Hotwire Hotel: 3.5* Cancun Xbalamque

[bax]

Hi, I am totally new to the Priceline and I am looking for help and advice before I make any mistake :)

How to get the best deal for Cancun 02/18/07 - 02/22/07 (two adults with two kids (10 and 16).

I would like to stay in two different resorts for two days each 02/18-20 and 02/20-22 (resort and cheap nice hotel is also a good option for us). I have car and flight booked. My younger is crazy about resort so I would definitely stay for the first two days at the resort to make him happy.

I also need your help and info about Cancun resorts/hotels policy regarding kids (10 and 16). I am total newbie to the Priceline. It offers only 2 person reservations - what about my kids? will they charge me extra for kids at the arrival? Please share your experiences regarding Cancun resorts reserved via Priceline when traveling with kids.

Thanks for your help,

baxzy

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Couple of issues...

1) There is no all-inclusive option thru Priceline's "Name Your Own Price". A resort class property doesn't equal 'all-inclusive'.

2) Priceline only guarantees double occupancy... after that it is at the discretion of the hotel. Everything may work out fine OR you could get a room with only one bed, the hotel could charge you extra for the occupancy greater than two (and you're at their mercy as far as price), or in a very extreme case the could deny you a room (although this would be extremely rare)

On the otherhand, HOTWIRE does offer all-inclusive properties thru their opaque service and also allows you to search for up to quad occupancy... but usually costs a little more than Priceline.

Let us know your thoughts on the above and we'll advise accordingly.

[bax]

Thanks for your fast reply. As you can see I removed all inclusive option from my original post (just when you were typing yours reply)- we do not really need this.

I have just checked Hotwire using your link and they offer 3 deals:

3.5-star hotel in Cancun

$146.001 room(s) @ $73.00 per night x 2 night(s)

$9.61Taxes recovery charges and fees

Total: $155.61

Resort

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

High-speed Internet Access

Spa Services

Hotwire has two more options but too expensive for me: both $239 per room per night - 4-star hotel in Cancun or 3-star all-inclusive hotel in Cancun

When Icheck for Lowest priced flight + hotel packages in Cancun, Mexico HOTWIRE shows 3 deals:

Ambiance Villas & Club 3 stars (but different amenities then my 'blid date" 3,5 star hotel)

Avalon Baccara Cancun All Inclusive 3 stars and

Hyatt Cancun Caribe Resort 4 stars

Is it my final price and what hotel to expect? Book now? I do not want to deal with extra charges for kids so I guess Hotwire is the only option. I've checked Expedia, Orbitz and BOOKIT but all their super deals were very expensive at the end when they added all extra charges for additional person in room.

Thanks again for your help!

[thereuare]

Unfortunately this property has not yet been identified and the amenities are too common for this area to take much of an educated guess.

Since you are looking to split your stay, one way to play this would be to book the first nite (or two) at the above property in order to "look behind the curtain". If you are pleased with the hotel (and price) you can then choose to book the remaining nite(s) at this same property as i can't seem to find much near this price at the 3* level (i'm assuming if you're pleased with the results you'll "stay put" and not necessarily split your stay).

Obviously it's a little 'safer' to book one nite and then the remaining three (just in case you're not happy with the results... but even then at least you've gotten a very cheap room for Cancun and can maybe extend your budget a bit for the remaining nites of your stay). However you decide to split, first do a search for the one (or two) nites and then make sure the same hotel appears for the balance of your stay. If you do choose to split like this please use our HOTWIRE link for each of your stays (ie- click our link to make the first purchase, then if you're going to purchase the remaining nites return here and click our link again to begin your second purchase)

The price above would be your final price... excluding any parking charges, food, beverages, and possibly resort fees (no way of knowing if the hotel you will receive will have a Resort fee or not). However, you shouldn't be charged anything that a 'typical' guest wouldn't be charged... so if a Resort fee does apply, it's not only for you, but also for the hotel's "traditionally" booked guests as well.

