Priceline Hotel: Priceline and "Unsatisfactory" Lodgings

[Dick Carlson]

I'm headed for Austin for a long-term (4-6 weeks) stay. I'd like to get a good deal, and there are several 2-star joints that show up. I'd like to bid for at least a week or so to get a good rate. But you really can't tell with those places until your boots (and the rest of you) are on the ground. I'm curious if other people have had any experience at making a multiple night reservation, then arriving and finding that the place is a dump.

Do you have any luck getting Priceline to let you out of the deal, or are you just completely SOL? I know I could just reserve for one night, see how it is, yada-yada-yada....

South Carolina Boy

Currently Bedbug Free

[AaronJB]

I would recommend reading thereuare's response in this Priceline Ohio thread. If there is something seriously wrong with the hotel, call - although in most cases it becomes a matter of having to call upon arrival.

If you need assistance with your stay, please provide the full details of the stay (date/s, desired budget/star rating/zone and any other details.)

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

[thereuare]

... another option is to use HOTWIRE where you can use the user review information (both HOTWIRE's guest reviews and TA information when provided) to have an increased comfort level with an 'opaque' purchase. As well, you can often use the information provided to take an educated guess as to what the hotel offered might be.

I will also add that even if you purchase one nite on PRICELINE, when you go to purchase the subsequent nite(s) you could receive an entirely different hotel, so i don't think that is necessarily an option for your situation above, although you could purchase stays one week at a time so that if you are unhappy it's not for the entire 4-6 week period and you can adjust your bidding strategy for the next one week period in order to avoid the current hotel.

prieline.hotwire

[Dick Carlson]

Thanks -- the thread had exactly the kind of info that I needed.