BEAV

Hotwire's vacation package for Aug 1 shows the 4* MacArthur Place Inn & Spa in Sonoma as having the following amenties: Restaurant Complimentary Breakfast Pool Fitness Center Spa Business Services By chance, do the above amenities match what you're looking at on the hotel-only product? MacArthur Place Inn & Spa

P.S. It's worth noting that Hotwire's vacation package for Nov 9-11 lists the following amenties: 4* Argonaut Restaurant :) Fitness Hi-Speed Internet Business 4* Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf Restaurant :) Pool :o Fitness Center Hi-Speed Internet Business 4* Hyatt Fisherman's Wharf Restaurant Pool Fitness Business Laundry So once again, the Vacation Package displays different amenities than the opaque hotel-only product. Last time I'm going to say this...WELCOME to the world of opaque hotel products! :) In this case, comparing the vacation package vs the hotel-only product would have been a "heads up" that "anything goes" when buying 4* Fisherman's Wharf for this date.

You hit the nail on the head with that statement. For quite awhile, the Argonaut had been displaying on Hotwire with no restaurant icon, when in fact the there is an on property restaurant. Confusing? You bet! I'm sure Hotwire's stance is that they don't necessarily list all amenities a property has, but only some. With that said, welcome to the world of buying opague products! If you're a newbie at this, here are a few suggestions to make life easier next time..... 1. Check Hotwire's vacation package for your dates of travel. Even though you don't want a package, take a look at it anyway. Hotel properties are positively identified in Hotwire's vacation package as opposed to opaque hotel-only. This is just one way the board here at BetterBidding is able to update the pinned hotel lists as Hotwire makes changes. If you check the SF Hotwire pinned list, you'll see the Argonaut used to be rated 4.5 stars. At some point, Hotwire downgraded it to 4 stars, and the way this was discovered was by search of the vacation package. Very recently, again using Hotwire's vacation package, I noticed that several former 4 star hotels in Reno had ALL been downgraded to 3.5 stars. Bottom line, Hotwire adjusts star levels and amenity displays all the time. As has already been mentioned on this thread, Thereuare does a terrific job updating the lists as members post the changes. 2. Thereuare's suggestion of keeping tabs on the star & amenity level between now and your date of stay is a very good one. I was able to legitimately "get out" of a Hotwire purchase for this very reason. Check it out here...San Francisco Hotel Vitale vs Harbor Court 3. It ain't the end of the world. I know how frustrating it is to spend quality time researching and then get tricked by Priceline or Hotwire. As I said earlier, welcome to the opaque world! 4. As a Hallmark "Maxine" greeting card says "Pick up the pieces of your shattered life and move on!" . After all, you're going on a 10-day cruise to Mexico aboard Dawn Princess aren't you? :)

My opinion is that the Hyatt Vineyard Creek commands a considerably higher Priceline rate during Summer than Fall/Winter. This was the same experience I had last year when trying to bid 4* in this zone. I frequently got the counteroffer of $100+ just like you did. I made several bids for stays during the month of August, all to no avail. I wasn't successfull until I delayed my stay until mid-October. From that point on through Winter/Spring we saw successfull bids in the $50 range. Again, just my opinion. You will notice this same property (Hyatt Vineyard Creek) has also been purchased through Hotwire. Check the Hotwire hotel list here at Better Bidding and note the amenities. It would be interesting to see if Hotwire is selling the hotel on the your travel dates and compare with the rate of Priceline's counteroffer. Although no one can say for sure if the "mystery hotel" was indeed the Hyatt, my "guess" is that it was. Don't take this to the bank, however, as it is only my opinion! Good luck!

I didn't realize your SF map was up and running. Way cool! :)

Cities on the East Coast may be close together, but there's a LOT of open territory between Seattle & San Francisco !!! :)

Silver Legacy didn't display on the original dates I checked. But I just checked different dates, and sure enough, it's now 3.5 stars as well. Amenities are: Casino, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Spa, Business. Has Hotwire been downgrading to this extent elsewhere?

