A Guest Post From Fishing4Deals.com
Before you “name your own price” for a reservation on Priceline or Hotwire, you need to consider whether the hotel may tack on any additional charges to your prepaid reservation. Before you bid, consider Priceline’s warning:
The credit card is required for any additional hotel specific service fees or incidental charges or fees that may be charged by the hotel to the customer at checkout. These charges may be mandatory (e.g., resort fees) or optional (parking, phone calls or minibar charges) and are not included in your offer price.
You need to do your homework first! Here are 14 hidden charges on Priceline hotel rooms that you need to be aware of:
1. Resort Fees — The biggest bugaboo is resort fees. The resort fee is a mandatory nightly surcharge, and may include such “extras” as the health club, local phone calls, and wifi. These charges are disclosed in advance on Hotwire but not on Priceline. Resort fees of $15 to $25 are most common, but the upcharges can be as high as $60 per night.
Most Las Vegas hotels now charge resort fees and they are prevalent in many other places such as Florida, Hawaii and Puerto Rico as well. Be aware that you must pay local taxes on the resort fee.
The charges come into play with “resort” category properties, but they may also be imposed at 4 star or below hotels. The concern with Priceline is that you may bid for a 2 or 3 star hotel and be “upgraded” to a fancier hotel that imposes a resort fee.
If you do your homework before your bid, you can usually figure out if resort fees are likely to be imposed.
A list of Las Vegas resort fees is available here: http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58770
2. Parking — Many big city hotels in places like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and New York charge exorbitant fees for parking. Fees of $35 per night are common but In Chicago, parking fees at high-end hotels can exceed $50 per night. Research the hotels you may be bidding on first, and check the reviews on TripAdvisor for information on parking charges. The semi-opaque sites may offer information on amenities like free parking that can inform your bid.
3. Extra Person Charge — Priceline reservations are for 2 people. On Hotwire, you can specify the number of persons per room. I travel extensively with my family, and have encountered an “extra person” charge only once. The hotel (Tarrytown House in Tarrytown, NY) insisted upon a $10 fee when checking in for my prepaid Priceline reservation. The room had two double beds that could easily accommodate our family of three, but we were charged the fee anyway. Tarrytown House is a primo property on a large estate overlooking the Hudson River, so we didn’t mind too much!
4. Rollaway Bed – The hotel may charge you for a rollaway bed or a crib.
5. Room Cleaning Charge – An Extended Stay America hotel, usually a 1 or 2 star on Priceline, may charge you $5 per day to “refresh” your room. Weekly cleaning is included. Aloft hotels, on the other hand, may offer you extra Starpoints if you forgo room cleaning.
6. Newspaper – Sometimes hotels will charge you $1 or so for daily delivery of the USA Today newspaper. They will remove these charges if you request. Actually, with a prepaid reservation, I have never been charged extra for this service.
7. Use of the Room Safe – Again, this charge will be removed if you do not use the safe.
8. Breakfast – If the hotel offers free breakfast, then breakfast is included in your Priceline price. If breakfast is paid, you could end up spending as much as $20 per person at some upscale hotels.
9. Internet — It is common for more expensive hotels to add an extra charge for high-speed internet or wifi access. With less expensive chain hotels, this service is usually included in the room price
10. Minibar and Bottled Water – Every traveler knows to be careful about these items!
11. Phone Calls – Some hotels charge extra for local and/or long distance calls.
12. Pet Fee – For hotels that accept pets, regular guests and Priceline or Hotwire guests pay the same fee. It can range from $5 per night to $75 per night.
13. Shuttles – If airport pickups or local shuttle services are offered, they are usually free to all hotel guests including those with prepaid reservations.
14. Priceline Fee – Last but not least, remember that you will incur a $5 per night fee paid to Priceline for each reservation. Be sure to consider this before making your bid.
Remember, if you book your hotel directly you are subject to these same add-on charges. You will almost always get the best deal on Priceline!
Best regards,