Scorp

I think the Canadian/US exchange rate has increased by almost 18% since the start of the year (with most of the increase in the last few months). Bank of Canada exchange rates are as follows: Cost of 1 Cdn dollar in $US http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/exchange-convert.htm January 2 .6350 June 18 .7495 .7495/.6350 = 1.18 This definitely has to have an impact on Americans buying Canadian goods and services, but I wonder how often the hotels update their Priceline rates? Seems like it might be somewhat sporadic, but I do think some of the Priceline rates for Canadian hotels are getting a bit higher.

Hey squeegee, would be happy to help you with any details of Victoria and Vancouver and area, as would WillTravel, I am sure! A couple of thoughts or comments (some of which you probably know, but just for general info)... It is called the Fairmont Empress now, since Canadian Pacific Hotels bought out Fairmont, and the company chose to go with the Fairmont label rather than CP, because they thought it was more recognizable, especially for the US properties they acquired! They also manage Delta hotels in Canada as a wholly owned subsidiary. FHR is their trading symbol and I think they are due to report quarterly earnings mid-July. I agree with WillTravel that in some cases, it is better to bid 3* in Victoria and get either the Coast Harbourside or Laurel Point rather than the Empress. Haven't heard of Laurel Point coming up lately, though. I have stayed at the Coast and go there from time to time for drinks, appies, etc. The rooms are quite nice but not exceptional. Some can seem a bit dark, but you can get some lovely harbour views if you don't mind the seaplanes taking off and landing, and the different ferries and their whistles, etc. The Coast is a little further from downtown than the Empress, but the James Bay neighbourhood it borders on is a very nice area. The Coast is closer to the Dallas Road seawall area which is one of my favourite walks. I really like the lounge and restaurant at the Coast, and it has an indoor-outdoor pool. But I have seen some reports of the Empress lately going for around $60 on Priceline. Some of the tourist traffic has slowed here in Victoria, especially the Asian business, which is a large component most years. So you might try it for $55-$60. I do think many of the Empress rooms are on the small side, but the hotel is charming and the service and staff are the best. Probably easiest to get a larger room if you can live without the harbour view. Personally, I think the tea thing is a bit over-rated, but I really LOVE to go to the Bengal Lounge for drinks and dessert or for their curry buffet. In winter, they light the huge fireplace and in summer the big wood-framed windows can be opened to let the seabreeze flow through. If you drink wine, make sure to ask to see the wine list, it is just incredible. You could try joining the Fairmont President's Club, and inquire about an upgrade at check-in. Check the web-site at: http://www.fairmont.com We recently stayed at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge (a spectacular place to stay) and they upgraded us from a basic room to a spacious suite with deck and lake-view when I gave them my President's Club card. (Although that was not a Priceline stay....) Whistler had some great deals in June, the prices look a bit higher in July and August. We are waiting to hear if Vancouver/Whistler win the Olympic bid, they will announce it on July 2. Would be interesting to see if the $40 rooms are still available this year. One thing to keep in mind with Whistler is that Hotwire includes them in their Vacation Packages, so you can pretty much determine which hotels you might get through Hotwire. thereuare has included the Whistler hotels on the Hotwire Pinned Hotel List. I checked for a friend a few weeks ago for some dates in mid to late June and was betting that the US$54 3.5* was the Summit Lodge, and the US$76 3* was the Best Western Listel. They sometimes have the Westin Whistler Resort on Hotwire. We just stayed at the Westin Whistler a few nights ago. It is a beautiful property, and they upgraded us to an impressive one-bedroom suite with our Starwood Gold status. Again, not a Priceline/Hotwire stay, though... Thank you for all of your posts!

I see that the Pan Pacific does come up as a 5* on the vacation package, but the Sutton Place Hotel Vancouver is also now showing as a 5* in the same package area. The difference is that the Pan Pacific has Hi-Speed Internet. I don't understand the reasoning behind the Boutique hotel classification at all! thereuare, can you update the Hotwire hotel list for the vacation package to show that the previous 4.5* Sutton Place is now a 5*? Thanks!

