Priceline hotel rooms - king or two doubles

[cp73]

I am considering giving priceline a try for a few hotel rooms I need coming up in August for one night. However my delima is that I want rooms with two beds so four people can sleep in a room (adults and kids). I will be requesting 4 star hotels which is the best available in Vancouver. I would assume that a room with two beds is easier to come by then one with a King. However with Priceline you can't request the bed arrangements. Has anyone on here used Priceline for hotel rooms and gotten rooms with King Beds vs two doubles?

 

[Timeshare Von]

Almost all of the rooms we've booked through Priceline.com have been with one bed - usually a queen. If we wanted to upgrade to two doubles or a king, the price ran from $10 to $25/night.

 

[Sthack]

PL is the way to go for hotels!!

I use PL hotels all the time for my family of 4!!! PL guarantees accommodation for 2, which is usually a King size bed. So your reservations will be for a King bed. What you'll need to do is, wait a few days after you win the bid, then call the hotel directly and request 2 beds. If they try to give you a hard time, let them know that you understand that PL only guarantee accomdations for 2, but it will be you and your sister/brother (opposite gender) traveling, therefore 2 beds will be needed. I only had to use this 'story' once when I forgot to call ahead to request 2 beds at the Palmer House in Chicago, they end up giving me a room with 2 beds. But MOST hotels will accommodate your request.

 

[Timeshare Von]

I use PL hotels all the time for my family of 4!!! PL guarantees accommodation for 2, which is usually a King size bed. So your reservations will be for a King bed.

That has never been the case when I've booked hotels (20+) through Priceline. Guess you've been lucky!

 

[klynn]

Since PL only guarantees a room for 2 people, I use Hotwire when I need a room for 3-4 people. I just used Hotwire today to book a room for 4 people. I got the Hyatt Place in Minneapolis for $56.00. I probably could have save a few bucks using PL, but I don't like the hassle at check-in trying to get an upgrade.

 

[Fern Modena]

If you end up with a Doubletree, they won't change you from a King to a Double/Double. At least that's so at SFO...

Fern

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

With PL you will get whatever is the cheapest room at the hotel. Most often it will be a room with a king. Occasionally it might be a room with two twins. Every now and then it will be a room with two queens.

As indicated above, you need to contact the hotel and ask for a room with two beds. Almost every hotel will grant your request if they have a room with two beds available. Many will charge an upgrade fee to do so. The higher rated the hotel, the more likely it is that they will charge an upgrade fee. Hotels in major urban areas are more likely to charge an upgrade fee than hotels in suburban areas or smaller cities.

The only time I have not been able to switch a room when I wanted was one time at a Courtyard by Marriott. The hotel was only about 20% occupied, and the desk clerk was more than willing to make a room switch. The hotel inventory system would only allow Priceline reservations to filled with certain rooms. He tried several times to reassign me to a different room, and each time he tried the system denied the change in rooms.

 

[DeniseM]

This is what I do - first I make my Resv. with Priceline and then 2 days later I call the hotel and ask to confirm the reservation under my name. Don't mention Priceline - just confirm by name. Then say you would like to request a room with 2 beds.

If they tell you "no" over the phone, then you will have to come up with plan B. I have always been able to get two beds when I needed it, but you should have a back up plan if you can't - Like can you put the kids in sleeping bags on the floor?

You can also bid on 2 rooms with one bid, if you don't want to take a chance.

These are the Priceline 4 Star hotels in Vancouver:

4 Star:
Delta Vancouver Suites LINK TO HOTEL REVIEW
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver
Fairmont Vancouver Waterfront
Hotel LeSoleil (formerly Sheraton Suites) LINK TO HOTEL REVIEW
Hyatt Regency LINK TO HOTEL REVIEW
Marriott Pinnacle Downtown LINK TO HOTEL REVIEW
Metropolitan Hotel LINK TO HOTEL REVIEW
Pacific Palisades LINK TO HOTEL REVIEW
Pan Pacific Hotel Vancouver
Sheraton Wall Centre LINK TO HOTEL REVIEW
Sutton Place Hotel LINK TO HOTEL REVIEW
Westin Bayshore Marina Hotel LINK TO HOTEL REVIEW
Westin Grand Vancouver

 

[ctreelmom]

I use priceline to book a Boston hotel every year around Christmas--I always call after booking and request two beds and have never had a problem--I've heard stories about sub-par rooms next the the elevator or ice machine, but that hasn't happened to me yet. PL never gets mentioned; the check-in clerk will usually just say something like, "your room is prepaid, but may I have a credit card to cover incidentals?"

