prepay) through priceline for months.  It's for an October vacation.  They just called to tell me that the car vendor isn't at that location anymore so I have to make another reservation.


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## Talent312 (Apr 14, 2009)

I've used PL successfully for hotels successfully on several occasions, the last time being the Hilton near White Plains, NY.  However, whatever you use it for, you need to be damn sure that you'll be there, come hell or high water, since its prepaid and non-refundable. I personally know someone who "lost" his car rental to a family emergency, and we recently heard from someone who made a mistake in his dates.


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## x3 skier (Apr 15, 2009)

Used them several times for car rentals but not hotels. I have always been satisfied with the car deals but being an "elite" in hotel programs, I can usually get a better deal booking direct.

Cheers


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## bogey21 (Apr 15, 2009)

I have saved a bunch of money renting cars from Priceling approximately 24 hours from pickup.  I always have a reservation in my pocket which I have already managed down to the lowest cost available.  Once I lock in a car via Priceline, I cancel the existing reservation.  

George


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## falmouth3 (Apr 15, 2009)

bogey21 said:


> I have saved a bunch of money renting cars from Priceling approximately 24 hours from pickup.  I always have a reservation in my pocket which I have already managed down to the lowest cost available.  Once I lock in a car via Priceline, I cancel the existing reservation.
> 
> George


I do something similar.  I lock in a reservation at the best price available early in my planning process.  I will check on prices a number of times before my trip and make new reservations if the prices go down.  Then I cancel the previous reservation.  

Sue


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## Sthack (Apr 15, 2009)

julienjay said:


> BETTERBIDDING.COM is great.



Ditto!
Actually, I find that this site's participating hotel list is more updated than 'biddingfortravel'.  Plus, their moderator is A LOT friendlier than the moderator on 'biddingfortravel'!!


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## DeniseM (Apr 15, 2009)

I can't get into biddingfortravel.com (I've been banned?) and betterbidding.com does not list any hotels for Modesto, but Priceline lists a 2.5 Star hotel in Salida which is right on the north edge of Modesto on Hwy. 99.  None of the other zones/cities listed for "Modesto" are actually as close as Salida, nor as convenient.  I live in Modesto and there area a couple of new mid-range hotels in Salida, so my guess is that it's one of them.  Using their conventional (not bidding) reservation system, Priceline lists the following Salida hotels:
La Quinta
Fairfield Inn
They are both newer and either one would be fine.

Priceline also lists several Modesto Hotels that can be booked with their conventional reservation system, so you might want to check those out as well.


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## bluehende (Apr 15, 2009)

AwayWeGo said:


> We've had more success using PriceLine for hotels than we have for plane tickets & car rentals.
> 
> For $25 per night, we stayed at StayBridge Suites (outstanding) in Jacksonville FL March 13-16, 2009.  We got a spacious 1BR suite with luxury bathroom, big wide-sreen TVs in bedroom _and_ living room, fully equipped mini-kitchen, free breakfast every morning -- not just pop-tarts & Tang, but real foods, including eggs or omelets with sausage or ham.  Yum.
> 
> ...




Alan;
     What star level was this.  We have a 2 1/2 star in Jacksonville for Apr25 that we got for 22 + fees.  Its a Best Western.  It also has some kind of breakfast.  We need 1 night for our return so would love a room that comes recommended even if it is 3 whole dollars more.

Wayne


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Apr 15, 2009)

DeniseM said:


> I can't get into biddingfortravel.com (I've been banned?) and betterbidding.com does not list any hotels for Modesto, but Priceline lists a 2.5 Star hotel in Salida which is right on the north edge of Modesto on Hwy. 99.  None of the other zones/cities listed for "Modesto" are actually as close as Salida, nor as convenient.  I live in Modesto and there area a couple of new mid-range hotels in Salida, so my guess is that it's one of them.  Using their conventional (not bidding) reservation system, Priceline lists the following Salida hotels:
> La Quinta
> Fairfield Inn
> They are both newer and either one would be fine.
> ...