I'm starting to feel just as comfortable with Hotwire as Priceline, but was nervous using it the first time, too! I really like being able to identify suites or kitchenettes for some trips! And some of Hotwire's zones allow you to better select what you want - Seattle Downtown is a good example of a too-large Priceline zone that includes areas that many would not call downtown at all. At least Hotwire divides it up so that if you want to be near Pike Place, you can pick a hotel in that area! Same with San Diego, the Priceline Coastal zone is huge and includes very diverse areas - Hotwire will give you far better selection ability. There are some higher prices on Hotwire, but people still find some pretty good deals. I realize now that I can use either/both and a board like this one will help me determine when I might be better off with one or the other.

Let them know you're getting married there and ask if there is a chance of upgrade to convertible or something. Budget good-naturedly upgraded us to a convertible from a compact after I asked (but it wasn't too busy when we were there).

I've been noticing this also and I really hate it. Looking at some mid-July dates in Vancouver, I came up with a 5* star hotel that was $142 for 1 room, jumped to $206 for 2 rooms and then dropped slightly to $202 for 4 rooms. Amenities appeared to be the same.... Then a 4* boutique hotel which did NOT appear for 1 room DID show up for 2 or more rooms! And finally, a wonderfully consistent 3.5* just stayed at $75 the whole time! I guess the moral of the story is that you really have to check it out if you are booking multiple rooms on Hotwire, and just because a hotel does not appear when requesting one room does not mean it might not appear when searching for two rooms....

Grrr....! I didn't realize that, and just when I was starting to feel friendly toward Hotwire, too! You haven't noticed any pattern to it, have you?

First, congrats on the nuptials!!! Wow, the Hyatt! Everyone LOVES the Hyatt. My hubby was involved in volunteering for the PGA Grand Slam of Golf Tournament which is held in conjunction with the Hyatt and we saw quite a bit of the hotel and got to play the Poipu Golf Course for free! (Well, he played, I drove the cart and enjoyed the sun and some fine beverages off the beverage cart!) Please do let me know if I can offer any more information on Kauai. Here are a few tips, although some may be obvious! Some tips for your friend at the Radisson: Try asking for an oceanfront room! This is from the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook:

I have tried bidding Parksville and Whitehorse both, actually! And no success! But I was trying for Parksville for a relative who is visiting on a weekend in mid-July and let's face it, Parksville hotels are in huge demand for those days, so I don't think it is likely they would be giving inventory to Priceline .... and the dates in Whitehorse were extremely busy, also - I actually found most of the hotels were sold out for that date (including the Westmark, which I suspect is one of the Priceline clients there). I really wish Priceline would just tell us when there are no rooms available, rather than letting us bid and bid... at least with Hotwire, you know when there are no rooms available! It is very frustrating with Priceline when you can't determine if there is any availability at all! I know what you mean, the Priceline prices in the smaller towns are sometimes way out of line! And you are right, Nanaimo is a bit of a sprawling town. Also, it has some places and areas I would not want to stay in at all.

Sorry, I just realized that you only have 4 days on the island, so our 3 week comparison is not really fair. You do want to have a lot at hand at your hotel, perhaps...???

It's in Lihue and it is NOT a rat-trap! But you should think a little bit about what you want from your room and your stay. This hotel does not necessarily have super-luxurious rooms, but how much time are you going to spend there? Do you want a sunny spot to sit and have coffee in the morning? Then ask for a room with a sunny lanai in the morning (some of their rooms may seem a bit dark)! Do you have kids - maybe you want to be near the kids pool. But if you don't, make sure you ask for a room away from that! Those simple things will make the difference between a great stay and a mediocre or bad one. The Radisson is decent, it has nice grounds and a good location for exploring. And it is close to a couple of good (inexpensive) golf courses, if that is your game! (And you can do the beach on Princeville or Poipu without staying there -- also, you might get a more dramatic ocean view room at the Sheraton but that area gets very crowded and some people are very unhappy with the Sheraton if they don't get a good ocean view room) Drop in on the high-priced resorts to visit their beach areas or to go for cocktails and to see the sunset (Princeville Resort is fabulous on their cocktail lounge lanai, and the astronomy group meets on the grounds to do evening star watches, complete with telescopes!) We spent over 3 weeks in Kapaa on Kauai last year in a tiny tiny little room, but we had a nice sunny little lanai and that was the most important thing to us! We hardly even used the pool or the beach area where we stayed, because we FELL IN LOVE with Kauai and drove all over the island and found a zillion things to do. So we didn't care that we didn't have a great swimming beach right out our door. We had a great deal and we loved the island. Car rentals can be inexpensive on Kauai, you can tour the island and find fabulous beaches and hikes and surfing all over. I guess what I am trying to say is that unless you spend a fortune, a Hawaiian hotel will not give it all to you right outside your door. But if you ask for the things that are most important to your enjoyment, they will work hard to give you that. So read the hotel details and focus on the things that will make the biggest difference to you. And "The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook" is pretty good, but you will be able to find your way around without it. Some of it was a bit lame or outdated, but it is still the one people recommend.

