Stay 123?

[hkolln]

Has anyone booked a precruise stay in FLL at Cambria suites and parking for their car for the week on stay123 dot com? I noticed stay123 is charging 30 less then doing it directly via the hotels website. I'm just curious if booking using stay 123 is a good idea considering it is cheaper then booking directly via the hotels website? Why are they cheaper? Any experiences?

[CruiserBruce]

If this site you are reffering to is an on line TA, we are not allowed to discuss TAs or mention them by name on the boards.

[hkolln]

No it is a site to look up cruise and stay packages...and I have seen it mentioned on here before...but I was just curious if it's a scam or not. But thanks

[JMS920]

I booked with stay123.com for our stay at Cambria, last Dec. At that time the price was $69. a night there and through Cambria's website it was $139.. I called the hotel directly to make sure it was legit. They told me it was and no they could not match that price. So I booked it and all was fine. This year I went to book again and stay123 is coming up over $50 higher than the Cambria site. So I booked directly this time.

[imola]

Use them a year this past April and all went as we were told it would for price, room, parking and free shuttle. The only down side was we could not get points for our stay at the hotel but given the great price we did not make a fuss. We always check this site we are planning our trips.

[adbnva]

we used stay123 2 times for hampton inn on stirling rd. no problem. we will be there dec 11. got free parking transport to and from port and breakfast. win win situation.

[eandj]

That site and parksleepfly are both great sites to book the parking packages. We have used both for trips out of ORD and they have always been to our advantage. :) Check the hotel directly as well as the hotel's website. Give yourself the chance to get the best price.

[mountainmare]

One word of warning, check with the hotel about cruise parking. I wanted to stay at Cambria suites using AmEX points, I figured this was brilliant...hotel and parking for free.

Fortunately I called the hotel and asked about the parking, tellinf them I wanted to use points. Fortunately I was told that to get the parking you MUST book through one of the parking sites. I could not use my points there. If I had booked and assumed parking was included I would have been charged $8 a day.

It all worked out, I got a beachfront room in Pompano for points and parking from Park N'Go.

[eandj]

One word of warning, check with the hotel about cruise parking. I wanted to stay at Cambria suites using AmEX points, I figured this was brilliant...hotel and parking for free.

Fortunately I called the hotel and asked about the parking, tellinf them I wanted to use points. Fortunately I was told that to get the parking you MUST book through one of the parking sites. I could not use my points there. If I had booked and assumed parking was included I would have been charged $8 a day.

It all worked out, I got a beachfront room in Pompano for points and parking from Park N'Go.

 

 

I, along with others, continue to warn cc'ers NOT to book with a third party if you need long term parking....UNLESS it is with the two sites mentioned that state the parking time limits and that it is included. Some here assume that even if they book on a discount rate site like LMT, HW or PL, and the hotel's web site says free parking, that they are booking that package. NO WAY. A discount site is selling a room and not long term parking. You are correct that one has to buy a specific parking package that states the terms of the agreement with the hotel. Thanks for adding that reminder for those that doubt it.

Edited November 23, 2011 by eandj

[Jlhluvthebeach]

"DO NOT USE!!!!!!"

 

No customer service!!! No room!!!!! Booked a hotel cruise package, received my email stating they were making my reservation. When I received it, it was wrong so I called them and told them we needed 2 double beds not a king/queen. I made the reservation by calling the company direct and was not asked how many we're in our party which was 4. I waited for a new email showing my change but didn't get one so I called back and was told everything was changed and I should get an updated email within 24 hours. I didn't get the email so I decided to email the company at the address on my original email info@stay123.com. That email was sent 2 days after original booking. I waited another day no response so I finally called Stay123 again. I was told I didn't have a reservation. That they had faxed the hotel an draped the hotel but didn't get a response until that day and that they were going to call me and let me know. So now it 4 days later and we have no room and they did not contact me, I had called them. I was told there was nothing they could do for me now all rooms were booked at all there hotels. Tis was at 6:00 in the evening. i asked to talk with a supervisor and was told they were gone for the day so I asked what time this person would be in and to have them call me. Well you guessed it, I received no call back from the supervisor/owner so I called them again. I finally got to talk to a person and she flat out lied to me. She said they called me on the next day after making my reservation to let me know it was not available. The guy I talked to the night before told me they just received the information that day. I asked her why didn't she leave me a message if they called? She said they don't like leaving messages. I asked her why they had not responded to my email? She didn't have an answer for that. All I can tell you is if you use this company, you do it at a risk that's just not worth taking.

