priceline???

[august456]

i heard if you use priceline you can get cheap hotels.
i never used priceline before.
have any of you used it ?

and if so, how does it work?

do you get 5 star hotels at good prices?

thanx

 

[NHBrat]

I have found both Priceline.com and Hotwite.com to offer good deals. For example, I have reserved the Hilton Bonavenure for 10/10-10/13 for $85 US per night. Compare that to the $158 per night on Hiltons own website. Almost half price. Check out BiddingForTravel.com to see what the hotels are accepting for bids first, then go to Priceline, pick the star hotel you would like and make a bid. Remember though, that if your bid is not accepted, you need to wait for 72 hours before plcing another bid for a like hotel, or you can change the location or stars. The 4 star hotels that Priceline is using now are the Omni, Sofitel, Loews and Bonaventure. Any one is good. Bonaventure is a few blocks more away from the downtown action. I was getting the Omni and Sofitel for $71 during the summer. Hope this helps.

 

[maxxwell]

Originally posted by august456
i heard if you use priceline you can get cheap hotels.
i never used priceline before.
have any of you used it ?

and if so, how does it work?

do you get 5 star hotels at good prices?

thanx

No 5 star properties in Montreal (at least not via Priceline).

Yes, you can get some great deals with Priceline. The best place for you to go is www.biddingfortravel.com Checkout the FAQ and the Quebec/Montreal forum. There you will gain invaluable info on bidding for hotels on Priceline for Montreal.

 

[Johny 99]

I have used Priceline twice, and it worked out very well.

I bid $50.00 US and got the Holiday in Select, a very nice 3 Star hotel in China Town.

I tried for a third time, and it was labor day weekend, and it was impossible to get a room. I have not tried since, but may soon.

There are other taxes you must pay. Came to about $56.00 US a night.

Also, note, you get what room they give you. You can wind up in a smoking room.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Holiday Inn Select & Vogue

I have it on very good authority that the Holiday Inn Select is accepting $45 bids on the 3 stars. Careful with your bidding.

I also have it on good authority that the 4.5 star hotel being listed on Hotwire is the Vogue. It can be had for anywhere between $100-$106, depending on your dates. The rumor that it was Hotel W is not true!

 

[HigheLove 2005]

Sorry " de vous interrompre..." but why is this thread in the outcall section???

I know hotels and incalls go together, but still... HL

 

[daydreamer41]

Do any agencies operate from Priceline? Can you get good rates?

 

[JJAgain]

I think that priceline should offer SP's services. You name the rate and whoever has the availabilty says I'll take it.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Regna D,

I actually got a really nice suite at the Holiday Inn Select, on very short notice, as a result of a $60 Priceline bid last summer. The problem was there were no curtains on the windows in the bedroom, and I saw neon lights flashing all night. I need to sleep in a very dark bedroom.

On the plus side, the suite was otherwise very nice, big and clean and otherwise was well worth it. However, a number of hobbyists don't really like this hotel as much as the other three stars. That is why I made the comment "careful" with your bidding. I know two hobbyists in particular who loathe this hotel and would probably give you their room for free if the bid was accepted by HIS.

The Chinese restaurant at the Holiday Inn Select serves some very solid dim sum, although you will not find the selection that you would have at Le Maison Kam Fung and Ruby Rouge, which are the two most noteworthy dim sum eateries in Montreal's Chinatown (I assume you know the HIS is in Chinatown).

 

[shyguy2222]

Priceline Hotels in Montreal

My last trip to MTL (over a year ago) I stayed at the Holiday Inn Select Select in Chinatown. I paid USD35 on Priceline. The room was excellent. Only problem was that there was no hi-speed internet connection in the room. However, I was able to use the computer in the business center for free, so it was not a big deal.

I will be in MTL early next month. I have a Priceline reservation for the Hyatt Regency Downtown for USD40. I have heard that it is a reasonable hotel, but I can provide more details after my stay.

 

[Rex Kramer]

Hi speed internet access is available in some rooms at Hyatt for C$10.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Hyatt

The best rooms in the Hyatt are the newly renovated ones on the 12th floor, but I believe that the high speed internet access is only offered on other floors, if I am not mistaken.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Holiday Inn Select

One of my informants has advised me that the Holiday Inn Select/Chinatown is accepting $40 bids on Priceline in May. I have a feeling that the Hyatt, which is in the process of renovating its rooms, will be taking higher bids than the Holiday Inn Select in the near future. Adjust your bids accordingly.

 

[Special K]

I have a feeling that the Hyatt, which is in the process of renovating its rooms, will be taking higher bids than the Holiday Inn Select in the near future. Adjust your bids accordingly.

Unfortunately I have a feeling that the Hyatt will soon become a 4* property on Priceline with all the renovations that they've done.

The same thing happened with the Hilton Bonaventure a couple years back when it was going for $35/night as a 3*. They didn't even do renovations and it was upgraded to a 4*.

SK

 

[joeblow]

I have been wanting to try Priceline for a while, but have not gone forward because I understand one needs to use a credit card from a US-based financial institution. Canadian credit cards won't work. Can anyone confirm this?

If I'm correct, can any US Merbite tell me if it's possible to obtain a US-based credit card without a bank account in the US?

Thank you.

 

[EagerBeaver]

JB,

If you feel that you need a credit card, I would suggest that you get one from MBNA, and no, you don't need a U.S. based bank account. MBNA will give a credit card to anyone, and they don't care where you live or where your bank accounts are. All they care about is you buying stuff on their credit cards and running balances so that they can collect the 23% interest or whatever the hell it is (I have never run a balance in my life so I wouldn't know).

www.mbna.com

I see the Canadian flag on their website so I am guessing that they would like your business.

By the ways I believe Visa cards work (at least for Americans), but in fact I have used a Mastercard for almost all of my bookings through Priceline. I seem to recall using a Visa card once to get a free rebid.

 

[Medic_565]

I hesitate to use priceline because when I travel it is a major convenience for me to have a hi-speed internet connection in my room.

Unfortunately, Priceline does not gurantee that it will be available.

Any suggestions?

 

[NHBrat]

I have used Priceline on probably 75% of my trips to Montreal and have used both MasterCard and Visa. As far as which card you show the Hotel, it does not have to be the same card that was used on Priceline. They only want to have backup for any additional charges you may run up. However, keep in mind that the person registering at the hotel must be the same as on the Priceline confirmation.

 

[breadman]

Eager,
its going to be hard to adjust your bidding strategy unless you only try to get 4 star hotels. Bidding more for a three star hotel to try to snag the Hyatt wont gaurentee the Holiday Inn wont grab that higher amount and give you one of their rooms.

Only thing i can suggest is anyone staying at the Holiday Inn Centerville complain to priceline AFTER their stay about the star level the hotel is getting. Enough people complaining with backed up confirmations that they indeed did stay at the hotel might knock them down to the 2 1/2 star level.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Breadman,

That is true, and as SK noted the Hyatt may be on its way to becoming a 4 star for the opposite reasons. Frankly it is a crapshoot with Priceline and Hotwire. There are no guarantees as to who will accept what bids, but the trends lately have been that the Holiday Inn Select is accepting some much lower bids than what they were taking in the past. This could portend a lot of things, including the fact that their bookings are down and maybe the Hyatt's are up on the same nights. I don't know but I warned everyone to be careful because it used to be that the Holiday Inn Select would only grab the higher bids that were made last minute.

Please also note that Hotwire is also becoming very tricky to predict with the listing of amenities and some very experienced hobbyists, including myself, have gotten fooled with Hotwire bids lately, thinking I was bidding on one property and actually getting another.