Hotwire Hotel: Maui help + "interesting" Hotwire behavior

[keno]

I'm looking into going to Maui for a wedding in May. The wedding is May 12 so our dates are a bit flexible as long as we get in a day or so before the wedding. We're looking at 5 nights at the moment.

Hotwire shows a 3* hotel in Kaanapali for $109 (best value) with the following amenities:

* Beachfront

* Pool(s)

* Restaurant(s)

* Golf Nearby

* Tennis Nearby

Total fee: 616.10

Based on the hotel lists, this looks like the Maui Kaanapali Villas. Any other guesses?

Also, the reviews on TripAdvisor indicate this is a condo, but Hotwire calls it a hotel. Should I be worried? Are these different properties? Does the property have some condo and some hotel units?

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As for the "interesting" Hotwire behavior, I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed this, but once I clicked on the details of the hotel, A link appeared at the bottom of the page to add a rental car. I let Hotwire show the available options, and midsized cars came up at 33.95/day.

Total package price (hotel + car): $830.53

That seemed a bit high based on past experiences, so I opened up another browser window, went back to Hotwire and searched for rental cars in Maui (without the hotels). This time, mid-sized came up for $24.79/day.

Total price booked separately: $773.80

I find it interesting that their search engine magically adds extra cost per day when the travel sites usually tout "combination" bookings that save more money. In this case, booking separately saves ~$57.

Has anyone else noticed this behavior?

[thereuare]

What are the date(s) of the HOTWIRE search you did above?

As far as the 'package' price, i' speculate that there is a notable difference between you actually trying to book a package vs. being added the option of a rental car as an 'add-on'. In the first example the discount is reflected in the purchase of the two services (hotel+car) while in the second example hotwire is 'throwing the idea out there' and looking for an impulse purchase... thus the difference for the pricing/discount.

Please remember to start your searches and purchases with our link to HOTWIRE.

Let us know how it goes or if we can be of further help.

PS- i'm on the road right now, but if you'd me to look closer at the condo/hotel aspect above bump this thread in 24-36 hours when i'll have more time and resources available to research it

[keno]

Dates are 5/11/07 - 5/16/07 (5 nights)

Thanks for any help.