Hotwire Hotel: 4* Vancouver (Downtown West) Hyatt Regency

[i_love_vacations]

Hi I have booked a flight from Toronto YYZ to Los Angelas LAX to Vancouver YVR and back to Toronto YYZ already and now looking for hotels. Have already booked a 3* property in LAX in the orange county area for $43/night from I believe using this sites HOTWIRE link...Now looking for a hotel for the second half of my trip I will be spending in vancouver. We are going as a family of 2 adults and 2 kids and were looking for a hotel from 3*-4* preferably max of $80 per night. I have no idea where to book the hotel in vancouver as I'm not sure what to do there but booked the trip because it wasn't costing me any extra to stop by in vancouver which was suggested by many people on our way to LAX. So any suggestions of which area to stay in and what to see in vancouver would be great.

So far from hotwire I've found the following two hotels which fall under my budget

3.5* $79.00 per night. Burnaby - Coquitlam area Hotel

Amenities: Suite, Fitness Center, Pool, Restaurant, and Business Center

3.0* $76.00 per night. Richmond - Vancouver Intl Airport YYR area Hotel

Amenities: Airport Shuttle, Fitness Center, Pool, Restaurant, Business Center, Laundary Facilities, High-Speed Internet Access

Also if you notice the 3.5* Hotel, it does not mention anything about high-speed internet. Does that mean it will not have any? The high-speed internet portion is a must for me.

Please let me know if you can identify the hotels for me and also if it would be better to bid on priceline.com instead even though I am going with 4 people and rooms are guranteed for 2 people?

BTW I used the sites HOTWIRE link search engine on the top left of the site to get these results.

[thereuare]

The Burnaby-Coquitlam property has not yet been reported to the board while the Airport property matches previous reports for the Sheraton so that would be my best guess for that one (although i wouldn't totally exclude the Holiday Inn either)

However, what do you intend to do while in Vancouver, as i would think that most would look towards the Downtown area. Do you intend to rent a car? If not, how do you plan on getting around and to/from Downtown (or wherever else you may be heading) If i recall, a taxi from the airport to Downtown is at least $25, so you may be better off expanding your budget a bit and staying Downtown, as the room will cost you a little more, but you're total cost may be cheaper when you consider the additional expensive (read: transportation) of staying by the aiport.

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

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

[i_love_vacations]

Hi the reuare, I was planning on renting a full size car when in both lax an yvr for which I tried placing a few bids for based on what people have gotten on this board but have been without success.

As I mentioned in the original post i'm really not sure what there is to do in Vancouver. My trip was mainly for lax but we are stopping by in Vancouver for 5 nights as it won't be costing me any extra and it was suggested by many. I would prefer my hotel be somewhere where you can do some touring. Like in Toronto there would be cntower or niagara falls etc to see and in lax there's Hollywood Disneyland and universal studios. If you feel that based on the kind of things i'm looking to do that dowtown would be the best place to be in let me know and also if you know the kind of things you an do there that would also be appreciated. How much more should I expect to pay for a hotel in dowtown? Also, is whistler mountain and the Rocky mountains too far from Vancouver to visit and be back on the same day?

I apologize if there are any typos, I wrote this via iPhone

[i_love_vacations]

Would appreciate additional info....

Thanks

[thereuare]

I've only been to Vancouver once and was only there for one nite pre-cruise (and our flight was 6+ hours delayed so even less time there then expected) so we only had a chance to visit Stanley Park, eat dinner, and depart the next day.

However, everyone's choice for what to do in Vancouver would likely be different, so i would first determine a list of things that you would like to do there... then you can determine the best hotel location for the items on your 'to do' list and we can take it from there.

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

[i_love_vacations]

After doing some research the following is what I think we want to do while in vancouver:

Visit Whistler Mountain

Visit Stanley Park

Go to Emerald Sea Adventures

Visit The Butchart Gardens

Go to Granville Island Public Market & People Place

Go to Canada Place

Go to Vancouver Lookout

I think I should be able to get all that done in 5 days?

