tims Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 I will be touring the States in August/September and plan to use PRICELINE as much as I can to cut costs. As such I want to stay in cheaper 1 and 2 star hotels/motels but I've read alot of posts about how bad 1* and 2* hotels are and, if you want to get a clean decent room 3* is the minimum to go for. Is this generalizing too much - do most (1 and2 *) establishments offer clean, basic rooms or is there no guarantee what you will get with them? Thanks Link to comment
powerplantop Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 If all you want is a clean decent room you can go with 2 or 2.5*. Where the problem comes in is people expect a 4* hotel when staying at a 2*. Quite often the 2 or 2.5* properties do not staff the desk at night or are not in the right locations. (you may have to drive to restaurants ect). Link to comment
thereuare Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 You have to know your own personality and how easily you find fault vs. able to brush it off and not let it bother you.I've also often said that in some areas there are some lower rated hotels which would be pefectly acceptable, but there may be a few/some which are not, and with PRICELINE and HOTWIRE you can't choose which type you will get... so as per above, you have to know yourself first.Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
Colfax Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Aside from whether you like 1* hotels they're often just not good bargains on Priceline. A $50 hotel doesn't have room to discount the way a $150 hotel does. If a 1* Super 8 gives Priceline a $50 room for $40, and you add on a Priceline transaction fee around $7, you've only saved $3. It's not uncommon to see posts here from people who won a 1*, then went to the hotel's website and learned that could have booked the same hotel directly for a few dollars less, after Priceline fee. If it takes $40 to win a 1* you might as well try $40 for a 3* and 2.5* and 2* first.Also, every city is different. A 1* Travelodge could be clean, quiet, and safe in one city and a nightmare in another. And there are problematic 3* hotels.Rather than trying to decide on one consistent quality level to bid for your whole trip (3* vs 2* vs 1*) I would look at each city individually, and get opinions from people who know those cities on what would be best there with your budget. You can start a new thread for each city, if you want. Link to comment
dahammer Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Rather than trying to decide on one consistent quality level to bid for your whole trip (3* vs 2* vs 1*) I would look at each city individually, and get opinions from people who know those cities on what would be best there with your budget. You can start a new thread for each city, if you want.great advice, you should also get better deals in areas that have more hotels, hence more competition, and are more likely to use an opaque outlet such as HOTWIRE or PRICELINE to fill rooms that may otherwise go empty. For example, I always seem to have difficulty bidding in small towns such as Ithaca, Elmira, and Binghamton, NY or Williamsport, PA because the difference between accepted bids and rack rates is $20-$30. In areas such as Secaucus, NJ or Long Island, there are more empty rooms to fill and the difference between rack rates and accepted bids can be $50-100. As Colfax stated, you need to set a budget per night and map out your trip. As the wise man once said "if you don't know where your're going, any road will take you there". Link to comment
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