Not Using Hotwire Reservation

[dolphin30]

Has anyone ever booked a hotel through Hotwire and been unhappy with the result so not used the reservation? I ended up with an undesirable hotel and am probably going to not use. Do you just not show at the hotel or are you suppossed to cancel somehow even though it is a nonrefundable reservation?

[montekat]

You have already paid for it, so you don't need to cancel. Just not show up. BTW, why are you unhappy with the hotel? Did you check it out on TripAdvisor? So far, we have been happy with our Hotwire hotels.

[willysgrandma]

You are willing to forfeit the money you've already paid?

When using Hotwire or Priceline, you should read the boards for them that tell what hotels they are offering for the rating you choose - then you won't have any disappointments because you'd know what to expect.

[BlueHerons]

Originally Posted by dolphin30

Has anyone ever booked a hotel through Hotwire and been unhappy with the result so not used the reservation? I ended up with an undesirable hotel and am probably going to not use. Do you just not show at the hotel or are you suppossed to cancel somehow even though it is a nonrefundable reservation?

What hotel and where?

I've found Trip Advisor reviews to be useless.

[Jeal]

We have - we ended up at a timeshare the last time we used Hotwire complete with the sales pitch when checking in (that was about five years ago).
We immediately complained to Hotwire - they really weren't interested in listening to us. They did give us a $25 credit to use in the future - of course, that went to waste since we never used them again. We find we can get just as good a deal if we look around on the internet.
We would never use Hotwire again - on the otherhand, my son had difficulty with a hotel he booked through Priceline. He called Priceline about the problem right after he checked in. They called the manager of the hotel right away and he was able to check out and get the entire room cost refunded.

[dolphin30]

I ended up with the Sun Tower Motel in Fort Lauderdale. My research showed me it was supposed to be the new Courtyard Marriott. The Sun Tower has some bad reviews and without a rental car there is nothing in walking distance.

[knutsonl]

Dolphin30,
Please clairify where you got this hotel. Was it thru hotwire or priceline? On the Florida board you led us to believe it was priceline. On this board your saying it's hotwire. Please let us know here and on the Florida boards.

[dolphin30]

sorry for the confusion - Hotwire 2 1/2 stars $93 symbols beachfront, pool, restaurant

[greatam]

Originally Posted by dolphin30

I ended up with the Sun Tower Motel in Fort Lauderdale. My research showed me it was supposed to be the new Courtyard Marriott. The Sun Tower has some bad reviews and without a rental car there is nothing in walking distance.

I checked three different boards for hotels available on Hotwire. I could not find the Courtyard Marriott listed as a 2.5 * that anyone had actually gotten on Hotwire. Here is the most extensive list: http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?showtopic=67&

On this particular list, Courtyard Marriott is listed. HOWEVER, there are NO amenities listed, which means that no one who posts to the list has actually gotten the Courtyard Marriott on a Hotwire bid.

I am not THAT familiar with FLL hotels (I stay in SoBe), but IIRC when I was researching a different place to stay last year, the SunTower is attached to the Pelican, which is one of those "grand dame" resort hotels of old time FLL. May not be the worst place to stay.

And if you are depending on TripAdvisor, look elsewhere for reviews. TripAdvisor has never been the travelers friend. One of the best hotels in Vietnam consistently receives poor reviews on TripAdvisor. Americans that post reviews to TripAdvisor for that particular hotel just don't understand the VERY PROPER attitude of the employees. They are EMPLOYEES (SERVANTS), not your buddy. They are VERY prim and proper and keep their distance unless called upon for service. Then the service is to die for. Consistently bad reviews on TripAdvisor, but they have won NUMEROUS awards from international rating agencies. Just an FYI about the very biased reviews on TripAdvisor.

[thecruisers723]

We booked on Hotwire and were given a room at the Baymont Inn & Suites which was a new location and a nice property. We got there for checkin and were told they were overbooked and they had to send us to a hotel down the street. They sent us to the most pathetic looking, old Red Roof Inn a couple of miles away in a shady neighborhood with scary looking characters just hanging around outside. We took one look and did not even get out of the car as we were not staying there. We called them immediately and told them we weren't happy with this and they gave us a full refund.

[willysgrandma]

I wouldn't bid on anything less than a 4 * hotel on Priceline or Hotwire.

I wouldn't stay in anything less than a three star when traveling - if I can get a four star hotel for a three star price, that is what I am looking for if I am using either of those websites. I wouldn't take a chance on anything less than 3 stars, nor would I even stay in anything less than 3 stars.

[ILoveScotland]

Dolphin30, I just booked through Hotwire and also got the Sun Tower Motel. We're only there one night so didn't want to pay much, just have a clean bed. Evidently we also get a balcony with ocean view so am happy for now. I'll post when we return if it's not a good choice after all.

We'll take a taxi from the airport and then another taxi to the port the next day. We're meeting some friends from our Roll Call for dinner which will mean another taxi, but that's okay.

[63galaxie]

Originally Posted by ILoveScotland

Dolphin30, I just booked through Hotwire and also got the Sun Tower Motel. We're only there one night so didn't want to pay much, just have a clean bed. Evidently we also get a balcony with ocean view so am happy for now. I'll post when we return if it's not a good choice after all.

We'll take a taxi from the airport and then another taxi to the port the next day. We're meeting some friends from our Roll Call for dinner which will mean another taxi, but that's okay.

May I ask when you'll be staying there? We are staying the end of March and I can't wait for your review! I'm hoping you'll be there before we will.
You can email me directly at seankaren@bellsouth.net. Thanks so much. Karen

[ILoveScotland]

Originally Posted by 63galaxie

May I ask when you'll be staying there? We are staying the end of March and I can't wait for your review! I'm hoping you'll be there before we will.
You can email me directly at seankaren@bellsouth.net. Thanks so much. Karen

We'll be there in three weeks for one night pre-cruise. I'll send you an e-mail when we return or possibly from the ship if I get a chance.

Beth

[dogsrule]

On priceline or hotwire will not go below four star or Resort...You can also go to bidding for travel.com and read reviews of the different properties. Other websites also list reviews so the name of the game is research if you want to use a discount website.

[ILoveScotland]

DH and I returned yesterday from our cruise on the Westerdam having stayed at the Sun Tower which was booked using Hotwire. As promised earlier here is my take on the Sun Tower.

Location: A bit north of Port Everglades which is a negative. But right on the ocean which is a huge positive. The balcony was small, but the water's edge was incredibly close. Loved it!

Amenities: All the amenities of the Grand Pelican Resort which is next door and apparently owns the Sun Tower. http://www.pelicanbeach.com/ There was a small outdoor pool at the Sun Tower as well.

Condition: This is clearly an older hotel, but it was clean and basically in good repair. Being on the ocean made up for it being older and made the price through Hotwire was a huge bargain.

I would definitely stay there again.