I booked the U Tri Koronek hotel in Prague for a night in September. It's a three-star property on one of the tram lines just outside the city center.
I'm not nearly so familiar with Prague as the other cities, so I'm careful in my bidding. As it turned out, I was a bit too careful. The result was an overbid. Priceline bid: $60 Room rates shown on various Web sites: $63-86. Best discount rate found: $63. Savings on Priceline: $3.
It could be argued I actually lost on this one, because the three dollars does not cover Priceline's processing fee.
But I'm still at the low end of the best rates available during a 45-minute search on discount sites. It's time I would have saved if I had not been researching this story!
One more note: Ultimately, I never stayed in this room. Flooding knocked out the rail lines between Dresden and Prague, making for a 12-hour detour that led me to cancel my plans. In cases such as this, you are out of luck with Priceline. Since the hotel stayed open despite the flooding, I did not even ask for a refund. You gamble every time you use Priceline, and this time, I lost.
For more help with bidding strategy, consult BiddingForTravel's FAQ page.
It's clear that I have not yet fully mastered the art of the deal on Priceline. But as I've been learning, I've saved more than $400 on my hotel bills. Not bad on-the-job pay.
Another thing to consider: many of the hotels I've mentioned by name are not budget travel destinations. They are upscale places for which most would not pay full price on a tight budget. Priceline opens those doors to those so inclined.
Priceline is decidedly riskier for airline tickets. But for hotels and car rentals, most users can afford a few experiments. As with most games, practice makes perfect.
Just remember that you might not always win.
