Hotwire Hotel: 4* New Orleans (French Quarter) Astor Crowne Plaza

[California Jim]

$119 for the Omni Royal Orleans received in this Hotwire htoel win is a great deal. I plan to be there Oct 21-25, 2009. Can you give me any tips for getting that rate thru HOTWIRE?

On the Tripadvisor website I saw that some people got the JW Marriott for $50 per night but I prefer to be more central to the French Quarter rather than being on Canal St. If I bid $119 rather than $50 does Omni get a chance to say yes before Marriott does?

Thanks

[pink303]

There is still a 4 star hotel available in the french quarter through HOTWIRE and it is only $89 for the time period you are looking at. It is very likely the same hotel (Omni New Orleans) as there were some time periods that were less expensive than other. You don't bid on the Hotwire site. Be sure to use the Betterbidding HOTWIRE link if you are going to make the reservation on Hotwire

Sherry

[AaronJB]

Thank you for the information, pink.

California,

Welcome to the site and thank you for using the site's PRICELINE or HOTWIRE links. Please ask if you have any questions, and let us know what you decide.

[California Jim]

I must not be using the Betterbid HOTWIRE link correctly because when I use it and select French Quarter, 4 star or higher, I get a choice button of $139 per night and when I look at the map it sure seems as if the only mapped hotel is on Canal St, which probably means the JW Marriott, more on the edge of the quarter.

I don't want to give up quite yet on the Omni as it has everything I want and is very central. Can someone tell me how to get to a webpage where $89 is indicated as noted in the previous communication?

Also, fyi, I just read an Aug 20, 2009 CNN Money.com article that hotel reservations are down 15% in New Orleans this Summer compared to last Summer. And since I will be there Oct 21-25 when there are no major conventions, the Saints are away in Miami and there are no major cultural or music events happening (the Voodoo music festival it happening the following weekend, Oct 30-31), I would think hotel reseravtions are off even more than that, and there is a strong desire to give great deals to attract more people there and spend money.

Amy advice most appreciated . I will be sure to communicate my experience in this process on this website

[thereuare]

I must not be using the Betterbid HOTWIRE link correctly because when I use it and select French Quarter, 4 star or higher, I get a choice button of $139 per night and when I look at the map it sure seems as if the only mapped hotel is on Canal St, which probably means the JW Marriott, more on the edge of the quarter.

Do you think you're not using it correct because the price is too high OR because it appears that the only 4* hotel within the shaded boundaries of the map is the JW Marriott?

I'm also not sure what you're refering to with the map as HOTWIRE doesn't plot hotels on a map.

Can you clarify so we can try to better assist you.

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

[California Jim]

I click on the HOTWIRE link on this page and input 4 star or above for French Quarter and it shows a red box with $139 inside of it with a button right under it that says "continue". To the right is a link to a map. It looks like location #1 is the Marriott on Canal Maybe this is the correct site and all I need to do is input my bid? If I put in $89 I wonder if I have at good shot at the OMNI?

Thanks for your patience

[yellowdog]

California Jim

It's not the hotels that are the "red dots" on the map. It's points of interest.

Please list the amenties HOTWIRE associates with the hotel you're looking at and we'll have a look at this.

Yellowdog.

[California Jim]

The amenities are workout facilities, pool, onsite restaurant/bar and central French Quarter location. The Omni and Sonestra look about perfect

[yellowdog]

I can't get the same hotel to appear on my search. How many rooms/adults/children did you search for? Can you please run a new search and confirm that you still can see this hotel on your search.

Have you listed all the amenties HOTWIRE associates with the hotel you're looking at?

Yellowdog.

[thereuare]

Those number aren't hotel locations but rather "points of interested" plotted on the map to assist those who don't know the area. If you look to the right of the map you'll see:

Points of interest:

1. French Quarter , 2. French Market , 3. Aquarium of the Americas

Your hotel can be anywhere within the shaded region of the zone.

Also, can you confirm that the amenities you mentioned above are the full list shown to be associated with this property? When searching HOTWIRE for your dates i see a 4* hotel in the French Quarter at $139/nite, but it has more than just the three amenities you posted above.

Lastly, note that you don't bid when using HOTWIRE... the price shown is the price you pay if you decide to purchase this property... PRICELINE is the service where you bid for a hotel. See this thread for more information regarding the similarities, and differences, between each service: I've Never Used Priceline or Hotwire.

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

PS- i didn't mean to repeat the info above regaring the map plots, i hadn't seen that post when i started researching this stay :)

[California Jim]

I followed the HOTWIRE link and ended up with the Crowne Plaza Astor at the corner of Canal and Bourbon for $139 per night. Not really what I had in mind as to a central French Quarter location or a 4 - 5 star. Most reviews peg it as a 3 or 3.5 star, and the reviews are more mixed than consistent as at the Omni or Sonestra. And the price is not really all that great since I could have had it for about the same price at other websites. I called Hotwire to see if they could change it to be more central to FQ but of course they would not budge

Buyers remorse? Yes. In retrospect I should have just put a $50 bid on a 4 star thru PRICELINE and I probably would have ended up at the JW Marriott

Anybody have anything good to say about the Crowne?

[yellowdog]

Thank you for sharing your result with the board and using our HOTWIRE link to book this :)

Can you please add a reply to this thread with the amenities shown before your purchase... you can still view this information by going to HOTWIRE and clicking the MY ACCOUNT link near the top right of their home page.

Sorry to see that you're not happy with the hotel. Let's hope that it's better than the reviews you have read.

Yellowdog.

[California Jim]

Thank you for sharing your result with the board and using our HOTWIRE link to book this :)

Can you please add a reply to this thread with the amenities shown before your purchase... you can still view this information by going to HOTWIRE and clicking the MY ACCOUNT link near the top right of their home page.

Sorry to see that you're not happy with the hotel. Let's hope that it's better than the reviews you have read.

Yellowdog.

[California Jim]

Pool, workout facility, restaurant, bar

Drilling down further I see the restaurant specialize in creole and cajun, there is an oyster bar, and a specialty whiskey bar.

One reviewer suggested not using the $31 per day hotel parking and instead use the public lot one block away.

As to not being satisfied with the hotel selected by Hotwire, sometimes when you're expectations are low, you can get pleasant surprises. So I will just keep an open mind and see how it goes

[thereuare]

Pool, workout facility, restaurant, bar

HOTWIRE doesn't use a "bar" amenity icon... can you please list the names of the amenities as

taken from the MY ACCOUNT link on the the top right of HOTWIRE's home page.

Thanks.

[AaronJB]

As to not being satisfied with the hotel selected by Hotwire, sometimes when you're expectations are low, you can get pleasant surprises. So I will just keep an open mind and see how it goes

That's a good way to approach it - hope your stay works out better-than-expected. Thank you for following up regarding the amenities.