Thank you for posting this! I thought I had qualified under the last one, but they never credited my Priceline stays??? Anyway, it is good to hear of your results! I will try again.

This is one of my big hotel pet peeves!!! GRRRR!!! I hate connecting doors, they are rarely soundproofed adequately and you end up sharing your room with strangers. I am wondering how often you are successful requesting a room with no connecting doors on your Priceline stays???

I think it is pretty common with smaller towns/cities in Canada/US -- Nanaimo or Parksville on Vancouver Island have no maps, and neither does Whitehorse.

It's pretty hard to get that Hilton! Usually, you get the Hyatt La Jolla which is a nice property but doesn't have the best location in some ways. I really tried to get the Hilton a couple of times, but never bid the right amount -- too low and you get the Hyatt, too high on the wrong date and you get the Hyatt again! I think most people would be really happy with the Hyatt, but the Hilton has some really nice features. It is right on Torrey Pines golf course, which is a big plus for many folk! Please try and give a review!

I was sure that I had seen that somewhere, also -- and could not find it again, either! Hey, I did the same thing, and received this reply: Now, it will be interesting to see if you get the SAME answer! :)

I just noticed something, and if this has been posted already, my apologies. Hotwire requires only one name for multiple-room bookings. You just need to be with that person at check-in to claim one of the other rooms. Hotwire states you can also call the hotel to have a different name listed to the extra rooms. But why do that, unless you know you will be checking in separately? Because .... you can book 1, 2 or 3 extra rooms and need not commit to any specific individuals for each of these rooms. So if you have a group of people planning a trip and something changes, it is easy to make substitutions. Priceline requires a specific name for each room and the name on the reservation cannot be changed, so it appears much more restrictive. But I don't believe it prevents you from using the same name on all rooms. (I just tried it but only went to the next confirmation screen and it accepted the duplicate name to that point.) Does anyone know if this is the case? Priceline reservations require that the person whose name is on the reservation show ID at check-in, but what happens if you can have more than one room under the same name on a Priceline reservation? Superficially, at least, it appears that Hotwire may be a much better option when there is a group travelling and there is some uncertainty over who will be going. This could apply to a lot of business travel where you might want to substitute one employee for another. But I am still wondering what happens if you use the same name on more than one room with Priceline....????

Well, it's either this or mowing the lawn! I'm doing some avoidance!And I copied it over but I don't really care whose name is on it! :)

