Priceline Hotel: 4* Dallas (Park Central) The Westin Park Central Dallas

[vhhorne]

I'm bidding on Priceline but I don't want to get the 4-star hotel because the ones in the area all charge extra for parking. It looks like Priceline is automatically adding the 4-star to my bid on a 3.5 star. How can I make sure I don't get the 4-star?

[Gallus50]

Anytime you bid, PL could upgrade you to a property at a higher star level. Sorry, but I don't think there's any way you can really avoid it.

You could, of course, try HW instead. You might give up something on the room cost, but make it up by not having to pay for parking.

[Verbat]

Yes, unfortunately PRICELINE takes the star rating that you want and use it as the minimum rating for your bid, if it finds something at a higher rating it will automatically give it to you and normally people are happy about it.

Not much you can do about it except use HOTWIRE instead.

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

You can be upgraded to the next highest star rating - while this certainly may not happen, there's no way to guarantee. Please let us know the date/s of travel, location and desired zone/budget per night/star rating and we would be happy to offer suggestions. HOTWIRE would also be an option if you absolutely want to avoid the possibility of being upgraded.

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[vhhorne]

We're heading to North Dallas (Park Central Area) from 4/12 to 4/15. Would like a 3.5 star for under $65 per night. We hate paying for parking and would like a free breakfast or wine reception (or both!) Thanks for the help. Also, on my initial bid ($36 for a 3.5 star) I stated I wanted cancellation insurance, but on the rebid, I changed my mind. I don't seem to be able to get it off even if I add another zone. Ideas?

[vhhorne]

Well, I went and did it and sure enough, I got the 4-star Westin that I DIDN'T want! After a $45 + tax bid, I'm paying an extra $13 for parking, $10 for internet, getting no breakfast, no evening reception and very bad reviews. Priceline said they guaranteed at least an 8+ rating, but the last 10 have averaged a 5.4. This is why I'll NEVER use Priceline again -- even after my sister raved about the great hotels she gets there. Nope; I'm now paying about what I would have paid for a nice, respectable, updated Hilton Garden Inn. And staying 3 nights! It does beat the rack rate of $99 per night, but do I have any recourse? I thought if I bid low enough, I'd surely get the 3.5-star...

[thereuare]

Sorry to hear you're disappointed with the results, but if you didn't want this hotel and/or needed specific amenities, why not have used HOTWIRE as suggested above? There you could ensure a hotel with a free breakfast by purchasing a hotel showing this amenity (and knowing that the Westin doesn't offer a free breakfast would have excluded this property from the offering), as well as enabled you to take a guess as to the property, thereby 'knowing' any additional costs for parking or internet, if a manager's reception if offered, etc. Many times HOTWIRE also shows TA reviews and user recommended figures, which would have also given you more comfort in receiving a hotel which better met your needs.

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

Hope you ultimately enjoy this stay and hopefully the higher rated hotel than you typically stay in will surpass your expectations.

[vhhorne]

Thanks for the info. I didn't use Hotwire because the lowest price for a 3.5 star was $65, which was higher than I wanted to pay. I'm sure the Westin will be fine; I found complimentary parking across the street and we rarely eat much for breakfast so I'll pick up some bananas and we'll still be saving money.

[AaronJB]

Glad to hear that there's alternate parking nearby and that the hotel will still work out okay.

[vhhorne]

I just had to come back and say how thrilled I was with the Westin. Beautiful, clean, elegant and worth way more than the $45 per night! Yes, parking was a hassle across the street and it was annoying to have to go to the lobby to check my email, but overall, it was a gorgeous, relaxing place to stay. I'm now a Priceline fan!

[thereuare]

That's GREAT news... glad to hear you enjoyed your stay and found the hotel to be a great value!

Since you're now hooked on PRICELINE, we'll expect to see you around here more often ;)