 

[wackymother]

I've had good luck calling after the booking and asking for two beds. It was only a problem once, when the hotel was wildly overbooked. Also remember that nonsmoking is a special request, too. Good luck!

 

[casey2]

I used PL for hotel in Waikiki and Kona this spring. Both ended up being Sheraton's.
When I called the general # they couldn't change the reservations.
I called each property- asked for the front desk directly - requested Q/Q's and NON smoking rooms. I also asked about the crib policy. We had 3 kids - toddler. I was going to put her on the floor if need be.
We got Q/Q's both times. I was pretty nervous though. But both stays were just for 2 nights.

 

[shagnut]

I usually end up with one bed even asing for 2. shaggy

 

[cp73]

Thanks for all the responses and advice. I was amazed at how many people have used priceline for hotel rooms.

 

[Timeshare Von]

I usually end up with one bed even asing for 2. shaggy

WHEW Shaggy - I think I'm glad I'm not the only one

 

[Luanne]

I've had mixed results. On one of my last priceline buys for the Marriott in Portland, OR I asked for a room with two beds AND a view of the water, and got it. Most of the time I've gotten just one bed, but since I've been traveling with dh, that's been just fine.

 

[Kal]

I always seem to check in late, but every time I have been asked if I prefer a King or 2 beds. In many cases I have been upgraded to a suite at no additional charge. Maybe that's because I check in late. Also, in all cases the computer shows that the room is prepaid thru priceline.

However, the room location always seems to be on a lower floor at the end of a hall way. In my last reservation in April the view was miserable, however it didn't matter as I checked out by 9:00am.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

I always seem to check in late, but every time I have been asked if I prefer a King or 2 beds. In many cases I have been upgraded to a suite at no additional charge. Maybe that's because I check in late. Also, in all cases the computer shows that the room is prepaid thru priceline.

However, the room location always seems to be on a lower floor at the end of a hall way. In my last reservation in April the view was miserable, however it didn't matter as I checked out by 9:00am.

Reminds me of one time when I had a very late arrival at LAX and checked into one of the 4* airport hotels with a cheap room reservation - might even have been a Prilceline reservation.

The only room they had remaining was one of the super duper three room suites on top floor with 270 degree views, full bar, balcony, hot tub, etc. ....

I was staying for only one night and had a 9 am meeting in City of Commerce the next morning, so for me it was just a place to sleep.

It was frustrating to get a room that nice and not be able to enjoy any of the added amenities at all.

 

[Kal]

I checked into a hotel in Cincinnati at about 11:30p after a long day. The clerk said the hotel was full, but they would place me somewhere down the street. After mentioning that I had a guarantee late arrival she said all they had was the executive suite on the top floor. I said that would work for me. When I got into the suite it was a series of rooms with plush furnishings, multiple phones, TVs, wet bars and fancy bathroom. (A typical hospitality suite for conferences).

I nearly broke my arm while patting myself on the back. Then I found something was missing.....A BED!! Turned out the "bed" was a sofa bed with a 2" mattress and steel cross bars that were perfectly placed for a miserable sleep!

And that wasn't a Priceline booking, but rather a corporate discount.

 

[normab]

I have asked for 2 beds several times by calling the hotel after making the reservation. Sometimes they give me a bit of a hard time, but I have always gotten 2 beds when I needed it. In fact, one time they wanted to give me and my husband 2 doubles, and I had to plead for a king!!!

So, I think it depends on the hotel, how full it is that night, and the clerk's mood!!!

Another weird thing we noticed is that some Marriotts in SC gave us Marriott rewards points even though the rules say they don't for Priceline rooms. So after that I always asked.

We are using Priceline less for hotel rooms, we have had a couple of not-so-great hotels, but we still love the car deals.