[StrontiDog]

I booked a park-n-cruise deal with a Hampton Inn in Ft. Lauderdale (Dec 06, 2013) and even though I called the property to make sure I had a reservation, they cancelled it because I wasn't checked-in by 6:00 p.m. and they sold the room to someone else.

 

At 6:30 p.m. when I showed-up, I had no room, no parking and no shuttle reserved. I'd missed the secret deadline by less than half an hour.

 

Stay123 doesn't seem to actually sell anything but a $22 surcharge and some fraudulent hits to the credit card after you book. No actual rooms and/or parking-shuttle services are secured. No wonder nobody can match their price. Not supplying any kind of product must really cut-down on overhead.

[jagoffee]

I booked a park-n-cruise deal with a Hampton Inn in Ft. Lauderdale (Dec 06, 2013) and even though I called the property to make sure I had a reservation, they cancelled it because I wasn't checked-in by 6:00 p.m. and they sold the room to someone else.

 

At 6:30 p.m. when I showed-up, I had no room, no parking and no shuttle reserved. I'd missed the secret deadline by less than half an hour.

 

Stay123 doesn't seem to actually sell anything but a $22 surcharge and some fraudulent hits to the credit card after you book. No actual rooms and/or parking-shuttle services are secured. No wonder nobody can match their price. Not supplying any kind of product must really cut-down on overhead.

 

Since this is your first post in 10 years it is obviously important to you. I have used 123Stay many times without any issues. I know they always tell me that I need to cancel by 6 PM directly with the hotel or I will be charged one night.

 

Did you perhaps have a problem with your charge card between the time you paid the fee and the night of your stay? That would be the only reason that I would think the Hampton Inn would cancel your reservation.

 

Yes, you are basically able to take advantage of the bulk low hotel and parking rates that have been contracted. The $22.50 is what 123Stay is paid. The remainder you pay directly to the hotel when you check out. This is different than some of the other companies where you pay the full amount in advance and it may or may not be refundable.

 

I have never had an 123 Stay reservation that was not guaranteed with a charge card for late check-in. If you did not have a problem with the charge card that was initially use than I suspect the Hotel messed up. What did they say to you? Although it is common for hotels to cancel reservations that are not guaranteed with a charge card yours should have been guaranteed. I suspect they made an error or were overbooked.

 

Make sure you contact 123 Stay and they should give you a refund, possibly provide you compensation if it was not your problem, and complain to Hampton Inn.

 

Good luck

[eandj]

We have used this site twice with no problems in the past. We always follow up a couple times with the hotel direct reconfirming the reservation and making sure we have a HOTEL's res number. Then if there is a probelm, you can deal with the hotel as you are in their system. Read small print re checking in by a certain time. Many hotels have that policy if you don't have a guaranteed res. hold with credit card.

[eandj]

This thread was begun two years ago! :rolleyes:

[StrontiDog]

I appreciate the comments, eanj & jagoffee. And I'm glad you've had no problems with Stay123.

 

It's quite a disheartening feeling to find yourself in a strange town, darkness falling, and have no place to stay after 13+ hours on the road. We had to, quite literally, go form hotel to hotel trying to find one with a vacancy. That has never happened to me, and it does bother me, quite a bit. This was also the first out-of-town trip with my girlfriend, and I can't even make a lousy reservation that actually works? I'm sure she was impressed.

 

 

Stay 123 is still in business, I'm just not sure what that may be. I had a Hilton confirmation number and a print-out, it just didn't do any good. They canceled it, anyway, and within half an hour, had already sold the room, the 7-day parking and two slots on the shuttle to the cruise port? I have a little trouble believing that. . .don't you?

 

You're right about the credit card, but since I had never done business with Stay 123, I used a card I hadn't used in several years, and sure enough, a week after they charged the deposit, it got hit for two fraudulent charges, so I closed the account. That's a heck of a coincidence. . .and shouldn't matter at all. I made the reservations months in advance, and I did call the Hampton Inn to make sure I actually had the reservations for the price Stay123 said it would be. . .which was about half-off the regular website price.

 

But it's only a good deal if there is an actual reservation that Hampton will honor. It cost me quite a bit more than twice the Stay123 'price' to pay rack rate to a competitor. . .and parking and a taxi to the port.

