Priceline Hotel: 3.5* Daytona Beach (Daytona Beach - Ormond Beach) Plaza Resort And Spa

[trendyje]

I used BetterBidding.com links for the following :)  

 

Wanted to book a 5-night stay at an oceanfront resort-type hotel in Daytona (did not want the Hyatt Place express deal or otherwise).  I made a short list of acceptable hotels and tried to keep within those standards.    Plaza Resort and Spa was on my list of acceptable hotels, but barely, and a hidden hotel fee for normally standard amenities kind of dampened the win.  In any case, here is what I did, to the best of my recollection (sorry, I should've kept better track):

 

Bid #1 (rejected): Daytona Beach Shores Oceanfront, 4*, $67

Bid #2 (rejected): Daytona Beach Shores Oceanfront AND Daytona Beach Oceanfront, 4* and 3.5*, $70

Bid #3 (rejected): Daytona Beach Shores Oceanfront AND Daytona Beach Oceanfront AND South Daytona Beach Shores Oceanfront, 4*, $75

Bid #4 (accepted): Daytona Beach Shores Oceanfront AND Daytona Beach Oceanfront AND South Daytona Beach Shores Oceanfront, 4* and 3.5*, $80  

 

Win: Plaza Resort and Spa - 3.5 stars, $80 per night + $20 per night "resort fee" (see below)  Savings of 30% off list price.

 

**NOTE:  There was a HOTEL FEE of $100 (Priceline guessed it as ~$50, so gave me a ~$50 credit toward the total booking price) **  Looking at the Plaza Resort and Spa website, I see that they do charge a $20 per day "resort fee" for things that normally are free with any decent hotel - in-room WiFi, access to gym, in-room safe.    Kind of silly to me, and undermined the deal I was supposedly getting, but okay.

 

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success. :)

Nice win for this property and hope you are satisfied with the deal. Still a good deal if regular rate still has to pay regular rate + fees.

 

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

 

Enjoy your stay.

[trendyje]

Getting ready to check out, I can definitively say that the PLAZA RESORT AND SPA is most definitely NOT a good deal.  First, I bid too high - my fault - because I see that the winter specials are essentially the same rate as what I bid.  That's what I get for bidding too quickly and without much thought.  But also, this is a resort fee for: exercise room, self-parking (in a lot that was often too full to park), wi-fi (that was spotty) and access to the pool.  In other words, even if you THINK you're getting a deal through Price.line, after the extra $20 per day for standard "amenities" it's not a deal at all.  This hotel should be taken out of Priceline's 3.5 star ratings.  Bidders beware!

[thereuare]

Sorry to hear you didn't find this hotel to be a good value.

Keep in mind while nobody likes resort fees they are becoming more and more popular, especially in resort/beach destinations, and often provide little extra value vs. what was otherwise included in the room rate (similar to the airlines now charging for one checked back, some for carry-on bags, snacks, etc). At least with PRICELINE / HOTWIRE the price is discounted (assuming you bid correct and/or do your research ahead of time) that at least you're getting a better deal than those who book direct, who also have to pay the resort fee on top of their already high room rate.

We have one more finishing touch to make before an official release (it's fully functional now and you can check it out), but we will be launching ResortFee.com in a day or two which should prove to be a good resource for researching hotels with and without resort fees.

Feel free to ask the board for help before your next opaque purchase and we will try to assist in finding you a hotel that is more suited to your preference.

[trendyje]

Thank you.  I appreciate your points.  I will definitely try to be more patient and use the forum for helping with bidding in the future.