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Priceline Hotel: 3* Wilmington (Wlmngtn-Brandywine) Sheraton Suites


iahphx
By iahphx,
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Some friends asked me to help them book a hotel in Wilmington, Delaware. On priceline, it seems that most folks these days bidding at 3 stars are getting a Wyndham for $45.

Hotwire, however, is offering for $59 a 3-star "suite" hotel. Wilmington, DE is only a medium sized city and, as you might expect, there aren't many suite hotels. Given the amenities listed, I'm pretty sure its the Sheraton Suites. But I have bad luck bidding on Hotwire, as they often seem to find a way to give you a lesser hotel than you expect (like a 3 star Holiday Inn). My friends even have a little Hotwire bonus money (given to them for a previous unsatisfactory stay when a hotel manager made them sleep on folding beds in a conference room!). If there was a great likelihood of getting the Sheraton, they would prefer it to the Wyndham. My general question is whether hotwire would consider a Sheraton Suites to "only" be a 3 star (if so, it seems the odds of them getting that property are extremely high, as there really are no other "suite" hotels that would be in the category). Or would a Sheraton be rated higher under their system?

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Iaphax,

I did a board search (entire board) for "sheraton suite" (without the quotes) and searched "Any Date". I saw Hotwire Sheraton Suite results in various cities that ranged from 3* to 4*.

I also did an Expedia search for Wilmington Suite hotels and besides the Sheraton Suites saw a Homewood Suites and Brandywine Suites. Based upon the descriptions, neither of these other two properties seem to fit the amenity description that Hotwire shows (and the Sheraton does indeed seem like a good match).

My best guess would also be the Sheraton Suites. I would fully explain the situation to your friends and give them your best guess as to the outcome, with the caveat that it could be wrong... then let them make the decision on which company you should use to purchase for them.

Either way, i'm sure it'll end up better than sleeping on a rollaway bed in a conference room so they'll likely be pleased :) . If they can deal with a situation like that, i'd bet they can adapt to whatever you get for them. They seem to understand the 'game' since they've used Hotwire before, so in order to make sure you remain friends, explain the situation to them and have them make the final decision as to which method to use.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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Thanks for "double-checking," thereuare, and confirming the "rating" on Sheratons. You found the same Wilmington hotels I did. The Brandywine Suites doesn't have a pool and the Homewood doesn't have a restaurant, so it does seem like it "has" to be the Sheraton.

Frankly, those 2 alternates don't bug me -- it's the idea that there could be some lesser "extended stay" property lurking. Of course, most of those don't have restaurants, so it seems like the odds are very good of getting the Sheraton.

This is an interesting bidding situation because I could envision others willing to pay "a few bucks more" than priceline if they have more "choice" in their hotwire hotel (like picking an all suite property).

I'll let the board know how it goes.

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Just an update on this interesting bidding situation. I went ahead and bid $45 for these nights on priceline and got a message saying they wouldn't take that, but that I could bid again if I raised my bid $13. Instead, I waited 3 days and raised my bid by only three dollars. This time I got neither the room nor a "bid a little more" offer.

Kind of not sure what to do with this now. With the $25 credit they have, it would make hotwire's rate about $53/night, and they'd be guaranteed a suite hotel.

I'm a little surprised that the gap between "a perfect" priceline bid and a "fixed price" hotwire bid is apparently so little in this situation.

I may come back to priceline with $49 or $50 just out of curiosity in a few days.

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Another thought I have is that, for the average consumer, if a "perfect" priceline bid can save you less than $10 night now, and you don't get to choose your amenities (like a suite hotel), priceline may not be worth "the risk" of overbidding.

This would be a new dynamic in the competition, as most of us "experienced" bidders have long preferred priceline because it could usually get us rooms significantly cheaper than the "take it or leave it" fixed rates on hotwire.

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I went ahead and bid $50 on priceline and, sure enough, got the Sheraton Suites. So it was a $9/night savings over hotwire (less for my friends because they had a $25 hotwire certificate, but they can save it for next time).

Not much difference in this case. For areas without a lot of free rebids on priceline, I suspect a lot of folks will be taking the hotwire deal, especially if their travel date is close at hand.

BTW, feel free to move or reference this at the "Delaware" spot.

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