I was looking for a good rate for a trip to Chicago next week for 2 nights. I was driving, so I was didn't particularly care if I was Downtown or not. I couldn't find a single Starwood property in the Chicago area, including some less-than-desireable 4 Points, for under $159. I thought I would be able to find SOMETHING-ANYTHING around $100, or maybe a little less. But no. I tried calling hotels directly, tried all the websites, used every discount I could find, and the cheapest room I could find was $159 a night. So much for being short on occupancy and finding great rates, I thought.

But then I tried Sheryl's www.biddingfortravel.com board. To make a long story short, I would up getting a room at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers for $41 a night, plus $5 bonus money. That's right.

This is a nice hotel in a fabulous location. In fact, it is my personal favorite Starwood hotel in Chicago (have not tried W Lakeshore yet). $41 is an outstanding deal. I had been frustrated trying to find good rates. It appears, (See Dhammer's thread below) that hotels are dumping a bunch of extra inventory on Priceline at dirt cheap rates. I'm serious. Big-time savings.

For example, the best available rate at this hotel was $269. A $228 a night savings is PHENOMENAL. No points/stay credit. I guess I can deal wiht this for $450-plus over 2 nights.

 

omigosh - I did this same thing for my stay this weekend in Portland ORE. Had called - least expensive rate for the weekend was $139 per night. I used the biddingfortravel and priceline and am staying at the Portland Westin in downtown Portland for a total of $67 (with taxes, etc.). Yeah, no points or credits for the stay, but quite the savings. This was my first time using this service. We'll see if there are any glitches once I get to the hotel, but I am pleased so far.

 

I agree with using Priceline when there aren't any decent rates available. I plan to be Hilton Diamond this year and I want to get the bonus Starpoints for booking rooms through their website, however when nightly savings are $100-120 for the same quality hotels through Priceline I have to forego the bonuses. Granted I don't get club floor privileges or the chance of a room upgrade if I stay in a 4 star hotel that isn't part of Starwood or Hilton, but I can go out for the evening and spend my room savings on restaurants and entertainment.

 

I have used priceline quite often and have never had a "glitch". I always call the hotel (if applicable, give them my hotel elite #)in advance and carry a printout of priceline's confirmation. I always am treated like any other guest when I arrive and generally get upgrades (always asking), if an elite member. Sheryl's forum is the best, there's also some info,time-to-time , in Ft travel forums.
By the way,always show your hotel card and make sure they have it in your records. I generally get credit for additional purchases and nights stayed.

[This message has been edited by jabez (edited 10-06-2001).]

 

I had previously been hesitant to use Priceline due to your inability to choose what hotel you will be staying in. I generally like to know where and in what hotel I will be sleeping.

Normally, if the price is reasonable, I would forgo thinking of Priceline and just stay at the hotel and earn stay and $$ credit.However, due to the ridiculously high prices that Starwood is continuing to charge in Silicon Valley (I have found that hotel rates at the Starwood properties I frequent have actually increased, even with my corporate stay discount!), I decided to give Priceline a try.

Using Sheryl's site, within reason, you can pretty much "guess" which hotel you are bidding for. Trying to maximize my chance of making the lowest bid possible for the hotel of my "choosing," I prepared a matrix which showed the different hotels in the area, the * rating accorded that hotel, and the winning Priceline bids for those hotels during the different days of the week.

Needless to say, for a Starwood 4* hotel in Santa Clara (that begins with W and ends with N) that generally goes for somewhere in the neighborhood of $200+ night minimum, I made a winning bid of $40!!!

Since I have already earned SPG Platinum until 2/2003, for an 80% savings from the cheapest rate currently available, I can forgo earning any more SPG stays for the time being.

Priceline (and Shery'l board) has made a convert.

 

I would much rather give money to Starwood than Priceline. In fact, I probably would have paid $70 or so to stay at ANY Starwood in the Chicago area, including 4 points, if I would have gotten stay and/or night credit, as I have not gotten to 20 stays yet for the year.

