Thanks for your suggestions and introducing me to www.biddinghelper.com. I will definitely be using that in the future! After many hours of research, I determined that the RIU Palace was the best bang for your buck in Montego Bay. Secrets Saint James appears to be the only sure thing you can get through Hotwire and it was only a few hundred dollars savings compared to the price thru non-opaque sites. I'd rather pay a little extra and have control of my room type...especially on a 6 night all inclusive vacation.
In the end, I did what I rarely do, and booked the RIU Palace through their website. They will match any online price you find and offer 10% off for AAA members. I also signed up for the RIU Class rewards program and was given the option for free airport transfer when I booked. I'm not sure if it was worth the time and effort I put into it, but I saved around $1,500 by booking RIU Palace over Secrets Saint James on HOTWIRE. RIU Palace ranks higher on tripadvisor and appears to be superior to SSJ according to the reviews. It is a large resort so it depends on what you're looking for.
I hope this helps someone traveling to Montego Bay in the future. Thanks to the admins and everyone that contributes here. Cheers and happy travels in 2015!
