Booking a hotel through priceline and other prepaid websites
 

Does anyone know if when you book a room using priceline or other similar websites if you get a substandard room. It seems like every time I use one of these sites I get a low quality room. Maybe it was just a low quality hotel. An example of this was when I booked the Sheraton through priceline. I got a room that had the hotels air conditioning unit right outside of my window and listened to the noise from that all night. When I complained to the front desk they said this was the only room available. When I booked a radisson throught priceline the carpeting in the room was damp and the room smelled like mold. Again when I complained to the front desk they brought a fan into the room to help dry the carpeting. I usually don't complain about hotel rooms, but it seems like whenever I book a room through priceline I get a substandard room. Has anyone else had this experience?

This has been discussed many times. Many people will insist they have only gotten good rooms that way. And I'm not sure than anyone has ever suggested that booking with Priceline will automatically get you a substandard room if there are other better rooms available.

But do the math. You own a hotel. Every room is booked for the night. You have two people who have not yet arrived. One is paying $250 a night. One booked on Priceline for $95. You have two rooms -- one good one and one "bad" one. Who would YOU give the good room to and the bad room to?

Here are my most recent PL and HW stays. [I've also helped others get their rooms, but I'm only describing those I actually stayed at.] You decide:

PL:
5/08 Doubletree Charleston, SC - standard suite, even though the hotel has some smaller non-suites.
5/08 Four Points Savannah Airport, GA - standard room
3/08 Courtyard Bentonville, AR - standard room
6/08 Westin Costa Mesa, CA - standard room
12/06 Gatwick Arora, England - standard room
12/06 Grand Hyatt Atlanta Buckhead, GA - standard room in lowest floor, but still very nice
10/06 La Quinta College Station, TX - standard room
9/06 CDG Hilton, France - standard room
4/06 Radisson North Park Dallas, TX - standard room
11/05 Wyndham Tutwiler Birmingham, AL - huge corner suite
9/05 Red Lion Boise, ID - standard room
7/05 Marriott Calgary, AB - standard room
7/05 Westin Edmonton, AB - large corner room (I showed standard SPG card)
5/05 Marriott Bristol City Center, England - standard room

Hotwire:
3/08 OKC Airport La Quinta - standard room
8/07 Kansas City airport Four Points - standard room
9/04 Dallas Park Central Westin - SPG floor after showing standard card (no status)
9/04 NYC Swissotel The Drake - huge corner room

Only time I feel I get the worse room is at the Grand Hyatt in Atlanta, but it's still a super-nice room. It's just on the lowest floor with not much of a view.

Sorry, Westin Costa Mesa is 6/07, not 08.

kathymt - did you read reviews on tripadivsor on those hotels? Did anyone else have the same complaints that you had?

Most of my PL & HW stays have been fine, though if it's a hotel that has renovated & un-renovated rooms, PL users tend to get the older rooms.

One time I stayed at a La Quinta (in Tuscaloosa) thru PL. We were assigned a room facing the interstate, which was very noisy. Then I read reviews that the PL users get the Interstate rooms whereas regular guests get the quieter wing.

Anyway, IME, most of my stays have been fine; though once in a while I do think my room was not as nice as others. But is it a common occurrence? Definitely not. Will that stop me from PL/HW? Definitely not.