Hotwire Hotel: Treasure Island - St. Pete Beach Resorts

[dtuleya]

Ok, the first one is -

Selected amenities include: Resort, Beachfront, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Golf Nearby, Tennis Nearby, Business Center. 4 Star - Best Value - $105/night

The second one is -

Selected amenities include: Resort, Suite, Beachfront, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Kitchenette, Golf Nearby, Business Center. 3-1/2 Star - $104/night

TIA!

[dtuleya]

Anyone?

[dtuleya]

Ok, decided to put all the amenities in a Google search and these are the properties that came up as the first "match".

Tradewinds Sandpiper or Island Grand - Resort, Beachfront, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Golf Nearby, Tennis Nearby, Business Center

The second one - Resort, Suite, Beachfront, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Kitchenette, Golf Nearby, Business Center also came up as Tradewinds Sandpiper.

I'm pretty sure that the second match is the correct one since they have Kitchenettes. The first match can't be correct because the Tradewinds Sandpiper and Island Grand both have Kitchenettes.

Does anybody have any thoughts on the first one? Could it be the Don Cesar? I know that it comes up once in awhile on Priceline if that makes any difference.

[hannahb352]

I am not sure of your dates so it makes it a bit harder to guess at what these properties might be.

I would say that the 3.5* is the Don Cesar Beach House Suites...that is only a guess but the amenities match the amenities that this property is known to have had in the past. Using several random dates the property came up under almost all searches.

As for the 4* I think you are on the right track with the Tradewinds Island Grand. That is a guess though, with the tennis icon I don't believe it would be the Don Cesar (main hotel property). It is also possible that this could be the Tradewinds Sandpiper as you had thought as these two family properties have the same amenities listed on their website. I would think this should be the Island Grand property if either of them as it is the higher rated of the two, but as I said before this is only a guess.

Have you considered bidding for a hotel on Priceline for this area? If you are trying to get a 4* hotel you might want to bid on Priceline. At 4* in the St. Pete's Beach you will most likely receive the Don Cesar (main hotel not guest suites) or the Tradewinds Island Grand. Bidding this area you have at least 6 free rebids. If you would like to bid on Priceline just let the board know and they will give you a bidding stategy and answer any questions you might have before you attempt it.

[thereuare]

We need the date(s) of your stay in order to best be able to help.

(sorry i hadn't replied sooner, this isn't an often talked about zone and i confused it with another current discussion of this area)

[dtuleya]

Thanks for your replies. The dates of stay I put in were 7/7/05 (Thursday) - 7/9/05 (Friday).

hanna - I'm not sure about the 3.5 being the Don Cesar since the amenities listed included kitchenettes and Suites and the amenities for the 4* did not include Kitchenettes and Suites which both the Tradewinds have.

I probably will start off by bidding on Priceline, but I just wanted to see what rates Hotwire was offering.

We might end up changing our dates to June 30 - July 2. Would there be any problems with availability since these are the Thursday and Friday before the 4th? We'd be checking out on Saturday. I didn't know if that would make a difference or not. We could probably check on the 29th and check out on July 1st if it would help us win a bid.

[thereuare]

I would just try your original dates first... if you have trouble with an acceptance then you can opt for changing the dates to see if it helps.

Please continue your this thread for your priceline attempts and if that service is ultimately used to win a hotel we'll move this thread to that section of the board.

[hannahb352]

Using your original dates of the 7/7-7/9 and putting this information in as a vacation package your dates yeild this, which is a pretty good indication of what the hotel only might be:

Don Cesar Beach House Suites- 3.5* amenties(Resort, Suite, Beachfront,Restaurant(s), Pool(s),Kitchenette

Golf Nearby,Business Center,Laundry Facilities)

Don Cesar Beach Resort and Spa-4* amenities( Resort,Beachfront, Restaurant(s),Pool(s),Fitness Center,Golf Nearby,Tennis Nearby,Business Center,Laundry Facilities)

No other properties that are even close to these same amenties and star levels appear, not that this is a guarantee by any means, but it is as good of one as you will get on Hotwire as the amenities are exactly what you saw on your hotel only search, except for the laundry which you won't see unless you actually click on the "view complete amenities" as there are too many to show on the first screen.

[dtuleya]

Thanks everyone. I was totally confused since I had never heard of the Don Cesar Suites. Thanks for the clarification.

I had one more question. When I put in 2 adults and 2 children, the same hotels don't show up as when only put 2 adults in. When I put in 2 adults, 2 children and 2 rooms, the hotels listed above show up again.

This is what shows up with 2 adults 2 children -

4* - Beachfront, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Spa Services, Tennis Nearby, Business Center.

Would this be the Don Cesar or a standard room at Tradewinds since there is no Resort icon? It comes up at $195/night.

[thereuare]

The Resort icon is associated witht the property and not the type of room assigned.

[luv2tri]

Just a little info on the Don Cesar. Beautiful Property, but I understand the rooms are small. The Beachhouse is also nice and a few properties north of the Don Cesar, short walk on the beach and you get to use all the Don Cesar amenities. They have the best frozen drinks! Tradewinds is nice, but nothing on the beach in the St Pete/Clearwater area compares to the Don.

[dtuleya]

Thanks for the replies. Ended up heading to another vacation destination, but we may consider this trip summer of 2006.

[Lexstar]

Hello,

I can shed some light on the properties being discussed. I have some insider knowledge that may be helpful.

The Don Cesar Beach Resort and Spa is a Moorish pink castle like structure sitting right on the beach. It is so beautiful that it is a sought after destination for weddings. Unless you are in a suite the rooms are small by today's standards. You should note some of the rooms do face the street or city side and could actually have a less then desirable view. If you are on the street side ask for a high floor. The high floors will give you a great view of the intercoastal waterways. There are direct gulf view rooms, but they are limited because the hotel is shaped like a "U". The standard room would not fit a family and really only accommodate two guests comfortably. The rooms are the size of period hotels of the time. Reservations refers to them as intimate. There are a very very limited number of balconies. Don't get me wrong, this is a great resort. The rooms are very nicely appointed and the resort itself is fantastic, great pools, pretty gardens, shopping, full service spa, multiple restaurants. There is even a ice cream parlor on site.

The Don Cesar Beach House Suites is a much smaller property. It is not historic but is painted the same Don Cesar pink tone. All of the rooms are suites and they will easily accommodate a family. The units have pull out sleeper sofas and either one or two beds in the bedroom. There are some larger units but those are not likely to be the ones assigned to Hotwire or Priceline. I believe you are safe to assume that the suite would accommodate four people. They have nice size full kitchens. Personally I even had a birthday party for my daughter in one of them. There is one pool that is the standard typical pool fair. The resort sits directly on the beach and the angle of the hotel allows very good views of the gulf. Most of the suites have balconies. The lobby is small. One very nice thing about this property is that if you are a guest here, you are able to use the facilities of the larger hotel (about) a 1/4 mile away. So you can use the grand hotel amenities if you desire, including the spa and beautiful pools. They offer a free shuttle service back and forth between the hotels 24 hours a day. It is a little bit of a walk but you can also walk from one hotel to the other. There are many reasons why this hotel was acquired by the Don Cesar. The main reason I am aware of, was to accomodate guests from Europe and families. These guests typically stay for longer periods of time and normally requested kitchens. This acquisition allowed them to fill that void not previously offered to these travelers.

If you are able to obtain these hotels through Hotwire or Priceline I hope this information will be helpful to you.

Happy Travels!