BFT lists the following hotels in Modesto area that have been reported on Priceline:


2.5 Star: Courtyard Modesto

2 Star: Ramada Inn Modesto; Clarion Modesto (formerly Red Lion)


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## AwayWeGo (Apr 15, 2009)

*Yay PriceLine Dot Com.*




bluehende said:


> Alan;
> What star level was this.  We have a 2 1/2 star in Jacksonville for Apr25 that we got for 22 + fees.  Its a Best Western.  It also has some kind of breakfast.  We need 1 night for our return so would love a room that comes recommended even if it is 3 whole dollars more.
> 
> Wayne


The $25 room (suite, actually) that we got via PriceLine at StayBridge Suites in Jacksonville FL was 2½ stars. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## DianeH (Apr 15, 2009)

Thanks everyone.
I did bid on the Courtyard in Modesto but didn't get it.  Some previous winning bids were around $38 so I bid $35 as a start.  I'll bid $37 tonight, 24 hours later.

I can't change my area as we need to be close to an elderly relative.  Its a short trip to spend time with her so want travel time not an issue.

I also found a good car rental through Hotwire.  Economy (Dollar) (hopefully they will upgrade us as our flight gets in at 4PM) for $150 inclusive.  Orbitz was second with a rental from Budget for $188.

We've still got a couple of weeks to search.....I appreciate all your advice.

Diane


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Apr 15, 2009)

DianeH said:


> Thanks everyone.
> I did bid on the Courtyard in Modesto but didn't get it.  Some previous winning bids were around $38 so I bid $35 as a start.  I'll bid $37 tonight, 24 hours later.
> 
> I can't change my area as we need to be close to an elderly relative.  Its a short trip to spend time with her so want travel time not an issue.
> ...


Is there a reason why you're not looking at Priceline and Hotwire for that car rental out of Sacramento???


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## DeniseM (Apr 15, 2009)

DianeH said:


> I can't change my area as we need to be close to an elderly relative.  Its a short trip to spend time with her so want travel time not an issue.



Diane - Salida and Modesto have grown into each other on the north side of Modesto, so Salida is practically part of Modesto now.  Salida probably has lower occupancy and is a bit lower in price than the Modesto zone, as well.


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## DianeH (Apr 15, 2009)

Hi Denise, the zone 3 which I am bidding on is Modesto/Salida.  I meant I didn't want to go farther, as in Stockton.

My best rate was with Hotwire.


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## Clintshare (Apr 17, 2009)

DeniseM said:


> Hmmmm.....I was going to look up some biddingfortravel info. for you, but it's been changed to biddingfortravel.yuku.com and they say I've been banned???  Anybody else try to log in?
> 
> Note that your bid is binding and you will be charged immediately if it's accepted.  I would start bidding really low for Modesto.  You can alway rebid in 24 hours. Modesto is very small - as long as you pick a zone IN Modesto and at least a 3 Star you should be OK.




Denise, I've been banned also. Have no idea why. I have asked to be unbanned a number of times. I ended up generating another yahoo address and reregistering at bidding for travel, just so I could leave comments and bidds for others. BFT is a GREAT resouce for current bids.  

I just Pricelined to San Francisco at 70 bucks (with tax) at Fish Wharf. Staying there before heading o timeshare up the coast.


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## DianeH (Apr 20, 2009)

Denise, do you know if there is a large convention in Modesto May 3rd week?  I'm having trouble with Priceline, although I haven't gone higher than $40 for a 2 1/2*.  I really want to get the Marriott Courtyard.

I got a car rental on Hotwire last week - an Economy from Dollar at $27.52 day.  Pleased with that but since I can cancel I'll keep trying Priceline.

This is alot of fun and I do hope I can low-bid for the Marriott as well! 

Diane


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## DianeH (Apr 21, 2009)

OK now I've got another question:

I am bidding strickly on a 2 1/2 star property (Priceline shows only one which is the one I want - Marriott Courtyard). My last bid of $40 was rejected.

Hotwire will give me a 2 1/2 star property for $49 but it lists 'Holiday Inn Express, Amerisuites, Country Inn and other hotel brands' but doesn't mention Marriott.

If my bid on Priceline is ever accepted, will I get the Marriott or will I get another property?

Thanks for the advice
Diane


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## AwayWeGo (Apr 21, 2009)

*1 Never Know, Do 1 ?*




DianeH said:


> If my bid on Priceline is ever accepted, will I get the Marriott or will I get another property?



PriceLine is like a box of Forrest Gump chocolates -- you never know what you'll get. 

For years we've been booking PriceLine 2- & 2½-star rooms in Jacksonville FL, usually getting something along the lines of AmeriSuites or Extended Stay America, etc. -- basically, a plain-vanilla motel room with micro kitchen in 1 corner. 

