Hotwire Hotel: 4* Sea World-Mission Bay-Shelter Island

[gupsmom]

for $136

Aug 11-14

2 rooms

Beachfront, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Tennis Nearby, Business Center, Laundry Facilities (self-service)

I am totally new to hot wire and very nervous. This is also our first trip out West. We're looking for 3 nights in San Diego (Legoland, Sea World, Zoo, beach) before our already booked 6 days at Disneyland.

Also...how do I do this as a family of 5 (3 kids...ages 5, 6 and 8). Is there any way I can book just 1 room or do I have to go with 2?

Thanks so much...

Jess

[gupsmom]

lost that.....

Oh well. Maybe I'm just too nervous to book a trip blindfolded....esp needing 2 rooms.

Jess

[thereuare]

I don't follow... you giving up?

[Guest aldo]

"Hotwire's hotel partners allow a maximum of 4 occupants per room." This is the statement that comes up when you try to input 1 room, 2 adults, and 3 kids. When requesting 2 rooms for 5 for those dates, it shows a 4* with the same icons at $370/night (this must be what Jess meant by "lost that", thereuare)!

Priceline will be less expensive for two rooms, but summer weekends in San Diego are tough. Time is on your side tho' if you want to bid. Some deals are available in advance, but most winnings are closer to arrival date.

You might also want to look at booking directly at a suite-type hotel if you're too nervous to go HW or PL. Maybe you can use this as a back-up until you decide (it's always good to have one or two cancellable back-ups). Make sure you book your back-up soon, as prices will go up as inventory decreases- summer in San Diego is very popular.

Good luck.

[gupsmom]

I don't follow... you giving up?

I didn't realize opening another window would cause my current offer to become "no longer available." I'm not sure why the 4* came upthe first time, but every other time it was $370.

Thanks for responding...

Jess

[liveinhotels]

If you don't mind the cramped quarters, I suggest you just enter 2 adults, 2 children in your search. Virtually all hotel chains now have a policy that kids stay free in their parents room, so worse case scenario, you pay an extra $10 at checkin for a crib. I have NEVER had a hotel make a fuss about 3 small children in my room (though I generally tried not to flaunt it and didn't take them all to the desk with me to check in.)

Good luck!

[thereuare]

In my opinion putting 5 in a room for 2 is stretching it a bit and i would probably only try it in a very family friendly city such as Orlando or if i had some type of all-suite property.

The hotel is not likely to put you out on the street, and you may choose to do it and have no problems at all... but hotel's have been getting stricter lately and charging for everything they can.

Regardless of how booked, many hotels are now enforcing extra charges for occupancy more than double (in Vegas it can be as high as $30/pp per day!.. that's an extra $60 for quad occupancy on top of the regular room charge!! :) )

Some hotels have been charging extra to priceline customers who want a room with 2 beds when one bed was assigned (and vice-versa) and other similar revenue boosting tactics.

It used to be a case of squeezing as many people in a room as you possibly could and nobody seemed to care... in my opinion some hotel's are starting to care. If you do try it, i would be prepared to pay extra at check-in (not that i would volunteer to nor go up to the desk with all 5 people)... but expect to pay extra and be pleasantly surprised if you don't end up having to

[Guest aldo]

I agree with thereuare. For safety reasons, hotels need a true "head count" in case of emergency. It's better to be safe, and honest, so you don't have to face the possible consequences (especially if you're already nervous, Jess). And it might be kinda hard to convince a hotel that the 5 year old will sleep in a crib...

[freqflyer]

I live in Orange County and often spend long weekends in San Diego. Last July I paid $45 for three rooms at the La Jolla Hyatt through Priceline. I, or my guests, have also stayed at the Hilton in Torrey Pines, the Marriott Hotel and Marina Dowtown, the Hilton Gaslamp, and the Marriott Coronado all for under $65 through Priceline and all in the last year and a half. All of these hotels are convienent to the Zoo and SeaWorld as long as you have a car. They all have parking fees of $15 or so too.

So I would suggest you book a backup hotel and keep trying with more flexibility of your exact location. I think you will become successful as your travel date gets closer. Also LegoLand is in Carlsbad and I often see very good rates in that area in our local paper so you may have good luck there for your whole stay. Carlsbad is about 30 minutes away from the San Diego attactions. Another thing to look at is booking rooms for the night of the 11th in Carlsbad and then move to San Diego for the weekend. San Diego can be tough on a Thursday night. However, changing hotels might be tougher with three little ones.

It is important to realize that when booking with Priceline and Hotwire the hotels don't always give you two rooms next to each other and sometimes they are not even on the same floor. So if you and your husband do not want to be separated Priceline and Hotwire may not be for you.

[Guest aldo]

Wow!! You got the Coronado Marriott for under $65?! Those were the days, huh? Too bad we aren't seeing those kind of rates on PL anymore...