Priceline Hotel: 4* Kansas City (Downtown-Crown Center) Hotel Phillips

[franklin411]

Through the links, I found a 4* matching the Westin on Hotwire for $89 in the Crown Center area, so I undercut by 10% and bid $79 for 4* in the Crown Center area. Got the Hotel Phillips right away...which is pretty much rack rate. I thought I had identified a 3.5* in the same zone on Hotwire as the Holiday Inn Aladdin for $67.

Oh well. I got ripped off. :)

[thereuare]

Sorry to see you feel that you overbid for this property, but as each service uses their own criteria to rate properties, you can't necessarily use the rate show by HOTWIRE to determine what you should bid on PRICELINE (nor can you determine what you will get from a PRICELINE bid by what is offered by HOTWIRE)

While perhaps not much savings on this one, hope you can make this work for your needs and you're happy with the hotel.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Enjoy your stay.

[franklin411]

No worries...it's only two nights and one day. :)

This is the second time I've dealt with Priceline's star inflation...that's what bugs me. :)

[Bob24]

This is definitely NOT a 4 star property. However, I have used Hotwire to guide me on what I should bid on Priceline for this specific area. There are three hotels that Priceline considers 4 stars in the Crown Center area. The Hotel Phillips, Hyatt Regency, and the Westin.

The Hotel Phillips does not have a pool and the other two properties do. So, I will check on Hotwire to see what their price is for a 4 star with a pool listed as an amenity in this area. If Hotwire lists a 4 star with a pool for $89 a night, I will get on PL and can generally get either the Hyatt or the Westin for $20-25 a night less.

Don't let them stick you in a room that ends in 05 or 10, those are the smallest and dumpiest rooms in the place.

[franklin411]

Don't let them stick you in a room that ends in 05 or 10, those are the smallest and dumpiest rooms in the place.

Hello,

Thanks for the tip about the room numbers! Sigh...it's really a shame that PL doesn't get its act together on this star-inflation business. It's amazing how one bad hotel can ruin Priceline for an entire zone or even a city. I can't trust PL for KC now. =(

[Bob24]

Here is my review on the property from my last stay. Management replied and said they were working on getting things fixed. I will be curious as to what your thoughts are after this stay.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews...HECK_RATES_CONT

[franklin411]

Just got back from KC. I had read that the corner rooms were nice, so I asked for one as high up as they could get me. They gave me 1205, and I was a little worried because of the "05" ending. However, the room seemed to be relatively recently renovated (but not brand spanking new). I looked at the floor map and saw that you're right that 00 and 05 rooms are smaller, but since I was alone, I figured I did OK. The corner rooms are nice, but smaller than some of the middle rooms.

The internet didn't work the first day there, but otherwise there were no major issues. I do agree that the hotel is more 3-3.5* than 4. The reason is not so much the physical facilities, although refurbishment is definitely needed. The main reason is that management hasn't quite gotten the whole "attention to detail" thing down right. Little things, like delivering newspapers, supplying extra bottles of sundries, having coffee makers in room, etc... are what make the difference between 3.5* and 4* in my opinion.

Also, I suspect that when you're staying dramatically affects your experience. I was there Sun-Tues, in the midst of a record heat wave, so the place (and the Power and Light District) was a ghost town. I could have had my pick of rooms. If the weather was nicer and there were more events going on, I might have ended up next to a room full of partiers or something. I was glad to be there on a Sunday/Mon.

[Bob24]

That doesn't sound like a bad stay. They do say they are in the process of updating the place. Seems like that might be the case. You say it was hot in KC and I remember that the Phillips had pretty good AC. That is one advantage to a smaller room is that it can stay cooler.

The place does have a certain charm to it, I just wish that it wasn't rated as 4 star as that is misleading.