Hotwire Hotel: 4* Atlanta (Downtown) Omni Hotel at CNN Center

[waltero61]

Hello again.

Hotwire lists a 4-star hotel in downtown Atlanta (Atlanta-in-town) for $79 per night for 7/28 - 8/1/06.

Amenities are : restaurant(s), business center and it is listed as a Best Value.

I thought it was the Omni Hotel at the CNN Center but it doesn't match your pinned list exactly.

You have it as a Customer Favorite and Hotwire has it as a Best Value.

Do you think this is still the Omni, or do you have another idea as to which hotel this might be?

Once again, thank you in advance.

[thereuare]

Customer Favoirte designations come and go.

Best Value designations are based upon the star ratings and prices of the other offerings on your search.

Those two amenties are quite common for a business area such as Atlanta, but the Omni would be the best guess.

[waltero61]

I've read quite a number of reviews on the Omni. It doesn't seem to be very highly regarded (especially for the normally high rates). I think I might want to avoid it.

Hotwire has a 2-star hotel in Downtown Atlanta (Atlanta-In-Town) for $39 per night 7/28 - 8/01/06.

Amenities are: restaurant(s), pool(s), fitness center and laundry facilities.

Any ideas as to which hotel this might be.

[thereuare]

This hotel has not yet been identified, and if you care about quality, i would generally suggest avoiding a 2* property on Hotwire.

Remember that reviews are often based upon value and price paid... so while a Travelodge may get great reviews it is often because the user paid verly little for it and it was clean, while a Hyatt (or Omni, Marriott, etc) can get poor reviews because the reviewer may have paid $200/nite for it and didn't get a very high level of service.

Us "opaque buyers" are often in a different situation because we're paying much less for our hotel rooms than "traditional customers". I would almost always take a 4* with mediocre reviews than a 2* with good reviews.

[waltero61]

Just for the heck of it, I decided to give Priceline a try.

I saw from your site that numerous people have gotten the Omni for between $50 and $60. On Hotwire, it appears to be $81 per night.

I placed a bid of $45 on a 4-star in Downtown Atlanta, and was obviously rejected. How long after this bid can I raise my price without changing any other options, and how many times can I do it?

[thereuare]

Read this thread and confirm your re-bid zones before proceeding: Priceline Re-Bidding Explained

[Aprilmay]

The Omni is my favorite hotel in Downtown Atlanta. I always hope to get the Omni when bidding. It's a beautiful hotel, and well worth what it usually goes for on Priceline. Would I pay full price to stay there? No, but I won't pay full price to stay anywhere anymore. Don't be afraid of winning the Omni. It's beautiful. Read my review:

REVIEW

Good luck.

[waltero61]

:) Thanks Aprilmay !!!

I appreciate your input. I had already read your review. It was one of the few positive ones that I read. I have to agree with thereuare, the dissappointed people were probably the ones who paid full price and expected the top of the world.

I started bidding on Priceline for late July. As of now I'm up to $66 and am still being rejected. I think Hotwire has it for $81. I'll keep bidding up to about $70 and then wait a few days and start at $60 again and work up in $2 increments.

I know that the Omni isn't the only 4-star in downtown Atlanta, but for the prices I'm seeing in that area for that time of year, under $80 per night for a 4-star appears to be a steal.

Thanks again !!!

[waltero61]

Thereuare,

I was just checking the Omni hotels website and they say that they have a year-round outdoor pool.

The listing on Hotwire says only restaurant(s), and business center as amenities.

Do you think its possible that this 4-star is not the Omni?

Or is it possible that it is a mislisted amenity on Hotwire?

What do you think?

Walter

[waltero61]

P.S. It also says that it is a best value.

W.

[thereuare]

Not all hotels show all their amenties.

There is nothing that states that a hotel will show all the amenities they have... only that they have the amenties that they show.

Best guess is that this is the Omni since it matches the amenities previously associated by Hotwire with this hotel, as recently as November '05 as per this HOTWIRE thread. Of course there are other hotels that have a Restaurant and Business Center, but none that have been reported so far with just these two amenities.

[waltero61]

:)

I gave Priceline another try tonight without success. Started with Atlanta downtown 4-star at $55. Kept increasing bids by choosing other areas that did not have a 4-star hotel (thanks again for the advice). Went $60, $65, $70, $72, $74 and $76 and was rejected all the way.

No problem.

Went to the old reliable (thanks to BetterBidding.com) back-up : Hotwire

7/28/06 - 8/1/06 Atlanta - Downtown (Atlanta-In-Town)

It was indeed the Omni Hotel at CNN Center. I got it for $81 per night. Grand total including taxes and fees was $381.55 for 4 nights.

Amenities were listed as restaurant(s), and business center. Also listed currently as "best value."

Went to hotel website and the lowest rate listed for the same room is $251.50 which happens to be the AAA rate. That's a total of $1155.06 with taxes.

On Travelocity"]Travelocity and Orbitz the rate was the standard hotel rate of $279 per night. And Expedia said that their were no rooms available for those nights (maybe they should buy some through Hotwire !!!).

:D What can I say, Hotwire and BetterBidding.com strike oil again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just in case anyone else is interested in this hotel, even though pool(s) are not listed in the amenities on Hotwire, the hotels website clearly states that they have a pool (they should, considering it's a 4-star).

The hotels location is also exceptional. The MARTA station is a short walk. MARTA also has a shuttle to Turner Field for Braves games that leaves near The World of Coca-Cola (only 5 blocks from the Omni).

A few train stops in the opposite direction takes you to a shuttle to Six Flags over Georgia. MARTA also has a direct link to the airport. And MARTA sells a one week pass (Monday-Sunday) with unlimited rides for only $12 per person.

So if your a budget traveler like me and my 15-year-old son (on our annual baseball trip), you don't even need a rent-a car (saving you the cost of the car and the $20+ per day parking fees).

:) Thanks again thereuare for your guidance.

:) And thanks to Aprilmay for her unsolicated but very welcome advice on the Omni. I'll be signing up for their Select Guest Program as soon as I post this reply.

:o This and Hotwire combined make shopping on the Web a pleasure.

[thereuare]

Glad we were able to help.

Enjoy the games and the time with your son.