Hotwire Hotel: 4.5* Los Angeles (Bev Hills-Westwood) Century Plza

[Malice]

I think that all these sites (Hotwire, Expedia, Travelocity, etc.) have just gotten greedy. When they first started out they needed to get users, so they kept prices really low. Now you can get a lower rate directly from the airline or hotel than from any of these sites.

In particular, I have a specific complaint about Hotwire. I purchased a 4 and a half star hotel in Century City, CA. (For those who don't know this is an extremely nice area, adjacent to Beverly Hills). The rate was $183, which sounded good to me. I booked the room and was informed that my property was the Century Plaza Hotel and Spa (which really is a beautiful hotel). Being a saavy consumer, however, I went directly to the hotel website and found that the same room I had booked for that night could have been bought through the hotel for $179. I immediately requested my double the difference payment, which i was granted.

But it actually gets worse... the hotel then proceeded to try and double charge me for the room. I went to the front desk to clarify and found out that the rate hotwire had gotten the room for was $130. Thats a pretty huge markup if you ask me. Travel agents don't even charge comission that high! If they are getting rates that low, there is no reason that I should be able to book for less directly through the property. I contacted them and they were less than helpful. Nor were they at all apologetic. So I'm not using that scam of a service anymore and I don't think anyone else should either. The best method is to use Expedia, Orbitz or Travelocity to find the lowest rates in the market/area and then go directly to the airline or hotel to make your purchase. At least that way you get the full benefits (frequent flier miles, hotel points and more lenient cancellation/change policies). I would love to hear any feedback.

[bbbb]

If you would have spent a little more time checking rates and trying to find the idenity of this hotel,this might not have happened.Its always best to check prices on many different booking sites before you use hotwire or priceline.Sorry but hotwire is going to get every penny out of you that they can,thats just business.

[thereuare]

Malice,

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Sorry you feel you had a bad experience... but you agreed to the price. Doesn't matter if it cost Hotwire $25 or $250 for the room, they are entitled to mark-up whatever the market will bear. Along the same lines, if it only costs the hotel (let's say) $40 to house you that nite... what gives them the right to charge $100+ per nite?

As bbbb mentions above, we advocate educating yourself and knowing prices in the area for your dates before purchase... doing so typically avoids unforeseen circumstances such as this. As well, higher Hotwire prices are advantageous to many of us as we can cash in the Double the Difference Guarantee, but finding lower prices thru other venues is the exception and not the rule.

If you really want to 'get even with them' and maintain the spirit of this message board, how about posting the dates of your stay and the amenities associated with the hotel before purchase? That information would best help other users identify this property before purchase and decide if they'd like to stay there (or find an opportunity for a Double the Difference guarantee).

You can still view the amenities by clicking on the MY ACCOUNT link on the top right corner of Hotwire's home page.

[Malice]

The point of my post was not to say "I got screwed" or "Hotwire scammed me", it was to say "Hotwire has gotten greedy", which was the original title of my post. Yes, I agreed to the price, and once I found out that there was a lower published price, I took immediate action to get my "double the difference" guarantee. Crisis averted. The point is, these travel sites used to have real deals and values and earned a reputation thusly and now it's gotten to the point where if you don't double check them you could end up paying more than the room is worth. Everyone on this board seems to be very into traveling and apparently have the time to study the intricate workings of hotwire and priceline. My post was intended more for the average person who is using these sites based on their reputation for slashing prices, who believe their advertisements that say: "Pay less than standard room rates at top hotels. Save up to 75%!" and who might not bother to follow up. I'm not concerned with the way this board runs, as I'm not going to use hotwire or priceline anymore and therefore, have no need to visit it. I stumbled across this site when I did a search for others who were dissatisfied with hotwire. I just felt like sharing my experience with people who would be interested. If I sound defensive, I apologize, but the feedback I received from "bbbb" seemed a little harsh and the moderator's insinuation that I was trying to "get even with them" was unnecesary and untrue. You can't fight city hall, but you can warn your fellow citizens before they make the same mistake you did. I wasn't asking for a pity party from you Hotwire lovers... I was just trying to share the reality of what these sites are really about.

Thank you

[Malice]

Also... I'd love to know why my post was removed from the main hotwire forum. I wasn't refering to something that is specific only to California, but just the greediness of these companies in general. There is definitely some censorship taking place on this board.

[thereuare]

I'd love to know why my post was removed from the main hotwire forum... There is definitely some censorship taking place on this board.

Perhaps before you make accusations you should wait for a reply as to 'why your other post was removed.' If there was censorship going on (as in we didn't allow negative feedback... regarding Priceline, Hotwire, or BetterBidding for that matter) then we would have edited your above post too.... so censorship is not an issue here!! :)

Your post was removed because it was the same exact content that appeared in this post and we don't allow duplicate content. Your post would have remained, and you can still post (if you choose to do so) with a new topic title and provide a link to this thread instead of pasting the exact same text (and perhaps it would belong more in the "off topic" area than the "tips" area).

I apologize if you interpretted my saying 'get even with them' the wrong way and i didn't mean to imply that you should 'get even' in a malicious manner... but if you feel you were 'wronged' by Hotwire then perhaps the best course of action is to help disclose the name of one of their hotels based upon their description. This board has grown and garnered so much support and so many visitors in a short period of time due to the content here (and the moderating style :) )... without content there would be nobody here to read your complaint, ask for help, or get feedback. We asked that you helped the content side of things by providing the amenities used to describe this property, but you have chosen not to do so. Please read the second post in OUR RULES AND POLICIES for a further discussion.

Personally i don't think that bbbb's feedback was harsh... it may not have been candy-coated, but i wouldn't describe it as harsh. One problem with the internet is that tone and inflection don't come across in the written word... so true meanings are often misunderstood. Perhaps if you go back and re-read it with a different mindset you may interpret it differently?

You are still welcomed here and while Priceline and Hotwire are the main focus, we try to cover more than just those two service, perhaps you'll eventually be our greatest contributor to the OTHER HOTEL DEALS and OTHER AIRFARE DEALS forums (but before posting there please add the amenities Hotwire used to describe the Century Plaza).

As well, if you choose to stick with searching Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity for hotel and airfare, then our Airfare Checker and Hotel Checker (as well as our Car Rental Checker) would work well for you. On the otherhand, if you choose do your research elsewhere we respect your decision and wish you well.