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Hotwire Hotel: 3.5* Radisson Suite Hotel (Boca Raton)


bjems
By bjems,
in

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Three of us (all guys) are going to watch some spring training games in late March. We want to check in 3/21 and check out 3/25, and would like to stay somewhere between Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. We are flying in and out of Ft. Lauderdale, but three out of four games are north of Lauderdale. Right now we are booked at the Comfort Suites in Deerfield Beach, but by using your helpful information on the board, I see I can book the Embassy Suites in downtown Ft. Lauderdale through Hotwire for the same price as the Comfort Suites ($89). I could probably get the Embassy Suites cheaper through Priceline, but I need to be guaranteed we will get a suite, so I don't mind paying the higher price through Hotwire. My question is, a 3.5 star hotel comes up in Boca for $82, any chance that is also an Embassy Suites (there is one in Boca)? That would be a better location for us. The icons are not exactly the same as the Embassy Suites in Ft. Lauderdale; for instance, the one in Boca shows a laundry icon. Any help would be appreciated.

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bjems,

I looked up your dates using Hotwire (Boca Raton) and assume i saw the same thing you did:

3.5* $82 suite (yes laundry / no kitchenette)

3* $136 Suite (yes kitchenette / no laundry)

To answer your question, there have been cases where more amenities are offered than appear on the Hotwire screen. If you want to pursue this to the next level i would call each of the suite hotels in the area and ask each of them if their rooms have kitchenettes and if there are laundry facilities on the premises (you MUST ask each hotel BOTH questions, in case this is a case where Hotwire isn't showing ALL the amenities offered). Hopefully this will add some insight as to which hotels are being offered.

If you think you can pinpoint it after the above phone calls, then maybe it's worth the risk (remember, there can always be another suite hotel in the area that you're not aware of which would put a 'wrench' in all of your research). It sounds to me like your main concern is a suite hotel, so what would you really be risking if you buy the Boca Raton 'blind' (this isn't rhetorical, i can't answer because i don't know the difference in quality between Embassy Suites, Comfort Suites, Amerisuites, etc).

If you want as close to a sure thing as possible, you can take the safe® bet of the Ft. Lauderdale area and go for the ES, but if you think you'd be happy with ANY suite hotel, then maybe the chance is worth it to you (somebody's gotta be a pioneer :) )

I would explain the facts to each of your friends and make a group decision. Be sure to let us know what you decide and how it works out (and of course, post your winning results if you end up using Hotwire).

Most importantly, enjoy the games!!

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

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Bjems, let's see what we can do here to narrow the possibilities for you. Since no one has reported Hotwire results for Boca yet, what I'm about to say is an educated guess.

There are 3 suite properties which I think are appropriate for the 2 suite options coming up on Hotwire for your dates in Boca. They are the Embassy Suites, Radisson Suites, and Doubletree Suites. Going directly to the hotel sites for all of these properties, the Embassy Suites offers a laundry, while the Radisson doesn't mention one. Doesn't mean the Radisson doesn't have one, but I've found that Hotwire is pretty good at only listing amenities the hotels themselves list. The Doubletree Suites lists a laundry, but doesn't have a fitness center.

As a note, there is also a Marriott Springhill Suites and Marriott Townplace Suites in the area, but they doesn't offer any on-site restaurants, so that should make them ineligible for both the Hotwire 3* rating and the restaurant icon which appears in both amenities lists.

So, based on that, my educated guess is that the Embassy Suites is the 3.5* property with the laundry icon, and the Radisson Suites is the 3* property with the kitchenette icon. While Doubletree (and Hilton) is one of Hotwire's biggest accounts, the fact that the Doubletree under "fitness" only lists Pool, and that's a separate icon on Hotwire, indicates it doesn't have a fitness center, so would lead me to believe it's neither of the 2 properties currently coming up. (Please don't feel this is an absolute, but it is based on my experience in "reading" Hotwire amenities and matching it to specific hotels.

I do hope this helps! Regardless of which area you decide to choose, I do hope you'll note the amenities icon before you select it, and post your results here to help future Hotwire users!

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Wow, thanks for the quick replies. Both give great advice; I'm going to do some research this weekend and probably book something early next week. I'm inclined to go with the $82 Boca hotel--as thereuare said, I'm not specifically looking for an Embassy Suites, but a nice suites hotel that can accomodate three people. That said, I'm trying to avoid the Doubletree because of some reviews I've read about that location. So if I can be relatively assured that the 3.5* is not the Doubletree, I'll give it a shot. One more thing, we would definitely like two beds in the room along with the sofabed. As much as I like these guys, I really don't want to snuggle up with one of them in a queen-size bed for four days. Do you think my chances are good to get two beds either at the time of reservation or by calling later?

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There's no way to request 2 beds and sofabed at the time of reservation thru Hotwire (or Priceline), but you should just call as soon as the hotel is revealed to you and request your bed preference as well as smoking/non-smoking.

Your request will be honored if inventory is available at time of check-in (you shouldn't be treated any better/worse than any other customer who booked directly thru the hotel or other traditional methods). Also, 3 in a room usually isn't an issue in areas like this (where it can be a big issue in places like NYC which are known for tiny rooms), but it would probably be best to not mention it when you call on the phone to request your preferences. It's also always a good idea to behave yourself, especially at check-in... the front desk clerk is the one that ultimately determines where your room is located.

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

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Bjems, if you're concerned about the Doubletree Suites, definitely call the hotel directly and specifically ask if they have a fitness center. If the answer is "no" then I'd feel fairly confident neither of the properties showing right now are the Doubletree.

Another indication it probably isn't the Doubletree - while other services will rate Doubletree hotels as 2-3*, I've read reports that Hotwire almost always rates a Doubletree Suites as a 4*.

Good luck!

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I called all three properties (and a few others, just to be sure) over the weekend and determined that the $82 hotel was probably the Radisson because it did not fit Hotwire's kitchenette criteria (it had a microwave, but no refrigerator). The $136 hotel was probably the Embassy Suites because it did fit the kitchenette criteria (both a microwave and refrigerator). As BurBunny mentioned, the Doubletree does not have a fitness center, so that knocked them out of the running. All three had self-service laundries, restaurants, pools, and complimentary breakfast. So I took the plunge and the hotel that came up was.......the Radisson Suite Hotel! The icons were (in order): Suite, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness Center, Breakfast, Laundry. Although there is no guarantee, I am pretty confident that the other hotel was the Embassy Suites. The icons for that hotel were: Suite, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness Center, Breakfast, Kitchenette.

Thanks for all your help. After looking at their websites and reading some reviews, I was hoping to get the Radisson, although I'm sure I would have been happy with the Embassy Suites as well. Now I have to give them a call and see if I can get two beds, no smoking. I will write the hotel review when I return. Thanks again!

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