Departing Deals: Travel More, Spend Less

Wailea Beach Marriott

I am officially hooked on Priceline.

I recently took a trip to Honolulu and about half way through my two week stay, I starting thinking about making a short excursion to one of the other islands. As I was travelling by myself, I didn’t really want to spend a tonne of money on my hotel but did want to stay somewhere I’d feel comfortable alone. I’d used Hotwire in the past, and thought about using it again, but when I searched for the area I wanted to stay, there were only 2 options; both in the $200 a night range.

I don’t mind spending $200+ a night on a hotel, but I was really hoping to spend a little less on this side-trip.

I’d heard about Priceline’s “Name Your Own Price” option and seeing as I was making a last minute booking thought this might be the perfect opportunity to try it out and save a few dollars.

After going to Priceline’s site and searching for hotels in Wailea for the dates I wanted, 45 results were returned; ranging from a low of $87 per night for a 2-star to a high of $895 per night resort (ouch!). From this information, I knew I’d be essentially be paying $100 bucks a night minimum which would get me a 2-star hotel. Using this info, I clicked the link to the ‘name your own price’ side of the site. I entered in the area I wanted to stay in, and $100 for my price. I figured I’d use that price and just work my way down the star scale. I selected resorts to start (the most luxiourious option on their scale) entered in my credit card information and crossed my fingers (realistically figuring it would be rejected).

To my surprise, I was thrilled to discover my bid was accepted on the first attempt and to a resort that I’d priced out at $350-$450 per night; the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort. Amazing!!!

My Priceline Confirmation

The best part about Priceline… the hotels only know that you’ve used Priceline to make your booking; they don’t know what you actually paid. When I showed up, the hotel staff even bumped me up to a better room - oceant front view. I’d gotten a $450/nt room for just $100!

Needless to say, the trip was amazing and Priceline will now be my default option for booking hotels. It saved me a ton and added a little excitement to the booking process.

Thanks Priceline!