The following information has been taken from the Vacation Package option at Hotwire. This section does NOT show specific zones, so the hotels below will be moved to the upper section once zones and actual "wins" can be confirmed. As always, there can be hotels that do not appear on the list and the one above. As well, hotel ratings are subject to change at any time. Phoenix 3* Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Phoenix - Mesa/Chandler, AZ Airport Shuttle, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Business Center, Laundry Facilities 3* Holiday Inn Phoenix-Midtown, AZ Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Laundry Facilities 3* Crowne Plaza Hotel Phoenix-Corp Ctr N (Metro Ctr) Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, High Speed Internet Access 3.5* Sheraton Crescent Hotel Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Business Center, Golf Course Nearby, Tennis Court Nearby 3.5* Sheraton Mesa Hotel & Conference Center Restaurant(s), Fitness Center, High Speed Internet Access 4* Radisson Resort & Spa Scottsdale Resort, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, High Speed Internet Access, Business Center, Children's Activities 4* Tempe Mission Palms Hotel Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, High Speed Internet Access, Business Center, Golf Course Nearby, Tennis Court Nearby 4.5* Inter-Continental Montelucia Resort and Spa (North Scottsdale zone) Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Golf, Tennis 4* The Buttes - A Wyndham Resort Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, High Speed Internet Access, Golf Course Nearby, Tennis Court Nearby 4* The Wigwam Resort Resort, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Business Center, Golf Course Nearby, Tennis Court Nearby, Spa Services 4* Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort Resort, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Business, Golf, Tennis, Spa 4.5* Pointe South Mountain Resort Resort, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Business Center, Golf Course Nearby, Tennis Court Nearby, Spa Services, Laundry 4.5* Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort Resort, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Business, Golf, Tennis, Spa 3.5* Scottsdale Cottonwoods Resort and Suites Resort, Restaurant, Pool, Smoke Free, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Golf, Tennis 4.5* Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa Resort, Restaurant, Pool, Hi-Speed Intenet, Business, Golf, Tennis, Spa 4.5* Royal Palms Hotel Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, High Speed Internet Access, Business Center, Golf Course Nearby, Spa Services 5* The Boulders Resort, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Business Center, Golf Course Nearby, Tennis Court Nearby, Spa Services 3.5* Doubletree Hotels Scottsdale La Posada Resort Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Business, Golf, Tennis 3.5* Resort Suites of Scottsdale Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Golf, Tennis, Business, Laundry 3.5* DoubleTree Hotels Scottsdale - Paradise Valley Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Business, Tennis 3* Wyndham Garden Hotel Chandler Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, High Speed Internet Access, Golf Course Nearby 3* Wyndham Garden Hotel North Phoenix Restaurant, Pool, Hi-Speed Internet 3* Four Points Barcelo Metro Center Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Business, Tennis 3.5* Embassy Suites Phoenix - Airport At 44th St Suite, Shuttle, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Complimentary Breakfast, Kitchenette 5* Hyatt Regency Scottsdale, Gainey Ranch Resort, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Business, Golf, Tennis, Children's Activities 4.5* The Westin Kierland Resort and Spa Resort, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Business, Golf, Tennis, Spa, Children's Activities, Laundry 4.5* Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa Resort, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Business, Golf, Tennis, Spa, Children's Activities 4* Hyatt Regency Phoenix Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Business 3* PRIME Hotel Phoenix Garden Restaurant, Pool, Hi-Speed Internet 2* La Quinta Inns Phoenix Thomas Road Pool, Complimentary Breakfast 3* Prime Hotel Chandler Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Golf 2* La Quinta Inn and Suites Scottsdale-Phoenix Pool, Complimentary Breakfast 3.5* Hilton Garden Inn Scottsdale Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Business 3.5* Legacy Golf Resort Resort, Pool, Fitness, Golf, Tennis, Spa, Childrens Activities 4* Scottsdale Resort and Conference Center Resort, Shuttle, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Spa, Hi-Speed Internet, Golf, Tennis, Business 2.5* Extended Stay Deluxe Scottsdale (in North Scottsdale zone) Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Laundry 4* Mondrian Scottsdale Boutique, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Golf, Tennis, Business Sedona 3.5* The Orchards Inn Of Sedona Restaurant, Pool, Hi-Speed Internet 2* La Quinta Inn Sedona Complimentary Breakfast, Pool(s) (same as Days Inn) 2.5* Best Western Inn of Sedona Complimentary Breakfast, Pool(s), Fitness Center, Golf Nearby 3.5* Poco Diablo Resort Resort, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Golf, Tennis, Laundry Tucson 4* Westward Look Resort Resort, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Golf, Tennis, Spa (same as Hilton El Conquistador) 3 * Holiday Inn Tucson-Airport Shuttle, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Laundry 3 * Clarion Hotel Tucson-Airport Shuttle, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Complimentary Breakfast, Business Center, Laundry Facilities 3 * Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Tucson North-Oro Valley Pool(s), Fitness Center, Complimentary Breakfast, Business Center, Golf Course Nearby, Tennis Court Nearby, Laundry Facilities 3.5 * Sheraton Tucson Hotel and Suites Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Complimentary Breakfast, Business Center, Golf Course Nearby, Laundry Facilities 3* Radisson Suite Tucson Suite, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Business, Golf 4* The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa Resort, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Hi-Speed Internet, Business Center, Golf Course Nearby, Tennis Court Nearby, Spa Services, Childrens Activity Program 4.5* The Lodge at Ventana Canyon Resort, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Golf Course Nearby, Tennis Court Nearby, Spa Services (same as Loews Ventana Canyon Resort) 4* Omni Tucson National Golf Resort/Spa Resort, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Business, Golf, Tennis, Spa 4* Hilton El Conquistador Resort, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Golf, Tennis, Spa (same as Westward Look) 3* Hotel Arizona Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Business (same as Doubletree and Four Points) 3* Best Western Innsuites Hotel and Suites <none showed by hotwire> 2.5* La Quinta Inn and Suites Pool, Fitness 2.5* La Quinta Inn East Tucson Complimentary Breakfast, Pool, Hi-Speed Internet 2* Crossland Tucson - Butterfield Drive Laundry 3* Four Points Tucson University Place Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Business 3.5* Hilton Tucson East Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Business

