Again, sorry for the protracted absence, but I've been taking the Company Jet (a/k/a Southwest Airlines) to work a little more than usual this month and haven't had a lot of time to pontificate.

While I consider myself a savvy business traveler, as in all aspects of my life, I try to keep complacency from taking over and driving me to an "I know all there is to know on this subject" attitude. With that in mind, when my videographer told me of the great hotel deals he was getting on Priceline, I made a mental note to try it out next time I was trekking to depos on my own dime (which seems more and more the norm lately). Sure enough, his advice was golden.

I had a three-day job in Austin, so I put in for four-star downtown accommodations for fiddy bucks a night. Bang!, got the Hyatt on Town Lake for less than it costs to fill up my Yukon... and with a little charm, got the desk clerk to put me on the eighth floor overlooking the water. Another three-dayer in Dallas last week, same drill, got the Hyatt again for peanuts.

Now, there are some drawbacks, mainly you pay for the entire stay when you book it, and you can't change or cancel your reservation. My solution is to reserve everything at the last minute. If I'm driving to Austin at night, regardless of whether I'm met with Bull$h!t Court Reporter Annoyance #23, "Oh, that cancelled yesterday, didn't anyone call you?" I'm still gonna need a hotel. Also, you don't get the frequent flyer points, but would I rather routinely save $100 a night on my room or have my Marriott Platinum status back? Hmmm, you do the math.

Besides, would Captain James Tiberius Kirk lie?

"If you don't get what you want, it's a sign either that you did not seriously want it, or that you tried to bargain over the price." - Rudyard Kipling