We usually seek out easy 2-3 star deals on Priceline using the excellent betterbidding.com website as a guide. Recently we managed to reserve a room at a 4-star Marriott hotel in Paris for a super low price, which was cool, but there were a few surprising--and important--differences between a 4 star hotel and the usual suspects. 1. At a 4 star hotel, everything costs money if not more money, including internet access (at Holiday Inn, they often have a free kiosk in the lobby, for example) because people who stay at 4 star hotels usually have money to spend or it's on the company card; 2. Breakfast is not just NOT included, it is exorbitantly expensive (12-17 euros per person, plus tip...that's about $60 for 2 people) and most other hotels in the area are priced similarly, so you're stuck; 3. This 4 star hotel did not have a pool. Amazing, but true; 4. The room itself was not actually all that better than a 3 star one; bigger TV, maybe a little newer and more polished but otherwise identical, and service was basically the same. Moral of the story: don't aim too high or you end up paying full price anyway. Hopefully this is helpful info for bidders!