[thereuare]

Again, i've only been to vancouver once, but from what i can tell:

Visit Stanley Park (Vancouver Downtown)

Go to Canada Place (Vancouver Downtown)

Go to Vancouver Lookout (Vancouver Downtown)

Visit Whistler Mountain (2.5 hours from Vancouver)

Go to Emerald Sea Adventures (not sure how you travel there... by boat??)

Visit The Butchart Gardens (Victoria)

Go to Granville Island Public Market & People Place (Victoria Vancouver)

So i'm guessing that Whilster Mountain would be a day in itself, Emerald Sea Adventures a day in itself, and Granville Public Market and Butchart Gardens a full day (or can it be combined with the Sea Adventures or Whistler Mountain day??)

It almost seems as if you might be better to spend at least one (or more) of the nites in Victoria, imo, but i really don't know the area that well (just the hotels :) ). However, Victoria will likely cost much more than Vancouver.

If you decide upon Vancouver you could stay by the aiprort and drive to Downtown to do Stanley Park, Canda Place and Vancouver look-out (one or two days) and then make the drive to the other destinations towards Vancouver the other day(s). I'm more of a "city person" and enjoy the freedom of walking out of my hotel and walking to restaurants, coffee, breakfast, etc, so i'm often a bit biased on Downtown areas since that's what i enjoy and look forward to while away.

Let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there.

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

[i_love_vacations]

Hi thereuare thanks for the reply. Based on what you are saying I feel Downtown would be the best and then I'll try to do everything in victoria on one day (should take a ferry from vancouver?) and then do then do everything else a bit more relaxed. So I think downtown vancouver it is. I'd actually prefer the restaurants and shops right outside my door as well :). However after seeing hotwire.com....the cheapest i can get is $109 for a 4 star hotel in downtown Vancouver west accommodating 4 people (previously was getting $114 for downtown vancouver...not showing up anymore)....is there a better way to get a cheaper hotel? priceline only gurantees the rate for 2 people? what happens if i show up with 4?

[tilepusher]

Whistler will probably take a full day, as will Emerald Sea Adventures/Butchart Gardens (the Granville Island Public Market is in Vancouver, not Victoria). The Tsawwassen/Swartz Bay ferry, unfortunately, is not cheap -- the regular fare is about $60 each way for a car plus the driver, plus another $14 for each additional adult passenger. The rest can easily be done in the remaining 2-3 days; there really isn't that much to see at Canada Place and Vancouver Lookout. I would prefer to stay downtown, as it's quite small and you can walk to everything fairly easily (though that depends on your age and health, I guess), but parking will be a lot more expensive.

I'm not sure if it still matters, but my best guess for the 3.5* hotel in Burnaby-Coquitlam is the Executive Hotel Burnaby.

[i_love_vacations]

Thanks for the suggestion tile pusher....When you say parking do you mean parking at the hotels? I always thought parking was free at hotels? That might be a big pain in the wallet!

[i_love_vacations]

Ok I just decided to follow "thereuare"'s suggestion of going with the Downtown Vancouver Hotel. I started by big from $65 + $10 bonus dollars and went all the way to $85 + $10 bonus dollars totalling $95. I've been rebidding using the "free bid" strategy. Any suggestions on what to do? There's a 4* hotel available from hotwire for $109 for 4 people...so is priceline really the better way to go since its only guranteeing the rate for 2 people? I called each of possible hotels listed on this site and all of them said all their rooms can occupy 4 people so that shouldn't be a problem. Advice will be appreciated.

Thanks

Edit**

Just used up my last free bid for $86+$10 bonus...but its a no go :)

[thereuare]

Parking is often free at hotels with suburban locations... but downtown city hotels, and many airport locations, charge for parking.

I don't know where the ferry leaves from and/or if you need (or could rent a car once you arrive) in Victoria, but given the size of Vancouver, you may want to see if feasible to forgo the car, taking a taxi to/from the airport and hotel, and 'fill-in' with taxis when needed to get around downtown (as mentioned above, much of the city is walkable and while taxis cost money, will save on hotel parking charges)

Let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there.

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

PS- tilepusher thanks for the correction on the location of the Granville Island Public Market :)

[thereuare]

Please keep all posts for the same stay in the same thread...

