I have pretty high luck....9 times out of 10 I get the class/star I want for the price I want (and the quality matches the star level I bid on or do a blind 'express' purchase). After a while though and you visit somewhere enough you get a pretty good idea more-or-less of the hotel you will get.
My worst experience was elsewhere not in Syracuse but a 3.5 star in Minneapolis that was dumpier than a 2.5 star Best Western...but for me that type of experience has been a rare exception.