Hotwire Hotel: 4* Maui (Ka'anapali) Sheraton

[bemuum3]

I'm taking my fiance to Maui for our honeymoon and would love nothing more than to suprise her with a fabulous hotel.

Dates: 6/19/06-6/29/06

Budget: As low as possible but trying to keep things as far under $2500 (room that is) as possible

Location: Kanapalli or Waliea (preferably)

I have already run a search on hot wire for both of my locations and found a reasonable price on a 4* in Waliea which after researching on this board seems to be some Diamond (????) Resort that is not beachfront....The price was around $247/night

The other hotel I found was what my research on this board revealed was the Hyatt in Kanapalli (if I remember correctly)...

I've heard good things about the Sheraton and would like to try to rope in a deal there or at another nice place for less than $250/night.

I would appreciate any tips, help, or suggestions anyone may offer...Thanks

Cheers! :)

[thereuare]

I see a 4* in Ka'anapali which matches the Sheraton for ~$175/nite (not sure what you were seeing that you believed to be the Hyatt).

You can decide to try the above... or take your chances on priceline. I also think you have a chance for a hotel in Wailea for a similar price.

Not sure which way you want to go.

Splitting your bid between two different areas may also be an option which you may or may not have considered.

Let us know your thoughts and how we can be of further help.

[bemuum3]

First of all thank you for the prompt reply! I am not entirely sure where I came up w/ the Hyatt...I am thinking that I thought it was the $337/night option that came up. (which is too far out of my price range)

I redid a search for Kanapalli and a 4* was returned for $169/night.

Amenities: Resort, Beachfront, Restaurants, Pools, Fitness Center, Spa Services, High Speed Internet, Children's Activity Programs, Golf nearby, Tennis nearby, Business center, laundry facilities.

Is this the Sheraton? If so, in your opinion can I get this for a lower price?

I noticed some people on this board were discussing using DTD to get refunds if possible...Does that only work if I find a lower price on the internet somewhere? Also, if I were to book this hotel now and in two weeks the price were to drop to $120 would I be able to alter the price through the Sheraton? In other words, when many hotels guarantee their website offers the lowest published rate would they match a rate found through Hotwire? (or not because it is technically not published)?

Finally, I am reluctant to use Priceline because at least through Hotwire I am able to in effect "guarantee" (i use this word cautiously) that I get the Sheraton. (I realize of court it may not be the Sheraton). At least I am not subject to whichever hotel accepts my bid w/o the ability to see specifics on what the property has to offer.

Thanks again!

[thereuare]

The above matches the Sheraton exactly so that would be our best guess.. there could always be other hotels in the area with the exact same amenities and star rating that we don't yet know about. (which is why this is cheaper than any other 4* hotel you've probably seen for these dates!) If one could be 100% certain of the hotel they would receive, then there would be never be a reason to book direct.

If you're nervous you could always see if this same hotel (based upon the amenities) shows up for 6/19-6/21 and then again for 6/21-6/29. Although it is once again conceivable that the two hotels are different even though the amenities match exactly (make sure they match exactly), odds favor that they would be the same hotel. You could then purchase the first two nites in order to "look behind the curtain" and see the name of the property, if you're happy with it, go ahead and book the reamaining nites; if you're surprised by what you get, suck it up for two nites and then make alternate plans for the balance of your trip. Splitting like this will cost you a little more in fees, but if it makes you more comfortable, then it may be worth it.

The hotel websites don't honor their best price guarantee against the opaque providers. If you purchase the above Hotwire reservation and find a better rate within 48 hours of booking (for the same hotel and room type) they will give you "Double the Difference" (but if this is indeed the Sheraton, rates on their website are $350/nite so i doubt you'll find anything cheaper)

Priceline may land you a hotel for a little less, but as you point out, you have a little less control over the amenities that the property would have (as there are no amenity icons to choose from).

Any other questions feel free to ask, and be sure to let us know how it goes.

PS- i know you want to surprise your fiance, but my conservative nature would suggest explaining the above to her first and get her "ok" on the process... you wouldn't want this one not to go as expected and then have some explaining to do (and for the next year when everyone asks "where did you go on your honeymoon" you'll have to listen to her tell the story of her 'fool' husband who screwed it up). On the otherhand, if/when it goes well, you'll be the hero and you'll both be talking about the great deal you got for years to come, and all your friends will start to ask you to help book their own trips.

[bemuum3]

I had success in booking one night at the SHERATON for $181/night for the first night 6/19-6/20. I intend to now go back and book 6/21-6/29 at $167/night.

As previously mentioned my amenities included the following on Hotwire:

Resort, Beachfront, Restaurants, Pools, Fitness Center, Spa Services, High Speed Internet, Children's Activity Programs, Golf nearby, Tennis nearby, Business center, laundry facilities.

If I booked through the Sheraton website it comes close to $350+/night. I would say this is quite the deal!

I will update with final pricing information on my trip after I book the remaining nights. Thanks!

[thereuare]

Excellent... always better to be the hero than the goat. :)

[bemuum3]

Well I am all booked up at the Sheraton in Maui. Unfortunately I did not get the $164 rate after I did my initial booking to "discover" the hotel. The price jumped up to $170/night so I tried again and watched it soar up to $175/night. So rather than risking playing this little game I decided to go ahead and book at that price. Granted it is about $100 more than I originally planned to spend I still get the rooms for about $180 less than they were posted on the Sheraton website. So all in all I feel I got a pretty good deal!

Thanks for everyone's help in finding this deal! I am sure that I will be back posting on here for future trips...After the trip I plan on posting how the experience went!

I will call and confirm my reservations in about a day or two to make sure things are in order. Thanks again for everyone's help....

[thereuare]

Remember your first post was:

Budget: As low as possible but trying to keep things as far under $2500 (room that is) as possible

So i think your "i spent a $100 more than i expected to" needs to be taken in context. This is about half price for a property that typically goes for $300+ per nite... i think overall you did extremely well!

Does the wife-to-be know yet?

Good luck planning the rest of your wedding and have a great trip.

[bemuum3]

haha yea, i went ahead and let her know just incase the first two nights ended up NOT at the Sheraton. She was thrilled I found such a good deal on that good of a property. We were close to settling on a condo off the beach that looked mediocre for the same price. As a testimonial, it is likely that I will never book another vacation unless I go through this site...you just pay too much otherwise....

[powerplantop]

I visited this Hotel a few years ago. The Hotels beach offers some great snokling / diving.