oholiab33

Thanks to BetterBidding.com, we got exactly the hotel we were expecting from Priceline Express. Listed price was $116 per night. We reserved 3 nights. So the room subtotal was $348. Add to that $42 in hotel fees plus $71.22 taxes for a grand total of $461.22. The reservation is for a Thur-Sun, July 28-31, peak times. Listed amenities were: pet friendly, business center, restaurant, free internet, pool, fitness center, and non-smoking. I had two concerns prior to purchase, but by knowing which hotel it was, I was able to address. First, PRICELINE EXPRESS would only confirm the room accommodating up to 2 adults. We are a party of three and there was no way to choose number of people per room. But checking the hotel's website, I saw that all rooms sleep minimum of 4. So all was good. Second, this hotel does not offer free parking. According to the hotel's site, parking is $12/day. At first that made me reconsider because other hotels have free parking. But because this one is literally next to the theme park we will be attending, we can just walk and not have to pay for parking at the attraction, which we would have to do if we chose a different hotel. So it became a moot point. Thanks.

Complimentary Breakfast Fitness Center Pool(s) Laundry Facilities High-speed Internet Access I booked this on Thursday, 8/6/09. And according the hotel's site, refrigerator, microwave, ironing board, hair dryer, and extra bath supplies are available upon request free of charge. I called and had no problem getting the refrigerator and microwave. The price per night is a little higher than normal because there happens to be an annual event called hot August Nights going on now which draws extra tourists. I saw a price of $42 on Hotwire for the same hotel for the following week.

Oh yeah. I forgot to say it, but I did use the link from this board to make my reservation at HOTWIRE.

So despite my better judgment, I went ahead and booked the HOTWIRE price I saw. $125 for 4.5* Union Square East. Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center High-Speed Internet Like we thought, it is in fact the InterContinental on Howard. So I called the hotel to check the room type, and it is for only the Standard room with one queen bed. I did put in a request for a king, but it's not guaranteed until check-in. I'll be doing some schmoozing when we get there and I hope it helps that it'll be a mid-week stay. But if it doesn't work out, we'll still be enjoying this fantastic hotel together. But word to the wise, there was a better deal to be had than Hotwire's.

Thanks AaronJB, It's for June 23, checking out the next day on the 24th. I did read some others' stories about how they probably would have gotten the standard room had they not politely requested an upgrade. I guess you kind of have to though. And maybe it won't be too difficult since it's for our anniversary. I worked out the totals after taxes and fees and if it's for the standard room, it's only a 9% savings by going through Hotwire over the hotel's site (if I'm correct in concluding it's the Intercontinental). Is that a typical amount of savings? And then after factoring in parking and breakfast on our own, we'll actually be spending more by going through Hotwire than using the hotel's promotion that includes those. Part of me says it's not worth it unless I know it's an upgraded room, which I don't. But part of me is willing to risk it just to find out. :) Any other info will be appreciated before I make a decision soon. I'll report back here with any info after I've decided.

So I'm new to this forum and to using Hotwire. Thanks to this site, I was able to figure out that 4.5* in USE (Fitness, Pool, Restaurant, Business, & Internet) should be the new Intercontinental on Howard St, which would be fantastic. I'm just curious now about the price vs the type of room. Is it assumed that the price offered is for the basic, least expensive room listed on the hotel's site, or can I hope that it's for one of the better rooms (bigger, better view, etc)? If the $125 price is for the standard room that sleeps the correct number of people, I'd only be saving $18 from what's listed on the hotel's site. I'd be better off using the hotel's package deal where we get free parking and breakfast for only a little more. I'd sure feel more comfortable going with the Hotwire deal if I heard of other people's experiences saying that I really can expect one of the better rooms. I just don't want to feel like it wasn't any kind of deal at all. Thanks.