Any questions feel free to ask.

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

[bax]

Thanks for your help and advice.

Unfortunately... IMHO HW S..KS!!!

(EDIT: I have changed my opinion... see updated comments 2 posts below)

My first (and I am sure the last) deal with Hotwire - what a rip-off!!!

Xbalamque Hotel, Cancun for (fortunately one night only)

Check-in date Sun, Feb 18, 2007

Check-out date Mon, Feb 19, 2007

Adults:2/ Children:2

1 room(s) 1 night(s) SubTotal:$75.00

Taxes recovery charges and fees:$8.38

Total Price:$83.38

You can get this hotel any time from cancun.com Total: $80.23

Xbalamque (1 Rooms: 4 Adults )

Type of Room: Standard, Meal Plan: Room Only

From: 18/Feb/2007 To: 19/ Feb/ 2007

Sub-Total: $71.00

Taxes and fees: $9.23

Total (Hotel Reservation): $80.23

Total Price: $80.23

So what is the reason to deal with HOTWIRE? Just a waste of time. You would never rent this hotel even for $20 because of the location and bad reviews. I have checked Tripadvisor reviews and it looks like this hotel is just below average so 3,5 stars from HW means in fact 1,5 star. And HW sells this hotel for couple months already as a Cancun Resort (so now you know). Many unhappy customers. For this money you can have nice hotel with breakfast. Does HW have best price guarantee? I am sure that I can get this hotel for less than $70 total. I hope they have a parking...

My advice: do not waste your time and go to trav.com

- much better cheap hotel deals with breakfast for better price and you know what you pay for.

Edit: F..K! - you can get this hotel with breakfast for total:$81 - HW - just a bunch of thieves...

--------------------------------------------------------

Q: Does Hotwire guarantee the lowest hotel rate?

A: Yes. We've negotiated such incredible hotel hot-Rates

[thereuare]

Few comments...

I'm sorry to hear this didn't go as planned for you. While you're certainly entitled to be dissappointed in the results, i don't think complaining that it's "out of the way" is fair since you did agree to accept a hotel anywhere within the shaded area that defines the zone (which i'm assuming this is in the shaded region).

If you're dissapointed you can challenge the rating by calling hotwire and let them know of your dissatisfaction... show the customer service agent any negative reviews you have found. They have been known to be fair in listening to their customer concerns.

If you'r preference is to try to get out of the reservation i would first challenge the star rating and show them any evidence that you can find that this is not a 4* property... otherwise i would apply for the double the difference guarantee and move on for the balance of your stay.

Let us know how your contact with them turns out.

Good Luck.

[bax]

I was wrong. I am sorry.

After couple of emails HOTWIRE refunded the difference - and I have to change my previous opinion.

My experience - HOTWIRE - very good customer service, but you have do your homework looking for better offers at other websites.

Again mea culpa, I was wrong. I was pist off because they charged me more than 33% for the hotel and then they were not able to confirm that other sites offered same hotel much cheaper. It was just before departure and I had no chance to fax them screen shots with lower price for the hotel (they do not accept emails with attachments, you have to fax the screenshots - but they accepted my claim without the fax, because I was leaving in coupe hours).

I have just returned from my trip and HOTWIRE refunded the difference x2 and gave me $50 extra because they agreed that they overrated the hotel (the amenities they listed were unavailable during my stay). Again with HOTWIRE - do your homework and you can hit a slick deal - stay at the hotel for free -YMMV

to thereuare: Thank you for your help, assistance and your patience!

[bax]

Hotel Xbalamque Cancun is now 3 star, and I've got $25 more from HOTWIRE.

"...We periodically review our representation of our hotel partners' star

rating. After doing so for this hotel, we have decided to adjust the

star rating to 3 star. While we are confident in the quality of all our

hotel partners, the new rating more accurately reflects the service

level, accommodations and facilities of this property.

Please accept our apologies along with 25.00 HotDollars, which we have

added to your Hotwire account..."