 

Stay 123 did offer to refund my deposit. . .if I give them a different credit card account to refund it into. . . .seems the original account has been closed.

 

Would you go through all this again for a lousy $22.40? I won't.

[eandj]

Your circumstances and the results are peculiar. I won't stop recommending the site for parkers. The rates are great and convenient.

Between not checking in by the hotel's check in time and then having used a dormant credit card which was flagged by the credit card fraud dept. when it reached them, you were bound to experience some kind of problem.

Edited December 19, 2013 by eandj

[jagoffee]

I appreciate the comments, eanj & jagoffee. And I'm glad you've had no problems with Stay123.

 

It's quite a disheartening feeling to find yourself in a strange town, darkness falling, and have no place to stay after 13+ hours on the road. We had to, quite literally, go form hotel to hotel trying to find one with a vacancy. That has never happened to me, and it does bother me, quite a bit. This was also the first out-of-town trip with my girlfriend, and I can't even make a lousy reservation that actually works? I'm sure she was impressed.

 

 

Stay 123 is still in business, I'm just not sure what that may be. I had a Hilton confirmation number and a print-out, it just didn't do any good. They canceled it, anyway, and within half an hour, had already sold the room, the 7-day parking and two slots on the shuttle to the cruise port? I have a little trouble believing that. . .don't you?

 

You're right about the credit card, but since I had never done business with Stay 123, I used a card I hadn't used in several years, and sure enough, a week after they charged the deposit, it got hit for two fraudulent charges, so I closed the account. That's a heck of a coincidence. . .and shouldn't matter at all. I made the reservations months in advance, and I did call the Hampton Inn to make sure I actually had the reservations for the price Stay123 said it would be. . .which was about half-off the regular website price.

 

But it's only a good deal if there is an actual reservation that Hampton will honor. It cost me quite a bit more than twice the Stay123 'price' to pay rack rate to a competitor. . .and parking and a taxi to the port.

 

Stay 123 did offer to refund my deposit. . .if I give them a different credit card account to refund it into. . . .seems the original account has been closed.

 

Would you go through all this again for a lousy $22.40? I won't.

 

Obviously the fact that you did not have a valid credit card on your reservation is the reason that the Hampton Inn probably cancelled your reservation after 6PM. This would have happened no matter how you booked the room unless you made full payment in advance.

 

Very expensive lesson and I am sure you will never use 123Stay again, but no matter who you use even direct you must have a valid credit card on file if you are not prepaid and arriving after 6 PM. In my experience the free shuttle to the airport is never pre reserved, so this must just be a miscommunication.

 

If I can save 50% by using 123Stay I will, but I have never had a problem. If you want to try another company you could try ParkStayFly. I have used them as well. I often find that I can book a hotel, spend the night, park, and fly for less than it cost for a taxi from my home. it is really convenient for early flight. You will need to have a valid credit card on file if you are arriving after 6PM.

 

Sorry that this happened to you. I just thought it might be useful to understand what really happened, so that it will not happen again. Good luck.

[Luv2travel80]

I know this is an older thread but I wanted to make folks aware of the situation strontidog discussed. I also had problems with my reservation and a credit card I very rarely use was hit with fraudulent charges after using it on stay123's website. (I posted the comments below in a separate thread)

 

After reviewing postings on CC (one reviewer mentioned fraudulent charges to his credit card), I decided to book a room through Stay123 because the rate was a good deal. I had problems from the very beginning. First, they never confirmed my reservation. I waited two days after placing my request through their website before contacting their customer service. When I finally did call, they said that they were waiting for the fax from the website to come through to the hotel and for the hotel to confirm the reservation. I was told to call back the next day. I called back the next day and was told that my reservation had not been accepted and that i needed to pick another hotel. I did pick another hotel at a higher rate. I had used a credit card that I never use and was somewhat surprised when I checked into the hotel that my card had been declined. It was late when I arrived at the hotel and I was tired from driving all day. I assumed (my mistake) that my card had been declined because of inactivity and did not check my account that night. The next morning we left early for the port and had no problems with the hotel shuttle or parking. However on my drive home from my week long cruise, I was contacted by my credit card company for fraudulent charges. I had several charges made on my account from England and had been charged over $39 for my stay123 fee instead of the $22. My account had been frozen because of those charges. I Know others have had no problems with Stay123 but I will not be using them again. I find it to be too much of a coincidence that a card i have not used in a very long time has fraudulent charges within a week of providing it to Stay123. I recommend that Stay123 review their web/internet security surrounding their customer's information.

