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June 10, 2015 By Ricci 34 Comments

Staying in a Great Hotel on a Budget

This post contains affiliate links.

I love to travel and explore new places! I usually travel alone, single lady status right here, but this summer I am taking the ultimate summer road trip with my bestie from college. Both she and my grandparents live in Ohio and I have been to see them the past two summers but this year I am going to see them and then the bestie and I will be taking a little east coast road trip.

I have been to NYC a few times but that’s all of the east coast I have seen. What a shame, I know! So we will be traveling to Washington DC, Philadelphia, Atlantic City, NYC, and Boston. I am soooo super excited like you don’t even understand. It’s pretty ridiculous.

Unfortunately we are not made of money so the planning of this trip has been ongoing since sometime last February and I have been researching hotel deals like a crazy woman. Once we nailed down our dates I began researching the best areas to stay in and the best hotels for our budget, because this sister is not staying in a murder hotel. Can I get an amen on that?

Through all of my research I found that Priceline had the nest deals by using their express deals. The catch to the express deals is that you don’t know where you are staying until you book and the reservation is non-refundable. You basically search by area and star-rating. It’s really interesting and I could seriously research hotels and compare deals all day long. I love it!

expressDeals-header-feb2014-v1a

Using the Priceline express deals I would look at the express deal page and figure out the area and star-rating I wanted then look at the regular reservation page and search by location and start-rating. By also comparing the amenities I could pretty much tell you what hotel I was about to book which made me feel really good about using the express deals. I have to say that using that method I was only wrong once and I got us some amazing deals in 3 and 4 star hotels that we would normally never be able to afford!!

I got all of our hotel rooms at an average of 45% off for the whole trip! And that, my friends, is how my bestie and I will be traveling the east coast, staying in fancy hotels, and doing so on a budget.

I was not compensated in any way for this post, pretty sure Priceline has NO IDEA who I am and I’m good with that. If you are wanting to travel this summer and are on a tight budget then check out the express deals from Priceline. They are worth it!!

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: hotel deals, priceline, travel

Hi! I'm Ricci and let me be the first to welcome you to Ricci Alexis, my lifestyle and beauty blog! I am a 36 year old single lady and am currently living in central Arkansas. My current obsessions include my dog Sophie, McDonald's frappes, the smell of DryBar hair products, the Royal Family, anything leopard print and celebrity gossip. Read More…

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Robin (Masshole Mommy) says

    June 10, 2015 at 9:38 am

    I have booked hotels and car rentals off of Priceline before and saved a TON. It’s totally a hidden gem when it comes to traveling.

    Reply
  2. Christy Maurer says

    June 10, 2015 at 9:48 am

    Have a super fun trip! I have never used priceline, but I love saving money on hotels! One word of advice for Philadelphia…I have heard that it is safest around the historical sites. Multiple people have told me that if I ever go back (we went to a few historical places when my daughter was 2), to not leave the hotel at night because it’s not so safe. We want you to return safely! IDK why it is such a dangerous area, but I trust these people. If they say don’t go out, don’t go out lol.

    Reply
  3. Rachel says

    June 10, 2015 at 11:10 am

    I love priceline! I use them for my booking deals everytime!

    Reply
  4. Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says

    June 10, 2015 at 11:17 am

    I’ll admit it. The first time I used Priceline was strictly for William Shatner. After I used it, though, I saw how great it was.

    Reply
  5. Megan Elford says

    June 10, 2015 at 12:27 pm

    I’ve used some other deal websites when booking hotel rooms, and they got me some pretty great rates. None were as great as your deals, though! I need to check out Priceline for sure!

    Reply
  6. mykidsguide says

    June 10, 2015 at 12:42 pm

    I always use Priceline whenever we travel. I save a lot of money from hotel accommodations.

    Reply
  7. Sandy KS says

    June 10, 2015 at 2:14 pm

    What part of ohio are you traveling to? I live in Ohio. It is a beautiful place with many hidden gems to visit.

    Reply
  8. Nancy (@spiffykerms) says

    June 10, 2015 at 2:29 pm

    I need to start getting more in the loop with these not-so-secret websites. No need of payin’ full price for things these days, especially hotels, right?! Thanks for the awesome reminder.

    Reply
  9. Alli says

    June 10, 2015 at 3:09 pm

    One of my family’s favorite road trips was one we took up the East coast to Maine for a ski vacation. The kids still talk about how much fun it was. It’s even more fun when you save money. Thanks for the tips!

    Reply
  10. Regan says

    June 10, 2015 at 3:18 pm

    I always forget about Priceline and I could have used it two weeks ago for our vacation.

    I was born and raised in the Northeast and you’ve picked some great places to visit. Boston is probably my favorite city.

    Reply
  11. Ronda Ogilvie says

    June 10, 2015 at 3:29 pm

    This sounds so scary to me! LOL!! I like to know what I’m getting before I commit, sometimes an over planner!! Maybe I’ll let my hair down and give this craziness a try sometime ;)

    Reply
  12. Chubskulit Rose says

    June 10, 2015 at 4:43 pm

    Hmn,I did not know about this. We could have save some before we booked our accomodatuion fornext month, ugh.