If you need sleeping accommodations for four then HOTWIRE, searching for quad occupancy, would be the better way to go, imo.

What are the amenities that HOTWIRE associates with the 4* hotel being offered?

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

[tilepusher]

The 4* hotel you're referring to on HOTWIRE appears to be the Sheraton Wall Centre, which is in Priceline's Granville Entertainment District zone. It won't come up for you on PRICELINE if you're only bidding for a room in the Downtown Vancouver zone.

[i_love_vacations]

Sorry about that....I assumed since that was more priceline related I should create a thread in the priceline forum?

The Reuare:

I was thinking the same thing until when I called up all the hotels on the thread that lists which hotels are from priceline etc. and they told me their standard room is what is offered by priceline and the standard room allows me to choose between a king or 2 doubles. And they told me I can bring along 4 people even if my reservation says for 2 people which is why I went ahead with the bid.

The ammenities are Fitness, pool, restaurant, business center, high speed internet and spa.

The price for 5 nights ends up coming up to $650 USD which is around $690 after being converted

The price I got for 8 nights in california for the same trip ended up costing me $404 on my visa after being converted to canadian currency

So the max budget i had was $400 USD for the vancouver stay for the 5 nights and I ended up increasing that to $500 last night but still i got nothing from priceline!

Is the granville entertainment district on priceline generally cheaper? I'm travelling with family and would like everything liek restaurants and stuff to be close by which is why I was going towards downtown but is granville pretty much the same experience? If so I can also try booking there?

Let me know

Thanks!

Tilepusher: How much would you think I should bid for that hotel in granville on priceline?

Thanks!

[thereuare]

I called up all the hotels on the thread that lists which hotels are from priceline etc. and they told me their standard room is what is offered by priceline and the standard room allows me to choose between a king or 2 doubles. And they told me I can bring along 4 people even if my reservation says for 2 people which is why I went ahead with the bid.

Not sure how many hotels on the list you called but this isn't how it works... some hotels are more willing than others to accommodate your request(s), but using PRICELINE for quad occupancy is a risk, especially in "downtown" areas of a city.

tilepusher knows this area better than i do, so i'll defer to him to comment if the granville entertainment district is the type of environment that you're looking for.

The 4* Downtown West property on HOTWIRE is a match for the Sheraton Wall Centre so that would be my best guess for this one.

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

[tilepusher]

The Granville Entertainment District zone is part of downtown Vancouver; I suspect that it was separated from the old Downtown Vancouver zone because there are areas near Granville Street that are, shall we say, not to everyone's taste (it's not nearly as seedy as it once was, but can be pretty noisy at night because of the bars and nightclubs). You can easily avoid this area, however, by bidding at the 4* level. If you do end up at the Sheraton, I don't think you'll have a problem with its location; it's only a few blocks from the Sutton Place and Hyatt Regency hotels in the Downtown Vancouver zone.

I would start at about $70-$75 for a 4* in Downtown Vancouver + Granville Entertainment district and use your rebid zones to raise your bid in $5 increments.

[tilepusher]

Sorry -- the Sutton Place hotel is in the Granville Entertainment District zone. But my original point is still valid -- the 4* hotels in the Granville Entertainment District zone are all fine in terms of location.

[i_love_vacations]

Hey tilepusher thanks for all the help, however yesterday after trying the bidding process again I pid up to $83 + $10 bonus cash for Granville and $90 + $10 bonus cash for the downtown area hotels and till its a no go :). Is this because I am bidding too early? No one else on this forum payed more than $90 for a hotel in downtown I believe! As for the Sheraton in Granville. It is charging $129 per night on its website and priceline claims to get you a 50% discount, so shouldn't they have accepted the offer at $65?!?!?! Also as for the car in downtown I think I'll pass on that as the hotels alone are charging up to $50 per night for car parking (self park) and if thats how much hotels are charging i'm worried what the places where i go will charge.

Any advice on what to do with bidding? Or shall I just take the hotwire $109 deal?

