warning about priceline ft lauderdale Hyatt Regency Pier 66

[kitkat343]

I would like to encourage other cruisers to not utilize priceline's beach zone if you are looking for a 4* hotel in Fort Lauderdale. The Hyatt Regency Pier 66 is classified by priceline as a 4* hotel, but they have two sets of rooms - nice ones in a tower, and bad ones in a motel outside of the tower. The property itself is quite lovely, with beautiful gardens and pools, but the garden rooms (where you will be staying if you win a priceline bid) are very bad. Our sink was clogged, and we couldn't reach the front desk because the phone in our room was also broken. When we finally realized the phone was broken, we called the front desk from our cell, and they quickly sent a repairman out to fix the sink. But when we went to check out, we had to call the front desk 3 times and wait nearly 30 minutes for a bellhop to appear. We were trying to get to the pier to board our cruise, so we really needed to be able to check out of the hotel within a reasonable timeframe. When the bellhop finally did arrive, he told us the hotel was out of luggage racks, and that they would need to use golf carts to transport our luggage. The golf carts were parked far away, and since we were already late we needed to help drag our luggage to the golf carts. The hotel was completely full that day, but these aren't problems you would expect to deal with at a 4* hotel. The location is very close to both the airport and cruise terminal, so if you are looking (and paying) for a 3 or a 3.5 * hotel, it might be a fine option. But it was unacceptable as a 4* hotel, and I hope Priceline eventually reclassifies this hotel so people aren't unnecessarily disappointed.

[Tomato53]

KK, thanks for posting. Please give your feedback to PL; they should know when a property does not live up to the star rating.

[ME Guide]

Thanks Kitkat for posting this! We are looking for a 4* or 5* so this is good to know. WOW-- should not be advertised as 4*!

Appreciate you taking the time to share this with fellow cruisers!

[kitkat343]

Thanks, Tomato53. I did write to priceline, and I have included their response at the bottom of this thread. There are a lot of unhappy priceline customers who have posted about this issue on the hotel's trip advisor reviews, and hopefully if priceline gets enough complaints they will reclassify the hotel. We've used priceline a lot before, and never had any problems. But we are concerned about utilizing priceline in the future since we want to stay at nice hotels, and 4* is priceline's highest rating.

 

Priceline's response is included below (and I thought their response was a bit strange since I didn't request a refund from them, only that they look into the classification of this hotel as a 4* since I think customers are going to be disappointed unnecessarily, and wouldn't be too upset if it were a 3 or a 3.5* hotel) . I was a little confused by their email since the sentence in which they relayed the hotel's response to our problems didn't make a lot of sense.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your patience while we researched your issue with the

Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-six.

 

We apologize that you were unhappy with your hotel accommodations. We

evaluate each participating hotel on many different criteria, including

cleanliness, guest satisfaction, décor, etc. We are sorry to hear that

your hotel fell short of this expectation during your stay. We

appreciate your feedback.

 

We contacted the hotel and spoke with Meri(Manager). The hotel has

apologized for the inconvenience caused. However, the hotel advised us

that they had offered you a different due to the issues you faced. The

hotel advised us that they would not be able to offer any compensation

or refund at this time.

 

Since we are unable to refund your hotel reservation, please accept a

$10 bonus link as a token of our appreciation with hopes you will give

us another chance to serve your future travel needs. This URL can be

used on your next hotel offer and can save you up to $50! This link

will be coming in a separate email and will be available for your use

for the next 120 days.

 

We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience while

resolving this issue. If you have any questions, we request you to

contact the hotel at (954) 525-6666.

[Tomato53]

kitkat - thanks for the follow-up response. I agree that PL's response was odd since you were suggesting that they re-evaluate the star level of the property, not asking for compensation.

 

The reason I had asked about you providing feedback to PL was over the same concern. They need to maintain the integrity of the ratings if we are to have confidence enough to use the blind bidding.

 

We also use PL regularly with mostly favorable experiences. (OT: for example, this past weekend we stayed at the Omni Shoreham in DC for $85/nt. This is an historic hotel, nicely maintained and the accommodations and service were definitely 4*).

 

For our upcoming cruise from Fort Lauderdale, I had tried to use Priceline for DT and beach unsuccessfully. I ended up reserving the Renaissance in order to have a known location.

[kelmac]

I've stayed at the Hyatt Pier sixty six four times -- all booked through Priceline. You are correct that the non-tower rooms are not that great. (old, mildew, loud A/C...,)

I've never understood why Priceline allows this hotel to be listed under the "Beach" location, as it's a mile from the beach. Having said all that, this past November we arrived at the hotel (Priceline booking) and requested the "paid" upgrade to a tower room. The room was large, clean, great A/C and the huge balcony provides great views. It was a great stay, and the $40 we spent on the upgrade was well worth it. Others have said they were able to upgrade for $25 -- $40; I think that depends on demand and day of the week?

