Confssions of a Priceline Junkie

I love to travel so you might imagine I'm proficient with all the ins and outs of booking travel-related services online. I'm also a sucker for a bargain, but for some reason, I'd been leery of ever using Priceline--the old "name your own price" site that claims big savings on hotel rooms, car rentals, etc. The big catch here is that you do not get to know the actual hotel/car rental co/etc you'll be using until after you have provided a price you're willing to spend and it's been accepted. At that point, you are fully committed. Well, fully committed to paying what you offered--even if you don't end up using the room/car.

The thought of paying half as much as the best advertised deal was enticing but still, I have been to nervous to try it. The hangup of not knowing exactly what you're going to get and yet you've plunked down your money and are stuck with it was insurmountable to me. What if the deal sucks even if the price was right? It's like the Survivor Auction where Jeff Probst harks a covered plate that the famished players assume is a juicy hamburger or steak or cookies and milk. They proffer their limited funds only to learn in the unveiling that it's a plate of elephant intestines or some other equally disgusting, I'd-rather-eat-my-own-hand-than-eat-that type of thing.

What happens if, say, you're in need of a rental car in Chicago and the best rate for a full size is $50/day. So you Priceline it and offer $25/day. The deal is accepted and you are now committed, only to learn the rental company is Joe's Clunkers, whose motto is "You'll be lucky if you get there but at least we're cheap!"

Now, you wouldn't think a company the caliber of Priceline (with the kind of ad budget they clearly have) would be working with C-tier companies and lower but again, it's that not-knowing-for-sure factor that threw me off and prevented me from taking the plunge.

So the other day, I sent two sales reps on the road--two grown men. They asked if I could book them a hotel room in Indy and another in Nashville. I searched around, called some places and pointblank asked for better rates (denied) before finally visiting Priceline. You can do a basic search on there of hotels and rates rather than the "name your own" so that's what I did first. Found a three star hotel in the Indy area for only $74.

Hmmm...3 stars for $74. Pretty good. Dare I try the Name Your Own option? I realized that by being able to put in a minimum star-quality along with your price, maybe that was the safety valve to ensure you didn't end up at the House of Roaches No-Tell Motel. And besides, it wasn't ME who was going to have to sleep in the place if it did stink. Why not try it out with some guinea pigs? Hehe. Alright, I joke but I truly would have felt bad if they got stuck staying in some crappy location. Particularly since one of the travelers was my spouse, who I'd never heard the end of it from. Still, men they were and they could tough out a place even if it was somewhat sketchy, and best case, I scored big time with a nice place for sketchy-place-prices.

I decided to gamble and keyed in a three star minimum hotel for $60 a night. Hit the Submit and held my breath. A short while later I was rewarded with a "Your price has been accepted" page. Sure, sure, great. But where? Turns out, the FOUR-star downtown Marriott was desperate enough to fill rooms that they took a $60 offer. YES! A Marriott. Synonymous with: stylish hotel. Never have run up on a crappy Marriott. I was positively thrilled--big time, name brand hotel for a reeeee-diculous price. I saved the company money and the guys would be sleeping high style. I texted them the news and they were thrilled.

Wow--what had I been so scared of, I thought? I should've been using Priceline all along! Dare I press my luck with the Nashville room? Why the hell not!

I keyed in another three-star for $60 request in the hoity-toity Brentwood area and was kicked back a "too bad, so sad, no one would take those peanuts" message. I could either up my ante or expand the area I was willing to have them stay. So I expanded the area and tried my $60 luck a second time. This go'round, I scored again. A 3.5 star (again, the upgrade!) hotel accepted my offer. Where, where? I breathlessly scanned the page. My rate was accepted at the Hotel Preston.

Wait. What? The Hotel What? Oh lord, I've never heard of the Hotel Preston. Visions of roach infested hallways and hairy bedspreads raced through my mind. A sleazy, neon- and smoke-filled joint that offered coin-operated beds and towels you could see through. The guys would never forgive me--but I'd already committed my $60. They had to stay there. I was sick. Damn you, Priceline! Suckered me in with the Marriott and then hit me with the Hotel NeverHeardOfIt.

After googling Hotel Preston as fast as my fingers would type with a nauseated stomach, I came up with the hotel's website and relaxed a bit. It may not be a major chain location but it looked pretty good, I had to admit. Dubbed a boutique hotel, it did look swank. I only hoped they company hadn't shortchanged the sheets and carpet in favor of investing into a fancy website.

With gushing assurances that the hotel would be great (just great!) I let the guys know their Nashville location. Upon arrival the next day, the two reported that the place was indeed magnificent, with plush robes in the rooms, a modern feel, a Pillow Menu (huh?) and even a Spiritual Menu (Koran, anyone?).

The Hotel Preston scare proved to be pointless. Priceline came through not only with a fancy-big name hotel the first night, but the NeverHeardOfIt also ended up being well worth the pittance I paid for them to stay there.

My fears about Priceline were for naught. I've now reserved cars through them as well and learned that they only deal with quality places. Best of all, if you key in an offer and don't find a taker, it's no harm, no foul to you. So it doesn't hurt to at least try. I love finding good deals so I could resist sharing this story. If you like to travel or you travel for work, give it a whirl. I myself am officially now a Priceline junkie.