[Maharajah]

Hi I'm new to the site, but I have used Hotwire quite a bit. After a trip to Chicago where I secured a room at the Westin (4*) for about $75, I thought about a way in which I might "flag" the hotel so I would know if it came up the next time. I thought I would write a Hotline user review with some key language in it that would clue me in to the fact that it was the Westin.

I thought of this after I booked another hotel which from the description sounded like the Westin again. Well, it wasn't and it was much worse, though the same star level.

Has anyone tried this? Do the user reviews get dropped after a period of time? Do you think it would work?

[dahammer]

can you please post the details of your two wins and we can comment further? You can access these details by going to your Hotwire account, look for "my trips". Please make sure to include all amenities, dates of travel and price paid.

thanks!

[Maharajah]

These trips took place some time ago and at that time I was not well-versed with Hotwire amenities etc, but I thought I was getting the same hotel (or at the very least, similar quality because of the star rating.

Here they are:

Trip 1
Date: 9/03-04/2003
The Westin Michigan Avenue
909 North Michigan Avenue
Hotwire zone: North Michigan Avenue - Water Tower - Gold Coast
4 stars
Amenities: Airport Shuttle, Restaurant(s), Fitness Center, Business Center, Golf Nearby, Laundry Facilities
Total: $96.95 including Tax

We had an excellent stay. The room was fantastic. 2 adults, 3 children. They had a kids club which made my two boys very welcome with some bags of stuff.

Trip 2
Date: 5/13-14/2004
Ambassador East Hotel See details
1301 North State Parkway
Hotwire zone: North Michigan Avenue - Water Tower - Gold Coast
4 stars
Amenities: Restaurant(s), Fitness Center, Business Center
Total: $104.95

Our stay was poor. The room was dingy and small. The staff were indifferent and the hotel itself just simply did not live up to a 4 star rating, IMHO and it cost more than the Westin.

After these experieces I wondered if I should use some coded reviews so I would know if either of these popped up again. Something to the effect of:

"Wonderful hotel, Excellent room, Staff was great, Terrific view, I love it, No better value. "

The capitals spell out the name. Perhaps this is too obvious, but you get the idea.

[ufjoe21]

it might work, but actually they go in and edit those reviews......so it would have to be something very subtle that only you would recognize

if, you drop any obvious hints as to name or location they will edit it right out or just not post your review

another thing is people might tons of reviews for one hotel, but usually only a couple are posted.......it's ones they hand pick typically