Hotwire Hotel: First time Hotwire user - very UNDERWHELEMED

[kjoshi]

I got 2 nights at the Alexis Park Resort for $103/night through Hotwire.

When I went to the hotel's website, it offered $159 (SAT) + $79 (SUN) = $238 or $119/night for the same dates. I saved $16 using Hotwire.

Is this an example of the "deep discounts" Hotwire always provides??

Anyone think calling Hotwire customer support would yield any relief?

I'm a little confused :)

P.S. Apologize for the spelling mistake in the subject line.

[bbbb]

I don't think calling Hotwire will do you any good. This is just another good example of why not to buy or bid less then 4* for Las Vegas when using Hotwire or Priceline. Did you not check the hotels list here on the board before buying this hotel?

If you have a Entertainment Book you might be able to get another $30 back by sending in the coupon from the book.

[kjoshi]

I did check the hotel list. But a $8 discount on a 4* or 5* hotel is still only a $8 discount. There's no benefit, in my mind, for that discount no matter what the star rating.

I will use Entertainment Book discount, but again, still scratching my head over the typical (i.e. without one time Entertainment Book offers) deep discounts hotwire offers. I just don't see it.

[lindabobhat]

First of all, I think you can do a lot better on Hotwire; I'm so sorry that you weren't pleased with your first purchase. I've used them faithfully for several years now and typically get rooms for less than half of what I might find elsewhere. But I consider myself a very educated user - and I think you can get more from your Hotwire experience if you use this board, ask for help, and try to ID properties before you purchase. I hope you won't let this particular purchase deter you. If you had looked around on this board beforehand, you might have found out that there is a coupon code (GIFTCARD06) for first-time users that gives you $10 a night off. If you have an Entertainment Card you can send in for a $30 rebate (something you still might be able to take advantage of.) I also think that you might find better deals on Hotwire for cities other than Vegas - it's probably not their most competitive market.

As for recourse with Hotwire, you really don't have any. Unless you find the rooms on another site for LESS than your purchase price, they aren't obligated to do anything for you. Better to chalk it up to experience and do a little homework before you try it again - and I do hope that you will.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Please include the actual dates of your stay, star rating, and amenities shown before your purchase ... i'll then make some comments and give my thoughts regarding your situation.

You can still view the amenities shown by going to HOTWIRE and clicking the MY ACCOUNT link near the top right of their home page.

Thanks.

[kjoshi]

OK, thereuare, I'll help out.

May 21-22 Las Vegas

Alexis Park Hotel (http://alexispark.com/index.htm)

3 Star

Zone - East of Strip

Amenities: Suite, Fitness Center, Resort, Pool, Business Center, Casino, Restaurant(s), Spa Services, High Speed Internet Access, Golf Nearby

lindabobhat - Actually, did think I did my homework by reading over many tips on this board before bidding. Opened a parallel search of hotel+car and hotel to compare amenities. The only wrench was I thought I was getting the Tropicana. In fact, I don't even recall Alexis Park being listed on the hotel+car choices. I also used the map function and it indicated the intersection of Tropicana and Las Vegas Blvd (the Strip), which is where the Tropicana is located. The Alexis Park is on Harmon which is many streets east of the Strip. In any case, thanks for your motivation. I spoke to someone at Hotwire at corporate and what you've said is 100 times more motivating for me to try again than the company line I got from them. The corporate rep even sounded surprised my discount was so little. I know I was.

[sage]

I've seen this situation before, when the hotel's own rates are very different (night-to-night) for the multiple night stay. What apparently happens is Hotwire bases its multi-night rate on the highest rate that the hotel offers, since Hotwire doesn't "split" or average nights. Thus, you got a good (and typical) discount on the first night, but were penalized on the second night (for convenience of one-stop shopping). Again, doing homework (on other sites) pays off. In this case, you could have gotten a Hotwire night for one night, and booked the other separately at the hotel's own website (I've had to do this before). Even after the Hotwire fee, you would have been well ahead of the hotel's own site for both nights.

[thereuare]

...Hotwire bases its multi-night rate on the highest rate that the hotel offers, since Hotwire doesn't "split" or average nights

Actually, Hotwire does average nites... it's Priceline that does not average the nites.

[zbenye]

It's very easy to see that thereuare is right: more often than not you will see the same hotel coming up with different rates as you check for 1, 2, 3, etc nights.

[sage]

Thanks, thereuare, for the clarification on HW and PL rate methods; it's useful info for understanding the behind-the-scenes of quirky pricing differences we've experienced (I've been using frequently for 5 years).

The zbenye multi-night observations are the same as my own, but one cannot conclude the rate-determination method used from only that empirical information (hence my own inaccurate assumption on averaging). However, it does further support the point (which may have been lost) I was making for new users, which is that multiple bookings may be needed, and not to rely on just one source of information (i.e., PL or HW) or one set of dates. Lindabobhat's reply was excellent advice. Hotwire is a great tool for lodging, but it shouldn't be an exclusive one, especially in Vegas. New users can save $$ with PL or HW, but some bargains are better than others, and over time can be significant. I hope most other users would concur with this.

And, of course, this forum is an excellent resource for getting the best bargains....