BEAV

Have you placed any bids yet for your travel dates? If not, then I would do that if I were you (you've got to start somewhere). If $90 is your current maximum limit, I would start bidding at around $70 and work up from there. If unsuccessful at $90, you do still have some time to work on this, so I wouldn't panic by any means. This may take some time. As to your comment about September being post-tourist season, San Francisco is typically still very popular in September & October between good weather (often the best months of the year) and also large conventions scheduled. Having hung out on these boards for several years now, I always think back to September & October where people often have trouble getting longer-stay bids accepted. While that is not at all meant to discourage you, it's rather to dispel the thought the City rolls up the sidewalks after Labor Day! :) Now having said all that, perhaps this Fall will be a crap shoot from the norm due to the current economy and you'll have no trouble at all getting an accepted bid. Give it a try and let us know how it goes.

Refer to my info in post #5 of this thread with regard to your 4* Embarcadero request in post #6. Because HOTWIRE isn't currently listing the TripAdvisor information for this hotel, it's impossible to differentiate between Hyatt Regency, Omni and Le Meridien. Also, the fact you're seeing it listed for $104 while i'm seeing it at $106 doesn't mean we're looking at two different hotels. Price fluctuations of a few dollars is a very typical thing with HOTWIRE. Continued good luck.

Welcome to BetterBidding. From the Hotwire hotel list here at Better Bidding, this would be a match for both the Palace and W hotels. However, the TripAdvisor information you listed is a match for the W hotel, so that would be my best guess. As info, the W hotel is located in the Southeastern part of the USE zone, and is very close to the border of the Embarcadero zone. The W really isn't in Union Square at all. If you're somewhat flexible in your location, I would suggest booking the 4* hotel in the Embarcadero zone Hotwire is selling for $106 for your travel dates. The hotel HOTWIRE is currently listing for $106 is either the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero, Le Meridien or Omni. If your goal is to be near Union Square, I would book the Embarcadero zone in this case since what HOTWIRE is selling in USE really isn't in Union Square anyway! Not to mention you'll be saving $55 per night in the process! Good luck!

Ah, I see your point. So TripAdvisor ratings can (and do) change frequently based on the most recent reviews tipping (or not tipping) the scales. And the million dollar question is how "real time" Hotwire is in capturing snapshots of the current TripAdvisor ratings. Thank goodness Hotwire also posts the number of Tripadvisor reviews. That small piece of info can make a big difference in identifying which hotel Hotwire is listing.

No, I don't believe what you're seeing is the Le Meridien because that hotel is rated 4.5 stars on Tripadvisor. The Tripadvisor reviews you're seeing are a match for the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero, so that would be my best guess.

Rhaf (aka Workingdad!) Please start a separate thread with your travel dates. Also, please list any Tripadvisor information (star level and number of reviews) that Hotwire may include in the display you're seeing for $99 on your travel dates. That will greatly aid in trying to identify the hotel you're seeing. Thanks, and good luck.

Glad it worked out. You got a great deal for 5 nights. Enjoy your stay!

Although the Hotwire amenties and rating are a match for Le Meridien, Hyatt Regency & Omni, the TripAdvisor info you posted points to Le Meridien, so that is my best guess. I will also say that $102 for a 5-night stay at a hotel the calibur of Le Meridien is very good. I see this is over Labor Day weekend, and while this is a good deal, it's not surprising since the Financial District is typically quiet over such weekends. Good luck.

As info, both Le Meridien & Omni are rated 4.5 stars by Tripadvisor, whereas the hotel HOTWIRE was (and still is) displaying is rated 4.0 stars.

My guess is this appears to be a match for the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero (because the Hilton usually displays a Spa icon). Both hotels are rated 4.0 stars by TripAdvisor. When you notice the TripAdvisor reviews in the Hotwire display, not only should you look at the rating (4.0, 4.5, etc) but also the number of reviews. In this case, since both the Hilton & Hyatt Regency are rated 4 stars by Tripadvisor, the only way to distinguish one from the other is the number of TripAdvisor reviews. I looked up 8/21-8/23 and the Hotwire display indicates 260+ TripAdvisor reviews, whereas the Hilton has 320+ reviews. I hope that's helpful information for you in the future. If you wind up making this purchase, please report it on a separate thread, assuming you are not in any way connected to the OP of this thread. Chances are the OP is looking at different dates than 8/21-8/23 and the information I've given you isn't necessarily relevent to the OPs situation. Good luck!

