kylekmcd

I'm not sure if your question was directed at me or mudd_stuffin, but I'll answer from my perspective. I would like to think of the case as 'closed' but I am hesitant to do so. I've considered the case to be closed twice already, and both times Hotwire has reopened it by 1) cancelling my reservation and 2) improperly charging my credit card. I'm *hoping* that everything is all set at this point, but I probably won't feel completely out of the woods until I actually check in at the Vdara in a few weeks.

No problem! Hopefully the context of my situation is helpful for your negotiation. With that said, I do have another update to share. As you know, Hotwire agreed to re-book me into another 5* hotel and cover the difference in cost with Hot Dollars, so my initial amount paid remained the same. After going through the re-booking process with them, I thought I was all set at the Vdara. As it turned out, this was not the case. I was reviewing my credit card statement and noticed that HOTWIRE BILLED MY CARD FOR THE ENTIRE AMOUNT OF THE NEW RESERVATION. They also credited my account with Hot Dollars for the difference in price between the old and new reservations, but that didn't help much since those Hot Dollars were supposed to be used to pay for THIS reservation, not another one in the future. I immediately called Hotwire (again) and they agreed that their agent made an error when re-booking me, but they weren't terribly helpful in correcting the situation initially (shocking). At this point it's painful to call them because there have been so many calls on this situation and each new agent asks me to explain why I'm calling...then needs to review all the previous notes. Eventually, they agreed to refund the amount on my card, and re-book me AGAIN using their Hot Rate tool. Of course, there was no guarantee in this case that I would keep the same hotel, and no discussion of what would happen if the price for said hotel increased from the previous booking. Luckily, I was able to identify the Vdara with confidence (it has a unique set of amenities), and I could see that the price had not increased, so I agreed to this solution. They re-booked me and I received the Vdara again, so I *think* I'm back to where I was last week, but I'll come back and share any future updates.

After several conversations with both the hotel desk and the Hotwire customer support team, I finally have a resolution and wanted to post an update. The calls with the hotel were, for the most part, not helpful (as expected). My strategy with Hotwire can be condensed down to the following argument: I booked a 5* hotel, and I expect a 5* hotel for my stay. I knew that there were no other 5* properties in the zone I initially booked, so I told them I would be willing to accept a room on the Strip instead. Eventually I got the right person on the line (or they have sick of fielding my calls) and they agreed to re-book a 5* hotel. They told me they could book me another Hot Rate hotel and gave me three zones to choose from: North Strip - Fashion Show Mall; North Strip - Grand Canal Shoppes; or Center Strip - Fountains. I asked a few basic questions about amenities, and agreed to take the Center Strip property. It ended up being the Vdara. While I would much prefer to stay in the initial property I booked (Red Rock), I'm satisfied with this outcome given the circumstances. Regarding payment, they effectively transferred my prior payment to the new booking, and provided a credit for the difference, so my out-of-pocket amount is unchanged (aside from differences in resort fees and parking charges). I've included the details for the new booking below: Star Rating: 5* City: Las Vegas Zone: Center Strip - Fountains Hotel Name: Vdara Rate Per Night: $221 (before taxes, resort fees, etc.) Dates of Travel: 4/28/17 - 4/30/17 Date Booked: 3/29/17 Amenities: Condo, Free Internet, Pet friendly, Suite, Boutique hotel, Smoke-free rooms, Fitness center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business center, Internet access, Golf nearby, Kitchenette, Spa services, Accessible for visually impaired, Accessible for hearing impaired, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Roll-in shower Thank you very much for all your help on this!

This is the best advice I've received on this situation - your response was extremely thoughtful and helpful. Thank you. I'll give Hotwire a call and employ the strategy you set forth in your post. I'm still not sure that I'll get anywhere, but I feel much better prepared to speak with them now than I did yesterday. Thanks again and I'll post an update whenever I have one (hopefully by tomorrow, depending on how this goes).

