If you haven't yet used Priceline to get cheap hotel rooms, you are missing out on some potentially great deals.  I used to travel A LOT for work and used ended up using Priceline almost exclusively after trying every other option available to me. I was consistently pleased with the results. 

Here are all the tips you need to know to get cheap hotel rooms using Priceline's bidding service. 

1. Start on Priceline and look for hotels that are available without using the feature. The reason for this is two-fold. First, you'll get an idea of the going rates for the area and type of hotel that you are looking at.  Second, since during the bidding process, you can't choose your exact hotel - you will at least have an idea of what hotels you might get at each price level. 

2. Once you've checked out what's available and what the going price is, head to the  section of the website that allows you to bid on a room.  

3. You'll have to choose the area and the star level that you want to bid on.  Remember, if your bid is accepted, you'll get a hotel and you'll pay for it up-front. You also will not be able to choose the exact hotel. However, you will be able to choose a very specific area and a star level. This is why it's important to check out the hotels that Priceline represents and their star levels so you know what hotels you may get. 

4. Entire a price - I usually enter about 45% of what the going rate is and go from there. You'll have to enter your credit card information and pay for the room up-front so make sure you are positive about your dates of travel. 

This really is a great way to get cheap hotel rooms. I've used them probably 50 times and only ever had one issue - I was given a smoking room.  The hotel didn't want to change it initially, but after some friendly talk with the front desk, they did switch me to a non-smoking room.  Otherwise, I've always been put in well-known hotel chains that have matched the star level that I chose.  

Hope this helps you to find a cheap hotel room on your next trip!