Hotwire: "We are still gathering reviews for this property"

[KatiesMom]

I've noticed every now and then on Hotwire that instead of giving a customer satisfaction rating for a property, they omit it and write: "We are still gathering reviews for this property." But why?

This is frustrating for consumers who are trying to figure out how a property is considered by other customers. Could it be Hotwire is deliberately obscuring the property?

A few weeks ago I was searching for a hotel in Baltimore. I came across a 3.5* property in the Inner Harbor with the "We are still gathering reviews for this property" statement. I should have stopped right there and not bought it, however, the price at $63 a night was low and I scooped it up. (I mistakenly thought it would be the nearby Holiday Inn Express where I have stayed at before. My bad.)

It turned out to be a Sheraton which is across the street from the HIE, so initially I wasn't concerned, until I read many unfavorable reviews and complaints on Trip Advisor. I suspect Hotwire customers complained too. I wrote to Hotwire and asked about the 3.5* star rating based on the voluminous complaints and received a reply saying the hotel had been recently reinspected and met with the criteria for a 3.5* property.

OK, if that is the case, why not post the customer satisfaction review percentage? I suspect that number would reflect poorly on the Sheraton. I for one will not purchase an opaque property with 80% or less satisfaction rating.

Second case in point.

I was following Hotwire for the past few weeks looking for a hotel in Chicago. Prices for my trip in June are through the roof high so I was patiently waiting for something good to show up.

Yesterday I came across a hotel with amenities that could match three different 4* properties - The Palomar, The Felix and The Sax. Of those, based on customer reviews, I would only be interested if I thought it was the Palomar. Fortunately, Hotwire listed the customer satisfaction rating for the property - 100%, as well as the Trip Advisor rating - 4.5 out of 5. Since the Felix and Sax have very mixed reviews, this seemed to align with the Palomar which is highly ranked at #2 on Trip Advisor for Chicago Hotels.

I bought it and yes it was the Palomar. But even if it wasn't, because of the satisfaction ratings I had expectations that that this was a highly regarded hotel, so it was worth the risk of buying it (100% Hotwire positive, 4.5 out of 5 on TA, WOW).

I visited Hotwire after the purchase and noticed a listing for a 4* property in the same zone, for the same dates, with the same amenities as the one I just bought. Instead of a Hotwire rating it says "We are still gathering reviews for this property." Also, there is no Trip Advisor rating. Even if they were gathering reviews, which I doubt they are, they still could have put the Trip Advisor rating on, but chose not to. So at a minimum, this property could be any of the three. For a consumer, the quality of this hotel is obscured.

I understand it is Hotwire's decision to provide whatever information it wants to. It's an opaque site. So Caveat Emptor - Let the buyer beware. My objection is using the phrase "We are still gathering reviews for this property," when that's not the case. It's misleading to consumers.

[scottlevin]

I have had experiences where it removed that data after I bought the hotel.

[KatiesMom]

I no longer will purchase anything on hotwire without those ratings.

[Gallus50]

I think it is possible that sometimes they are still collecting reviews. It is also possible that you are correct and they are obscuring said ratings on purpose.

But I don't know if I would absolutely let it deter me from purchasing. Sometimes it says that, but there is still a TA rating. If it is 3.5 or higher, you would know that most travelers like the hotel. Likewise, if you can ID through amenities with some certainty and you are ok with said hotel's features, reviews and such, what difference does it make if you saw HW approval ratings? If you approve, that is what matters.

Sometimes HW prices are as good as bidding on PL, so it may be worthwhile. Besides, on PL you NEVER can ID hotels. So my advice is to be wary, but keep an open mind.

[KatiesMom]

Thanks Gallus, you make some good points.