Hotwire Hotel: 4* Austin (Downtown and Town Lake Area) Sheraton

[bigsherv]

Seems like I struck out with Priceline and Hotwire.

I exhausted all the priceline searches for under $155 in Austin that were 4*. If I had selected Arboretum I ran the risk of not getting near Downtown

Went to hotwire. Saw they had a 4* for 177. Ended up being the Sheraton which is supposed to be the worst 4* there.

Oh well, I am sure it won't be that bad.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Sorry to see you're disappointed with the results of this purchase.

Can you please add a reply to this thread with the dates of your stay (so this thread can appear in the Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins) and the amenities shown before your purchase... you can still view this information by going to HOTWIRE and clicking the MY ACCOUNT link near the top right of their home page.

Thank you for sharing your win with the board.

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

Enjoy your stay... hope it goes better than expected.

[bigsherv]

3/3/12-3/4/12

Amenities Smoke Free RoomsFitness CenterPool(s)Restaurant(s)Business CenterLaundry Facilities (self-service)High-Speed Internet AccessTennis Nearby

[bigsherv]

My emails with Hotwire about how crappy of an experience this was. You can read their "Too bad, so sad," replies to me as well.

Starting below

I would like to hear what the hotel has to say after reading my comments. I hope you all follow up with them.

Shervin

______________________________________

Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2012 10:24:12 -0500

From: [email protected]

Subject: RE: Would you recommend Sheraton Austin at the Capitol?

To: shervin

Dear Shervin,

Thank you for contacting Hotwire in regards to your recent reservation, itinerary number #######. I understand that you were not satisfied with the accommodations at the hotel. I regret any frustration that this caused you.

Hotwire guarantees a clean and comfortable stay, with the amenities listed and a room that will sleep the number of guests booked. If you have issues with the hotel room or items in the room, our first suggestion is to speak with the front desk. If they are unable to assist you and you call Hotwire we are more than happy to contact the hotel on your behalf.

We regret the room did not meet your expectations. Customer feedback helps us ensure our properties continue to meet the high quality standards we expect from all of our partners. We shared your feedback with our hotel partner so they are aware of your concerns and can avoid this type of situation in the future.

Our customers are important to us, and we hope to have a chance to better serve your needs in the near future.

If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to reply to this email or call us directly at 1-866-HOTWIRE (468-9473). Thank you for choosing Hotwire.

Sincerely,

Marcie M.

Hotwire Customer Care

-----Original Message-----

From: Shervin

Date: Tuesday, March 06, 2012 02:55 PM

To: Hotwire Support ([email protected])

Subject: Re: RE: Would you recommend Sheraton Austin at the Capitol?

If I had called during my stay what would you all have done?

Shervin

On Mar 6, 2012, at 4:05 PM, "Hotwire Support" <[email protected]> wrote:

Dear Shervin,

Thank you for contacting Hotwire Customer Care regarding Hotwire itinerary number ########. I understand your recent stay at the Sheraton Austin at the Capitol did not meet your standards. I will be happy to provide you with more information.

I understand you feel this hotel was not accurately represented as a four star establishment and I regret any frustration this caused you. To best assist our customers during the on-line booking process, Hotwire strives to provide clear instructions and accurate information on our site. To support our Hotel Star Ratings Promise, we constantly review our hotel partners' star ratings to ensure we provide the most accurate and up-to-date information. I can assure you we last evaluated this hotel on March 3, 2012 and Hotwire is confident the star rating is accurate.

We stand behind our star ratings and promise that no matter what star rating you book, you can expect a clean and private room in working order when you check in to a hotel booked with Hotwire. We determine our ratings by:

- Carefully and frequently comparing our star ratings against other travel sites

- Soliciting customer feedback following every stay and adjusting our ratings accordingly

- Investigating and acting on concerns observed by our customers about specific properties.

As previously mentioned, because your stay at this hotel is complete, Hotwire is limited in our options. We suggest that in the future, if you are dissatisfied with a hotel upon check-in, to contact Hotwire Customer Care by phone 1-866-HOTWIRE (468-9473) so that we can best work with the hotel staff to resolve your situation.

Sincerely,

Charles B.

Hotwire Customer Care

-----Original Message-----

From: Shervin

Date: Monday, March 05, 2012 08:43 PM

To: Hotwire Support ([email protected])

Subject: Re: RE: Would you recommend Sheraton Austin at the Capitol?

So you all plan to do nothing? Not even change your classification of this hotel? If your answer is "no" then shame on you all. How can expect a person with his family with him on a one day trip where he thought he was doing something nice for his wife by splurging on a 4 star room to get away to complain about it and possible delay the activities they had planned. All I could do was play the cards that were dealt to me, try to enjoy our trip to Austin and contact you as soon as I could which was first thing when I got home to Houston.

If your answer is no, nothing will be done then sadly I will not be able to use you all again because you poorly represent your product.

Shervin

On Mar 5, 2012, at 10:31 PM, "Hotwire Support" <[email protected]> wrote:

Dear Shervin,

Thank you for contacting Hotwire Customer Care regarding your travel arrangements on Hotwire Itinerary Number #########. I understand you were unhappy with your stay at the Sheraton Austin at the Capitol, and you would like compensation for this.

We expect a high level of quality from our hotel partners, ensuring our customers receive a clean room in working order. As this hotel stay is complete, our options to work with the hotel to resolve this situation are limited. Hotwire appreciates your feedback regarding your experience at the Sheraton Austin at the Capitol.

Had you called us at the time of check in with your concerns, we would have worked with you to resolve them. If you are in a situation where you might complain later, please give us a call so we can try to fix the issue immediately.

If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to reply to this email or call us directly at 1-866-HOTWIRE (468-9473). Thank you again for choosing Hotwire, we appreciate your business!