Per Hotwire's vacation product, the Atlantis, Peppermill and Hilton in Reno have all been downgraded from 4 stars to 3.5. Current amenities listed for all 3 properties in the vacation package are consistant with those posted here on the hotel list. Note: The Atlantis and Peppermill currently have identical amenities in the vacation package. They are: Casino, Shuttle, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Spa, Golf, Tennis & Business Center. Note This is now the 2nd time I have noticed accessing past purchases in my Hotwire account do not reflect recent changes to amenity/star levels.

from Travelzoo..... $79 per night Sun-Thurs through Sept 8. $129 per night weekends. Book by July 15 and receive $25 spa credit. Hyatt Grand Champions - Palm Desert CA

You are correct that the JFK to LAX taxes of $25.85 indicate a nonstop routing. The breakdown of these taxes is as follows: $7.50 Passenger Facility Charge (LAX charges $4.50 , JFK $3.00) $5.00 Sept 11 Security Fee ($2.50 each way) $6.40 US Flight Segment Tax ($3.20 per segment) $6.95 Priceline Service Fee $25.85 total taxes/fees The other itineraries with higher taxes/fees indicate connecting flights. For instance, a flight with one connection each way will double the $6.40 US Flight segment tax to $12.80. Most all US airports charge either a $3.00 or $4.50 Passenger Facility charge. A few "hub" cities do not, however. Among them are Houston & Charlotte. So an itinerary with a connecting flight will result in lower overall taxes/fees if routed via Houston vs Chicago O'Hare, for example. Since Continental is the dominant carrier in Newark, it's quite possible your example above would have involved a plane change in Houston, thus the lower tax amount than the flight from LGA. I use the ITA Beta Software site to quickly calculate taxes for each routing. ITA Beta Software

Situations such as this always cause me to wonder if the difference between the supposed vendor-to-Priceline rate vs. the bid acceptance rate is to cover energy fees and any other type taxes/fees along these same lines. In other words, would a $37 bid have been accepted *if* the hotel made a practice of later billing such fees upon check out? On the flip side, a hotel that has a $37 Priceline rate, but chooses not to bill the guest an energy fee upon check out, won't accept anything less than $40, in order to collect on the fee through the bid process.

Just a clarification with regard to the hotel list you amended today due to the changed amenities. Hotwire has in fact dropped the pool & fitness center from both hotel & vacation products. The discrepancy (if you call it that at all) is that the pool & fitness icons are still showing when I access the purchase from the "my accounts" section of my Hotwire account. Like Priceline, I thought Hotwire reflected any changes to a property when you accessed past purchases in your Hotwire account. ?????

Are you looking to bid on Priceline, or purchase from Hotwire?

The Hotwire hotel list for Portland, OR shows both a Greater Downtown as well as a Financial District zone. It looks like Hotwire has merged the two zones, with the Financial zone no longer displaying. I can confirm The Portland Marriott, which is the only hotel listed in the Financial zone, now lies within the Greater Downtown Portland area zone.

I received the following email from Hotwire on Friday, July 1 at 2:00pm (my check in date). Dear XXXXX, We are contacting you about your upcoming stay at the Harbor Court - A Kimpton Hotel in San Francisco. We regret to inform you that the hotel no longer offers the Pool and Fitness Center amenities. We do periodically review our representation of our hotel partners' amenities for the most accurate and up-to-date information and have made a change to our Web site to reflect the current offerings of the Harbor Court - A Kimpton Hotel. As such, we would like to offer you the option of either canceling the reservation for a full refund along with 50 HotDollars, or keeping the reservation and receiving 58.98 HotDollars good for any future purchase on the Hotwire Web site. Should you choose to cancel, we would be happy to assist you in rebooking to be certain that you are accommodated during your trip. Please respond with your decision by replying to this email or by calling 1-866-HOTWIRE (468-9473). Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this may cause you. Our customers are very important to us, and we would like to ensure that you are provided with the best possible experience. Thank you for visiting Hotwire. Sincerely, XXXXX X Hotwire Customer Care www.hotwire.com This was a very lucky break for me. Since purchasing this room back in May, my plans changed, leaving me with no option but to "eat" this room reservation. Needless to say, I chose the cancellation option. A few things........... 1. I had successfully submitted the $30 Entertainment rebate form against this reservation. When Hotwire emailed my cancellation confirmation, the dollar amount they are refunding me is the total purchase price, before the rebate. So in addtion to the $50 "HotDollars" I am also $30 "to the good" on this booking. I would think Hotwire would have a little better "checks and balance" system. 2. I've checked a number of future dates and Hotwire has eliminated the pool & fitness center amenities. The hotel is still rated 3.5 stars, with just boutique & restaurant icons now displaying. A review of the vacation package provides the same info. 3. Despite the amenity revision as noted above, the hotel still displays boutique, restaurant, pool & fitness center when I look up the purchase in the "my account" section of Hotwire. I was under the impression revised amenity and star levels would display when accessing past purchases.

