Planning a vacation can seem like an expensive ordeal where you're at the mercy of the travel industry and their prices. If you're not picky about the exact location of your motel, though, you can visit a website that offers you the chance to name your own price for a room. Once you place a bid, you are making a commitment to stay at whichever property accepts your bid. However, before making the bid, you get to choose the star level and the general area of the motel. Choosing to book your stay this way can result in large savings.
Research the area where you are staying and what nearby motels are charging. This will help you get an idea of what to bid.
Decide on a price you are willing to pay per night. Make a travel budget and stick to it so that you have no unexpected expenses. A bid less than half of what average nightly rates in the area are likely will not be accepted.
Visit priceline.com. Priceline currently is the only major website that allows users to name their own price for motel rooms. In the past, several other companies attempted a similar business model, but were unsuccessful because of Priceline's dominance.
Place your bid. Priceline does not require an account to do this, but you'll have to fill out a form where you list the area of your stay, the dates, the star level, price you are willing to pay and a credit card number. If you plan on doing this in the future, setting up an account can save time. Keep in mind that once you submit the form, no refunds are available if your bid is accepted.
Wait for the results. You'll know within about a minute of submitting your bid if it has been accepted or not. Not every bid results in a room.
If your original offer is not accepted, change your bid. Priceline will give you the option for a re-bid, which involves changing one of the following: your check-in or check-out date, your star rating or zone where you're willing to stay. Changing your bid price is not enough for an immediate re-bid. If you're unwilling to change any of those variables, you'll have to wait 24 hours before bidding again.
