Hotwire Hotel: 3* Newark (Airport EWR) Ramada Plaza

[lettezilla]

Really disappointed with this one, to be honest. Booked a 3* with matching amenities to the Holiday Inn (which is all that's listed here for 3* EWR), and got the Ramada Plaza, listed here as a 2.5*.

I booked this for my in-laws, who were looking for a discount hotel for when they flew out of EWR. The reviews on this place are terrible, it sounds filthy, and I can't believe it's actually 3* level. I really feel like it was labelled as a 2.5* when I looked earlier in the week, but other sites like Hotels.com and Expedia currently have it as 3* as well.

I think I'm just going to have to eat the $56 after fees and book them somewhere else, because I don't think there's any way to contest this with hotwire, and I don't want to make them stay in a pit. My first experience getting totally burned by Hotwire!

I guess that it might be helpful to add this "win" to the master list, to try to prevent anyone else from making the same experience? I don't think any of this is betterbidding's fault, by the way, I think Hotwire and the hotel have done something sneaky, but would like to prevent the same thing from happening to anyone else. I know this site is only as good as the data we users put in, and for the most part it's excellent and really helpful, so hopefully this will just be a moderately expensive learning experience. :)

[thereuare]

Thank you for sharing your results with the board... sorry to hear it wasn't the hotel you were expecting and that you're not happy with the results.

Can you please add a reply to this thread with the amenities shown before your purchase... you can still view this information by going to HOTWIRE and clicking the MY ACCOUNT link near the top right of their home page.

Before forgoing this stay i would try calling HOTWIRE and show them the negative reviews you've found... it may be futile given the 3* rating you found from other booking agencies, but at least worth the phone call, imo.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Let us know if we can be of help with a replacement stay.

[lettezilla]

Thanks for the sympathy and suggestions. The amenities are: Smoke Free Rooms, Airport Shuttle, Fitness Center, Restaurant(s), Business Center, Laundry Facilities (self-service)

I tried phoning and got a really unhelpful agent who challenged my sources for reviews. I read reviews verbatim from Hotels.com and tripadvisor, and pointed out that the place sounds absolutely disgusting, and she just said she couldn't do anything over and over. She said they had just reviewed the property and "felt confident" it is a 3*, but if they show up and it's gross, they should phone and hotwire will "see what they can do." Yeah right, I'm sure their customer service will really help out when they check in and find a dirty bathroom and/or bedbugs.

Just so frustrating. I know I'm ahead overall because of betterbidding and hotwire, but this experience is definitely going to make me think twice before using an opaque booking site, just because I think hotwire has an incentive to be dishonest about their star ratings, to make higher prices seem more reasonable. No idea what to do now, but I think I'm just going to have to book directly through a hotel at this stage, just to be sure of what they're going to get when they turn up. :)

[thereuare]

Booked a 3* with matching amenities to the Holiday Inn (which is all that's listed here for 3* EWR), and got the Ramada Plaza, listed here as a 2.5*.

Thanks for the sympathy and suggestions. The amenities are: Smoke Free Rooms, Airport Shuttle, Fitness Center, Restaurant(s), Business Center, Laundry Facilities (self-service)

Thanks for the follow-up!

Note that the amenities above differ from those of the Holiday Inn, so that may have been a tip-off that this wasn't the property you were purchasing.

Searching HOTWIRE for your dates, this property does show a 35% HOTWIRE user recommendation... did this show when you made your purchase? (and perhaps that's an angle t re-try speaking to HOTWIRE to re-inforce that this property shouldn't be rated 3*??)

Good luck.

[lettezilla]

We called again, went through it all again, and pointed out that 65% of THEIR OWN customers wouldn't recommend someone stays here, and that overall satisfaction was 2.5, but they really don't seem to care at all.

The rep claims that if they show up and the hotel is gross, they call the number and it will be sorted out. Does anyone know how this process works, and whether it actually works?

I have visions of them standing in the parking lot in Newark late on a Sunday night, unable to stay in this dump and Hotwire continuing their excellent customer service by doing nothing except offering a refund, if we're lucky. Then they have to drive around, find somewhere last minute, etc.

The whole thing sucks, and I've read more posts here in the general tips forum that definitely has me concerned that Hotwire is being intentionally deceptive with this and other listings. The two things they have going for them are the good deals and their good name, but if they screw enough people over, not sure the good deals will be enough to keep them going.

[thereuare]

If you find tangible things wrong with the hotel or you're room try to sort it out with the hotel, if you can't then get HOTWIRE involved, who if they can't solve the problem may offer a refund, and they may offer to assist in re-booking you while you're on the phone, but it would be an entirely new purchase and you would be responsible for any price difference between your replacement booking and the canceled booking.