Happy Hedonist

I read that the current elevator technicians' strike throughout Ontario is causing chaos in many buildings with elevators, including the Delta Chelsea. Only a few elevators are currently being used at that hotel & it supposedly takes like forever to get to use an elevator during the busier hours due to the larger amount of people. Instead of waiting for the elevators, i've read that many people instead decide to walk up & down long flights of stairs. So it's quite possible that less people are interested in staying there (and at other hotels in a similar situation)for the time being. The Delta Chelsea, being Toronto's largest hotels, might suffer more than others with this problem since it uses different sets of elevators (blue, red, green) to transport its patrons. As for the name change, i believe it's now official that it will be renamed EATON CHELSEA TORONTO effective on July 1st, 2013.

How do i do this? Hotwire's rates were quoted in CAD when i looked up the various hotel rates offered, and when i received the confirmation of my purchase, all the rates & totals shown on the webpage (itinerary, etc) was in CAD. My guess is that the i.p address shows up automatically when people log onto their site, and when this occurs, rates are always reflected in the i.p address' country of origin's currency.

I hoped to get either the Omni, Sheraton or Hyatt, but to my surprise i wound up with the Delta MTL. I wasn't aware that it was now a 4-star after having been in the 3.5 star for years. Maybe the place has been renovated, who knows: Hotel amenities: Free Internet Pet friendly Indoor pool(s) Fitness Centre Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Centre High-Speed Internet Access Spa Services Children's Activity Program Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Accessible bathroom Handicapped parking 3 nights @CAD111.54 each: CAD334.62 Tax recovery charges & fees: CAD83.55 Trip Total: CAD418.17

My personal guess is that it could also be the Omni Mont-Royal, which i consider the best of that group since it's major renovations one year ago. It's now my favorite hotel in MTL to stay at.

I'm fairly certain it's the Westin Montreal. The reason i believe this is because of the 100% customer satisfaction, the free internet & the location (Old Mtl & Convention Centre). The Hotel 10 is located on Sherbrooke street, quite a distance from Old Mtl & the Convention Centre. I've stayed at both properties at least once in the past. If it is indeed the Westin Montreal, you won't be disappointed. Great hotel, great rooms, great gym, etc. The only slight negative is its location (somewhat distant from the downtown core), but no problem with the location if you plan on visiting Old MTL and its many attractions.

I've stayed at the Delta Chelsea several times in the past & it's my favorite hotel to stay at due to its fantastic location. Checking what was available on Hotwire for that weekend, i noticed that the hotels were somewhat pricier than usual. When using Priceline, i usually bid $10-$20 less than what i see on Hotwire for a similar property. So, i figured i'd have to bid between $90-120 in order to get a 3.5 or 4 star for that weekend. My first choice was getting the Delta Chelsea, so i went ahead & bid $94 for 3 nights & wound up getting it on my first try. It's possible that i could have bid a bit less and still obtain it, but i didn't mind paying a few dollars extra & increasing my chances in the process. Bidding lower might have led to failure & having to wait 72 hours to re-bid, which i didn't like doing at the time. The bottom line is that paying $94 to stay at that hotel is still a great bargain as far as i'm concerned.

I'm also fairly certain that it's indeed the Delta Chelsea. I've stayed there many times in the past.

This hotel is very likely the Hotel Sofitel, located on Sherbrooke street & close to McGill University. I've stayed there a few times. Very nice rooms, but somewhat small.

Knowing that this hotel is the only 3.5* property in this area (DT Toronto North), i tried various bids during a 1 week period for the dates of Oct 6th to Oct 10th. I started at $70 & increased my bids by $2 every day, with no luck. Finally, when i reached $84, i gave up on the dates i wanted & made a $84 bid from Oct 7th to Oct 10th. To my surprise, my bid was accepted right away. I kind of regret not trying it with a lower bid, but who knows if i would have got it or not. The subtotal came down to $252, and taxes & fees $44.25, making the total charges $296.25. I've stayed at this property a few dozen times in the past & it's become my favorite place to stay when in Toronto. The location is unbeatable (a short walk from the Eaton Center, Yonge/Dundas Square, restaurants, shopping, a movie theatre complex) & it's located between two subway stations (College & Dundas). The hotel has at least 2 restaurants, a nice bar or two, a convenience store just across the street, and a gym/pool. One negative might be the fact it's quite a busy lobby with a lot of traffic, but for me it's no big deal since i'm used to it.

