Hotwire Hotel: 4* Embarcadero 6/16/07 - 6/20/07

[Spike Forehand]

Hello -

My family and I are HUGE fans of Omni Hotels, and when now looking for a place to stay in San Francisco this summer, we really want to get the Omni if at all possible, but are just not willing to pony up the $375 that we would pay booking directly.

In looking at Hotwire for these dates, it's popping up a 4* Embarcadero for $249 per night with the following amenities:

Customer Favorite

Fitness Center, Restaurant{s}, Business Center, High-speed Internet

Trip Advisor Rating 3.5 out of 5

From the hotel list, the amenities are saying this could be either the Omni or the Hyatt Regency. What's got me thinking that it's the Hyatt is the Trip Advisor rating - which matches the Hyatt's. (The Omni's Trip Advisor rating is 4.5 out of 5). But then again, the price seems high for the Hyatt, since I can book these same nights directly through the Hyatt Regency web site for $229 per night.

Couple of questions:

Is it common for the Hotwire price to pop out higher than the hotel's web site?

How reliable are the Trip Advisor ratings shown on Hotwire in reflecting the actual trip advisor rating?

I'm in a bit of a quandary because I would love to get the Omni, but would hate to pay an additional $80 more than I would have to pay for the Hyatt booking directly.

Any thoughts would be a huge help.

- Spike

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Is it common for the Hotwire price to pop out higher than the hotel's web site?

Not common, but it does happen. Some people actually look for these as HOTWIRE has a Double the Difference guarantee where they will pay you double the diffence if you find a lower rate within 48 hour of your hotwire booking. However, the difference in this instance is not significant enough as hotwire's fees would only amount to about $15 or so per nite savings.

How reliable are the Trip Advisor ratings shown on Hotwire in reflecting the actual trip advisor rating?

Not very... because the ratings are not updated dynamically (or even often); however, in this instance it appears current so i'd agree with your assessment.

If you do choose to book the above (and try to take advantage of the Double the Difference Guarantee) please use this HOTWIRE link to begin any purchases. (we also have links to most major hotel chains in our support page if you choose to book direct or book a back-up reservation).

Let us know whatever you decide to do or if we can be of further help.

[Spike Forehand]

Thanks so much for the advice. We are going to use your link and go ahead and book this through hotwire and then we can use the price guarantee later as you suggested.

Just one more question - is there a chance this could be another 4* hotel in the Embarcadero area? I know there's always a chance of anything, but am curious as to whether you have any ideas on this.

Thanks -

Spike

[thereuare]

As you say, there is always a chance it could be something different (especially since there amenities are quite common for a hotel in any large city), but the above two would be our best guesses.

Thanks for using our HOTWIRE link.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

[Spike Forehand]

Hi -

Just wanted to come back here and give an update.

After much deliberation, we decided to stay at the Hotel Del Sol in the marina district, and booked the room directly with them. They have a two-room suite that is perfect for us, is much less than the Hotwire quotes for 4* hotels. I was further convinced by the great reviews on tripadvisor for this hotel.

Thanks again for yoru advice. When booking through HOTWIRE in the future, I will certainly come back and bid through your link.

Thanks -

Spike Forehand

[thereuare]

We're glad you found accomodations that work well for your needs.

Thanks for the follow-up.