Priceline Hotel: 3* San Antonio (Downtown-RW) Radisson Market Squre

[bembowen]

I started with bidding on 4* downtown--started at $60, rejected all the way up to $75, in $5 increments

Added 3*, started at $65, accepted at $80.

Taxes and fees: $35.88

Total for two nights: $195.88

The winner: Radisson Market Square, which can only vaguely be described as downtown

502 West Durango

San Antonio, Texas 78207

210-224-7155

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your win.

Thank you for sharing your results with the rest of the board.

I assume your previous 3* bid in the downtown zone was $75?

Enjoy your stay.

[bembowen]

Correct.

I have to admit that I'm a bit disappointed, considering the caliber of the other listed 3*s for Priceline, but them's the breaks with something like Priceline, I guess.

[bembowen]

I wrote out a superlong review, thought I posted it, and lo, it's gone. Oh well. But here's the real scoop: this hotel is actually a 2.5* hotel, which is what my confirmation said and I didn't notice until we were already heading out the door. So I called and they offered to refund my money in full! Awesome!

As for the hotel review, I hope this is the right place. Here goes:

This hotel is RIGHT next to the UTSA Downtown campus. The Radisson Market Square deserves its 2.5*, meaning it in no way ranks with the 3*s that have previously been won on Priceline. It's a lot like a Comfort Inn with a much nicer lobby and a restaurant attached. Same standard comforter, standard art on walls, standard standard standard. Although we're pretty sure one of the pictures was hung upside down. The two major nice things we experienced were 1) they upgraded us to a suite when I mentioned that this was for our anniversary, and 2) they offer shuttle service downtown to four (or five, don't remember) specific drop off/pick up points. The shuttle was always there when they said it would be, meaning if they told us it would be there any minute, it was there within a minute or two. If they told us it would be a 15-minute wait, it was about 15 minutes. So that was nice. It's also a pretty necessary amenity if you want to see the downtown sights and don't have your own car or care to spend money on parking. I'm not positive, but I think you would have to cross the highway to get to the nearest bus stop.

The suite we ended up with was very large. It had a king-size bed, armoir with the TV (limited cable, though), a chair, and a mini-fridge and sink (total of three sinks in the room). The view was nothing to speak of, just a street intersection. The bath products were a name brand that I haven't heard of--started with an A, but not Aveda--but they smelled nicer and worked better than usual. Lots of towels, which the maid replaced, but she didn't replace the bath rug. She made the bed too, but I couldn't say if the sheets were replaced or not. One had a large stain, and I don't know if it was there before or not. While room service was punctual to a fault (I think they were 10 minutes early), nobody brought up the flowers my husband had ordered for me. He called to see if they were there, and nobody had seen them. So about an hour or two later, we were heading out for the day, and there they were at the front desk. My husband was a little frustrated, since he had wanted the presentation to go along along with the item. Instead, I carried them back to our room myself. When we checked out, one of the ladies at the front desk turned to her partner and said, "Oh, those are the flowers I was telling you about." Then she turned back to me and pulled a face like something was wrong. Possibly they realized their mistake? Anyway, overall, the stay was fine, but if I have a choice, I wouldn't choose to stay there.

Oh, and P.S., when the room service order form offers a "muffin" for breakfast, they mean an English muffin.

[thereuare]

Your review is in the HOTEL REVIEW section :)

[bembowen]

Hey, what a concept! I'll get the hang of this site eventually.... :) Thanks!