Hotwire Hotel: Need help identifying a few Waikiki hotels

[tkduke77]

3* Waikiki Beachside

$89

Near Beach

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Tennis Nearby

_________________________________________________________

3.5* Waikiki Central

$109

Near Beach

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Business Center

Laundry Facilities

Tennis Nearby

__________________________________________________________

3* Waikiki Central

$99

Near Beach

Laundry Facilities

Any ideas what these could be? Also, where would I find a good strategy to bid via priceline for Waikiki hotels? I would be happy with a 3* and would like to stay under $100 if I can.

Thanks in advance.

[thereuare]

Are you committed to trying Priceline regardless of the above identities?

If so we'll just suggest a strategy up to your maximum bid before trying to identify them, as they don't appear to be a possibility for you unless you fail at priceline. Is that correct?

[tkduke77]

Sure, I am willing to try Priceline first.

I am willing to spend up to $100 a night (if that is unreasonable, let me know) for a 3* or greater hotel.

My date of stay is 5/26/07 for one night and then I'm off to meet the family in Kauai.

[thereuare]

Which Waikiki Priceline zone(s) are you willing to bid?

[tkduke77]

Really any of them. I am mainly interested in being close to some restaurants and shops. Being near beach is not a huge factor for me since I will be spending the next week at the beach in Kauai anyway.

I plan on getting up on the 27th and circling Oahu in the rental car.

[thereuare]

So is the Airport (and other non-Waikiki) zone(s) an option or is it really just the three Waikiki zones (Beach, City, and Marina)?

[tkduke77]

I would like to stay in one of the 3 Waikiki zones.

Thanks again for the help. :)

[thereuare]

You only have one re-bid zones available when bidding 3* in Oahu. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

Select 3* Beach...

Bid $55, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $60, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 3* City...

Bid $55, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $60, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 3* Marina...

Bid $55, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $60, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 3* Beach and City...

Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $70, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 3* Beach and Marina...

Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $70, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 3* Beach and City and Marina...

Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $80.

Any questions feel free to ask.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

[tkduke77]

Ok, here is how I bid.......

Select 3* Beach...

Bid $55, Rejected

Bid $58 adding Ihilani, Rejected

Bid $60, adding Airport, Rejected

Select 3* City...

Bid $55, Rejected

Bid $58 adding Ihilani, Rejected

Bid $60, adding Airport, Rejected

Select 3* Marina...

Bid $55, Rejected

Bid $58 adding Ihilani, Rejected

Bid $60, adding Airport, Rejected

Select 3* Beach and City...

Bid $65, Rejected

Bid $68 adding Ihilani, Rejected

Bid $70, adding Airport, Rejected

Select 3* Beach and Marina...

Bid $65, Rejected

Bid $68 adding Ihilani, Rejected

Bid $70, adding Airport, Rejected

Select 3* City and Marina...

Bid $65, Rejected

Bid $68 adding Ihilani, Rejected

Bid $70, adding Airport, Rejected

Select 3* Beach and City and Marina...

Select 3* Beach and Marina...

Bid $75, Rejected

Bid $78 adding Ihilani, Rejected

Bid $80, adding Airport, Rejected

So I got nothing. :)

[kohalasunset]

Well, you have plenty of time to consider your options. I think Hotwire rates somewhat higher than Priceline on a lot of properties, so price/value comparisons can be difficult. Also subjective. You might be successful with 2* or 2.5* at 80 or so, though I would expect 100 or more for 3* on PL, depending on the hotels that are participating. Not a lot gets reported at 3* level for Hawaii. Sheraton Princess Kaiulani has web rate of 160 for your date, so use that as a guideline. If you see something on HOTWIRE that looks good, and the price is right, I would just book it. Or check out some websites like Outrigger and Ohana for comparisons. Since you will have a rental car, look at parking availability and cost--that might be a greater consideration than the hotel cost. Some hotels are hard to get in and out of, and very tight parking spaces.

[tkduke77]

Thanks alot for the suggestions. I'll do some more research.

Any ideas what those 3 Hotwire hotels I listed above could be?

[thereuare]

The 3* Waikiki Beachside is a match for the Park Shore, the 3.5* Waikiki Central is a match for the Outrigger Luana Waikiki, so that would be our best guess for each. The 3* in Waikiki Centrla has not yet been identified, and not enough to go on to take an educated guess (ok, if i had to guess, the ResortQuest Waikiki Beachside Hotel, but no confidence in it).

Please use this HOTWIRE link if you should book any of the above.

