| Why Use | | | | Priceline Hotels section of |
| An Interview with Don Nadeau | | | | RA: Just give me three main tips. |
| Of Rick Archer sat down with Don Nadeau, the | | | | DN: Okay. First, bid on three or four-star hotels. |
| president of BidonTravel.com, which provides Priceline | | | | That's where the real savings are. |
| bidding advice. | | | | Second, look up the best prices for the star quality |
| RA: Why would anyone want to use Priceline? | | | | and neighborhood you want on a site like Knowledge |
| DN: You'll save a lot of money. | | | | is power, and that way you won't overbid. |
| RA: Yes, but who wants to get up in time for a 6:00 | | | | Third, find out what charges. |
| a.m. flight? You can't pick your departure times or | | | | Hotwire is Priceline's main competitor in the 'you don't |
| airline or anything like that. | | | | find out the name of your hotel until you pay |
| DN: Well, just use Priceline for air tickets when you're | | | | category,' and it's prices are usually a bit higher than |
| going to Australia or traveling at the last minute. You'll | | | | Priceline's. |
| save hundreds of dollars. When you can plan your | | | | Therefore, bid 10 - 20 percent below Hotwire's price. |
| U.S. travel well in advance, Priceline may not be your | | | | See BidonTravel.com, though, if you want to refine |
| best bet. | | | | this process to maximize your savings. |
| But always bid on Priceline hotels. That's easy and | | | | RA: What if I still overpay? |
| you don't have to get up at 4:00 a.m. | | | | DN: Priceline has a best price guarantee. |
| RA: Sure, but I don't want to stay in some crummy | | | | If you book a room on Priceline, and then find a |
| place. | | | | lower price on another website for the same type of |
| DN: No, no, no. Bid for three or four-star hotels. You | | | | room at the same hotel or resort on the same |
| pick the quality. | | | | dates, Priceline will refund you the difference. There's |
| You'll end up at a Hyatt, Hilton, Holiday Inn Crown | | | | some small print, such as "this rate has to be available |
| Plaza, Sheraton, Marriott, or Doubletree-someplace | | | | to the general public and you have to make your |
| like these. | | | | claim within 24 hours of booking," but you really can't |
| And, over a few days, you'll save hundreds of dollars. | | | | lose. |
| In fact, I predict you'll save on average at least $100 | | | | RA: There must be some drawbacks to using |
| a night over the prices you get on Expedia, | | | | Priceline for hotels. |
| Hotels.com, or similar discount hotel sites. Priceline | | | | DN: There are. |
| hotel savings average some 40 percent over these | | | | Most importantly, you'll get no refund if you cancel. |
| sites. | | | | You won't be able to change dates. |
| RA: What about location? | | | | Also, you'll usually end up with a standard room. At |
| DN: You pick that, too. | | | | some hotels, these may not be large enough for |
| In the Orlando area, you have a choice of 11 | | | | more than two people. |
| neighborhoods, in or near San Jose, eight. | | | | RA: What about smoking or nonsmoking? |
| RA: So you can't pick a specific hotel, just a general | | | | DN: This is never absolutely guaranteed regardless of |
| neighborhood? | | | | where you book. |
| DN: That's right. | | | | When using Priceline or other online sites, I usually call |
| That's why hotels use Priceline to sell excess | | | | the hotel directly to make sure it has me on its |
| inventory at prices they don't want their regular | | | | nonsmoking list. I also try not to show up too late, |
| customers to find out about. | | | | when the hotel may have run out of certain types of |
| RA: So would it be correct to assume that if there's | | | | rooms. |
| a big event going on in the area and hotels are | | | | RA: Thanks. I'll try bidding next time after reading the |
| heavily booked, rooms won't be available through | | | | tips on your site. |
| Priceline? | | | | Rick Archer is President of SearchSummit, a Search |
| DN: Actually not. | | | | Engine Marketing company. |
| Groups can book large blocks of rooms at hotels, | | | | An extensive world traveler, Don Nadeau, president |
| then find out not as many are traveling, and release | | | | of BidonTravel.com, taught world geography for |
| some rooms back to hotels. I once got a Priceline | | | | many years in both Canada and the United States, |
| discount at the headquarters hotel of a huge medical | | | | and developed the first high school level Urban |
| convention at the last minute. | | | | Studies program in the U.S. |
| Priceline tells you if rooms are available before you | | | | Don loves helping people travel "on the cheap," and |
| bid. | | | | frequently uses the advice found in BidonTravel to |
| RA: How do I know what to bid? | | | | make his own trips more affordable. |
| I have an entire site devoted to that! Go to the | | | | |