Hotwire Hotel: 3* Boston (Quincy Market-Financial District) Holiday Inn Boston at Bea

[Liz123]

Hello,

I'm new to this forum and just posted a question in the Maryland section. However, I thought I would post a recent hotwire success.

3* Quincy Market-Financial District = Holiday Inn Boston at Beacon Hill

$69 per night, Jan 14-17, 2009

Smoke free rooms (see comment below)

Fitness center

Restaurant

Internet (it was free in all rooms, although a slow connection)

While the room was listed as smoke free we were put into a smoking room on arrival. The front desk said they are still a smoking hotel and did not have any smoke free rooms to move us to. I called Hotwire and they called the hotel to confirm this. Apparently all hotels in Boston were supposed to go smoke free on Jan. 1, but some got an extension... this hotel was one of them. Anyway. Hotwire said they could either refund half our money in "hot dollars" to be used on hotwire within a year OR they would refund or money for our stay minus one night (since we already checked in) plus $50 extra dollars. They would help rebook, but there were no guarantees. We ended up taking 1/2 our money back. We dealt with the smoking room for one night and the hotel upgraded us to a nicer, smoke free room the next day.

Liz

[thereuare]

Thank you for sharing your previous win, and experiece at the property, with the board.

I'm not so sure that HOTWIRE had the right to deduct the first nite from their refund offer (depending how long after check-in you phoned them) but hopefully you found their offer(s) to be fair and you are satisfied with their resolution... doesn't sound too bad given that the hotel moved your after the first nite to the requested non-smoking room.

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

[Liz123]

I may not have been totally clear in my explanation. The hot dollars offer was for getting 1/2 our money back in hot dollars and remaining in the hotel. The refund (minus first night plus $50) offer was for checking out and going elsewhere. We weren't there long when we called, so you're right - it would have been better if they could have refunded the whole thing. However, it was late and we had no idea where else we would go (and they said they made no guarantees for relocating us). With the room change the next day, I'm very glad we stayed. The smoke smell in the room was pretty bad though, so I don't know how they're going to bring those rooms into compliance.