Hotwire Hotel: 3.5* Napa-Sonoma (Santa Rosa-Rohnert Park-Petaluma) Hilton Sonoma Coun

[joeschmeaux]

Hi!

First post from a long time, lurker.

I realize this is late, but I just got the dough for it. I need one of three hotels in the Santa Rosa area for two nights starting tomorrow (April 24th) : The Hilton Garden Inn Airport, The Fountaingrove, or the Santa Rosa Hilton. The popular Hilton Garden Inn seems a long shot, and I'm not even sure which zone it's in. My problem is that the Doubletree in Rohnert Park (too far away for my needs) shares the same amenities (fitness, pool, restaurant, business, internet) with the Fountaingrove, but one has 90% recommended and the other has 95% recommended, or the percentage is fluctuating as reviews come in on a Saturday. The Doubletree has been reported with different amenities over the last year, but most recently, it was reported with the same amenities in the same order as the Fountaingrove.

I chatted with a hotwire rep to ask for some hints. Here is part of the chat...

rep -- Thank you for waiting, The closest location would be Santa Rosa - Rohnert Park - Petaluma area with an estimated distance of 1.2 to 19.7 miles away from ------------, Santa Rosa, CA 954xx . This is the Hotwire hot Rate (in red) 4 star hotel for $81 per room per night.

me -- I realize that

rep -- According to one of the customer reviews;

The rooms were very comfortable. All of the staff were very nice and very helpful. The food and the service at the restaurant were very good. We have stayed there before and would stay there again when in the Santa Rosa area. The location is centrally located and is convenient to any kind of shopping as well as wineries.

me -- but 19.7 miles is way too far

rep -- Please read the customer reviews I shared.

me -- are they a clue?

rep -- Yes, it is definitely a clue.

me -- OK, I'll do some checking. TY

rep -- You're welcome. I suggest you book it as soon as you can before the rate changes.

I checked all over the place, but I can't find that review posted anywhere. I have a feeling the clue was "Santa Rosa area," but I don't know for sure, as neither hotel is centrally located, and both are near enough to shopping and wineries. Do you think the rep knew which hotel it was and was telling me that indeed it was the Fountaingrove, or do you think s/he was just trying to get me to book a room, and let me be disappointed?

Ideally, I'd just bid priceline for less, but I'd be in danger of getting the Flamingo which is also to far. It appears the 3.5* Hilton is available on Hotwire for $77, but I'd prefer the Fountaingrove over the Hilton, as it has better TV, and paying for internet makes the Hilton more expensive. Any ideas about this, or should I just book the Hilton because it's ridiculous for me to ask about all of this at such a late time?

Thanks! Sorry for the long post.

FWIW, if Hotwire reps watch this board -- and I imagine they do -- it's time to split up the Santa Rosa area into two or three zones, as a 20+ mile zone is just too big. Priceline did it, so should Hotwire.

[thereuare]

Please click this HOTWIRE link and reply to this thread, we'll then comment on your situation above.

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

[joeschmeaux]

I had done that earlier, but I just started again using your link. I clicked it, searched, then repeated. Anyway, I just did it, and a 4* with fitness, pool, restaurant, business, and internet and 90% recommendations comes up for $80, searching for one adult in Santa Rosa for two nights on April 24th. Earlier, a 4* with the same amenities came up with 95% recommendations for $81 or $82 (I saw both).

Any insight?

[yellowdog]

joeschmeaux

This is a match for both Fountaingrove and Doubletree like you know. But the TA shows 4/5 and that is a match for Fountaingrove. DT is rated 3.5/5.

But the problem is that the TA rating shown by HOTWIRE is not update in realtime (it's only updated about once a month) so it's possible that the rating has changed since HOTWIRE's last update.

And i should add that i had to search for 2 adults on my search to get the TA rating visible.

Sorry to say that this is the best answer i can give you.

Please use the site's HOTWIRE link, and let us know how it goes or if you need any additional help with your stay.

Yellowdog.