Last time (i.e., last month), we snagged a near-new StayBridge Suites true 1BR suite with living room & mini-kitchen (dishwasher & all) in a nice Jacksonville South location featuring heated pool, hot-tub spa, & free hot breakfast daily.  All that for $25 a night + tax & PriceLine fee. 

We're up to $80 on our PriceLine offer for an NYC 2½-star or better hotel room for early next month.  We're putting in 1 offer per day, ratcheting up our offer $1 at a time till something goes through.  I'm guessing that when we reach $85 or so, they'll give us the SoHo Holiday Inn.  

Plan B, which is looking more & more attractive, is to switch to HotWire Dot Com & take a nice 3½- or 4-star hotel at the going HotWire rate.  We still won't know what hotel it is till the deal goes through & we're past the point of no return. 

So it goes. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## gorevs9 (Apr 21, 2009)

*Priceline Car Rental*

Recently, I got a good deal on a Avis rental through Priceline.  When I picked up the car, the Avis rep told me if I return the car earlier than what the contract stated, than the contract would be "void" and I would have to pay a different rate.  That didn't make any sense to me, but I didn't pursue it.  I realize that I wouldn't get a refund from an early return, but I would not expect to get charged more.  Has anyone heard of this with Priceline car rentals


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Apr 21, 2009)

DianeH said:


> OK now I've got another question:
> 
> I am bidding strickly on a 2 1/2 star property (Priceline shows only one which is the one I want - Marriott Courtyard). My last bid of $40 was rejected.
> 
> ...


Your best source of info on this are the betterbidding and biddingfortravel websites referenced previously.

That being said, the general consensus is that Hotwire awards star ratings more liberally than Priceline and you should deduct one-half to one star from the HW rating to make it comparable to the PL rating.  That is only a general guide, though, as there are many examples where both sites give the same ranking to the same hotels.

What you should do is review those sites to see what hotels you are likely to receive from either system for your locales, and decide what is the appropriate level for you for that transaction.  

And there is never a guarantee that you will get a specific facility.  Even if a certain hotel is the only one that has ever been reported for a given rating in a certain locale, hotels are added to and dropped from the inventories regularly.

If you want to be sure you are getting a specific hotel your only choice is to book that hotel directly.  Using the PL bidding option or accepting a Hotwire offer never guarantees a specific facility.  All you can do is collect the available information and take a chance that your background work was adequate and that there hasn't been a change in inventory.


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## DeniseM (Apr 21, 2009)

DianeH said:


> OK now I've got another question:
> 
> I am bidding strickly on a 2 1/2 star property (Priceline shows only one which is the one I want - Marriott Courtyard). My last bid of $40 was rejected.
> 
> ...



There is a Holiday Inn Express, but no Amerisuites, or Country Inn.  So my best guess is that it's Holiday Inn Express.  If you go to www.betterbidding.com and go to the hotel list, they tell you how to figure out what Hotwire hotel it may be based on the amenities listed.

Modesto is not a large convention kind of town.


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## stratusnj75 (Apr 21, 2009)

Earlier this month using Priceline I got a room directly across the street from Camden Yards in Baltimore for $90.  This room on expedia or travelocity was $229.  It was a brand new Hilton.
  Just the other day, I booked a full size car in Orlando for 9 days at $17 dollars a day.  Hotwire was floating between $22-25 p/day and direct thru any of the car companys was well above $30.
  I have always been happy the couple of times I have used Priceline.

Devin


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## DianeH (Apr 22, 2009)

*Oh No, It Happened*

I'm so disappointed.  I bid on the Hotwire 2 1/2* and got the *Clarion*!  All the reviews on Tripadvisor are horrible.  I didn't even consider the Clarion, since Hotwire gave Holiday Inn, etc as examples of quality.  I suppose the only good thing is I paid only $49 a night but by the sounds of it, its not worth that.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Apr 22, 2009)

DianeH said:


> I'm so disappointed.  I bid on the Hotwire 2 1/2* and got the *Clarion*!  All the reviews on Tripadvisor are horrible.  I didn't even consider the Clarion, since Hotwire gave Holiday Inn, etc as examples of quality.  I suppose the only good thing is I paid only $49 a night but by the sounds of it, its not worth that.



