Priceline.com Priceline Hotel Booking Practises are Confusing and Deceptive Norwalk, Connecticut Internet
I recently used Priceline to book a hotel room in Chicago. Of course Chicago is a big city and one needs to select a hotel near to where one intends to do business. Priceline separates their booking areas into geographical areas of the city and I selected to review hotels in the "Loop, Grant Park" section of the city. Several were found and reviewed. I selected all the 4 star properties within that Priceline defined area of the city.
Also on their website is an "Express Deal" page where one can book hotels at a discounted price. Sounds like a good deal? The Express Deal page advertised a 4 star hotel in the Loop, Grant Park area at an attractive price, so of course I booked it. You take a little bit of a gamble because the actual hotel is not identified, but its rated 4 start with an 8.0 customer satisfaction level, in the same Priceline defined section of the city i.e Loop, Grant Park, so it seemed like a no brainer.
After booking the property and receiving confirmation of the booking, I was shocked to learn that the property was NOT one of the properties listed in the Loop, Grant Park area at all, but was actually located in another part of the city, north of the area where all of the other hotels had been listed.
After much run around, I finally contacted a customer service agent who informed me uncategorically, that the geographical boundaries for the definition of "Loop, Grant Park" under normal listings are different than the boundaries for properties avialble under Express Deal terms. In fact the hotel that was booked for me is actually listed on their website in entirely different geographical area in their normal listings.
So, instead of a being within walking distance of my business venue, I am now required to rent a car and pay $65 a day for parking or take taxis. The "bargain" becomes a 'rip off" because of very confusing, if not entitely deceptive, marketing paractises by Priceline.
Buyer Beware. Use other booking sites like Expedia or Hotels.com which are clearly much more on the up and up.