Sincerely,

Krista F.

Hotwire Customer Care

-----Original Message-----

From: Shervin

Date: Monday, March 05, 2012 08:02 AM

To: [email protected] ([email protected]); [email protected] ([email protected])

Subject: RE: Would you recommend Sheraton Austin at the Capitol?

Dear Hotwire,

Sheraton Austin at the Capitol confirmation code: XXX

Hotwire Itinerary: XXX

You all should be embarrassed charging what you all do for the Sheraton Austin at the Capital. I paid 177 for a 4 star room. I paid 214.22 for this room and I expected so much more for what you all call a 4 star room.

The room was tiny. But that would have been okay if it was at least nice or even close to 4 stars.

Let me give you a brief rundown of why this is not a 4 star room but a 3 star room.

Service

It is nice that they offer valet but this is the first hotel I have ever checked in where they didn’t offer to unload my luggage or let me unload my luggage and then check in. It may have been due to the fact that I said I planned to self-park. I was told I would have to find a spot and then and then move my family’s things to the room. Also there was no one in sight once I did park and enter the lobby to get to come to my car and unload my luggage.

Concierge – it would be nice if I didn’t have to feel like I am interrupting the concierge’s conversation to ask if a place was hard to get to.

Lobby check- The person was nice. May have been the highlight of my stay. But you know addressing someone by name is a nice touch you should teach your employees especially when they have a screen in front of them with my name on it.

The Room

Size – wow, you have to be kidding me. This room (518) was so small. A room this size should never have 2 beds put into it, plus a large chair, plus a large desk.

Beds – these were fine except for the open safety pin I found on the floor when I dropped my keys. I am glad I found it before someone stepped on it.

TV – this is fine as well. Probably one of the nicer tv’s in a hotel room I have seen.

Bottled water – this was my first indicator this wasn’t a 4 star hotel. It is nice you have water available even if it is for purchase.. However charging $3.50 for a Nestle 16 ounce bottle of water is disgusting. This water sells for $ 3 dollars for a 24 pack. Have some class and carry a 4 star brand if you are going to charge that price. When people see overpriced water it should be one of the premier overpriced brands. Not something that is sold in a huge 24 pack and not something that the label says is bottled in Dallas using the city water.

Glasses – I should say tumblers. No 4 star hotel should ever have paper thin plastic cups that are wrapped in cellophane. This scream Best Western. How would you all like to go into the Palm and have them pour you a glass of wine into a Red Solo plastic cup? Honestly, what is 4 star about this. Glasses are something used all the time. Make a good impression. What person at your corporate office made this decision? They need to be reprimanded for making decisions detrimental to your brand.

Room set up – Why is there this enormous chair crammed between the bed and the window ? It looks like you are visiting your grandmother who refuses to throw anything away so she uses every piece of furniture she has.

Notepad – thank for the notepad with 2 pieces of paper. That is really handy when jotting down directions. I hope people never need more than 2 sheets.

Bathroom – someone needs to clean/wipe down all the grout/caulking in-between guests. You can see the dirt from the previous guests around the base of the tub. Also why is there no trashcan inside the bathroom? Some stuff belongs in the bathroom! Also what kind of low rent apartment vanity is this? It is so tiny. You place the hairdryer, your razor, and tooth brush and it looks like a college doom bathroom. If it is going to be this tiny it had better be nice, which it is not.

Hotwire, I am quite upset at this really low quality room you all gave me for a 4 star price. The Sheraton Austin at the Capital is a 3 star hotel. Maybe a 3.5 if you give extra points for them having a decent lobby. I have been a loyal user to Priceline and never have they given such a misrepresented room in all of my patronage to them. I thought yeah it is worth the 20 extra bucks to not have to do the bidding for a room by using Hotwire. I was terribly mistaken.

Someone needs to refund some of my money or give me a room credit of some sort. This should have been a 99-120 room. You all need to change your rating of this hotel as well. Send someone down to see it for themselves and see what other 4 star hotels are in the area as comparable.

Regards,

Shervin

[thereuare]

Since this stay is in the past, it's hard to comment on the value of the price paid as it's not known what 'traditional' bookings were going for on this nite... perhaps it was a very busy nite in the city due to some event and $177 is a steal... or perhaps a slow nite in the city and this didn't represent much of a discount; so i can't comment on whether this was worth the price or not.

Orbitz and Travelocity each rate this hotel 4*... Expedia and PRICELINE each rate it 3.5*... so the 'trusth' probably lies someplace inbetween.

Regardless, as per HOTWIRE's email, if you have an issue with any stay you should first contact the hotel front desk to try to resolve any issues, then hotel management, then get HOTWIRE involved if you can't resolve the issue directly with the hotel. Did you speak to the hotel at any time during your stay regarding the quality of the room? Did you ask for a different room explaining the factors which made the room you were assigned unacceptable? If not, then the hotel wasn't aware of any issues you had during your stay and didn't have the opportunity to correct it, likely thinking that you were a happy guest.

If HOTWIRE receives more letters like your regarding this hotel then it's likely that they will down grade it in the future... but i wouldn't expect them to downgrade the hotel based solely upon your email, as it's possible that they're receiving other emails about this hotel praising it.

I don't have firsthand experience at this property so i can't give my own thoughts on the property, but with the star ratings referenced above, if the 4* rating is too high, it's not likely that far off the mark. Sorry it didn't meet your expectations, and hopefully your future stays will be better, but no matter who you book with, if you have any issues with the room assigned you should bring it to the hotel's attention first and give them the opportunity to correct the situation, if no resolution is provided, then get the service you booked with involved on your behalf.

[bigsherv]

Just trying to let people know the truth about this hotel. I decided to write Sheraton directly.