don't use Priceline if you need 2 beds!

[vmom]

Warning: Don't use Priceline if you have more than 2 people or need 2 beds instead of 1 bed.

 

Found out the hard way. Booked a room through Priceline. Called hotel after bid was accepted to request a room with 2 beds instead of one. Before calling I looked on their web site and it indicated that the price for a room with 2 beds was $5 more than a room with one bed. When I called the hotel I was told there would be an extra fee. I told them I would pay the $5 extra as posted on the internet. When I checked into the hotel I asked about the 2 beds and was told there would not be an extra charge after all. When I checked out the next day I found out the hotel was charging me $16 extra because I had requested a room with 2 beds. I argued that it should be only $5 since the price difference the hotel advertises is $5, but they insisted on $16. Its' very definately a ploy to extort more money from people who use priceline to get more money.

By the time I paid the extra, I paid the same as if I had booked through the hotel using an internet web only special.

 

I contacted Priceline and they said the hotel can charge what ever they want extra.

 

Lesson learned:

1) don't book Priceline if you want to be assured of 2 beds rather than one.

 

2) Beware of Baymont hotels. They are trying to make more $$$ off of Priceline patrons through inflating their normal charges.

[crisp1]

This is why I use hotwire instead. You put 3 or4 people in the info page- they have to give you 2 beds- use betterbidding .com and you'll have a good idea of exactly what hotel you're getting

Seas the day!

C

[wrp96]

Was the $5 difference between what you bid and the price for the 2 bed room? OR was the $5 the difference between what they advertised on their website for a 1 bed room versus a 2 bed room? If it was the first option, then you have a right to be upset. But if it was the 2nd option, then you are wrong to think that they shouldn't charge you the difference between the room you actually got and the room rate you actually bid for.

[vmom]

If I had made the reservations myself with the hotel the difference in cost between a room with 1 bed and the room with 2 beds that I got was $5. They charged me $15 extra plus extra tax. I believe they charged me more because they were trying to get more $ back than what Priceline was paying them. I was upset because I was not charged the standard difference in price that anyone else would have paid, but was charged more because I had used Priceline. After I paid the Priceline fees and the extra $15 + tax, the hotel would have cost me the same if I had booked it directly with a discount easily found on the web. My point is that if you need a room with 2 beds, you can be charged what ever extra the hotel wants to charge you and you are pretty much stuck. Many hotels will accomadate room requests without extra charge, but you don't know untill after you have already bid, bid accepted, and priceline has your money. At that point you have no recourse. Why use Priceline if there is no cost savings.

 

The point I was trying to make is be very careful of using Priceline if you need a room with more than one bed.

[greatam]

Clearly posted BEFORE you even enter your credit card info. In fact, you have to inital that you READ and agreed to the provisions.

 

All rooms will accommodate up to 2 adults. Requests for bed types (King, Queen, 2 Doubles, etc.) or other special needs (including preferences for smoking or non-smoking rooms) should be requested through your confirmed hotel and cannot be guaranteed.

 

Priceline is NOT the place to purchase a hotel room unless you have THOROUGHLY researched possible hotels (availabe at betterbidding.com or biddingfortravel.com) and are aware of any and all restrictions, prices available elsewhere, etc.

 

I use Priceline frequently for business travel (don't care much which hotel or location) but rarely use it for leisure travel if I want a certain location or amenities.

[wrp96]

If I had made the reservations myself with the hotel the difference in cost between a room with 1 bed and the room with 2 beds that I got was $5. They charged me $15 extra plus extra tax. I believe they charged me more because they were trying to get more $ back than what Priceline was paying them. I was upset because I was not charged the standard difference in price that anyone else would have paid, but was charged more because I had used Priceline. After I paid the Priceline fees and the extra $15 + tax, the hotel would have cost me the same if I had booked it directly with a discount easily found on the web.

 

But that's the thing. You got a discount on a specific room but because you want a different room you want them to give you the same discount on that room - that's not fair to the hotel. Did you check the price of a 2 bed room if you booked it that day? What was the difference then - not the day you booked?

 

I have a hotel booked for February that has 3 types of rooms, street, marina and oceanview. The street views are a lot less than marina or oceanview. If I get to the hotel and ask to move to an oceanview room, I should fully expect to pay the going rate for the oceanview room then - not the difference in price that was showing when they had a rate sale 6 months ago.