I think Starwood should start releasing some of these rates places other than Priceline. There clearly are seious occupancy issues if Sheraton Chicago is $220 a night less on PCLN, and W Lakeshore is going for about $100 less (around $60).

What's the big deal about offering a last minute special of, say $89, if youa re giving rooms away on PCLN? I don't think PCLN is in a position to subsidize this anymore.

I think what the Westin Salishan has done is a fabulous idea - on thier website, they have a "Make us an offer" page that allows you to place a bid for selected upcoming dates. Thus, the hotel would get all revenue, and we would get points/stay credit. Seems like it would be worth a trial ballon some places.

 

Or, we can set up a website and have the general public make suggestions on how you could improve YOUR business.

 

I know your comment was meant to be biting and insulting, but I think it reflects far more on your acumen (and attitude) than anyone else's, as do most unprovoked attempts at insult.

I personally welcome suggestons from people I do business with in order to learn how to satisfy my customers and others. Any good business does this. Please note William's presence on this board.

Have a nice day.

 

Being a great fan of PCLN for booking hotel rooms, I hope they remain in business for years. Whatever the hotel companies do in the future in the form of "bidding for rooms" we can be grateful to the outfit that forwarded the concept.

 

I love the idea of "make us an offer".I also see the potential problems it can create a company. A number of years ago a well known cruise line made a deal with a local travel company for all their last minute fares. As more and more people learned of this, they simply waited for the last minute. After awhile the cruise company was booking more fares through their last minute deals than advance. It almost bankrupted them.
Likewise, a hotel that gets a reputation for accepting last minute fares can potentially face the same. Priceline keeps the "mystery" to it. While some hotels appear more often than others,you are never sure. As Sheryl "educates" you (and she is a stern teacher),you will learn that you really can't "pretty much 'guess'" what hotel you get. Just about the time you think you've got it figured out, either the hotel "drops out" for awhile or priceline/the hotel changes the system somewhat (e.g. see the threads for LaContera at SAT).
All this to say, the priceline method makes sense for hotels needing a boost in occupancy at certain times and for the many consumers who enjoy it's benefits. It never works for me for airlines, but sometimes (especially in the high price markets)it works wonders for hotels.

[This message has been edited by jabez (edited 10-08-2001).]

 

One thing I'd like to emphasize is getting ANY Starwood Preferred benefits on PL reservations is a tough call. You will probably NOT get the points for the room rate -- but you might. You MIGHT get an upgrade if you are due one -- but you might not (about 30% of the time is my hit rate). And finally, you should get points on incidentals. On this one, I'm sure Starwood Lurker can help you.

 

I've only used Priceline three times, but I just booked 6 nights at the Westin Santa Clara (near SJC) for $42/night. I agree with the above posters that Priceline and Sheryl's boards are great, and she IS a stern teacher!

 

For better or for worse, Priceline undercuts many hotels' best offerings by hundreds of dollars. I have stayed at many three- and four-star hotels over the past year using Priceline, and biddingfortravel.com (Sheryl's board) has been very helpful.

I have stopped buying hotel rooms any other way. Repeat: I spend over 100 nights at hotels per year, and I use Priceline exclusively now.

With some work, I can determine exactly which hotel I will get at a certain price, and snag it time after time. Week in, week out.

The costs to my business (owned by me) have been reduced from $150+ per night to approx. $50 per night. Consistently.

Translation: for those in the Priceline "know", we have effectively eliminated the ability of hotels to price their product at the rate they want to charge.

 

I am currently staying at a Westin in Dallas for $45/night. Hard to argue with the price.

 

I gladly give up all my status, upgrades, points, etc. if I can save around 100$/night using priceline. I've been able to save that kind of money on several Priceline stays recently and I plan to contunue doing so (on private trips).
I love miles, points, etc. but the 1000$+ I have saved over the last couple of months mean more to me...