Hotwire Hotel: 3* Miami (South Beach Central) South Beach Plaza Hotel and Villas

[KeserSoze]

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.

[thereuare]

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.

Not really... while a few hotels in this area offer a shuttle to the pier, i don't think the majority do. As well, many that do are not the best rated properties, and i think offer this service in order to lure in those who have the mindset, "it'll be alright since it's only for one nite and they offer a shuttle to pier".

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?

Are you referring to Pre Cruise Hotels.com?

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.

Rates are high for these dates, given your options, what is your maximum bid for this stay? I do see HOTWIRE has a 3* hotel in the Airport zone for $107 which i'm guessing is the Hyatt Place Airport West-Doral... would this be of interest?

I'm thinking I should get this nailed down sooner rather than later...but do prices tend to rise or fall as deadline approaches?

There is no set answer for this since rates are date specific and every situation is different, but for more information see the related 'Bid Early or Close to Check-in' link in our PRICELINE FAQ.

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

Let us know your thoughts on the above and we'll take it from there.

[KeserSoze]

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.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Hope you're pleased with the results and you can make this property work for your needs.

Thank you for sharing your win with the board and helping us add this hotel to the Hotwire Hotel List. 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.

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

Enjoy your stay.

[KeserSoze]

Congratulations on your success!

Hope you're pleased with the results and you can make this property work for your needs.

Thank you for sharing your win with the board and helping us add this hotel to the Hotwire Hotel List. 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.

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

Enjoy your stay.

[KeserSoze]

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.

[AaronJB]

Very sorry to hear that this was such a disappointing stay; I'd write HOTWIRE and let them know.

Unfortunately, resort fees are common in this area. HOTWIRE listings do usually list an "approximate" resort fee towards the bottom of the detail page for the listing.

Thank you for providing a review - sorry again to hear that this was a lackluster stay.

Can you confirm the amenity icons that were showing with this listing? The information should be listed under the trip information in your HOTWIRE account.

[KeserSoze]

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.

[thereuare]

Thanks for the follow-up.

If you used an email address during the check-out process that serves as your name to access your account.