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[Suzanne123]

In other cities I don't have a problem bidding 4* on Priceline, but I was also very disappointed with Hyatt Pier 66 I won on Priceline several years ago. Since then I've only used Hotwire in Fort Lauderdale where I have been able to identify the property using the amenity icons.

Edited February 11, 2013 by Suzanne123

[gelo7]

Thanks for the heads up.

[eandj]

This has been discussed often in the past. Since star levels are based a lot on amenitites, this hotel does deseve that rating in that area. However, service and room variations can appear at alot of hotels booked on PL. As mentioned, if available, an upgrade is the answer if unhappy with your room. I agree with Kelmac that the "beach location" is more of a stretch than the hotel rating.

 

Remember you are paying a lot less than the people who book on line. So they will be given the prime rooms. Makes sense and you have to agree. If in doubt about a hotel, don't use PL. I have strayed away from PL and only use hotwire or lmt lately.

[jdvmd]

Sorry you were not happy with your stay. I, on the other hand, love staying here and have never had any issues with any of my Priceline stays. We have always been put in the Tower and received partial ocean views.

[Ruthk]

Last January, through Hotwire, we stayed at the HR Pier 66 and thankfully they gave us a beautiful tower room with our balcony facing the ocean. We didn't have to pay an upgrade and we found the staff extremely pleasant and had a perfect 2 days pre-cruise at this resort.

 

Ruthk,

St. Catharines, Ontario,

Canada.

[Wdchuck]

We stayed there in January and booked thru Hotwire. It was terrible. I feel as though Hotwire customers are treated differently . They would not you check in 1 minute early of the 4:00 check in. We were told they would call if something opened early and never did. After waiting in a long 4:00 check in line there was no bell hop to retrieve our bags let alone get them to our room the other side of the world. After dragging our bags across the complex we found a room comparable to a cheap motel, not a 4 star. The worst had to be the noisy a/c unit that kept me up all night. Never again.

[rmartin1286]

This disappoints me since I just booked a Priceline Express 4* deal for $102. When I received my confirmation email with the hotel name I began doing research on the one I was assigned too and was alarmed by the reviews of the hotel and the fact that even though I booked a supposed beach area hotel this is not on the beach. I called the customer service line and was told that they don't allow any kind of cancellations or editing of the reservation even though I explained to them that I figured since I booked a "beach" hotel that it should be on the physical beach. I probably will never use Priceline again to book a room and am thinking of disputing the booking with my credit card company. It's a let down, we were hoping for a nice post-cruise hotel :(

[BlueHerons]

Firstly, priceline and hotwire hotels are rated on the amenities they provide NOT how nice the hotel is.

 

Secondly, the Hyatt Pier 66 IS indeed a four star resort.

 

Thirdly, when you are paying $100 on the same night someone else is paying $250, who is getting the nicer room?

 

Some of you have unrealistic expectations.

[rmartin1286]

Actually the same room is around $140 per night for the evening I'll be staying there, not $250. And I do see that the resort is four star, however the area that Priceline people are put in within the hotel is not a four-star area, it gets terrible reviews. I rarely buy hotels that aren't 1.5 - 2 star rated and cheap, so it's a big deal to me to spend that much money on a hotel that probably isn't going to be worth it to me. Unrealistic expectations have nothing to do with the fact that I and most other people would feel that if they booked a "beach" hotel, that it should be on a beach.

[Twickenham]

I and most other people would feel that if they booked a "beach" hotel, that it should be on a beach.

 

The problem is, you didn't book a 'beach' hotel - you bid on a hotel within Priceline's 'Fort Lauderdale Beach Area' zone. The map clearly shows what area that encompasses, with plenty of real estate that isn't directly on the beach.

Words matter. Priceline and Hotwire work best when you understand what is and isn't promised. I do sympathise, as I think it's a bit of a dirty trick to have clearly inferior rooms for PL bidders, but at the end of the day, they delivered what they said they would.

[BlueHerons]

Actually the same room is around $140 per night for the evening I'll be staying there, not $250. And I do see that the resort is four star, however the area that Priceline people are put in within the hotel is not a four-star area, it gets terrible reviews. I rarely buy hotels that aren't 1.5 - 2 star rated and cheap, so it's a big deal to me to spend that much money on a hotel that probably isn't going to be worth it to me. Unrealistic expectations have nothing to do with the fact that I and most other people would feel that if they booked a "beach" hotel, that it should be on a beach.

 

That area is VERY high end. People park their multimillion dollar yachts there and live in the Garden Villas for the winter.

 

The area priceline states is Fort Lauderdale Beach Area. If you click on this, it clearly shows the entire area on a map where you can 'win' a hotel. The Hyatt Pier 66 is clearly in this area.

 

If you paid $102 on priceline for a room that is $140 you overpaid.

 

The bottom line is if you don't do a lot of research, and a lot of people will not spend the time to do the research, you could have a very unhappy stay.

