Priceline rolls out same-night hotel deals on mobile app

Good news for the smart phone travel crowd: Priceline on Thursday adds a new feature to its mobile app that offers same-night discounts at selected three- and four-star hotels. Tonight-Only Deals displays three hotel options and prices -- no bidding involved -- at 11 a.m. local time daily that can be booked until 11 p.m.

Sound familiar? Hotel Tonight fans will recognize this service. Tonight-Only Deals works much the same way, but posts hotel options an hour earlier (Hotel Tonight starts at noon). I like Hotel Tonight and welcome another addition to the same-night deal world.

Here’s how Tonight-Only works: Users peruse hotel options for one of 34 cities with descriptions, maps and even some Priceline user reviews before making an instant booking. There’s no blind booking or bidding here; fixed rates are last-minute offers the travel site negotiates with hotels, Priceline’s Brian Ek says.

The service is added to the free Hotel & Rental Car Negotiator app. It’s only available now for iPhone and iPad users.