Last Minute Travel Deal
Last Minute Travel Deal
TRAVEL TECH: USING AUCTION WEBSITES
You can find some deals using auction websites for car rentals and hotel rooms, but cheap airfares may be a thing of the past.
BY ARTHUR FROMMER
King Features Syndicate
Going, going -- and you're gone
Have you ever used an auction website in travel? They can be quite effective if you know the narrow areas in which they excel.
The two most famous auction websites are Priceline.com and Hotwire.com. Both are ''opaque'' sites, meaning that you do not know the identity of the airline, car rental firm or hotel for which you are bidding. You simply name a price you're willing to pay for a service on a particular date -- and then hope for the best.
There was a time when Priceline and Hotwire snared tremendous discounts on airfares, but that happens much less frequently today. The airlines are flying with such high-load factors, crammed with passengers who occupy every seat, that they are far less willing than in the past to offer heavy discounts for customers of Priceline or Hotwire. It sometimes happens, but far less often than before.
For car rentals and hotel rooms, however, both of the opaque services remain effective. Priceline recently conducted a nationwide sale of rental cars going for as little as $12 a day (for a compact). And I've stayed at Priceline- or Hotwire-acquired hotels in Boston and San Francisco for a fraction of their normal published rates.
One key to making an effective use of Priceline.com is to precede your search with a look at Biddingfortravel.com. That remarkable service contains messages from people who have successfully and recently used Priceline.com for a hotel or car, in which they reveal the bid (that is, the price) that worked for them.
If you are in the market for a luxury hotel, you might also use an ''open auction'' luxury site, like Luxurylink.com or SkyAuction.com (the latter offering all categories of travel, luxury and otherwise), which lets you choose the specific hotel in which you're interested. Be careful to look out for fees or surcharges before you commit. And if you don't find what you want at the price you're willing to pay, you can then return to Priceline or Hotwire.
Last minute travel deal
TRAVEL TECH: USING AUCTION WEBSITES
You can find some deals using auction websites for car rentals and hotel rooms, but cheap airfares may be a thing of the past.
BY ARTHUR FROMMER
King Features Syndicate
Going, going -- and you're gone
Have you ever used an auction website in travel? They can be quite effective if you know the narrow areas in which they excel.
The two most famous auction websites are Priceline.com and Hotwire.com. Both are ''opaque'' sites, meaning that you do not know the identity of the airline, car rental firm or hotel for which you are bidding. You simply name a price you're willing to pay for a service on a particular date -- and then hope for the best.
There was a time when Priceline and Hotwire snared tremendous discounts on airfares, but that happens much less frequently today. The airlines are flying with such high-load factors, crammed with passengers who occupy every seat, that they are far less willing than in the past to offer heavy discounts for customers of Priceline or Hotwire. It sometimes happens, but far less often than before.
For car rentals and hotel rooms, however, both of the opaque services remain effective. Priceline recently conducted a nationwide sale of rental cars going for as little as $12 a day (for a compact). And I've stayed at Priceline- or Hotwire-acquired hotels in Boston and San Francisco for a fraction of their normal published rates.
One key to making an effective use of Priceline.com is to precede your search with a look at Biddingfortravel.com. That remarkable service contains messages from people who have successfully and recently used Priceline.com for a hotel or car, in which they reveal the bid (that is, the price) that worked for them.
If you are in the market for a luxury hotel, you might also use an ''open auction'' luxury site, like Luxurylink.com or SkyAuction.com (the latter offering all categories of travel, luxury and otherwise), which lets you choose the specific hotel in which you're interested. Be careful to look out for fees or surcharges before you commit. And if you don't find what you want at the price you're willing to pay, you can then return to Priceline or Hotwire.
Last minute travel deal
posted by Silver at 10:23 PM
0 comments
