1. I am always surprised to see bad reviews but most sound due to issues with booking on Priceline, Hotwire, etc. While I have used both, there is usually fine print explaining that they guarantee a room for two people (so if you're requesting two beds for a family, you may not get it) and they can't guarantee special requests (like non-smoking); so for the deep discounts, realize that you can't expect hotel management to fix issues you were warned about up front.