Also from all the hotels on the list on this site. I've called all on the 4* and 3.5* Category and the all say that when they say 2 people its for 2 adults, unless you have another adult coming it won't cost you anything. After 2 adults it is $30 extra per adult. Also out of all the ones on the list (i called all), only the OPUS Hotel in Vancouver will cause a problem if I do end up getting it. They said they're rooms only have 1 king or 2 twins, and are meant for 2 people. If I am coming with a family I should upgrade to a room with a sofa pull out and 2 twins which will cost me an additional $70. So I think I will try to avoid the granville area and focus more in Downtown if I go through priceline. Otherwise I might go to 3.5* if it ends up costing more than the $90 + $10 bonus cash.

Also advice on how much to bid for a 3.5* will also be appreciated.

Thanks a lot for your help so far guys!

[thereuare]

As for the Sheraton in Granville. It is charging $129 per night on its website and priceline claims to get you a 50% discount, so shouldn't they have accepted the offer at $65?!?!?!

No, PRICELINE claims up to a 50% discount. In reality sometimes it can be even more than this... sometimes less.

Take this example, a hotel has one room left for a given nite and they price it at $200... since this is their last room, should they offer it at a deep discount to PRICELINE / HOTWIRE and get $100 for it OR should they hang onto it in hopes that somebody will call for a room or walk in the door on the day in question and be willing to pay full price? They'll take the chance the room will sit empty in hopes of maximizing the revenue they get for it.

Is the $129 rate at the Sheraton cancellable?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links in my signature for your next round of bidding or hotwire search.

[tilepusher]

If you have bonus cash, I would bid a little more first before I'd take the $109 deal on Hotwire. There are currently no 3.5* hotels in either Downtown Vancouver or Granville Entertainment District; were you thinking about bidding for a 3.5* hotel in a different zone?

[i_love_vacations]

Hey Reuare the sheraton wall center on the sheraton site is non refundable. It is some kind of early booking special.

Also about the links in your signature....after clicking on the link I bookmarked it so I don't have to keep coming back to this site to click on it to help the site. Will this work or will I have to always click through here? I don't mind coming back here to click, but just thought I might get away with less work :)

Tilepusher:

I'll try to raise the bid by another $10 in increments of $2 this time (since I have 5 free rebids) and see how that goes. Also the $109 deal on HOTWIRE just went down to $106. As for the 3.5* I wasn't aware that there were none. I might have to go down to 3* but the hotels in the 3* category seem terrible. Also I'm just wondering, is Priceline's Granville are the same as HOTWIRE's Burnaby area? I saw the executive hotel that HOTWIRE has in burnaby as a 3.5* as one of the hotels in granville on the priceline list of hotels. Is this the same hotel? Because when I called up the hotel yesterday, the person at the reception was recommending me not to stay at their hotel! (Which I found kind of odd :S), he says its more of an industrial area and not good for families. Also the hotel reviews for it were pretty bad so I would like to avoid that area if possible. If it is indeed the granville area, I think I should stick to the downtown area.

[tilepusher]

The Granville Entertainment District is part of downtown Vancouver; Burnaby is a completely different area (Priceline has a Burnaby-Coquitlam zone; look at the two zones on Priceline's map and you'll see how far apart they are). The Executive Hotel Burnaby is a different hotel from the Executive Hotel Vintage Park in the Granville Entertainment District zone. I wouldn't recommend staying at the Executive Hotel Burnaby with your family either -- it's good to see that the front desk agent was honest with you.

I don't know if the 3* hotels are that bad, but there is quite a drop in quality compared to the 4* hotels, so sticking to 4* hotels is probably best. Given the Sheraton's rate on Hotwire (and it's own website), you should be close to landing a 4* on Priceline anyway.

[i_love_vacations]

Ok now that the price for the 4* has fallen down to $99....is it a go or possibly wait it out and it may become cheaper? PRICELINE rejected a bid for $95 which gurantees a room for only 2 so this option is a lot safer for $5 more...the only thing bothering me is if I should stay a night in victoria :S

[thereuare]

Ok now that the price for the 4* has fallen down to $99....is it a go or possibly wait it out and it may become cheaper?

Nobody knows... it could possibly go cheaper and it could possibly go back up and never come down again.

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