Priceline Advice

kegan1811

I am planning to go to Madrid at the end of August for 4 nights and have found a flight for £130 return. I am on a tight budget and am trying to find a hotel for around £30/40 a night. Someone has suggested trying the auction site priceline but how much money can you realistically get off hotel rooms by booking late?

littlereddevil

Do a search and you will come with all you need to know

CherwellRiver

What comes up mostly in Priceline appears to be some 4* hotels around USD70ish (before taxes and fees).

See here for some insight: http://biddingfortravel.yuku.com/forums/112/t/Spain-Portugal.html

If you decide to give it a go, read the guide here in moneysavingexpert first.

Of course, if you do it right, the savings can be very decent.

For example, for my trip to Toronto in May, I got 5 nights in Le Meridien King Edward for just £205.42 in total
(after taxes and fees). It was booked just 3 days before the trip. You simply could not get it cheaper elsewhere.

meletheridge

thanks this will get me started

kegan1811

Thanks for the advice. One more question (sorry!) to get the best bargains how late can you leave it for booking a room? I arrive on Saturday 29th August.

CherwellRiver

Actually, it is a bit tricky to bid for hotels in Madrid as there is no re-bid zones (you may come across this term if you read the guide, which is Step 4. Take advantage of extra bids.)

So, it may be hit or miss. Unlike other large cities, you can devise some types of bidding strategy.

There is no golden rule as to when to bid because there no way to know when certain hotels want to sell some rooms fast. You may check hotwire first to have some ideas about the potential inventory level.

If you want to do some last minute bids, always have a cancellable back up.

blushingbride_3

has anyone used priceline for flights?

Paddy2eyes

As far as I know you can only bid for flights departing from the USA.