Ok, so I used priceline's "name your own rate" for the first time for my next trip to London. It's supposed to be a 4* hotel. However, upon research I've seen it listed as a 3* hotel on several websites, some good reviews and some bad reviews.

Priceline has a no cancellation policy; I called them up and told them of the lower star ratings, they made note of it and told me there was nothing he could do, that they had to escalate the matter and I should hear from them within two business days.

My question to you: Is it really worth going through all this, is the hotel THAT bad? I'm a 21 year old female, will be alone, and this will be my 7th trip to London so it's not like I need to be in the CENTER of it all since I won't be doing much sightseeing or anything. I understand it's an Arab neighborhood, that really doesn't scare me off.

Opinions? Anyone else ever deal with this with priceline?

thank you!

Priceline's rate its hotels based on its own standard. Doesn't matter what stars or diamonds or whatever the hotel gets from whoever. Does not apply.

You are wasting your time.

I think you'll do fine...Marble Arch is actually close to a tube on one of the more used lines and I found the area pretty nice, we rented a car in that area. We also did Priceline and got a good rate at Holiday Inn Kensington Forum...I thought it was an excellent deal for what we got.

No complaints here.

Tara

ma23, were you at the Marriott Marble Arch or the Marriott Park Lane? The latter is right NEXT to the Marble Arch tube station, the former (the one I'm worried about) is a few blocks further but still on the same tube line (central)

Marble Arch Underground station is on the Central Line, so figure on a change of lines to get anywhere interesting.

On the other hand, no fewer than twenty-one bus lines converge at Marble Arch, and they can get you to anywhere in the city without a change. See map:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/buses/spiders/pdf/marble-arch.pdf

Thanks, robespierre. The central line will come in handy for me, I can take it to Tottenham Court Road or Holborn to get to where I need to be on this particular trip. My concern was really more of the safety of this area..in the past I have stayed in Bloomsbury, Kensington and on the Thames, not far from Trafalgar Sq.

The area is fine - bit of a hike to Holborn but easy bus or tube conection

I also agree you are wasting your time because Priceline gives its own ratings, and that is what you bid on. That's pretty clear on their website, I thought, but if not, that is a point to complain IF you are saying this hotel as an official British tourist authority rating of only 3*. If it's just listed on some other bogus hotel websites that give their own ratings, what other websites give it is completely irrelevant. Tripadvisor, for example, really makes up its own star ratings, and they are often bizarre from some I've seen.