Originally Posted by
Greendevil74
We bid on a 5 star hotel in the Riverwalk district of San Antonio for a recent family vacation. What we were 'awarded', however, was the Marriott Plaza, an old, run down, smelly hotel with poor service, small rooms, uncomfortable beds, no amenities (come on.. even a flippin' Clarion has a refer in the room), we had to pay $15 a day for wi-fi.. it was blocks from anything.. including the Riverwalk.. in a dicey area where my wife would not go out unaccompanied. Under no ones definition would this be considered a 4 or 5 star hotel. And we were stuck there for five days with no options, as once your bid is accepted, you are out of luck. So far Priceline has done nothing but say, "Hey, we think it's a 4 star hotel". Well, if their rating system is this messed up, I will NEVER use Priceline again. They completely mis-represented what I was buying...a classic Bait and Switch... and you should be well aware of this when you book with them.
Agree with the other posts on buyer beware on priceline. That said, if you really bid 5 star and got a 4 star, you have a valid complaint. If you bid 4 start and the hotel didnt perform, your complaint is with the hotel. Send them a non-inflammatory letter and see what happens. once your stay is over, however, you'll get much less love.
When I stayed in San Antonio on priceline about 10 years ago, I bid 4 stars and paid about $100 for the Fairmont Hotel for 2 rooms (100 each). One had a balcony overlooking the park and almost the Alamo (down the street) and one I think had a jacuzzi. You win some, and you lose some...