My check-out date is December 7th.

I'm surprised this hotel would show up on Hotwire, but a friend of mine gave me the heads up since he got it for one night this past summer. I took the chance & i'm glad i did, since this place usually goes for double that price. The location is unbeatable & the lobby bar is quite active on weekends. Amenities shown: Boutique Hotel Pool (even though it's outdoors & closed at this time of the year) Restaurant

If 'Boutique Hotel' is added to those 2 amenities, it's likely the Hotel de la Montagne. If not......

Just to clarify, my winning bid for the Sheraton Center was obtained on PRICELINE.

The amenities listed for the Loews Vogue were: Boutique Hotel, Fitness Center, Restaurant, Business Center, High-speed Internet Access.

I cannot list the amenities since the bid was made with Priceline, and not Hotwire. Only Hotwire shows a list of the amenities prior to bidding. With Priceline, once you click "Name your own Price", all you get is the region & number of stars.

I'd like to make a correction. In my hurry to post, i made a mistake & it should read that i obtained the Sheraton Center & not the Omni Mont-Royal.

I figured this hotel was available for about $10 more on HW, whose rates are usually slightly higher & their star selection misleading at times. I had bid up to $93 & was rejected. I then saw on some other site that someone had got it for this price, so to save some time, i bid $96 and my bid was accepted. I'm glad i got the Sheraton & have stayed there many times in the past. I'm going to the hockey game that night & it's just a block away. If not the Sheraton, i figured i would have got either the Omni or the Hilton Bonaventure. This hotel was my first choice due to the great location & i love the bar downstairs in the lobby.

Saw it available for $122 per night on HOTWIRE. This is a great bargain for this hotel & especially at that time of the year. Total for 4 nights came up to $488, with taxes & fees at $102.68, making the grand total $590.68. I plan on attending next year's F1 Grand Prix in Mtl & took a gamble that it might be held on that weekend. Usually, hotel prices triple & quadruple in prices during GP week. If the GP is held some other time, so be it. I still got a great hotel at a fraction of its usual price.

For the first two nights, i obtained 2 rooms at $90 each, which equaled $360. Taxes & fees were $70.66, making the grand total for those two nights at $430.66. Priceline then asked me if i wanted to extend my stay at the same rate. I accepted & picked two extra nights. The next thing i knew, my offer was accepted & it showed i had just paid $113 per night for 2 rooms x 2 nights. I don't recall them telling me that i had to increase my bid by $23 in order to get them to accept the bid. It's possible i missed it, but i doubt it since i was on the lookout for it. Anyway, $113 per night for 2 rooms came up to $452, and taxes & fees were $87, making the total of those 2 extra nights (2 rooms) at $539. For some reason, hotel rates in Mtl at this time of the year are higher than usual. There's the World Film Festival going on & an upcoming NASCAR race, but i don't recall these events every affecting hotel rates in the past.

Started my bidding at $80 on a 4 star for a 4-day stay (2 rooms), making my way up to $94 and still being rejected. So i decided to split my bid and see what would happen. First attempted $90 on a 2-day stay and it was accepted. PL then asked me if i wanted to extend my stay at the same price (with no guarantees) and i added 2 more days. I was overjoyed to see that my extended days were accepted, but greatly disappointed to find out that those 2 extra days were charged at $113 for those two days alone. I felt hoodwinked! However, i still got the first two days for $90. Be very careful when accepting PL's offer to extend a stay. I regret not starting my bidding over for those 2 added days.