TV's Long Island Medium Theresa Caputo Channels The Dearly Departed Negotiator In New Priceline.com TV Spot

NORWALK, Conn., June 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Her work connecting the dead with grieving relatives often makes for tear-jerking TV, but Long Island medium Theresa Caputo will show off her humorous side in a new priceline.com TV spot that starts airing this week.  In the spot, Caputo helps a grieving priceline.com (Nasdaq: PCLN) hotel customer re-connect with The Priceline Negotiator, a character played by William Shatner. In another TV spot aired earlier, priceline.com placed its Negotiator character aboard a bus that plummeted off a bridge.

It's a good thing Caputo was able to reach the Negotiator, because he has an urgent message for priceline.com customers.  Priceline.com's hotel reservation service just launched Express Deals®, a speedy, no-bid hotel reservation service that offers more information, more choices and discounts of up to 45% over published rates.  With Express Deals®, customers see the star level neighborhood, included amenities (pool, gym, etc.), guest satisfaction scores, and a significantly discounted price.  Some hotels will allow customers to choose their bedding type (1 king, 2 doubles, etc.).  The name of the hotel is revealed after the booking is completed.  Express Deals® was created for customers who needed specific amenities, but still want their priceline.com discount.

Caputo is entering the third season of her TLC show "Long Island Medium".  The show follows her life as a psychic medium and the unique challenges it creates for Larry, her husband of 22 years, and their two children.  "It was a blast doing this spot," said Caputo.  "The hardest thing about comedy is delivering those lines with a straight face.  But it is the Negotiator, after all, and his sole concern, wherever he is, is saving people money on their priceline.com hotel rooms."

"Given the 'status' of the Negotiator, Theresa Caputo was a natural choice to help us continue the narrative of this campaign," said priceline.com's Chief Marketing Officer Brett Keller.  "It was a pleasure working with Theresa and we hope her fans enjoy seeing this side of her."

With the launch of its new hotel service http://www.priceline.com/hotels/, priceline.com now offers three distinct booking options.  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.

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.  The Priceline Hotel Negotiator app can be downloaded from free from the iTunes store http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/priceline-hotel-car-negotiator/id336381998?mt=8&uo=4 or Android market https://market.android.com/details?id=com.priceline.android.negotiator.

*Priceline's Big Deal Guarantee covers hotels of at least two stars or higher.  The $25 will be paid as a refund to the customer's credit card.  For full details and restrictions, visit http://travela.priceline.com/promo/big_deal_guarantee.html.

About The Priceline Group
The Priceline Group (Nasdaq: PCLN) is a leader in global online hotel reservations, with over 235,000 participating hotels worldwide.  The Group is composed of four primary brands – Booking.com, priceline.com, Agoda.com and Rentalcars.com – and several ancillary brands. The Priceline Group provides online travel services in over 175 countries in Europe, North America, South America, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and Africa. 

Booking.com is the number one online hotel reservation service in the world, offering over 205,000 hotels (as of May 9, 2012), and is available in 41 languages.  More recent hotel counts are available on the Booking.com website. 

Priceline.com gives leisure travelers multiple ways to save on their airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, vacation packages and cruises. In addition to getting compelling published prices, travelers can take advantage of priceline.com's famous Name Your Own Price® service, which can deliver the lowest prices available.  Agoda.com is an Asia-based online hotel reservation service that is available in 37 languages.  Rentalcars.com is a multinational car hire service, offering its reservation services in over 4,000 locations.  Customer support is provided in 38 languages.

SOURCE Priceline.com

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