Hotwire Hotel: How can I obtain this hotel?

[Viv1978]

We are looking to go to Disney in October. My cousin is travelling from abroad, and will be reserving directly with Sheraton Vistana Resort Lake Buena Vista.

I can't afford full price and want to get it on Hotwire.

Based on past experience, how can I get it?

What key terms should be in the description? I am sooo lost!

Thanks so much.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

You can't bid on a specific hotel when using PRICELINE, you have to be able to accept any hotel in the zone at the star level (or higher) that you choose. With HOTWIRE you can often take an educated guess as to what is being offered based upon the amenities associated with the property, but it's still a 'best guess' and no guarantees you will receive the hotel you're hoping for. As well, HOTWIRE only shows one hotel at each star level per zone, so there is a chance the hotel you're hoping for isn't the one which is offered for your particular dates.

Let us know how you'd like to proceed, and include your desired budget and dates of your stay.

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

[Viv1978]

The thing is, when I do a search on your site for the hotel, I get:

http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?act...BBuena+%2BVista

So basically, if I search HOTWIRE and see that the same amenities are listed as the above 'wins', then do I assume it`s a safe bet to purchase and that I will get it??

Seems so risky!

[thereuare]

The theory is correct, but some caveats...

Some hotels can use multiple amenity sets to describe their hotel, and there could be more then one hotel which uses the same amenity set. For example, let's say you found a 4* hotel in a given area with the amenities: Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Internet, Business. These are amenities which are found at most 4* hotels so the chances of this amenity set matching multiple properties is higher, then if the amenities (or the combination of amenities) is rare... such as a Complimentary Breakfast icon at a 4* hotel (while free breakfast is somewhat common at the lower rated hotels, it is significantly less common at 4* rated properties). The more amenities shown, and the more unique any of the amenity(s) are to the area and/or star rating, the more likely it is that your 'guess' will be correct... the more common the amenities the more likely it is that your guess could be wrong.

Use the Hotwire Hotel List to try and find matches for what you're seeing rather then searching the board for previous posts, as this will also enable you to see what hotels are the same or are 'close' and may have added/removed an amenity icon since last reported to the board.

Lastly, as noted above HOTWIRE only shows one hotel at each star level per zone, so there is a (good) chance that the hotel you're hoping for won't necessarily appear for your specific dates. Choosing a hotel you want and then hoping it appears is sort of the backwards way to do this... better to do a search for your dates and then try to take a guess as to what is being offered since you know that these are legitimate options which are bookable at this point in time (and you may even find something that you like better then the hotel you're actually hoping for, but previously thought it would be out of your budget... or find your 'second choice' of property but at half of what your first choice would cost via a direct booking... most would 'settle' for their second choice at a significant savings)

Bottom line is that there are no guarantees, and if you need a specific property then you should book direct, but if you want a specific property and are willing to take a calculated risk, then HOTWIRE may be a good option and offer some great savings.

If you want to move forward with HOTWIRE and you're ready to commit to a non-refundable purchase at this time, let us know the dates of your stay and the amenities associated with the property you're being offered, and we'll have a look.

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