Hi - anybody know how Priceline works? (Is this the right forum?)

[gateley]

Best friend coming to town, PriceLine said from $54, he entered arrival/departure dates and of course the rate is double that.

Any hints?

Thanks.

[Renew Deal]

1. Priceline does two things at once.

It can work like Expedia or other travel sites. That part lets you book exactly what you want, where you want it.

Then there's the "choose my own price" part. I use that a lot for hotels. You select the neighborhoods and class of hotel you want. It only lets you search that critera once, so start with the narrowist search. Here's how I would do it in NYC.

3 Star Hotel, Midtown $50.

If accepted, great. If not add to the search:
3 Star Hotel, 2 1/2 Star hotel, Midtown $55.

If accepted, great. If not add to the search:
3 Star Hotel, 2 1/2 Star hotel, Midtown, Hells Kitchen $65.

The last search is for more hotels in more neighborhoods and you're offering more money. Generally they will give you an average price for a room and you can get below that by a lot. I've stayed in expensive hotels for around half off, and in some very prominent hotels (Beverly Hilton comes to mind). That's the general idea.

[gateley]

2. Thanks so much! I'll pass it along. All I know about PriceLine is

that a guy sitting next to me on a flight INSISTED on telling me how cheap he got his ticket, even though I begged him not to.

And Bill Shatner, of course. :7

I'll definitely pursue these options next time I travel. :hi:

[Renew Deal]

3. I love it.

I wouldn't do it for a flight unless my schedule was very flexible, but that's just me. It's fine for hotels. Also keep in mind that you may not want to stay in certain neighborhoods for any number of reasons. That affects your choices.

[gateley]

4. Good advice -- thanks again!! nt