Hotwire Hotel: 4.5* Punta Cana Grand Palladiunm Punta Cana

[EChen]

Used HOTWIRE last week for the following deal, travel dates: 8/31/13-9/4/13.

4.5-star All-inclusive hotel in Punta Cana Region ($155/night)

The resort is Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort & Spa, which is only a 3.5-star resort according to Expedia, Tripadvisor, Hotels.com, etc... BEWARE!!!

Amenities:

Resort

Free Parking

Free Internet

Near Beach

Food and Beverages Included

A la Carte Dining Options

Water Sports/Ocean Activities Included

Evening Entertainment Included

Daily Activities Included

Children's Activity Program

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Laundry Facilities

High-Speed Internet Access

Tennis Nearby

Spa Services

All-Inclusive

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

If you haven't yet, please start by reading your messages.

Can you please add a reply to this thread confirming if there is also a COMPLIMENTARY BREAKFAST amenity associated this property and shown before your purchase (not listed above)... you can still view this information by going to HOTWIRE and clicking the MY ACCOUNT link near the top right of their home page.

Have you tried speaking to HOTWIRE to question the star rating of this property? They often use Expedia, Travelocity, and orbitz as a baseline for rating hotels (and then tweak from there), and given that each respectively rates this property 3.5*, 3*, and 4* i think you would have a good basis given that none of them rates this property higher then 4* and the average rating is only 3.5* (a FULL star below the HOTWIRE rating)

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

Thanks.

[EChen]

Checked the amenities on Hotwire again and indeed it has "Free Breakfast" listed. It's an all-inclusive deal so yes, breakfast is complimentary.

Also, my win is for Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort & Spa, NOT for Grand Palladium Palace (as titled for this topic) or Grand Palladium Bavaro (Grand Palladium consists of three sister hotels). Believe Grand Palladium Punta Cana has the lowest ratings out of the three.

Yes, fought with Hotwire both via phone and e-mail. Hotwire basically told/sent us (my husband and me) a bunch of pre-scripted answers, and told us to scram. I agree with the other posters, the "hints hotels" are misleading and the star categories that Hotwire assigns are inflated.

[thereuare]

Thanks for the follow-up... we have adjusted the topic title accordingly.

[BabyCougar31]

Hi,

Thank you for posting. Sorry to hear this didn't work out as expected. I considered using Hotwire for Punta Cana but after this I'd rather take my chances with Priceline. I really think you should keep pressing Hotwire to refund your money since the Grand Palladium is clearly not considered a 4.5 star hotel on any comparable website. Hotwire shouldn't be allowed to continue making a profit with misleading information. Good luck!

[EChen]

Situation update: My husband and I actually called both Hotwire and the resort to try to upgrade to Grand Palladium Bavaro (4-stars sister hotel) and neither of them was able to make that happen (we were willing to pay more money out of pocket to ensure a good vacation). They basically said the reservation is final and hung up. I ultimately filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and after the filing, Hotwire gave me $60 Hotwire Dollars to shut me up.