    Reply
  13. celebbabylaundry says

    June 10, 2015 at 6:19 pm

    This sounds amazing, I would love to be able to stay a nice hotel on budget! I will have to look into this some more.

    Reply
  14. Liz Mays says

    June 10, 2015 at 7:20 pm

    Wow 45% off is an awesome discount. I have to remember to check this out when I book my next trip.

    Reply
  15. Kelly Hutchinson says

    June 10, 2015 at 8:28 pm

    Priceline has been a huge money saver for my family. I love how much money I have saved on hotels and car rentals in the past.

    Reply
  16. Christi from sexymoxiemama.com says

    June 10, 2015 at 9:00 pm

    Have a great trip. It is great that you were able to get a hotel for less than the normal advertised (usually high) price.

    Reply
  17. Elayne says

    June 10, 2015 at 9:11 pm

    Sites like Priceline have really given the ordinary traveler control over their spending budgets! When I go to make reservations, I always use an online site as opposed to my parents who still call up the airlines and hotels for a booking. Have fun this summer on your road trip.

    Reply
  18. Amy @ItsAMindfulLife says

    June 10, 2015 at 10:48 pm

    It is fun to hear a review of a product/service that wasn’t sponsored! Makes me even more interested in this service. I will definitely be trying it out! Thanks!

    Reply
  19. Nile says

    June 11, 2015 at 3:29 am

    I like that option in Priceline, but I usually go for the Name Your Own Price. I’ve gotten even better deals using that. One of the things I’ve loved is that Priceline even lets me pay with my PayPal account. It bypasses me having to put my credit card into the system.

    Reply
  20. Jeanine says

    June 11, 2015 at 9:17 am

    I only recently used a website to book a hotel, it was hotels.com I don’t travel or stay away often but when I do I’ll be doing this more often. I haven’t used priceline before, I’ll have to check it out!

    Reply
  21. Melissa says

    June 11, 2015 at 9:24 am

    I have never used Priceline but have seen all the ads and heard from others that they have saved money. I will have to look into it next time I travel, I love to save money!

    Reply
  22. Lynndee says

    June 11, 2015 at 10:08 am

    45% off? That is totally awesome! I always check for great deals and compare prices before booking a hotel. I’ve never used Priceline though. I will check it out.

    Reply
  23. Kori Tomelden says

    June 11, 2015 at 11:04 am

    I have yet to use Priceline but it’s nice to have a money saving option. Traveling can definitely be pricey.

    Reply
  24. Jacqui Odell says

    June 11, 2015 at 1:16 pm

    These are great tips! I use Priceline a lot!! It makes it a lot easier to check out hotels at once.

    Reply
  25. Uplifting Families says

    June 11, 2015 at 2:26 pm

    This sounds like a great deal. We usually don’t know where we are going to stop if we are on a long trip. This makes it almost impossible to book a hotel in advance. Other times when we travel, we book where my husband has points accumulated. I will have to check out the express priceline deals.

    Reply
  26. Maria-Teresa Andreacchi says

    June 11, 2015 at 5:59 pm

    Great post I love to travel but hate over spending on hotels. Lets face it for the most part your just there to sleep the rest of your day is spent out and about! Thanks for the great tips!

    Reply
  27. Life As A Convert says

    June 11, 2015 at 9:30 pm

    I don’t know if I’ve ever used Priceline before or not. I just search google, until I find the best rates lol.

    Reply
  28. Abundant Journeys says

    June 11, 2015 at 9:51 pm

    Thankfully I get to know the best places to book on behalf of my clients from my years in the industry. Definitely saves all of that research time for sure. :-)

    Reply
  29. Stephanie C. says

    June 12, 2015 at 12:07 am

    I love Priceline – it’s a great way to get great deals. I’m always looking for deals when we travel!

    Reply
  30. manuela W. says

    June 12, 2015 at 2:23 am

    Over the years Priceline has saved us so much money! We will use Priceline forever!

    Reply
  31. Rebecca Swenor says

    June 12, 2015 at 7:43 am

    It sounds like Priceline is a great place to find the best deals when trying to book a room. I will be checking them out when we go on vacation. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  32. Carly Brydon says

    June 12, 2015 at 10:03 am

    It sounds like you and your bestie are going to have an awesome time! Priceline is definitely a great site to get the best deals. We use it whenever we go anywhere!

    Reply
  33. Jessica Simms says

    June 12, 2015 at 6:05 pm

    I live next door to DC and you will love it there! There is so many affordable places to visit and stay at its fit for anyones budget.

    Reply
  34. CoUrtneYlYnne says

    June 13, 2015 at 11:52 pm

    Priceline is awesome!! I’m the master of finding 4-5 star resorts for the fraction of the cost! Searching the Internet is key before booking anything!

    Reply

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ricci

Ricci is a 39 year old digital content creator from central Arkansas. She is passionate about skincare, travel, reading, and being an advocate for women's health issues. She is dog mom to Sophie, cat mom to Rooster and Poppy and an aunt to 10 amazing kiddos. riccialexis83@gmail.com

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