Originally Posted by
ReconDoc
Because I do not steal towels nor break TV's. Did not do so when I traveled on the companies dime do not do it now that I use PL.
You sound like a good Priceline customer,
ReconDoc, but you're not who this thread is talking about. The first post is about a hotel manager who complained about Priceline guests trashing rooms, stealing TVs, and smoking in nonsmoking rooms. And actual damages couldn't be recovered due to credit card trickery.
Even if room trashing and TV stealing are very low frequency events, and probably they are, they can involve large loss amounts, so hotel managers have to remain vigilant to the possibilities. The Priceline system, like all systems, has its vulnerabilities and there are always a few people who will try to exploit if they can.
If Priceline and Hotwire customers have a reputation among hotel staff for being difficult or demanding I think it's not so much about trashing and stealing, but more because PL/HW guests probably do make more requests than others, and PL/HW guests actually are dissatisfied more often than other guests because they have to be told "no" more often.
A guest who books at retail, whether through the hotel or another agent, will reserve his preferences---smoking/nonsmoking, 1 bed/2 bed. If the hotel is sold out on his preferences he'll book someplace else. Same thing with walkin customers.
It's only the Priceline and Hotwire customers who don't know if they'll be getting smoking or nonsmoking, 1 bed or 2. They have to negotiate it face to face with the reservation agent at checkin, and they might not get what they want, even if they called in ahead and asked that their preferences be noted. Sometimes the agent has to give a smoking room, or charge extra for a second bed, and if a customer doesn't understand the charges or thinks it's unfair the exchanges can get heated.
I think these little struggles with PL/HW customers over room placement/bedding are a pretty common event, maybe an every day event at some hotels, much more than the room trashing/stolen TV scenarios. And probably they happen with Priceline customers more than Hotwire customers (since you can reserve 2 beds on Hotwire), or Orbitz/Expedia/Travelocity customers, since those can reserve smoking and bed preferences too.