70 Park Avenue Hotel, New York City

I am a Priceline whore.

No.  Wait.

I am a Priceline ninja.

I have been using Priceline for years to book rooms at hotels I otherwise couldn’t afford.  Priceline’s name your own price feature allows me to indulge my champagne appetite on my RC Cola budget.  I’ve stayed in a deluxe room at the 70 Park Avenue hotel in New York City for $170 a night.  I’ve stayed at a 4-star hotel blocks from the Magnificent Mile in Chicago for barely more than $100 per night.

And yet, every time I suggest to a friend that they should try to name their own price on a hotel at Priceline, I get a terrified look of horror in response.

“But you don’t get to choose the hotel!”

“What if I end up in a dive?!”

“What if I have to pay for a room way out by the airport?!?”

Pansies.

Yes, Priceline’s name your own price feature comes with a certain amount of risk.  You have to input your credit card number and agree to pay for whatever room is given to you by whatever hotel accepts your offer.  There is, I admit, potential for disaster.

Unless you know what you’re doing.

How Not To Get Screwed Using Priceline To Book A Hotel

(And still save a ton of money on a fancy hotel)

1.  Research neighborhoods in the city you’ll be staying in.

If you’re booking a hotel in a large metropolitan city like New York City, Chicago, or Los Angeles, Priceline gives you the option to choose from various neighborhoods or “areas”.  Head to a site like UpTake.com and research “Things to do” so you have an intelligent idea of where the tourist attractions are that you’ll want to stay near.

Reading reviews of hotels in the neighborhoods you’re considering will give you a good idea of how safe the area is and how convenient it is to major attractions.

Then, when you go to “name your own price” on Priceline, you’ll see a map that shows the various areas available – and you’ll know which areas would be a good fit for your vacation.

2.  Research prices.

The first step to getting a good deal on a hotel is to find out what everyone else is paying.  Again, using a site like UpTake or Priceline’s main booking site will give you a good idea of the average price for a hotel in the areas you’re interested in staying in.  Do not plan to pay the average price.

Once you’ve done your research, it’s time to start the actual bidding.

3.  Choose a higher star level than you’re willing to settle for.

I assume that a star rating on Priceline is overly generous.  Better to go in expecting a 4-star hotel and get too much luxury, than to find out that “continental breakfast” qualifies a hotel for a 3-star rating.  Just to be safe, I almost always request at least a 4-Star hotel when I’m bidding on hotels in a large city – even though my frugal princess head could surely survive a night on a 3-star pillow.

4.  Start with 1 or 2 areas and give yourself room to negotiate.

The trick to getting a great deal on a great hotel on Priceline is to give yourself room to go up.  If your original offer is rejected, you have to make changes to your request in order to resubmit.  One of the easiest changes to make is to add more areas to your offer.

So have 3 or 4 potential areas in mind that you’d be happy to stay in if you can save hundreds of dollars – but don’t tell them that unless you absolutely have to.  Your first offer should be your dream scenario.

5.  Start the bidding at 50% of the average price of a hotel.

Again, the key to negotiating with a computer is to play your cards close to your vest.  And I might be mixing metaphors here, but you get the idea.

There are times when you’ll get your first offer will be accepted and you can do the “Ha, ha, common folk!  I scored a great deal!” happy dance.

There are also times when your offer will be rejected and Priceline will be all “are you crazy?  You do know the average price of a hotel in this area is two times what you’re asking us to give you, right?”  Ignore these intimidation tactics.  Bid low and hope for the best.  If the best doesn’t happen, you’ll have plenty of room to go up and still walk away with a great deal.

6.  Have a stop loss point.

Remember all that research you did ahead of time?  Let it tell you when you’re no longer getting a screaming deal that’s worth assuming the risk of letting a computer blindly pick your hotel.  Saving $20 a night on a $250 room is not worth it.  Saving $50 per night over a 4 night stay?  Something to think about.

The bottom line is that Priceline’s name your own price feature is essentially a marketing gimmick meant to attract budget travelers.  But there is real potential there, if you book wisely, to save a considerable amount of money on a great hotel.

Shoot for the Ritz and plan to end up saving a little money on the Hilton.

*PRICELINE, PRICELINE.COM and NAME YOUR OWN PRICE are registered service marks of priceline.com Incorporated

Philadelphia Skyline

The Marriott Philadelphia Hotel at the airport is a wonderful hotel. The room was large and clean, and the bed was very comfortable. I made use of the swimming pool which was actually a very narrow lap pool; at first I found this strange, but then I realized that the arrangement of the pool made it less likely that there would be a bunch of kids in it, so that was nice. The exercise room was next door – you could watch people exercise as you swam.

Considering this hotel was practically on a runway, the hotel room was incredibly quiet. I don’t think I heard any planes, really.

I wish I could comment on the food at the hotel, but I didn’t eat anywhere. There was a large room service menu though! I ordered a glass of wine through room service, and it arrived in less than 15 minutes, which I found impressive.

Check-in was very professional and a real breeze, as was check-out. After checking out, I just went to the second floor and walked over to my airport terminal! It was really easy.

I don’t think this hotel is very close to anything touristy, but it’s perfect for business people who are needed a high quality hotel that’s very close to the airport. I would definitely stay here again.

Photo Credit: Payton Chung

The gorgeous Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA

Last week Addison Schonland of the IAG travel and aviation consultancy interviewed me for my very first podcast.

If you’re curious to hear my insider recommendations for a fun-filled trip to San Francisco, CA, check out the podcast here.

We cover sights, food, going up to Marin and Healdsburg, driving down Rt. 1 to Monterey, hotels — of course! — and the many places to drink wine.

The stuff about San Francisco’s legendary naked people is near the end. Oh, and we sort of make fun of PETA, just a little at the beginning, in the context of needing a fur coat in when you visit here in June.

All the truth, all the time!

Other awesome podcasts in the series include:

• Whit Honea, UpTake Vacations blog editor, giving advice on traveling with kids
• Jennifer Miner from the UpTake Restaurants blog, and a Traveling Mama, on a budget summer trip to Sedona, AZ

Wasington DC Skyline

I loved the Hilton in Rockville, Maryland, not too far from Washington DC. The lobby area is beautiful – there’s a waterfalls, trees with beautiful lights on them, and you can watch the glass elevator go up and down. There’s at least one bar, where the drinks weren’t too expensive, and numerous places to eat.

After my stay here, I promised that I would go online and buy the bed sheets. They were so, so soft and comfortable! The room was really big, with two Queen beds, a desk, a TV, and a large bathroom. There were two swimming pools, though I only used the inside heated one because it was raining outside in the morning. It was smallish, but really warm, like bath water. Perfect!

The location is great – it’s not necessarily close to sights like the White House, but if you’re here for business and you need to be close to government offices such as Lockheed Martin or the National Institute of Health, then you’re set! There’s a huge meeting space, if you need it.

Internet was not free, which I don’t get. How can you get free Internet at a cheaper place like Holiday Inn Express, which also has free breakfast, and yet you have to pay for Internet at a place that charges $240/night? I think it was $17.

I’d come back here if I could afford it!

Photo Credit: omniNate