One of the most common questions I hear in the Priceline Forum is how can I book a room on Priceline for 3 people. Although often debated, the answer is fairly straightforward:
Priceline only guarantees the room you book will accommodate a maximum of 2. If you book on Priceline and you have more than 2 people in your party, you are taking a risk and there is no guaranteed you will get a hotel room that accommodate 3 (or more) people.
I find Priceline’s low prices quite alluring. In fact, sometimes they are so low that I have taken a chance on Priceline. I’ve booked a hotel knowing that the maximum occupancy is 2 and taken a chance that I’ll get a room on Priceline for 3 people. I’ve personally done this about a dozen times. In fact, I have 2 upcoming hotel stays that were booked on Priceline even though we are going to squeeze 5 of us in a room.
What’s the worst that could happen if you book a hotel room on Priceline for 3 guests or more? In many cases, the hotel will be able to meet your request and put you in a room that can accommodate up to 4 guests (usually 2 queen beds). But this is not always the case. Popular hotels during busy periods may not be able to meet your request. One tip I recommend to people: arrive at the hotel early. Many people who check in later simply get the rooms that are left. Another tip for better bidding: I also recommend you call the hotel before you arrive and request a room that will accommodate more than 2 people.
None of this guarantees your room will accommodate your party size, and at the end of the day you are taking a risk with very little recourse if you’re booking on Priceline for 3 people. What can happen? Well, if you’re exceeding the maximum occupancy per room per fire code regulations, they can flat out refuse you to occupancy or force you into multiple rooms. In one instance, the hotel wanted to charge me extra for a 2x queen room, which we didn’t want to pay. Instead, we took the king room and asked for extra blankets and pillows. The kids made a fort and had a blast. Fortunately, they were around 7 and 4 years old at the time. Obviously you wouldn’t want to do this if you were 3 or 4 adults.
Generally, I recommend to parties of 3 or more to avoid using Priceline. Hotwire, for instance, allows you to specify the number of travellers in your group (up to 4) and you’re guaranteed a room that will fit this number of guests. But if the difference between Hotwire and Priceline is more than $25, it’s probably worth the risk to use Priceline. Your threshold might be different than mine. I book knowing the risks. Although rare, they do materialize, and I have experienced it first hand.
I also recommend that people get involved in the Priceline forum. This is a great place to chat with fellow travellers about their experiences of booking Priceline for 3 people or more as well as other better bidding tips and strategies for Priceline. Here are some interesting topics for better bidding on Priceline.