Hotwire Hotel: 3* Toronto (Downtown) Quality Hotel Midtown

[edyvr]

Facilities: Restaurant, Fitness

Quality Hotel Midtown

280 Bloor St. W.

Toronto, ON M5S 1V8

Canada

(416) 968-0010

I booked this after getting denied at Priceline for 2.5* and 3* for $46. I'm quite disappointed to get this hotel as Priceline probably rates this as a two star hotel.

I checked out the hotel's website and it turns out that the hotel doesn't have a fitness center in the building. I called the hotel and they indicated that they don't have a fitness centre on site but access for fitness center is a 10 minute walk away at a fitness club. I then called Hotwire to request a refund as the hotel doesn't have the facility as indicated. The CSR said they don't gurantee to have the facilites on site and wouldn't refund. I think I'm going to write them an email to complain.

What would you recommend me to do?

[thesqueegeekid]

The reviews of this hotel are at least favorable if you end up having to stay here ... I personally stayed at a similar Quality Hotel in Montreal and was pleasantly surprised. Be advised though, Choice hotels in Canada tends to book PL guests into smoking rooms.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1...to_Ontario.html

[thereuare]

Sorry to hear you're not happy with the result.

If you still are not interested in this property after reading the reviews that thesqueegeekid provided, i would call Hotwire once again and state your case. If no response from a CSR than i would ask to speak to a supervisor.

Explain to them that you exercise early every morning and you have no intention of walking to another location at 6am to go work-out. Tell them that you chose to use Hotwire because you wanted to make sure that the hotel has a fitness center and that you feel this property is misrepresented.

Let us know how round two goes.

Thanks for sharing your experience and results with the board.

Good Luck.

[TravelGuy]

You're probably in a better position than you think. In addition to the favorable reviews, they say on their website that you get complimentary access to the largest Ballys in town. Having stayed at the Marriott Courtyard in Toronto, a Priceline 3*, with it's tiny work out room and very small pool full of kids, I'd be thrilled to be told I could use Ballys for free. (Otherwise that Courtyard is good though.)

[TravelGuy]

Bally's Eaton Centre

[thesqueegeekid]

Speaking of the fitness facilities... I had booked the 3* Marriott on Bloor $50 (close to the Quality Hotel) for a friend who was hoping to have a swimming birthday party ... imagine our shock to find out they have no pool .... they offered free access to the Courtyard's facilities which downtown ... is like a time-zone away!!!

here is my similarly complaining post: http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?act...T&f=166&t=4994&

[edyvr]

OK, the newest update.

I sent Hotwire an email and their CSR replied back saying that they'll look at the issue and have a reply between 7-10 business days.

What's annoying to me is that according to TOBB, this property is rated 2* on Priceline. I actually placed a bid of $29 on Priceline for 2* and was offered to raise $7 to secure a 2* hotel. Then I thought I might treat myself better by getting a 3* on Hotwire.

I went to Choice hotels to verify my reservation and see that they've booked me in a softbed room (?), but non smoking though.

[thereuare]

To play devil's advocate.... maybe this is a true 3* property and Priceline has it under-rated. Maybe a $36 bid on Priceline would have landed you a different 2* hotel other than this one that you really wouldn't have been happy with. I'm not defending Hotwire because as i have said above, it is my belief that a hotel with a Fitness icon should indeed have a fitness facility on site.

I do think that Hotwire will come back and do the right thing as their customer service has been pretty good in the past (although having to wait 7-10 days is a joke), but are you sure you really want out of this stay? The reviews linked above do seem to be quite good with quotes like: "Great Hotel", "Can't Go Wrong", "Good Hotel, Great Location", and others.... and if you do work-out, having access to a new Bally's facility is superior than 99% of any hotel gym i've ever seen, with most hotel gyms consisting of 3 treadmills and a dumbbell rack w/ half the weights missing.

[edyvr]

Latest update. Hotwire sent me an email apologizing that the property doesn't have fitness facilities and offered me a choice of either cancellation and full refund or keep the reservation and get $50 Hotwire money for future purchase. They also indicated that they've removed the fitness facilities icon for this hotel. So please update your list.

[thereuare]

Thanks for the update... i was fairly confident that Hotwire would 'do the right thing'.

Did you take the credit or the refund?

[thesqueegeekid]

Absolutely oustanding ... and thats an understatement.

That will definitely let you walk around my hometown with a bigger smile on your face. God, I miss Toronto!!!

Let us know what you choose and how the Quality Hotel was if you end up there.

[edyvr]

Thereuare and squeegeekid, I ended up accepting the Hotwire credit anyway. I'll report how the Quality Hotel Midtown is after my stay in December.