[vacation_junkie]

Has anyone booked a precruise stay in FLL at Cambria suites and parking for their car for the week on stay123 dot com? I noticed stay123 is charging 30 less then doing it directly via the hotels website. I'm just curious if booking using stay 123 is a good idea considering it is cheaper then booking directly via the hotels website? Why are they cheaper? Any experiences?

 

look at Trinity Reservations. I have used them several times with no issues.

[martinchem]

I also had to close a credit card because it was compromised this past weekend days after booking a hotel through stay123.com, the site had certificate issues and warned me not to use it, I have used them in the past without a problem so I used the site anyway. I see they also use stay123.net and .biz that don't show a breach or certificate problem. As long as this resolves I probably would use them again but with the .net address.

Edited July 22, 2014 by martinchem

[punkinlr]

Count me among those whose credit card/debit card was compromised after booking with Stay123.

 

Thank goodness my bank recognized that I wouldn't be purchasing online groceries, Papa John Pizza and Rugby kits all in Great Britain! I can't swear that it's Stay123.... but I've never had this happen before - and our cruise travel buddies that also booked for the same hotel stay - also had their CC compromised with fraudulent charges...

 

I don't believe in this many coincidences ;-(

[moni]

You can count me in also. Had both credit card and check card compromised after booking with Stay123. Reported my suspicion to my Bank. They said there fraud unit will check into it. Got all my money put back in my account.

 

They need to catch those criminals!

[punkinlr]

I submitted a complaint today with the New York BBB. The Stay123 site posts a BBB logo -well, they are NOT a BBB approved business - in fact, there are at least 15 complaints - I can't believe there aren't more.

 

Most people probably don't deal with the frustration of no response from Stay - and chalk it up to a lesson learned.

 

Wish more folks would complain ;-) Perhaps something can be done if enough investigation shows they are negligent if not downright criminal.

[love to cruz]

Mark me as the newest victim of Stay123. We got a last minute booking on the Caribbean Princess for July 12.

I reserved a room at Hyatt Place with Stay123 so we could leave our car. After 4 days of hearing nothing and our sail date getting closer & closer I notified Stay123 we were cancelling due to their failure to confirm our booking.

A few days later I read of others problems with Stay123 & decided to err on the side of caution by protesting the $23.73 charge from them on our credit card.

The day we sailed I got a call from our credit card company saying Stay123 was refunding $13.73 of the charge.

Imagine my shock today to find a charge of nearly $125.00 for the hotel we cancelled with Stay123.

After calling my credit card company, they contacted the hotel who said they saw my drivers license & credit card upon checking in at 4 am. We NEVER went to that hotel thus never checked in. This is now a fraud investigation per my company.

My strong suggestion avoid Stay123 at all cost.

[punkinlr]

Mark me as the newest victim of Stay123. We got a last minute booking on the Caribbean Princess for July 12.

I reserved a room at Hyatt Place with Stay123 so we could leave our car. After 4 days of hearing nothing and our sail date getting closer & closer I notified Stay123 we were cancelling due to their failure to confirm our booking.

A few days later I read of others problems with Stay123 & decided to err on the side of caution by protesting the $23.73 charge from them on our credit card.

The day we sailed I got a call from our credit card company saying Stay123 was refunding $13.73 of the charge.

Imagine my shock today to find a charge of nearly $125.00 for the hotel we cancelled with Stay123.

After calling my credit card company, they contacted the hotel who said they saw my drivers license & credit card upon checking in at 4 am. We NEVER went to that hotel thus never checked in. This is now a fraud investigation per my company.

My strong suggestion avoid Stay123 at all cost.

 

 

I am soooo very sorry to hear about your experience! I don't see how companies like this continue to conduct business - and they hotel! What the heck? I surely do encourage you to file a complaint with the BBB for Stay123 and the hotel. If they did that to you, they'll do it again.

 

I did receive a notification/msg from the BBB with Stay123's response - of course, they are accepting no responsibility - BUT have cancelled my reservation and refunded the $$. I know for sure the reservation has been cancelled because we called the Holiday Inn Express Boston/Logan and were told it was cancelled. The interesting part here is - I was told they could reserve another room for me - at less than Stay123 - a mere $279.00! Well, on Stay123 I was quoted $152.00 !!! I bet we would have been made to pay that extra money upon check-in.