Has anyone heard if or when this is happening. I still use the "negotiator" to bid on hotels but was wondering when it is suppose to stop, if at all?
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Has anyone heard if or when this is happening. I still use the "negotiator" to bid on hotels but was wondering when it is suppose to stop, if at all?
You need to be a member of Art Fair Insiders to add comments!
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I Use it to some degree. It is another tool to use in addition to priceline, backbid, hotwire etc. I have had mostly good luck with it and it really can save you a lot of $$$. depending on where your going. I dont think it cost anything to join or it may be a little but what I like most about it is that when Im traveling with two people and need two beds I cannot rely on Priceline as they do not guarentee two beds. You can also cancel your booking with CLC which you cannot do with priceline. The benefits do outweigh the negatives. The hotels are not that bad I usually get Hampton Inns, Holiday inns etc but check the reviews before I book. For example I just booked a crown plaza in Philadelphia for $69 per night while the normal price is $189 per night! not bad. so it is very worth looking into but like anything you may not use it all the time but depends on where your going and the prices at the time. Keep in mind that although the prices are updated each week I have never seen the prices change while booking months in advance. I check the price the Sunday before the week of the show just to be sure. For example if I book a hotel 3 months in advance and the price at the time is listed at $69 I check it one week prior to the show and if it has gone up to say $100 Ill cancel. But like I said, I have never seen that happen. The one downside like Jim mentioned are some hotels can be litte (pardon the expression, JERKS) about blackout dates which they ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DO because they are under contract with CL to honor the card. but I have run into hotels of which tell me there are rooms when I call then when I mention Im useing the CL cord say .."Oh we dont have available rooms for that membership" which is total crap. but I remind them that they are under contract AND if you have Any issues with a hotel you can call Corp. Lodging and they will call the hotel directly and get the room for you. I have had this happen a couple times.
It does not sound like it it worth the effort!
The company name is now CLC Lodging. Their website is checkinncard.com. Use this referral code to waive the $9.95 referral fee: 203261.
It's not the great deal it used to be. They do have lower than rack rates, but they also charge a per-night booking fee. It used to be $4.95 / night, then went to $7.50 /night. Now it's back to $4.95 / night. The hotels tend to be no-frills, trucker-style motels. While they have a low-price guarantee, in practice it may be the same or higher than AAA or the NAIA discount.
Many hotels have dropped out, even though they are listed on the website. I've walked into more than one place and been told, "Oh we've been trying to get them to take us off the list for months. We are no longer participating..."
It's another option that can work, especially since you don't need to pre-book. You can call ahead a half an hour, or just walk into the hotel and ask for the rate.
The billing is handled through a separate system. The bookkeeping is arcane, which may be why some places don't like it. They bill CLC and CLC uses the card you have on file to bill you. CLC does keep records on file, independent of hotel chain, which can be useful.
Hey David, Would you share the Corporate Lodging info? I have heard of it before but every time I Google it I come up with a variety of things that I am unsure of. I have found many towns where Price Line and the like do not give you very many options.
Awsom. thanks Jim. Im no longer confused. I have tried hotwire a couple times, but I have personally had better luck with getting better quality hotels at a better price than hotwire. But Ill try hotwire again.
The "negotiator" is the William Shatner character that Priceline used to promote the "name your own price" feature. They have changed their business plan to focus on the fixed price strategy, since the "negotiator" branding was confusing people like you. You can still book on Priceline both ways, as the article in the link above states. Since there are many other aggregator sites (Hotels.com, Kayak.com, Travelocity, Expedia, Hotwire, etc) the competition is fierce.
You might want to look into Hotwire -- the bargain feature is implemented a bit differently, but you get the details of the hotel and the price, just not the name, until you purchase. With a bit of sleuthing, you can often tell which hotel is being offered.
Hmm. Im still confused. I thought the "negotiator" and "name your own price" were the same thing. So now from what I understand the "bidding" portion of Priceline is still active where you can still name your own price by bidding on hotels and that is not going away? I hope not 50% of my hotel reservations are made through "naming my own price" while the other 50% are through Corporate lodging, Show Specials and BackBid.
The William Shatner character "The Negotiator" was killed by Priceline, but the tactic of "Name your own Price" lives on. Priceline may be changing their business model, but the secondary method of booking is still active, with no sign of it being discontinued. Check Priceline's site.
The skinny