Priceline does it again (and that's a good thing)

Priceline.com rocks. Period.

Every time Paul and I travel, without exception, we stay at 3- or 4-star hotels, rarely paying more than $40 or $50 a night. I consider it the difference between traveling and vacationing.

When Paul and I went to New Orleans earlier this month, we used Priceline to book a stay at a historic Wyndham property called The Whitney. When we got there, we didn't have a room.

The Whitney blamed Priceline. So I called them (in a near-panic). The two people who I spoke with -- Stephanie and Mark -- calmed me down and secured me a (much nicer) room in the Bourbon Orleans in the French Quarter.

When Priceline sent out its post-stay survey, I used the opportunity to thank Priceline for getting me into another hotel -- and I praised Stephanie and Mark for their great service. I mean, in a dozen Priceline bookings, this is the first time I've had a problem -- and it was resolved better than I could have expected.

So imagine my surprise today, opening my e-mail and finding out Priceline was refunding part of my stay.

This is what keeps me going back to this company. They continually surpass my expectations. I can't recommend them highly enough, because they really go the extra mile online and over the phone.

Of course, it also doesn't hurt that their cheap prices let us travel in style. :)

P.S. I do recall that one time Paul and I traveled without booking a Priceline hotel. We were visiting Oklahoma University to look at their Ph.D. program, and the university put us up in a tiny dorm room where we had separate twin beds and no TV. Really sucky. Really, really sucky.