Priceline has long been one of the better ways to score a discounted hotel, especially if traveling to a major city with several four- and five-star options. The Android and iOS apps now have the popular Express Deals option, enabling you to get close to the discounts found in naming your own price without rolling the dice regarding where you end up staying.
William Shatner promises that the discounts are up to 45 percent off the rack rate. This is of course subject to a variety of circumstances, but most of the time you will pay less through Priceline than if you book directly with a hotel.
Many of the details that make a successful Priceline search have been sometimes cumbersome to find on the mobile version. If you know a city well, it is worth zooming in and out of the map to find an optimal location. Going mobile also means losing the efficacy of sifting quickly through multiple tabs in a browser.
However, the inclusion of Express Deals and the recently added Tonight Only Deals make the mobile app a more compelling option. Tonight-Only Deals are posted at 11:00 am each day, available for booking through 11:00 pm. The newer features were once locked away inside a standalone app; the update brings the iOS version up to full strength.
Having once booked an apartment through a travel site, my bride and I found ourselves in New York City in a dwelling that was of significantly lesser quality than advertised. Using Priceline to find a cushier hotel room made for a more pleasant trip and much happier wife.
