Priceline.com is
now giving consumers the
option of calling 1-800-PRICELINE toll-free to name their own price for an
empty hotel room in 26 cities and resorts nationwide.
The company said the new hotel service, which launched on the Web at the end
of October, is now selling an average of more than 1,000 room nights per week.
Consumers simply name the city they want to visit and the dates of their trip.
Then they choose the part of the city they want to stay in, and the quality
star level for the hotel they want (one- to five-star deluxe). Last, they name
the price they want to pay per night for a room and guarantee their request
with a credit card.
Priceline.com, which also markets name-your-own-price airline tickets, gives
the traveler a response in one hour. If priceline.com can find a more
luxurious hotel willing to release a room at that price, the traveler is
automatically upgraded.
Currently, more than 1,000 hotel properties have signed up to participate in
the priceline.com program, offering 1.8 million empty room nights per month.
Covered cities include Anaheim, Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Columbus,
Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles,
Memphis, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San
Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa/St. Pete and Washington, DC.
Beginning in January, priceline.com will expand the hotel service to include
35 more cities: Albuquerque, Aspen, Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham, Braintree
(MA), Charleston, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Daytona Beach, the
Florida Keys, Ft. Meyers, Hartford, Hilton Head, Honolulu, Indianapolis,
Jacksonville, Knoxville, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Monterey, Napa/Sonoma,
Nashville, Norfolk, Palm Springs, Pittsburgh, Portland, Raleigh/Durham, Reno,
Rochester, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio and Tucson.
The 1-800-PRICELINE number is open from 9 a.m. to midnight EST weekdays and
from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST on weekends.
