The Budget Tourʼs Best Friend Is Priceline.
By Scott Ellis

For years I have used Priceline as my ‘go toʼ hotel source. Not just because itʼs cheaper than going through an agent, but because I immediately get the receipts and my band/crew can check themselves in and put their own card down for incidentals. This saves me tons of valuable time and trouble when it comes to hotels. I used to use the ‘name your own priceʼ option but then they developed ‘express dealsʼ which saved me more time.

Up until recently, when using Express Deals, you could easily see what hotel you were getting by checking the ‘original priceʼ (usually with a strikethrough in it) and comparing it to Browse All Hotels. When you narrowed down the Area, Star Level, and Ratings by flipping between the ‘Browse All Hotelsʼ tab and the ‘Express Dealsʼ tab you could figure out exactly what hotel Priceline would give you. It was great! But like all good things, it has come to an end. Priceline has removed the ‘original priceʼ option from Express Deals on their website.

But fear not. They still have it on the mobile app (for now). Priceline has changed their game. They know we can figure it out so they are starting to scramble the numbers a bit.

I believe I have found the way around this. No guarantee here. *You do this at your own risk.

Low Budget Example:
Letʼs say I need 8 rooms in NYC from March 31st to April 1st. Using the Priceline mobile app, Iʼll input all that info. In order to do this you must narrow down to one area and star level. I will narrow down my search to “4+ -Star” rooms and I will narrow it down to “Downtown – Wall Street” area, (in both ‘Browse All Hotelsʼ and ‘Express Dealsʼ sections).

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*Note: Most Priceline Express deals will tell you there is between 1 & 5 rooms left! In a situation where you need 8 rooms, you will likely have to try many areas until you get a hit. I went through 4 different areas before I noticed the West Village did not have a limit on the Express Deal results.

On my Priceline mobile app in Express Deals, I see a 4-Star room with the ‘original priceʼ of $152 and an Express Deal of $116 with an average 7/10 in reviews.

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If I switch back over to ‘Browse All Hotelsʼ in the mobile app, I find that there are no 4-Star hotels with a price like $152 and reviews of around 7/10. BUT, if I do the same search on the Priceline website with my computer, look what I find!

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Itʼs 4-Stars. Itʼs $152. Itʼs 7.3/10 (or 7/10 range).
Iʼm 95% certain that if I book these 8 rooms I will get the Doubletree.

Big Budget example:
Letʼs say I need 8 rooms in NYC from March 31st to April 1st. Using the Priceline mobile app Iʼll input all that info. In order to do this you must narrow down to one area and star level. I will narrow down my search to “4+ -Star” rooms and I will narrow it down to “West Village – Meatpacking -NYU” area.

2_hotels_avail

*Note: Most Priceline Express Deals will tell you there is between 1 & 5 rooms left! In a situation where you need 8 rooms. You will likely have to try many areas-until

On my Priceline mobile app in Express Deals, I see a 4.5-Star room with the ‘original priceʼ of $345 and an Express Deal of $304 with an average 8/10 in reviews (I know, thatʼs expensive but Iʼm using NYC as an example).

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If I switch back over to ‘Browse All Hotelsʼ in the mobile app, I find that there are two hotels available but neither are 4.5 Stars.

ny_ny_2

BUT, if I do the same search on the Priceline website with my computer, look what I find!

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walker_result

Itʼs 4.5 Stars. itʼs $345. Itʼs 8.6/10 (or 8/10 range). Iʼm 95% certain that if I book these 8 rooms I will get the Walker Hotel Greenwich Village.

I would love to hear if youʼve used this method and I would love to know if itʼs working for you. And please send me any other hacks you know. You can email me at: scott@eventric.com

Scott Ellis is a seasoned touring pro. His road life has included being the long time drummer for She Wants Revenge as well as Tour Manager for She Wants Revenge, Mumiy Troll (from Russia), Fitz & The Tantrums, Asst Tour Manager for Jane’s Addiction, and current Tour Manager for Everclear’s upcoming summer tour. He’s also a former roadie for Elvis Costello and Beck. Scott ran the touring and day to day operations at Cast mgmt in LA (Dropkick Murphys, KT Tunstall) for 3 years before joining Eventric.

He specializes in budget tours. Scott has spent considerable time and research documenting some fantastic touring tricks for the budget conscious touring professional, at any level.

While still spending some time on the road drumming for She Wants Revenge, Scott runs the Eventric Los Angeles office and is available and ready to meet with anyone passing through or that calls the West Coast home.