Hotwire Hotel: Target: Sheraton Old San Juan 3.5*

[texhills]

We want to be in Old San Juan after our cruise ends 12/19 and like the look of the Sheraton. Yesterday's deal was $126 + tax and included a note that the property also charged a $10 "resort fee" which would be billed separately at the property. Yesterday's deal did not appear to be the Sheraton OSJ because the hotel's "service fee" on its website is calculated at 9% of the room rate, not a flat $10. Today, Hotwire has a 3.5* in San Juan for $133 + $29.33 "tax recovery charges & fees." Same icons as yesterday on amenities including pool, tennis, business center, etc. Today's deal doesn't appear to be it either since the "tax recovery charges & fees" don't calculate to what the Sheraton would impose on the $133 (9% service fee, 11% tx, $5 pp mun tax). So I'll have to keep watching. Any advice on any better way to spot the Sheraton?

I see some posters have had success getting the Sheraton on Priceline (thank you very much for sharing that!). I'm wondering whether that was the luck of the draw or whether there is some way to bid that increases the likelihood of getting it. OSJ not being a separate section makes it difficult. Any Priceline advice would be appreciated as well.

Many thanks in advance.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

amenities including pool, tennis, business center, etc

What are the full list of actaul amenities shown?

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[texhills]

Here's the full list: casino, fitness center, pool, restaurant, business center, high speed internet access, tennis nearby. Thanks.

[slick_gd]

There is no way to increase your chances of getting a particular hotel on PRICELINE. It's purely luck of the draw. HOTWIRE is a better bet to track down a specific hotel, but there is never a guarantee that the hotel you want will show up, it's still luck of the draw.

However, with the amenities you listed, this hotel does seem to match the Sheraton. That would be my best guess.

Use this HOTWIRE link to start your purchase and let the board know the result.

[texhills]

OK, thanks. I'll keep watching and will post if I get anything through Hotwire.

[thereuare]

texhills,

Isn't this the hotel you were hoping to see offered... what is it that you're waiting to see? You're not going to get any guarantees when using the opaque suppliers, and if this is likely the hotel you're hoping for, why wait... as there is always a chance that by waiting this hotel is no longer the one offered by HOTWIRE for the dates of your stay.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[texhills]

Yes, I understand there are no guarantees. I agree the property offered looks like the Sheraton. While watching I'm also checking out other hotels in the San Juan zone that might fit the description on Hotwire to get a better feel for the odds. I hope to finish that process today. This is new to me so I'm learning as I go. Thanks a lot for your help.

[texhills]

Update

I decided against Sheraton OSJ after reading more reviews of the hotel. Recent reviews mention room issues as well as rude/indifferent staff. We will be coming off of a nice cruise and don’t want to risk having the trip end on a sour note which seems to be possible at this hotel. If we ever take a cruise from SJ, we may try it out for a night. If it’s not good, what the heck, we’ll be off on a cruise the next day.

Hotwire clearly had this hotel available as a 3.5* for $126 if I had wanted it. I thought it might be interesting to others if I set out the way I identified it. It’s probably much the same method the experts on this forum use, though I certainly don’t claim to be an expert.

First, SOSJ is a 3.5 star hotel on the Priceline “retail” page for San Juan. Also a 3.5* is the Embassy Suites San Juan Hotel and Casino. There are a number of 3* hotels on Priceline which Hotwire could conceivably put in the 3.5* category. I crosschecked the Priceline list with Expedia and found three other hotels in the 3.5* category: Radison, Normandie, and SJ Water & Beach Club. All 3.5* and 3* I viewed as possible hotels that Hotwire could have up for sale as a 3.5* for $126. So here’s what I did:

--went to the website of Sheraton OSJ and confirmed that the list of amenities matched the Hotwire amenities for the 3.5* hotel for sale. Both lists included casino and nearby tennis, but did not include any mention of a beach.

--systematically went to the website of each 3.5* and 3* hotel using Expedia as a shortcut.

-- opened the full list of amenities for each hotel and made note of differences in the Hotwire list. All 3* either were on a beach or had no casino, so they didn’t fit. Of the 3.5* the Normandie, Embassy Suites, and SJ Water & Beach mentioned a beach. The Radison mentioned “beach access.” None of the hotels mentioned tennis, which was on the HOTWIRE and Sheraton list of amenities.

--out of curiosity I used the same procedure for the 4* hotels and found much the same differences.

--by the process of elimination, the Hotwire offering was almost certainly the Sheraton OSJ.

I’m currently bidding on PRICELINE (through this site) for a Resort or 4* in San Juan using the “added zone” rebid technique discussed elsewhere on this site. I’ll post the procedure and results if I’m successful.

[thereuare]

While i'm certainly not pushing you in the direction of the Old San Juan, i'll comment that most of the hotels in San Juan (even the better rated ones) tend to have quite a few negative reviews.

San Juan hotels are typically expensive and guests paying top dollar naturally tend to expect better accoodations and a high level of service. Unfortunately, San Juan hotels often fall short on the service aspect... although part of the United States this is still very much an island and they operate on "island time" (which i'm sure you know about from cruising). So while some think the service is poor, it's more often than not a cultural difference in 'how things get done'.

Keep us updated as to what you ultimately decide... even if it's not PRICELINE or HOTWIRE (and if you do book direct please consult our support page where we have links to almost all the major hotel chains and booking agencies)