This is a bit of a cross-posting because I also posted some of this information in the Hotwire help forum, but if you are still looking for Hotwire information for this trip (don't think you stated your dates), here are some details on the Hotwire hotels in Tucson from the vacation package section: 3 * Westward Look Resort Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Business Center, Golf Course Nearby, Tennis Court Nearby, Spa Services 4.5 * The Lodge at Ventana Canyon Resort, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Golf Course Nearby, Tennis Court Nearby, Spa Services 3 * Holiday Inn Tucson-Airport Shuttle, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, High Speed Internet Access, Business Center, Laundry Facilities 3 * Clarion Hotel Tucson-Airport Shuttle, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Complimentary Breakfast, Business Center, Laundry Facilities 3 * Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Tucson North-Oro Valley Pool(s), Fitness Center, Complimentary Breakfast, Business Center, Golf Course Nearby, Tennis Court Nearby, Laundry Facilities 3 * Sheraton Tucson Hotel and Suites Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Complimentary Breakfast, Business Center, Golf Course Nearby, Laundry Facilities 4.5 * The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa Resort, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Business Center, Golf Course Nearby, Tennis Court Nearby, Spa Services

They have Tucson now in Packages as well, as follows: 3 * Westward Look Resort Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Business Center, Golf Course Nearby, Tennis Court Nearby, Spa Services 4.5 * The Lodge at Ventana Canyon Resort, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Golf Course Nearby, Tennis Court Nearby, Spa Services 3 * Holiday Inn Tucson-Airport Shuttle, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, High Speed Internet Access, Business Center, Laundry Facilities 3 * Clarion Hotel Tucson-Airport Shuttle, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Complimentary Breakfast, Business Center, Laundry Facilities 3 * Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Tucson North-Oro Valley Pool(s), Fitness Center, Complimentary Breakfast, Business Center, Golf Course Nearby, Tennis Court Nearby, Laundry Facilities 3 * Sheraton Tucson Hotel and Suites Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Complimentary Breakfast, Business Center, Golf Course Nearby, Laundry Facilities 4.5 * The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa Resort, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Business Center, Golf Course Nearby, Tennis Court Nearby, Spa Services thereuare, please feel free to doublecheck this listing and update the Arizona hotel listings if you see fit... By the way, how do you know you are seeing all of the hotels available through the Vacation Package -- I just kept putting in different dates and looking for additional hotels.... isn't there a better way? :)

Should this section be updated, as we now know that Hotwire does store the amenity information? (Through My Account, then click on Hotel Purchases, then the city, and hotel details will appear, along with the amenities) However, it was reported that the 'Customer Favorite' rating was not stored. Also, a very small thing... on the Vacation Packages pages, if you want to see if there are more than 8 amenities, you click on 'Detailed Information' instead of 'View Hotel's Amenities'....

I prefer the second choice, I like the way the Florida and California hotel lists are currently linked. And you still have the separate Forum/category for hotel lists AND Tips, for anyone who wants to just browse these topics. But personally, I like being able to link quickly to the hotel lists when I am viewing specific hotel posting details. And I like to browse the lists for both Hotwire and Priceline. I don't think you can make everyone happy no matter what you do, though.... different people will have different approaches. Some people will only use Priceline, some will only use Hotwire. Some will take the time to read the Tips sections, some won't.

Well, I was wrong! :) I should have checked the vacation package section, too!