This hotel has once again been sold, and is now a Crowne Plaza property. Concord Crowne Plaza

The Concord Hotel & Conference Center (Oakland East Bay - Concord/Lafayette zone on Priceline) has once again been sold (formerly Sheraton) and is now a Crowne Plaza property. Concord Crowne Plaza

I just checked Hotwire's vacation package for the OP's dates, and the Clift is still listed as 4.5 stars.

Thanks for the follow up, and I'm glad to hear everything worked out well. Kimpton is pretty good when it comes to customer service. I encourage you to contact Priceline further regarding quality level upgrades. There are a number of cases where people bid 2.5 stars which are frequently upgraded to 3 stars. In a lot of these cases, the people prefer the 2.5 star property over the 3 star. Many 2.5 star properties are newer, unlike older, more run down 3 stars. Also, many 2.5 star properties offer free parking, complimentary breakfast, hi-speed internet, etc, that aren't offered at 3 star hotels. There are many of us, myself included, that would like the option to waive an upgrade when bidding on Priceline. I suspect in most all upgrade situations, the higher quality level hotel is available for less than the lower, thus the upgrade. But in the end, it often costs the bidder more at the higher grade property because of the lack of inclusives.

All good suggestions above! If going for a 2nd room at the Harbor Court, why not book it through Hotwire, then apply for double-the-difference on the lower Priceline rate? I did that very thing this past week at the Omni in SF. I needed two rooms, bought one on Priceline, the other on Hotwire, and applied for (and received) double-the-difference refund the higher Hotwire rate. Hotwire is currently displaying the Harbor Court for the OP's dates for $106. (Other browsers may display slightly different rate). But it's the 3.5 star in the Embarcadero zone, with amenities of Boutique, Restaurant, Pool & Fitness.

I sympathize with your situation, however Priceline reserves the right to upgrade. Basically, this means Priceline couldn't find a 3* hotel willing to accept your $65 bid price, however a Boutique (a higher quality hotel in Priceline's view) was available for your price. Thus the upgrade. I know it's too late this time, but 4* hotels in SF are often available in the 70's and low 80's. The 4* Hyatt Regency Embarcadero just one block from the Harbor Court has been coming in as low as $67. Because of this, you'll notice very little posting activity of winning 3* bids on the SF Priceline board. Also, the $30 parking charge is common throughout SF, no matter the quality level of the hotel. Be advised! The only suggestion I can offer is that you contact Priceline again and *ask* if they would cancel your original transaction with the understanding that you're going to immediately rebid in the 4* category. I was successful ONCE when I goofed on a hotel reservation and they allowed me to place an immediate rebid. I just considered myself lucky that I got the right person at the right time and can't guarantee you'll have the same experience. But what have you got to lose by asking? At any rate, best of luck to you and I hope your family has a great weekend in SF. Note to thereuare: Should this post be moved from the Hotwire to the Priceline board?

Received notice today of successful Double-the-Difference claim. Will be receive a refund of $66 off the original purchase price of $107. As expected, Hotwire requires you fax to them your Priceline confirmation page confirming the lower rate.

P.S. Hotwire purchase made via the link from Savings Barn. :)

Amenities: Restaurant Fitness Hi-Speed Internet Business Center ** Customer Favorite ** The customer favorite comments still mention the Omni's former 5 star Hotwire status, making it easy to identify from the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero which has identical amenities. Needed two rooms, so purchased the other on Priceline for $74 and have applied for double-the-difference on the Hotwire purchase. Should receive a $66 refund on the Hotwire purchase.

Priceline's vacation package determined a price of $74. I first bid $73, which Priceline responded with a counteroffer to add $22. I added a free rebid zone, upped the price a dollar to $74 and success. Think how much revenue Priceline makes from people who pay the full counteroffer. In this case, they would have made an additional $21. Have always wanted to try the Omni, but all too often the two Hyatts come in cheaper. Thankfully, Omni is the lowest on this particular date. Actually needed two rooms, so purchased this one on Priceline, the other on Hotwire for $107 and have applied for double-the-difference. Should receive a $66 refund on the Hotwire purchase.