 

A little personal responsibility goes a long way.

 

The Hyatt immediately tried to fix the problems the OP was having with the room. It isn't their fault everyone tried to check out at the same time and no luggage carts were available. They tried to accommodate the OP with golf carts.

 

Was management supposed to remove someone else's luggage off a cart to appease the OP?

 

I've had the same thing happen to me a luxury resorts before.

Edited October 1, 2014 by BlueHerons

[rmartin1286]

Again, I don't think you understand...the area of the HOTEL that people who book through Priceline are put in is NOT four-star quality. I do not disagree that the general area of the hotel seems to be a high quality area. You make valid points and I know that some of the responsibility lies on me as I chose to book a room blindly, but as someone who can't afford to take more than one vacation a year I was hoping to get something a little better.

 

You stated that by paying $102 for a $140 room that I overpaid? Bingo. That's what I'm upset about.

[BlueHerons]

Again, I don't think you understand...the area of the HOTEL that people who book through Priceline are put in is NOT four-star quality. I do not disagree that the general area of the hotel seems to be a high quality area. You make valid points and I know that some of the responsibility lies on me as I chose to book a room blindly, but as someone who can't afford to take more than one vacation a year I was hoping to get something a little better.

 

You stated that by paying $102 for a $140 room that I overpaid? Bingo. That's what I'm upset about.

 

Wait, you haven't checked in yet have you?

 

Before you get upset about a room you haven't seen yet, here is a little advice. I was in the hotel business for almost twenty years.

 

Firstly, call the Hyatt and tell them that you are aware of the bad reviews of the hotel and would like to make sure you are in a good room. Ask them to note this on your reservation.

 

When you check in, tell the person at the front desk checking you in, that you would like to see the room before you accept the room. This holds more weight when there isn't a line out the door trying to check in.

 

If the above two fail and you still end up in a bad room, call the Hyatt #800 phone number. Nothing worse for a hotel manager than having an unhappy guest in a hotel room when the guest has tried to resolve things onsite and the hotel will not oblige and the guest in having to call corporate.

 

Good luck, the Hyatt is really a nice property.

[eandj]

WOW Who dug up this old thread????:o

[Algebralovr]

This disappoints me since I just booked a Priceline Express 4* deal for $102. When I received my confirmation email with the hotel name I began doing research on the one I was assigned too and was alarmed by the reviews of the hotel and the fact that even though I booked a supposed beach area hotel this is not on the beach. I called the customer service line and was told that they don't allow any kind of cancellations or editing of the reservation even though I explained to them that I figured since I booked a "beach" hotel that it should be on the physical beach. I probably will never use Priceline again to book a room and am thinking of disputing the booking with my credit card company. It's a let down, we were hoping for a nice post-cruise hotel :(

 

It is in the beach area. The people at Priceline never claim it is on the beach.

 

Prices often go for $250 -$300 per night. Just because they are not on the night you are there has nothing to do with it.

 

If you want to be able to choose your hotel, cancel if you don't like the reviews, and know exactly what you are getting, don't use a consolidator like PL. Instead, book direct via the hotel website at Hyatt, Hilton, etc. Even if you only travel once a year, join the loyalty club. Staying once a year still means you get points if you book direct, and every 3-5 years you can get a free room.

[rmartin1286]

Wait, you haven't checked in yet have you?

 

Before you get upset about a room you haven't seen yet, here is a little advice. I was in the hotel business for almost twenty years.

 

Firstly, call the Hyatt and tell them that you are aware of the bad reviews of the hotel and would like to make sure you are in a good room. Ask them to note this on your reservation.

 

When you check in, tell the person at the front desk checking you in, that you would like to see the room before you accept the room. This holds more weight when there isn't a line out the door trying to check in.

 

If the above two fail and you still end up in a bad room, call the Hyatt #800 phone number. Nothing worse for a hotel manager than having an unhappy guest in a hotel room when the guest has tried to resolve things onsite and the hotel will not oblige and the guest in having to call corporate.

 

Good luck, the Hyatt is really a nice property.

 

Thank you for your suggestions, I will definitely do this. I've never stayed at a Hyatt before and I will probably love it but was just very taken aback that we didn't get a resort on the beach. It made me sad, I was hoping to look out my window in the morning and see the ocean but I'll be doing that for seven days on my cruise. :)

[wallie5446]

Thank you for your suggestions, I will definitely do this. I've never stayed at a Hyatt before and I will probably love it but was just very taken aback that we didn't get a resort on the beach. It made me sad, I was hoping to look out my window in the morning and see the ocean but I'll be doing that for seven days on my cruise. :)

Have you watched the Port Everglades web cam? It is taken from the Pier 66. Ask for a room on the west side of the tower, from there you can see everything for miles! The ships, the beach, and the ocean. We have 25-30 staying there the night before we sail in Nov.