For what it's worth and in case anyone is interested, here is the email I received from Hotwire: We are contacting you about your hotel reservation with Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa, Hotwire Itinerary [xxxxxx]. Hotwire has been notified that the hotel has been overbooked during the period of your scheduled stay. I regret any inconvenience this may cause you. I am pleased to provide information on this matter. Unfortunately, overbooking does occur occasionally in the hotel industry. In such situations, hotels do their best to accommodate customers at equivalent properties during oversold dates. We recognize that this situation is less than ideal and do our best to work with both customers and hotel partners to reach a satisfactory resolution for all involved. In this instance, the hotel was able to provide alternate accommodations for your stay. You will now be staying with Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, located at 3000 Paradise Road South, LAS VEGAS, NV 89109. You can reach this hotel at (702) 732-5111. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to reply to this email or contact us directly at 1-866-HOTWIRE (468-9473). Thank you for choosing Hotwire.

Thanks for your response. I just checked the bidding helper and this list includes some accessible amenities. Here is the full list: Free parking, Free Internet, Resort, Casino, Airport shuttle, Fitness center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business center, Internet access, Golf nearby, Spa services, Children's activities, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Accessible parking My best outcomes would be as follows (note that the initial reservation was for 2 nights, sorry if my initial post was confusing, but your point still stands that one of those nights appears to be booked): 1) Get the hotel to honor the reservation - this is by far the best outcome, as this is a great property in the location I wanted, and was very inexpensive when I booked. 2) Stay at a 5* property in a different zone - I would be willing to stay on the strip if possible for the same price, but prices are so much higher now than when I booked that it's likely not possible if I need to start the booking process over. 3) Find a different hotel that will replace the reservation - I would be open to this (even in a different location), but would another hotel possibly honor a rate so much lower than what they're offering for new bookings? Or would I need to convince Hotwire to do this for me? 4) Refund the reservation and start over - If I can't figure out a solution from the above, this is likely what I'll do...that leaves me paying 3-4x the price for a less desirable hotel, but it may be my only option. My event on that weekend is west of the city, so this hotel was perfect for my needs, but I realize I'll need to be somewhat more flexible now. At this point, my objective is to find a luxury hotel that is reasonably-priced (as close to the rate of my current booking as possible) and conveniently located (on the strip, or west of it). Thanks again for your time and I welcome any suggestions or ideas.

You're right - my apologies. Please find this information below: Star Rating: 5* City: Las Vegas Zone: Downtown Summerlin - Red Rocks Hotel Name: Red Rocks Casino, Resort and Spa Rate Per Night: $40 (before taxes, resort fees, etc.) Dates of Travel: 4/28/17 - 4/30/17 Date Booked: 2/22/17 Amenities: Resort, Free parking, Free Internet, Casino, Airport shuttle, Fitness center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business center, Internet access, Golf nearby, Spa services, Children's activities Please let me know if any other info would be informative and thanks in advance for the insight.

I’m having issues with Hotwire and I was wondering if anyone else out there has dealt with similar problems. I made a reservation at a hotel in Las Vegas on 2/22, for a trip roughly two months out. I found a great deal on a property very close to my event (west of the strip), booked it, and was very happy. Prices for this hotel increased significantly (3x) over the next few weeks after I booked. Today I received an email from Hotwire that said “Hotwire has been notified that the hotel has been overbooked during the period of your scheduled stay.” It went on to say that they have rebooked me at a different property. This new property is a full star level down (I booked a 5* and this is a 4*), and it’s EAST of the strip…an hour away from my event. I first called the hotel, who said that they do in fact have rooms available, and that the cancellation was initiated by Hotwire. I then called Hotwire and was told several different things in the span of about 15 minutes. First, customer service rep said the hotel was overbooked. I said I just spoke with them, and this is not the case. She then said it’s not an issue of availability, but rather Hotwire “has been having problems with that hotel.” But, this property is still listed on their website…just not for the price/date I booked. The Hotwire rep was not helpful, telling me that this other property is the only “comparable” hotel available to re-book. She eventually gave me the option of receiving a refund instead, which I didn’t accept or decline on the call. My issue is, any comparable hotels are now hundreds of dollars more per night than what I paid…this is exactly what I booked so early. I would be willing to relocate to another property that is actually comparable, but Hotwire has given me only one option, and it’s far inferior in every way. Is there anything I can do in this situation? Have others encountered this type of scenario, and if so – how have you handled it? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Thanks for your help. I booked the hotel using PRICELINE instead of HOTWIRE. Bidding strategy: Sorrento Mesa 3* ($48) - REJECTED +2.5* (raised bid to $52) - REJECTED +Rancho Bernardo (raised bid to $53) - ACCEPTED Double Tree Golf Resort 14455 Penasquitos Drive, San Diego, CA Priceline Rating: 3* Guest Rating: 8.0/10

