KeserSoze

Thanks for the help. I booked thru the HOTWIRE quickquote on betterbidding page for the 2* hotel for $42/nite after receiving your guess that it may be Homestead PHX Airport/Tempe. I checked out further specs for Homestead after receiving your response and it looked decent enuf for us, and includes free internet access. Total with taxes and fees was $47.86 nite for 7 nites. Do you want me to place the results of this search in a new post?

Stay entered on the Hotwire site was Feb 14-21. I haven't made the purchase yet because I was hoping to confirm that LaQuinta is in fact the hotel that is being offered.

Sorry for delay, thought I had fulfilled my duty to the site by providing the post-trip review. I would provide the list of amenities at South beach Plaza Hotel, but I don't think I have a Hotwire acct. I just booked through your HOTWIRE link on the betterbidding site.

I'm looking at pulling the trigger on the Hotwire site for a 2* hotel. Hotwire states that travel rating at TripAdvisor is 3.5 out of 5. And if I could be a little more sure it was the LaQuinta I would do it. (I stayed there last year and thought it was good value.) At least for me, it would be very helpful if listings said whether internet access was free rather than "accessible", which of course could imply a charge, sometimes fairly hefty. Last year the LaQuinta had free internet access. Looking at tripadvisor website, LaQuinta does receive a 3.5 rating, so I'm thinking this may be the one. Any help confirming would be appreciated. This Hotel features the following amenities: Fitness Center Guests have access to exercise equipment; an additional charge may apply. Pool(s) Property offers at least one pool area; hours and dates of operation may be seasonal. Laundry Facilities (self-service) <amenity names only please... not descriptions> High-Speed Internet Access Guestrooms are equipped with high-speed Internet access; an extra charge may apply.

How in the world did South Beach Plaza Hotel get a 3* ranking in Hotline? This place is a dump. There is an extra charge of close to $10 for "resort" fee. There apparently is a pool somewhere on the premises. continental type breakfast. Absolutely nothing special. wifi access is no additional charge. The foregoing constitute the "resort features" that is in the hidden extra charge when you arrive. The 3 person elevator to the second floor is not reliable. My wife and I were caught in it for several minutes, after having closed the door. It would not go up or down and the door to open or close was stuck. We weigh a total of less than 300 lbs so it wasn't a weight issue. We had to go back to the check-in desk 3 times to get door keys that worked. The tiny closet had a 24" door and half of that was blocked by framed in heating duct! No lie! The tiny sink had a mirror that was placed high enough that my wife couldn't see herself. When I shaved in the morning, I noticed that the mirror was not over the sink. there was a cabinet/mirror combo and the mirror was off to the side. No way you could shave without getting water on the floor. Oh...and the carpet in the hallway was totally disgusting. What I've learned so far on this cruise journey is that if I had to do it over again, I would book at a recognized chain near the airport and thereby incur only one transportation fee to the Port of Miami. In this case, we incurred a $32 flat fee taxi fare to the dumpy hotel. And then in the morning, another $21-25 taxi fee to the dock. But I guess what gripes me most is the *** ranking for this hotel and the hidden fee -- which the manager pointed out on the Hotwire reservation fine print, was allowed as "some hotels may impose additional charges" at their discretion. What's the point of searching for deals on hotel prices if the prices quoted are not reliable? Anyway, end of vent. Hope others will benefit from our experience.

I ended up booking thru HOTWIRE link for a 3* hotel in Central South Beach-- one night, Jan 8. Published Price was $93, with tax and fees, 112.88 The hotel turned out to be South Beach Plaza Hotel & Villas. Not likely a shuttle from airport or shuttle to Port of Miami. Guess this was quite a bit more than I would have expected, but it is peak season.

Trying a first cruise, looking to book a hotel either at airport if a shuttle to Port of Miami is available or near Port of Miami, where shuttle to cruise ship will almost certainly be available. I've tried for a few days on Priceline, checking areas around airport and near the port area, going for a 2.5* and better. Tried a bid of $67, with taxes and fees goes to $81. Then tried 72 and 75 and still coming up empty. I checked out the Pre-cruise section of the betterbidding site, but all prices seem very high. Unless those are the "Buy Now" prices, from which a Priceline bid can be made for a particular area? I'm thinking I should get this nailed down sooner rather than later...but do prices tend to rise or fall as deadline approaches? After this, I need a car for a couple of weeks...but that's another issue.

It's been a while since I've used this site. You said you used the HOTWIRE link to get the $56 rate per night. That would be the posted rate for that hotel on Hotwire, correct? You're not able to bid from Hotwire, just Priceline, correct? I'm just wondering because I would like to get the best price for either Miami Days Inn Airport North or Comfort Suites Miami because they have free shuttle to airport AS WELL AS free shuttle to Port of Miami (to take a next day cruise)I was looking to book for Jan. 8 and there seems to be nothing less than 91 + all those fees and charges. Is the great difference in price that you were able to get on Comfort Inn just a matter of the day you chose in contrast to the day I'm looking for (in January, day before a cruise). I'm wondering if I did something wrong here or is this just a much different market. (I used the Hotwire and PRICELINE link -- where I tried to bid $67 for a 2.5* hotel and got a reject.)

Started bidding at $55 for Tempe and got nowhere. Added Scottsdale and moved to $60 and got Scottsdale Plaza Resort through Priceline.

I'm looking at a Tempe-ASU 3* thru Hotwire for Jan 18-21 that shows the following amenities: suite offering; airport shuttle; rates include complimentary breakfast (continental or full --what does that mean? either?); fitness ctr (add'l charges may apply); pool; restaurant at least one on premises; laundry facility; hi-speed internet (extra charge may apply -- how do you know?) and Tennis nearby (within walking distance of short drive). Does anybody know what hotel this would be? Thks in advance.

Started last week bidding for Tempe at $42 on PRICELINE and struck out for full week of 1-15 to 1-22. Then went for 1-15 to 1-18 at $45 and got Fiesta Resort. Has mixed reviews on the quality of the place. With fees and taxes totals a little under $58/night. Tried to extend for another night but wouldn't take at the $45 price. Looks like mid-week goes for closer to $60. I'll continue to look around for the next few nights. Is it easier to get better prices on weekends, or Thursday thru Sunday?

I used betterbidding.com to connect to Hotwire's hotel section then moved to car rental section. Best deal was Enterprise for 31.86/day. To avoid airport surcharge, I found out from Radisson that they are served by a different Enterprise location if you want to avoid airport surcharges. (I did have to specifically ask the Radisson agent for the non-airport location for Enterprise). That location is the 1131 W. Broadway Rd location in Tempe. After phoning that location, I was advised that I could book the reservation online that defaulted to the Enterprise location that was not as favorable, then immediately phone the Tempe location to get it changed. So it looks like we can take the Radisson shuttle to the Radisson and then get Enterprise pickup and delivery from Radisson, thereby avoiding airport surcharges. Most of the other search engines for car rentals have only a few of the big brand guys -- Expedia, for example, only had Hertz. So I learned something here. I favor Enterprise over most other shops anyway. Have been impressed with their customer service over the years. And this is a good price for peak season in PHX area!

With help from this forum, used PRICELINE to score on third attempt: Went for 3.5* in areas 16, 17 (Tempe and Tempe South) for 47 -- Nope Went for 3.5* in areas 16, 17, and PHX airport for 49 --Nope Went for 3.0* and 3.5* in same areas for 50 --bingo Total with fees and taxes adds another 8.16 to the 50. Looking at write-up for Radisson shows a 3.5* rating and lots of amenities. Hope for the best. Now looking for car deal.