PS. Please remember follow-up this thread with whatever you end up doing, even if you chose to book direct, cancell your trip, etc.

[joeschmeaux]

The 4 star listings kept fluctuating between 90% and 95%, and I couldn't get the TA ratings, regardless of the number of guests. Who knows, maybe the Doubletree and Fountaingrove were offering the same rate and trading off hotwire customers making last minute bookings -- though I doubt it. Whatever the reason, I couldn't risk being down the valley, so I went with what I figured was the Hilton (non-smoking, fitness, pool, restaurant, business, internet, golf, tennis), a 3.5* for $77 per night. Indeed it was the Hilton, 2 nights for $154 + 31.95 tax and "recovery" fee... and of course 19.90 for internet. At least parking is free. I'll be pissed if there's a resort fee! Nickels and dimes add up. It's far more honorable for hotels (and travel websites like hotwire) to honestly state all charges up front.

Normally, I have a little more flexibility and can risk a 3.5 star on priceline, but this time I need to be near the Hilton and Fountaingrove, so I'll pay 40-50% more than I usually do. Oh well, it's still cheaper than booking directly, and my motel 6 days are long over. Now, if I can only get the Hilton to put me in a room people don't write bad reviews about...

I used the HOTWIRE link. Thanks for your help.

[yellowdog]

Thank you for sharing your result with the board and using our HOTWIRE link to book this :)

Great to see that you got a hotel that works for you.

Enjoy your stay.

Yellowdog.

[joeschmeaux]

So I called today to ask if there are refrigerators in the rooms. The woman I spoke with said no, but they could put one in my room if I want. I asked if there is a charge, and to my surprise (in this day of nickel and diming) she said there is no charge! I asked for a room on the top floor (to avoid hearing noise from above). She said she only had King rooms facing the parking lot, which is fine with me for this trip, and nice of her to mention.

I checked into the room. I think I like it better than the Fountaingrove, as it's bigger, it doesn't have a big red panel below the sink and counter, and I felt no 'tude from the front desk for having a Hotwire reservation, as I felt from the Fountaingrove for having a Priceline reservation, when I stayed there. In fact, the front desk guy who checked me in here was script-friendly, as if I might be the mystery guest reporting on his performance! He was genuinely nice, but he was definitely following job protocol -- "how is your day sir?... where are you coming in from tonight?... how was the drive?" ...etc. Both front desk people I spoke with were very professional, in old fashioned Hilton style (rarely encountered by this traveler at Hiltons I've stayed at). Some manager definitely runs a tight ship here!

I went downtown to the great Russian River Brewery for a sandwich, salad, and a bottle of beer to go, and brought it back to my room. I surfed the ridiculously small number of channels for a few minutes (the only real drawback here -- unless you like having five ESPN channels out of 24 total). Finding nothing on Easter Sunday, I looked at the internet instructions card on the desk, and lo and behold, they have ATT wifi, so I can get internet for free, as I have ATT DSL at home. So in the end, I'm pleased not to have been able to get the Fountaingrove, as it would have been a little more expensive, the internet is much slower there, and the Hilton room suits my needs better.

I can understand Hotwire using identical amenities for different hotels in the same zone. But when the zone is 20+ miles long, it's a good way to exclude smart shoppers from buying hotels rooms at that star level in that zone. Hotwire should divide the zone into smaller areas, as Priceline did. Fortunately, I was able to identify the Hilton and it works for me. I would never buy a hotel on Hotwire unless I was all but certain I knew what it would be. If Hotwire doesn't want my business, that's fine. But if it wants to make the sale, it needs to be less tricky.

Sorry this reads like a review. Thanks for your quick replies.

[scottlevin]

You should post your other wins to help us all out, for example, the PL win at the Fountaingrove you mention.

[joeschmeaux]

You should post your other wins to help us all out, for example, the PL win at the Fountaingrove you mention.

It was more than a year ago.

[yellowdog]

joeschmeaux

If you have past PRICELINE or HOTWIRE wins so please post them. It's good for historic reasons.

Yellowdog.

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