Hotwire.com Lays An Egg

Hotwire.com is a site that allows you to book a hotel of a given star rating, price, and location. The exact hotel is not disclosed until after payment is made. I've had many great experiences with Hotwire.com until recently.

I reserved a 3-star hotel in St. Petersburg. According to Hotwire.com, 3-star hotels are comparable to a Holiday Inn, Radisson, or Doubletree. The hotel I was booked into was a former (but de-flagged) Holida Inn. The place was a dive...more like a 1-star property. No restaurant (as represented by Hotwire.com), old, musty rooms, threadworn carpeting, etc.

I wrote to Hotwire.com, but they were quick to defend their 3-star rating. I've written to Hotwire.com again. We'll see if they have the decency to respond.