Hotwire Hotel: 3.5* Orlando (Lake Buena Vista - Downtown Disney) Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort Lake Buena Vista

[rastaylor]

Hotwire let me down for the first time in almost a decade of using the site(a couple times before but it was their fault and I was refunded).

Don't get me wrong, the hotel isn't bad and I am happy to have it. Good location, nice property, but here's what happened...

Hotel was listed as follows:

3.5* $82 Lake Buena Vista - Downtown Disney area hotel

Amenities:

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Laundry Facilities (self-service)

High-Speed Internet Access

Accessible for the blind

Braille or raised signage

Accessible for the deaf

Accessible path of travel

In-room accessibility

Accessible bathroom

Handicapped parking

Roll-in shower

After booking it was revealed that the hotel is

Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort Lake Buena Vista, FL.

A. The property is no longer "SunSpree" it is just Holiday Inn Resort Lake Buena Vista (no big deal)

B. Partner sites of Hotwire that I use a lot myself for comparison - Tripadvisor.com and Hotels.com show this to be a 3* hotel, not 3.5* when I called about this they said they rate based on customer reviews which is NEWS TO ME! I thought there was an across-the-board standard star rating so if anyone can comment on this that would be great.

C. I am used to getting 40-60% off hotels using Hotwire, which is why I love the site. Well not only did I not save that much, I didn't save any! I found this same property for the same dates on Kayak.com for $71.89 (over $10 per night less!). I called Hotwire to pull the price-match-guarantee card and they didn't act like they cared that they failed me. They acted like I was being cheap and like I was a bother, put me on hold several times for no reason for long periods and finally said they would credit me the difference.

Very disappointed with Hotwire and this will effect my loyalty to the company. Consider yourself warned!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Sorry to hear you're disappointed in the result of this purchase and didn't experience any savings.

Can you please add a reply to this thread indicating if in addition to the amenities above, that this hotel also showed: Golf, Childrens Activities, Free Parking amenities? You can still view this information by going to HOTWIRE and clicking the MY ACCOUNT link near the top right of their home page.

...NEWS TO ME! I thought there was an across-the-board standard star rating so if anyone can comment on this that would be great.

Although sister companies, each service has their own star criteria and can rate hotels differently.

Very disappointed with Hotwire and this will effect my loyalty to the company.

Hopefully you won't let this one HOTWIRE experience take precedence over the 10+ years you've happily used their service.

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

Enjoy your stay.

[rastaylor]

I will still use Hotwire, but it will not be my go-to-site after finding even deeper savings on sites that actually show the name. I just know to browse a little more. Also, I listed all the amenities that were listed on Hotwire. Thankfully I am happy with the hotel itself. Honestly I was like another poster who received this hotel thinking it was the Holiday Inn just around the block (closer to Hilton and Downtown Disney) but I actually like prefer this property after reading reviews and viewing pictures on Tripadvisor (even though its retail price is much lower). I was just disappointed that I sacrificed getting a specific property by using hotwire's "secret hot rate" to actually pay more than a site where the property is revealed and that has cancellation.

[AaronJB]

Sorry again to hear about the disappointing result, but glad to hear that the hotel itself is satisfactory and will work well for your travel plans.

Also, were Golf, Childrens Activities, Free Parking also showing as amenities? You can still view this information by going to HOTWIRE and clicking the MY ACCOUNT link near the top right of their home page. Thanks.

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[rastaylor]

The admin above already asked that and I answered that I listed all the amenities that were listed on HOTWIRE.