Priceline.com is perhaps one of the best online travel sites out there, pioneering the “Name Your Price” model. While the site offers discounted prices on hotels, airfare, car rentals and vacations much like competitors like Expedia and Orbitz, it distinguishes itself from these competitors by offering this unique “Name Your Price” feature.
The only catch with this feature is that once you specify your criteria, you don’t have control over what you get. For example, in Las Vegas, bidding on a 4 star hotel could land you the Tropicana, which is certainly not in the same category as the Monte Carlo or Treasure Island.
Hotwire is the only other site that comes close to offering something similar to Priceline. They offer deeply discounted prices on airfares and hotels, but don’t reveal the details until you pay.
In both cases, there is a site (well, more of a forum) that allows would-be travellers to inquire about what they might end up with if they were to name their own price on Priceline or if they were to accept a deeply discounted price on Hotwire. This site is betterbidding.com, operated by actual people and having used them myself, I can say with some certainty that they generally get it right.
Update – You can now See Winning Hotel Bids in Top Cities on Priceline.com
Happy bidding!
I usually get a little strung out whenever I plan to travel somewhere, so any resource that makes the experience smoother is a godsend. Thanks for the reviews/links!
Really appreciate the info — I usually trust reviews before using any site/product, so betterbidding.com is a really good find. Thanks!
Thank you for this post! I have always just checked Hotwire, but I love the “Name Your Price” concept on Priceline…
I have heard of the other two and like you mention Hotwire doesnt reveal anything really until after you pay. I will def check out the betterbidding site. thanks for the heads up!
eveyone always need some form of travel tips to prepare them on what to expect on their destination,’;
I have been hunting for honest ideas on travel tips and think that your site is a great resource. It is difficult to get savvy recommendations on the Web, but I think I can use this information! If you know of any more reliable suggestions, please let me know. Thanks a bunch!
tripadvisor dot com provides great tips for travelers like me’;*
traveladvisor is a great website that offers free travel tips”‘~
travel tips are important specially if you are going in places that are troublesome like in Africa or Asia-,-
What other websites offer free travel tips in South America?*:,