Well,  I tried to tell you that 2.5* on Hotwire is not the same as 2.5* on Priceline. Personally, since I'm almost never interested in anything less than 2.5* on Priceline, I don't consider anything on HW that isn't at least 3*.

Also had you done the research that was suggested to you earlier in this thread you would have known that the hotel Hotwire was offering you was likely either the Clarion or the La Quinta.  Further, there are enough differences in amenities between those two facilities that you likely could have deduced it was the Clarion by comparing the lists of amenities in the HW offer with the lists of amenities available at those two facilities.

******

Anyway, I'm sure that if you try booking a room straight over the internet you'll find that anything available that is less than $49 is a lot worse quality than the Clarion.  So I'm sure you still got a good deal and you shouldn't beat yourself up about it.  So you didn't get exactly what you want; but as with timeshare exchanges you got something that ought to work for you, particularly at the price you paid.


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## DianeH (Apr 22, 2009)

Yes I did take your advice but I was not offered anything in Modesto higher than 2 1/2*.  I based my decison on the quality examples Hotwire gave.  Since Modesto did not have two of the three hotels given, I thought I'd get the Holiday Inn Express.  Live and Learn.  Hissy fit over


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Apr 22, 2009)

DianeH said:


> Yes I did take your advice but I was not offered anything in Modesto higher than 2 1/2*.  I based my decison on the quality examples Hotwire gave.  Since Modesto did not have two of the three hotels given, I thought I'd get the Holiday Inn Express.  Live and Learn.  Hissy fit over


Better bidding showed two 2.5* hotels in their list of Hotwire offers for Modesto, one of which is the Clarion.  From that you should have known you had close to a 50% chance of winding up at the Clarion, and by comparing amenities you probably would have knocked that closer to 100%.  The fact that you are surprised and/or disappointed that you wound up with the Clarion indicates clearly that you didn't follow the advice that was given you.  

I don't see why the hissy fit.


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## DianeH (Apr 22, 2009)

Hi
Re BetterBidding - I still can't find what you are referring to.  I did read the posts on what hotels bidders got.  So yes I didn't take your advice although I did think so at the time.   
The 'Hissy Fit' was because I didn't get the hotel I wanted.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Apr 22, 2009)

DianeH said:


> Hi
> Re BetterBidding - I still can't find what you are referring to.  I did read the posts on what hotels bidders got.  So yes I didn't take your advice although I did think so at the time.
> The 'Hissy Fit' was because I didn't get the hotel I wanted.



At BetterBidding there is the forum on Hotwire bidding for California - same one at which you posted there.  At the top of that forum is a pinned link for *"Hotwire Hotel Lists - California"*.  As I type this thread, it is directly above your thread on that board.

Open that thread and look for listings for Modesto (might be included with Stockton).


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## DianeH (Apr 22, 2009)

I didn't even look at Stockton because its in another zone.  Lesson learned.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Apr 22, 2009)

DianeH said:


> I didn't even look at Stockton because its in another zone.  Lesson learned.



When looking for lesser cities you always need to look carefully, and sometimes plug in other cities.  If often hit Ctl-F and do a text search for the city name.

******

Also zones don't often mean much, as both PL and Hotwire regularly change zone boundaries, create new zones, and delete existing zones.  So even though Modesto showed as a different zone from Stockton, at the time that thread was created they might have been part of the same zone.


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## happymum (Apr 24, 2009)

gorevs9 said:


> if I return the car earlier than what the contract stated, than the contract would be "void" and I would have to pay a different rate.



This is from the Priceline website :

You can always return your car earlier than your scheduled drop-off time but priceline cannot issue any refunds for unused time. Our rental car partners choose whether to accept your offer based on the exact combination of pick-up date, drop-off date, car type and location you select while on our website. As a result, your accepted price reflects savings that may not have been offered to you with any other combination. We know our no refunds policy is strict, but it's the agreement that keeps this great service available and the reason the major car rental companies allow you to save so much money with priceline.


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## robertk1 (Apr 24, 2009)

We have used Priceline several times, always getting something nice. I love bidding $50/nite for a 4 star hotel and getting it!

Did Niagra Falls in the Renaissance for $55/nite. Top notch view of the falls from our window. Indoor pool had a waterfall. Kids loved it.


