alwysonvac
TUG Lifetime Member
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2005
- Messages
- 15,955
- Reaction score
- 3,780
- Points
- 848
- Location
- New Jersey
- Resorts Owned
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WORLDMARK, HGVC, VISTANA
SOLD (DVC, FSRC)
Buyer Beware....
My last post on this topic...
Folks can do an internet search and review the Hotwire complaints for themselves.
Here are some example:
2005 - Proposed lawsuit accuses Hotwire.com of overrating hotels
2008 - Hotwire Facing Possible Class Action Lawsuit For Selling 2-Star Rooms As 3-Star
2009 - Hotwire - 2-star hotels. 4-star prices
2010 - Is Hotwire’s new advertising slogan, “2 1/2-star hotels. 3-star prices.”?
2010 - Two-star hotel sparks a five-alarm complaint
2011 - A two-star hotel at three-star prices. How I Got a Hotwire Refund
That stinks that you got unlucky with Better Bidding. Historically - I've found it pretty accurate in identifying the hotel. The star ratings are, IMO inconsistent across a lot of sites. Having a Trip Advisor rating available is a lot more helpful. With Hotwire - if you are looking for only a "true" 4 star luxury hotel there is a pretty big risk these sites won't work for you. Some of these sites consider certain Courtyard Marriotts in prime locations (as an example) to be 4 star caliber which many people would disagree with. Yet a couple years ago, I got Hilton Times Square for a 3 star bid on Priceline. Very arbitrary distinctions in star classes.
However - if your objective is simply to pay a reasonable price for a hotel chain (or comparable) with a decent reputation in NYC and know the amenities you will have in advance, I am pretty confident that you will be more than okay taking a chance on a 3 star place from Hotwire that gets a good Trip Advisor rating. You will certainly NOT get a Motel 6 or Econo Lodge type brand for 3+ stars - I'd be willing to bet my mortgage that would never happen.
My last post on this topic...
Folks can do an internet search and review the Hotwire complaints for themselves.
Here are some example:
2005 - Proposed lawsuit accuses Hotwire.com of overrating hotels
2008 - Hotwire Facing Possible Class Action Lawsuit For Selling 2-Star Rooms As 3-Star
2009 - Hotwire - 2-star hotels. 4-star prices
2010 - Is Hotwire’s new advertising slogan, “2 1/2-star hotels. 3-star prices.”?
2010 - Two-star hotel sparks a five-alarm complaint
2011 - A two-star hotel at three-star prices. How I Got a Hotwire Refund