Priceline

Springtime in Hershey

Hershey Gardens Photo by Joel Shprentz
Hershey Gardens 

In April, we stopped in Hershey, Pennsylvania for a day to break up a road trip from New England to Virginia.  We had visited the amusement park ten years ago, and wanted to explore other three different attractions on this trip.

First up was the free tour of the fake “Chocolate Factory,” because we love corny rides, factory tours, and chocolate!

The Chocolate Factory is a Disney-style animated ride that tells the story of how chocolate is produced from the growing the cocoa beans to producing Hershey Kisses.  On a Saturday morning, we were able to walk right in without a wait. The ride in little carts through the “factory” was lots of fun. The ride ended with a free sample and let us off in a gigantic chocolate gift shop with all manner of Hershey candy.

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Big News: 5 Percent Off “Name Your Own Price” Hotels

Priceline has announced a big summer sale — to get an additional 5% discount on any Express Deal or Name Your Own Price® hotel stay.5% Off Sticker

Use the coupon code SUMMER now through July 31 to receive the extra savings on hotel bookings — up to 60 percent off.

“Express Deals” is Priceline’s semi-opaque site, and “Name Your Own Price” is the traditional Priceline offering where you can bid for hotel stays.  It is very rare to find promo codes for “Name Your Own Price” hotels on Priceline.

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Revealed: 14 Hidden Charges on Priceline Rooms… and How to Avoid Them

There is a guest post by Fishing4Deals on HotelDealsRevealed.com:   14 Hidden Charges on Priceline Rooms.  The upshot is — do your homework before bidding so you can avoid these charges.  Furthermore, you almost always get a better deal on Priceline because the same extra fees are assessed on rack rate rooms.

Know before you go!

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Are you Fishing 4 Deals?

New_five_dollar_bill

FatWallet is the most reliable cash back portal that I have come across.  They are very good at tracking your purchases, and rewards post quickly.

What I like most about it is the ability to use any credit card I choose for my purchases, without having to worry about whether rewards will post.

Since I opened my account  I have earned over $100 in cash back rewards.

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New Trick to Stump “The Negotiator” on Car Rentals

Priceline typically allows several free rebids when bidding for rental cars — that enable you to increase your initial bid without waiting the usual 24 hours.  These rebids are accomplished by changing the preferred  car size.

William Shatner -- the Priceline Negotiator Photo by Keith McDuffee, Flickr
William Shatner — the Priceline Negotiator
Photo by Keith McDuffee, Flickr

Portland Travel Tips provides a step-by-step walk through showing how to bid for car rentals on Priceline.  One tip he mentions, that I have not seen elsewhere, is to enter an initial bid of $1 daily rate.  A pop-up window from Priceline will advise that your bid has a low chance of acceptance and will suggest an alternate rate, providing an additional data point to inform you bidding.  Never bid the suggested rate, as you always will be able to do better.

Gadling now reports that Priceline is now allowing fewer alternate car sizes as free rebids.  However, he suggests a workaround:  click on the link to “Update Itinerary” in the upper righthand corner of the  screen, and adjust your pick up or drop off time by 30 minutes.  The car rental companies will not hold you to an exact time so this technique potentially allows you to make at least two additional free rebids for your desired category of car.

If you have tried bidding for rental cars on Priceline, please consider sharing your experience with our readers.

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How Low Can You Go? An Adequate Room in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

What’s the lowest price you’ve ever paid for a hotel room on Priceline?

How does $28 for the Extended Stay America in Research Triangle Park sound to you?  Granted this hotel isn’t luxurious but it is located right across the street from from my business meeting at the Marriott where rooms are going for $159 a night.

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Old World Luxury on Priceline – Part 2: Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City

This mini-series explores stellar properties available through Priceline’s opaque bidding process.  

Part 1:  The Carolina Inn, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Part 2:  Little America -Salt Lake City, Utah

Part 3:  Destination Resort Overlooking the Hudson River, Tarrytown, NY

There are no guarantees in life, and certainly no guarantees on Priceline, but if you do your research you can often land a very good deal at a top-rated luxury property.

Little America Hotel, Salt Lake City
Little America Hotel, Salt Lake City

The Little America Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City is one such gem that frequently pops up on Priceline for the lowly price of $53 per night.  

This is probably the classiest hotel I have ever stayed in.

The corridor walls are covered in brocade fabric.  There is a large fireplace in the wood-paneled central lobby and there are several elegant shops.

The rooms are enormous and comfortable, with real wood furniture, real wool carpets, and beautiful draperies and upholstery.  There is a dressing table and an enormous tiled bathroom with a large tub and a separate shower.  Rooms with king sized beds have a separate living room area.  It is just a very classy place.

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Elegance, Charm, and History — on Priceline? Part 1: The Carolina Inn

This mini-series explores stellar properties available through Priceline’s opaque bidding process.  

Part 1:  The Carolina Inn – Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Part 2:  Little America – Salt Lake City, Utah

Part 3:  Tarrytown House Estate  & Conference Center, Tarrytown, New York

Historic Hotels of America has some beautiful properties, and many are on the National Register of Historic Places.  I bet that isn’t what comes to mind when you think of Priceline.
Black and White Hallway, The Carolina Inn Image Courtesy of Brenda Behr, Painter
Black and White Hallway, The Carolina Inn
Image Courtesy of Brenda Behr
My experience with Priceline has most often been with chains, whether Holiday Inn, Hampton Inn, or La Quinta.  There is nothing to distinguish these hotels, no regional differences.  Their appeal to travelers is that you can expect a certain consistency in quality from place to place.
Much to my surprise, I have discovered through Priceline bidding certain very special properties, that do highlight the regional flavor, or may even be of historic interest.
Carolina Inn Entryway Courtesy of Brenda Behr, Painter
Carolina Inn Entryway
Courtesy of Brenda Behr, Painter
Quite often, these properties are available for about the same price as a chain hotel of the same star level.
I would much rather pay $50 to stay someplace interesting and unique, than to stay in a cookie cutter hotel.
One such pleasant surprise is the Carolina Inn, in Chapel Hill North Carolina.  This hotel is run as a guest house for the University of North Carolina, and it sits right at the edge of the main  campus in downtown Chapel Hill.  The Carolina Inn reeks of charm, beauty, and gracious hospitality.  It is the kind of place that serves afternoon tea.   Brides to be and wedding planners swoon over the possibilities.

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What Does Ladies Hosiery Have to do with Priceline?

Booking a hotel on Priceline is just like the ladies’ hosiery department.  You can choose the opaque, the semi opaque, or the sheer.

Lehi Roller Mills
Lehi Roller Mills
Photo by David Jolley/Staplegun

My strategy is to check all three options to inform my bidding.

Here’s an example of a trip I just booked to Lehi, Utah.  Lehi is about 40 minutes south of Salt Lake City, in the Utah Valley.  

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If You’re Not Bidding on Priceline… You’re Missing the Boat

Historic Christ Church, Alexandria, VA
Historic Christ Church, built in 1773
Alexandria, VA

Fishing4Deals is all about traveling well and saving money.  It kills me when people are missing out on great deals because they are afraid to use Priceline, or they don’t know the ins and outs.

Last weekend, my sister-in-law came to Washington, DC to see friends and visit family.  She made reservations to stay in the Crowne Plaza hotel in old town Alexandria, VA near her friend’s place.   “I got a really good deal on the hotel website,” she said.  Just $85 per night.

This kills me because I am guessing she could have gotten this same hotel, or an equivalent one on Priceline for half the price.

How do I know this?

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