Hello, I'm looking for a hotel for next weekend in San Diego and was hoping this board be able to help. This will be a one night stay, checking in on 11/21 (Saturday) and out on 11/22 (Sunday). I have an event on Sunday morning in Del Mar, so I think anything from Encinitas down to Hotel Circle would be within a reasonable distance. I'm hoping to stay as cheap as possible for a ~3* property, hopefully in the $80 range or less. One minor wrinkle is that I will need to access my car several times, I'd like to avoid valet parking and find a place with a self-park lot (ideally for free). The following properties appear to fit my requirements...any guesses on ID would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance! Hotwire Hotels: 3* - San Diego North - Poway - Rancho Bernardo Guest Rating: 90% Recommended Amenities: Free internet, Free parking, Free breakfast, Business center, Fitness center, Pool(s), Self-service laundry, Accessibility for the visually impaired Price: $61 2.5* - San Diego North - Poway - Rancho Bernardo (all-suites hotel) Guest Rating: 85% Recommended Amenities: Free internet, Free parking, Free breakfast, Business center, Fitness center, Pool(s), Smoke-free rooms, Suite, In-room accessibility Price: $65 (I'm guessing this is probably the Comfort Suites Miramar) 2.5* - Mira Mesa Guest Rating: 95% Recommended Amenities: Free internet, Free parking, Free breakfast, Business center, Fitness center, Pool(s), Self-service laundry, Accessibility for the visually impaired Price: $78

Thanks. I ended up using PRICELINE rather than HOTWIRE and booked the W New York Hotel. The accepted bid was for $90+tx for a 4* in the MTE area (previous bids of $80 and $85 for the same parameters were rejected). I only decided to do this after reading another user's win for this hotel on the same date (2/4), and I am very happy with the result. Thanks again for all your help!

Thanks for the reply. I am ready to purchase immediate, provided I find the right room. I am looking for an upscale boutique, and The Empire Hotel looks great except it is a bit out of the way (~20 blocks from Times Square, further from most other attractions aside from Lincoln Center) and the reviews are mediocre at best. I just haven't found anything in the 30s/40s/50s in that price range that has prompted me to buy. The list hasn't changed much over the past several days but there are still a few unknows that could be interesting and I'm trying to figure out if anything meets my criteria. I'll have to book something very soon regardless, so even if nothing new shows up tonight I'll make a decision based on what's offered. Thanks again for your help!

Thanks for your help. I am planning on booking in the next couple days but still trying to decide on a hotel. I have one other ID question if you don't mind: -3.5* Empire State Building hotel. Ammenities are: Boutique, Smoke-free Rooms, Fitness Center, Business Center, High-speed Internet. Recommended in 100% (!) of Hotwire customer reviews. Listed on Hotwire for $119 for the night of 2/4. I have tried to narrow down which hotel I think this might be, without much success. Any help you can provide would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Thanks yellowdog! For future reference, what prompted you to guess Empire Hotel as opposed to On the Ave? I only ask because there are a few posts here from people who thought they were getting EH but ended up with OTA instead. I will post again when I complete the booking. Thanks for your help.

Thanks for the response -- I clicked on the link and will do so going forward. The hotel is still mentioned above is still listed at $118, and any thoughts would be much appreciated. Please let me know if you have any additional questions or requests. Thanks!

4* hotel, Central Park Area. Amenities: Boutique, Fitness Center, Restaurant, High-speed Internet Date: Friday, Feb 4, 2011 Recommended in 80% of Hotwire customer reviews. I was first thinking this was the Empire Hotel, but it also may be On the Ave. I'm not sure how to tell them apart on Hotwire's site but perhaps someone here can help? Thank you very much in advance!