In addition to listing the amentiies displayed and your travel dates, please also note whether or not HOTWIRE lists the TripAdvisor rating for this property. If they do, please list the Tripadvisor rating as well as the number of reviews. That will greatly help in identifying the hotel you're seeing.

Just to clarify, Tripadvisor is currently rating Campton Place 4 stars (80 reviews) and Intercontinental 4.5 stars (200 reviews). If in fact Hotwire is now selling Campton Place, and has chosen to display both it and the Intercontinental with identical amenities, Tripadvisor ratings (when Hotwire displays them) will be about the only way to distinguish one hotel from the other.

It's typical for HOTWIRE to vary the prices by a few dollars when displaying the same hotel. For example, yesterday I looked at a hotel that was listed for $111 and a few minutes later the same propertty was going for $109. In your case, the Grand Hyatt doesn't have a pool, so it's not a match for what you're seeing listed. Good luck!

Dodo13, Can you clarify whether you purchased this hotel through Hotwire or Priceline? Your post indicates you purchased through Hotwire, however this is posted on the Priceline board. Thanks!

Note to thereuare: If you agree, could you please change the title of this thread to refect the Intercontinental's 4.5 star rating? This thread could be the source of some of the confusion on other threads asking if this hotel is rated 4 or 4.5 stars. It appears to still be rated 4.5 stars. Thanks!

According to Hotwire, the hotel you're seeing has a TripAdvisor rating of 4.0 with over 300 reviews, which is a match for the Palace Hotel. The amenities displayed are a match for the W Hotel, however that property is only rated 3.5 stars by Tripadvisor. So using the TripAdvisor information listed, my guess is that what you're seeing is the Palace Hotel with the Spa amenity being dropped from the display. Good luck!

That is my guess as well, mainly because of the TripAdvisor 'match'.

What are your travel dates?

The Intercontinental in USE is still listed on the Hotwire Hotel List as 4.5 stars (not 4 stars as mentioned above). A HOTWIRE vacation package search also confirms the hotel is still rated 4.5 stars. There is another Intercontinental hotel in SFO (the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental). The Mark Hopkins is rated 4 stars, however is in the Nob Hill zone (not USE). Although the Intercontinental is currently the only reported 4.5 star hotel in the USE zone, Hotwire is listing another yet unreported hotel with that star rating. A HOTWIRE hotel search for today, July 12, entering 2 people in the search, displays a 4.5 star hotel in USE with different amenties and different TripAdvisor ratings than the Intercontinental. However, if you enter 3 adults in the search, a hotel matching the Intercontinental displays. Hope that clarifies things a little......

Hotels do change their rates constantly, including their PRICELINE rates. As an example, one hotel I looked at yesterday (for check-in today) changed their rack rate from $63 to $55 within the same day. It's possible they also adjusted their Priceline rate accordingly. Answering your question specifically, if someone posted a rate very recently for the same travel date I'm looking at, I might emulate their bid price. But if my travel date was different than the previouis posted win, there are other factors to consider. If you're in a business market, typically a hotel will be less on Friday & Saturday nights vs Sunday through Thursday. Or just the opposite if you're looking in a leisure market. Hope that helps a little!

Welcome to BetterBidding.com and thanks for identifying the W as a new hotel for the USE Hotwire list. Could you please tell us the price you got the W for on HOTWIRE? Thanks, and enjoy your stay.

Priceline has downgraded the Concord Hilton (Oakland/East Bay - Concord/Lafayette zone) 3.5 to 3 stars per vacation package search July 9-11.

Perhaps the OP is looking for a vacation package that includes both flights & hotel? Hinky, What city are you flying from to get to San Francisco?

While I realize this is a purchase for a stay in 2008, the Palace Hotel has since been downgraded by Hotwire from 4.5 to 4 stars. Perhaps the title should be changed to reflect the current 4-star rating (as well as be moved to the Hotwire board)? I know it threw me for a loop when I first saw the thread title just now!

Yellowdog requested this thread be updated before giving assistance for an upcoming stay. So while 5 years is a long time, it does send an important message to posters to provide "closure" when they've been helped here!