I'd sooner raise my Priceline bid by $5 on the next round of bidding... if still unsuccessful give it a few weeks and try again, still plenty of time.

Don't forget to put "the shrimp trucks" and "motsumoto's" on your ThingsToDo list when you circle Oahu. :)

[kohalasunset]

These sound like Ohana, maybe an Outrigger. From what I have read--compare the hotels available to packages available for the same dates, and you will probably figure them out. Do you have any mileage you can use? Check Tripadvisor for recent reviews of these places. I think PL would rate these 2*-2.5* which is fine, if you are comfortable with that. To do a circle island trip and just have a place to crash--really who cares?!

The drive will be everything! A lot of fun to cut through the pineapple fields and end up at the North Shore--(Kua Aina for burgers, HOPE they have avocodo, WITH grilled onions and cheese--also get the fries!).

Matsumoto for Shave Ice (Lilikoi with vanilla ice cream--don't be a tourist). So, check out Surf 'n Sea and Strong Current, maybe the Turtle Bay Resort, Jamison's at Sunset is great, but so is Halekulani at House Without a Key. Anyway, the drive down the windward coast is great (reverse also) and see the amazing beach at Kailua. You can eat at Buzz's (killer maitais--seriously they limit you), or get an incredible plate lunch at Fat Boy's.

BTW--if you are headed to Kauai--Aloha Diner can't be beat. (food is 'ONO!).

[tkduke77]

Thanks for the food recommendations. I'll have to write those down.

What are the "Shrimp Trucks"?

How long do you think it will take me to circle Oahu if I make 4 or 5 short stops?

My aunt and uncle live on Kauai, so I will be meeting my family there and staying in Princeville.

[kohalasunset]

First, I think Thereuare is right about Park Shore and Luana. (Park Shore is renovating).

How long will it take to make a circle-island tour? No such thing as a short stop. You are on island time. So enjoy.

Shrimp trucks have a long tradition. There was a shack some time ago that was incredible. (you had to order shrimp heads off.) The shack was something else in its day. The trucks are ok--check recent info, though--RECENT not a couple of years ago. Personally, the burgers are IT for me, but if they have Teri Chicken, that's pretty darn good, too.

Princeville at sunset is gorgeous. The hotel has excellent maitais, and the sunset over Bali Hai--well, take a picture.

[tkduke77]

Those burgers with avocado, grilled onions, and cheese sound fantastic. My cholesterol is rising just thinking about it. :)

[kohalasunset]

I cannot tell you how many times I wish I could drive to the North Shore just for the burgers.

Forget cholesterol. Whaler's Rum negates it. :)

[tkduke77]

Alright, so it looks like my best bet will be to wait for a bit and then try again using Priceline. If I still can't get anything there, I can go for the Hotwire hotels.

Thanks again guys, and thereuare, thanks also for helping me with the LAX hotel for the night before. I'm still working on that one as well. :)

[kohalasunset]

I would look at HOTWIRE, and if there is a property there that looks good, and you know it is also available through Priceline, bid on PL anywhere from 10-20% less than Hotwire. If something looks too good to pass up--book it on Hotwire. Things come and go on Hotwire, so you might miss a great deal. It's a tough call. Whatever you do---have fun!

[tkduke77]

3* Waikiki Beachside

$79

Near Beach

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Tennis Nearby

So this hotel you previously guessed as the Waikiki Park Shore that was $89 has now dropped to $79. I'm thinking that is a fairly good deal. Is the Park Shore currently under renovation?

[kohalasunset]

I would call the hotel to verify. It was supposed to undergo a big renovation ($15 Million) to start in the fall and go into some time next year. I don't know if that has begun, but the article I read said it would be 3 floors at a time, creating a luxury boutique, moving from 3* to 4*. Right now it is 2.5* on PL.

[thereuare]

Let us know if/when you receive any update on the hotel renovations.

Please also remember to begin your purchase with our HOTWIRE link when you are ready to move forward.

[tkduke77]

I called today and did not get an answer. I sent them an email as well.

[Keoni]

The airport is NEVER, EVER, NEVER a place to stay in Honolulu!

If you could get a room there for $20.00 a night that is $20.00

per night too much. Only use this zone as a "free" rebid...

Keoni :)

[kohalasunset]

Keoni, thanks for that piece of information! Sometimes it IS tempting to stay there when hotels are at sellout or it's just for an overnight and a flight to an outer island. This will make me re-think things in the future and either fly direct elsewhere or enjoy an extra day on Oahu. Really--it's priceless info. Mahalo.