I just read some of the discussion of this issue on biddingfortravel. I must say I still don't find the restaurant issue to be a "big deal" (maybe because it just wouldn't be that important to me). But I must say that another aspect of that discussion DID concern me: the "upgrading" to "boutique" that priceline is apparently doing to customers who bid for a traditional 3-star property.

For the life of me, I can't understand why priceline would do this to their customers. Boutique can be a nice option for some, but why shove it down the throats of folks who might not want it?

Even worse is the practice I've read elsewhere of priceline "upgrading" to "resort" customers who bid for 4-star hotels, even if the resort is otherwise only classified as a 3-star. That's simply outrageous, and makes a mockery of the star-bidding system.

On the boutique front, I know folks who have gotten the Metropolis in San Francisco, a property at a somewhat dubious location that no "regular" 3-star hotel would likely locate. While I question the wisdom of priceline allowing this property to participate in the first place (it's not likely to be a crowd pleaser), the idea of a regular 3-star bidder for the main "north of Market" zone getting this fringe property is a recipe for one very unhappy customer.

Again, is priceline that desperate to sell rooms that it needs to engage in such dubious practices? It's just a shame when the "typical" priceline hotel experience is so satisfying.