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Priceline launches Express Deals

June 27, 2012 | Hotel Marketing

Priceline.com launched its expanded hotel service that gives travelers three different options for booking. Express Deals is the newest option for travelers who need specific amenities, like a pool or business center, and want a discount of up to 45%, but prefer not to bid to get their rooms.

Priceline.com announced today the launch of its expanded hotel service that gives travelers three different options for booking and saving money on thousands of hotels around the world. Each booking option is specifically tailored to meet travelers' itinerary and savings requirements. With all three options, customers are guaranteed to get the best price.

- Retail Hotels: Choose from over 165,000 retail-price hotels, including the most luxurious 4-star and 5-star properties, located all over the globe and backed by priceline.com's Best Price Guarantee. This option is perfect for travelers who are joining up with business associates at a specific hotel, or have a favorite place to stay. Hotel descriptions include amenities, photos, maps, plus review and satisfaction scores from customers who have stayed at the hotel. Thousands of hotels are on sale every day, with special rates and juicy freebies like free breakfast, and free Internet. Many offer free cancellations and a "pay when you stay" option that allows priceline.com customers to pay for their rooms at checkout. And here's how priceline.com's Best Price Guarantee works: Any customer who finds a better online price within 24 hours can contact priceline.com to receive a refund for 100% of the difference.

- Express Deals: This is the newest option for travelers who need specific amenities, like a pool or business center, and want a discount of up to 45%, but prefer not to bid to get their rooms. Express Deals® is the speedy way to a great deal from thousands of hotels around the globe, and takes just seconds to book. Customers view a page that includes amenities (pool, gym, on-site restaurant, etc.), star level, neighborhood, guest satisfaction scores on a 1-10 scale, and a price that's already been discounted up to 45%. In many cases, customers can choose their bedding type (1 king, 2 doubles, etc.). After saying yes to the discounted price, the reservation is made and the name of the specific hotel is revealed. Express Deals® is covered by priceline.com's Big Deal Guarantee. If a customer books an Express Deals® hotel room and finds a better price any time up until the day before check-in, priceline.com will match that price and give the customer $25.*

- Name Your Own Price: The king of savings is still here for savvy negotiators who like to trade a little hotel flexibility for the hands-down best hotel deals available online - up to 60% off published prices. Tens of thousands of hotels around the world participate in priceline.com's popular Name Your Own Price® service.
Travelers pick their city, dates, star level and neighborhood. A new feature added to Name Your Own Price® guarantees the amenities guests will receive with their hotel. After a guest makes a bid, priceline.com tries to find a hotel willing to sell a room for that price. If a room is available, it's booked immediately at the guest's desired price. Priceline.com is the only online hotel reservation service to offer a Name Your Own Price® option for hotels in cities around the world. Customers who use priceline.com's Name Your Own Price® hotel service for their reservations are also covered by priceline.com's Big Deal Guarantee.

"Priceline.com recognizes that every trip is unique and a traveler's hotel and savings requirements may be different depending on the itinerary," said Tim Gordon, priceline.com's Senior Vice President, Hotels. "A traveler going to a reunion probably needs a particular hotel, making our Retail option the right choice. A family traveling with children might want a pool, but there's still the budget to consider, so they'll most likely want Express Deals®. A vacationing couple with hotel flexibility can save big and still stay in a luxurious 4-star hotel by going Name Your Own Price®. Priceline.com now has its hotel customers covered no matter what kind of trip they're taking, or what their hotel requirements may be, and all customers are guaranteed to get the best price."

All of priceline.com's hotel booking options are delivered over a website that was ranked as the best hotel reservations site on the Internet in terms of reliability. Industry analyst Keynote Systems recently put major hotel reservation websites through their paces for speed, response time consistency, site availability, and more. Priceline.com's hotel website came in first with a perfect reliability score.

Mobile-equipped travelers can book their hotel rooms using priceline.com's Hotel Negotiator app for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android. Hotel Negotiator offers an additional booking service called Tonight-Only Deals, where specific named hotels are made available to travelers for check-in that night at savings of up to 35% off published rates.

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