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## jehb2 (Apr 25, 2009)

I've had some very good experiences with Priceline hotel.  Once I got such a great deal my husband was able come with me to a conference.


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## dreamin (Apr 25, 2009)

I have always used Hotwire because I can specify 1 room/4 people.  How does this work with Priceline when there are 4 people traveling together who want to share one room (we are all sisters)?  Does the hotel have to provide enough beds to accommodate us or do I have to reserve 2 rooms?


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## Luanne (Apr 25, 2009)

dreamin said:


> I have always used Hotwire because I can specify 1 room/4 people.  How does this work with Priceline when there are 4 people traveling together who want to share one room (we are all sisters)?  Does the hotel have to provide enough beds to accommodate us or do I have to reserve 2 rooms?



To be sure you have enough space you'd need to ask for two rooms.  However, this may depend on where you're going.  I took the chance of bidding on one room in San Francisco for our family of four, got a room with one bed, and I was not able to get a room with two beds when I contacted the hotel.  There are other locations that will give you a room with two beds, no problem.


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## DeniseM (Apr 25, 2009)

Priceline will only guarantee one room, with one bed, for 2 people.  If you must have beds for 4, you will have to bid on 2 rooms at the same time to guarantee that you have enough beds.


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## Catira (Apr 27, 2009)

*Priceline car rental*

Hi, I was able to book a minivan for our June trip for $20.00 a day.:whoopie:  Total $217.53.. I had tried through RCI website with the discount and the best price for a full size car was $274.00. In regards to our hotel room, in the past with Priceline we have been lucky to get two double beds at checkin. I always call to confirm the day my bid is accepted to confirm reservation and request two beds and non smoking rooms if necessary since my kiddos have asthma.


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## gorevs9 (Apr 27, 2009)

happymum said:


> This is from the Priceline website :
> 
> You can always return your car earlier than your scheduled drop-off time but priceline cannot issue any refunds for unused time. Our rental car partners choose whether to accept your offer based on the exact combination of pick-up date, drop-off date, car type and location you select while on our website. As a result, your accepted price reflects savings that may not have been offered to you with any other combination. We know our no refunds policy is strict, but it's the agreement that keeps this great service available and the reason the major car rental companies allow you to save so much money with priceline.


I understood and accepted the no refund policy, what I did not understand was I was told I couldn't return the car early without a "penalty" (i.e. a recomputed rate).


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Apr 27, 2009)

DeniseM said:


> Priceline will only guarantee one room, with one bed, for 2 people.  If you must have beds for 4, you will have to bid on 2 rooms at the same time to guarantee that you have enough beds.



Your other option is to review the lists of hotels that have been reported for you bidding area, and assess the likelihood of being able to receive a 2-bed unit, or of receiving a property that has a sleeper sofa in the unit.  I've done both approaches successfully, one time bidding on what I was reasonably sure was a Courtyard by Marriott (where I knew the unit would have a sleeper) and the other time another low budget hotel chain.

Of course, with these strategies you are running the risk that the hotel you receive will be different from what you expected.

******

Your chances of being able to guarantee receiving a room with two beds is greater if you are bidding no higher than 2-1/2* in suburban or small city/rural areas.  In my experience, most urban hotels are much more strict about room sizes.


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## happymum (Apr 28, 2009)

gorevs9 said:


> I understood and accepted the no refund policy, what I did not understand was I was told I couldn't return the car early without a "penalty" (i.e. a recomputed rate).



I think that the agent was incorrect in telling you of a penalty. The priceline quote infers no refund and no penalty.


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## skim118 (Apr 28, 2009)

*Westin St Francis at $70*

We bid $70 for Union Square West(4*) on Priceline and got to stay at Westin St Francis few weeks ago.  The total including fees was $90/night.

We are Starwood Gold and we politely asked for a room overlooking the Union Square instead of the old yet to be refurbished tower in the back(a.k.a. Priceline/Hotels.com tower).  The front desk said sorry they cannot do it; we then asked will you upgrade us for points; the reply was yes for 5500 Starpoints or $55.  We said forget it, then the next offer was for 3500 Starpoints or $35(felt like a car dealership !).

We happily paid the $35(billed as "upsell charge") and received an amazing corner room on the 11th Floor overlooking Union square & a 4PM checkout in addition.


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## AwayWeGo (Apr 30, 2009)

*2½ Stars In New York City For $95*

Click here for the rest of the story. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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