Hotel Travel: Priceline

Have you been staying in motels when you travel in order to save money? There’s no need to. Motel rooms tend to be small, with the bare necessities for comfort. They’re also very strict on their fire codes, which means if you have more than three children, you need a second room. Because of that (and because dh is, frankly, spoiled), we opt for hotels when we can when traveling. There’s nothing like coming back from a long day at an amusement park and falling into 450-thread count sheets, or soaking in a spotless tub surrounded by marble. Hotel stays … Continue reading

So Long to $99 Plane Tickets???

My former colleague nearly broke into tears after hearing the recent news that Priceline, the website that popularized the “name-your-own-price” option for airline travel, is considering doing away with the option. Apparently, the company has seen a sharp decline in the number of travelers exercising the right to name-their-own price. Currently, Priceline still offers the option for air travel, but has increasingly turned to selling regular published fares. Priceline’s CEO says, “Our opaque airline ticket business has been shrinking dramatically over the last couple of years.” He goes on to say that the site’s airfare-bidding bookings are down 30 to … Continue reading