Originally Posted by
anngi
Now when you bid a 3* in FLL they are upgrading you to an old 3 1/2* Hilton with no breakfast and $14 parking. Deciding whether to bid a 2 1/2* or look for another area in South Florida.
Bidding 2.5* doesn't protect you from an upgrade to 3.5*. I've seen 2* bids upgraded to 3.5*.
The only surefire way to avoid an upgrade to 3.5* is bid a zone that only goes to 3* or 2.5*. FLL and MIA have some of those. Or use Hotwire, Travelocity Top Secret, or LastMinuteTravel, and with a little detective work you'll have some idea what you're buying in advance.