Hotwire Hotel: 3* Orlando (Sea World-I-Drive South) Holiday Inn and Suites Convention

[ready.teddy]

fitness center, pool, restaurant, internet.

My original plans for this trip went awry, so I did a same day booking and got this dump. It is not that it is so horrible, but it is just plain. While the corporation is running a national ad campaign touting their renovated rooms and new attitude, this place is stuck in the past. Dark, old room with floral print curtains, pattered green carpet, and an ancient TV. While there, I got a telex from the 80's, they wanted the room decor back...

This place has the nerve to charge a resort fee of about 20 bucks a week! I have been to resorts and other HI's and this is no resort. There are no resort grounds, the place is surrounded by a parking lot. The parking lot is not large enough and if you get back from the parks late you have to park over by the crab house restaurant where security is iffy. There is no resort size pool with lifeguard and activities. Only a small pool overlooking the parking lot and about 75 feet from the garbage cans at a nearby restaurant, yuk! In short, there is nothing that any other holiday inn in the world has and includes in the room rate.

I think I see how this game is played. Some <explitive> hotel owners undercut the competition to get sales on HOTWIRE and then ripoff the hotwire customer for a so called resort, energy, service or parking fee. This is not only unethical, it pisses me off. I will not buy from this zone again. Better luck to the rest of you.

Ted

[AaronJB]

Thank you for sharing your results with the board.

Sorry to hear that you were disappointed with your stay - sounds like a mediocre property.

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

[thereuare]

I think I see how this game is played. Some <explitive> hotel owners undercut the competition to get sales on HOTWIRE and then ripoff the hotwire customer for a so called resort, energy, service or parking fee. This is not only unethical, it pisses me off.

To be clear, this "resort fee" (which i'm opposed to at all properties regardless of how booked... any mandatory fees should be included in the room rate) are charged to all guests, not just those booked thru PRICELINE or HOTWIRE. So while a property may try to attract customers by advertising a lower room rate and then having an additional resort fee, this is applies to all customers, not just those who book on PRICELINE or HOTWIRE.

[ready.teddy]

Thereuare:

First of all thanks for running such a great website. It has provided valuable information and saved me a lot of money in my travels over the past few years.

I asked the front desk people and they said the "resort fee" applies to every room. I am suspicous of this though as there is no information about this fee on Expedia, Travelocity, or even trip advisor. The fee is charged at check-in and maybe it is subjective, how does one know? Maybe they charged the next guy$10 a nite and the next was a regular customer and did not pay? It is a very hidden, hidden fee.

The reviews on trip advisor are interesting too. I cannot believe so many people are so happy with this average hotel. One review comments on the extra fee but they mistakenly thought it was "taxes".

Anyway, next trip we are staying at disney. There are some really good rates at the all star resorts.

Ted

[thereuare]

If you search the the hotel website for a given date and click the room descritpion you'll also find this info:

SERVICE CHARGE: 2.50 USD PER NIGHT NOT INCLUDED IN RATE

I'm assuming this is what you were charged.