hotwire anchorage

[gbeer424]

i already have a room booked but always keep checking just in case. for memorial day weekend up pops a 3 1/2 star near the airport?? for $67 a night? it beats the deal i currently have all be it by only $10 but still. however when i check other websites there are no 3 1/2 star hotels listed and on better bidding there are no 3 1/2 star anchorage hotels. does anyone have any idea which hotel this is?? its not the captain cook cause there is a 4 star listed for $210 per night and that fits their profile and price for that weekend. if anyone has a clue i would appreciate it. i suspect a room at that price wont last long. thanks

[AkSusan]

I have found a way to try and find this out both on Hotwire and Priceline. Go and pick the package deal and then select flight & hotel. Put in a city and dates and then it will look for packages. Put in around Memorial Day for you and put in a city to fly from and it comes up with the Millenium as a 3 1/2 and the Millenium is out by the airport. Their web site is http://www.millenniumhotels.com/MCIL.nsf/LU_HOTELDOC/120$$HotelDescription?OpenDocument

 

Otherwise the star ratings that show up are a 4, a 3, 2 1/2 and a 2. The 4 is Alyeska which isn't anywhere near the airport, the 3 is the Coast International, which is the airport, the 2 1/2 is the Holiday Inn Express which is out by the airport and the 2 is the Anchorage Grand which is downtown.

 

Susan in Anchorage :)

[jimcat]

Hotwire had a 2 star rating for a motel that would not make a .5 star. I checked out of that ASAP after contacting hotwire and had one heck of a go around with them.

 

After about 3 weeks after the event I got most all my money credited back, with the execpetion of one day stay ( I did not stay but did register and check into the room)

 

I took several photos of the room, was told to email them to hotiwre ( by hotwire). They all bounced back. Upon calling Hotwire again, they stated that they could not recieve attachements via email. I had to print them and send them in.

 

When I retured I did so, they did not seem to care.. Finally I contacted my credit card company.. this is when hotwire decided to refund all but that one day.

 

2 months or so LATER.. I received a e-mail from Hotwire.. the credited my account for that first day with Hotwire bucks.. So yes, I will use them one more time.. and they lowered the rating of that motel to a 1 star.

 

So, what is the moral of this story? I have to question Hotwire's rating system. Double check other travel sites, but let's say Priceline ranks certain hotel/motels as a 2 star.. hotwires criteria is not the same.. what may be a 1 they rank as a 2.

 

I found out cleaniliness and unsanitary conditons of the interior of the room, you know the place your going to sleep, with hotwire, are NOT a factor for their ratings.

 

What they told me is this: they base it on amenities, such as does it have a pool, restaurant, bar, closeness to Airports or Museums, Places of interest, not condition of the room.

 

Scarey to me :)

[gbeer424]

i would tend to agree that the hotel appears to be the millenium and i also use the trick you suggested except that when i first put a package in it did not come up. thanks for your efforts

 

i pretty much only use hotwire and priceline to book rooms. i book approx 80 rooms per year via one or the other service. usually i use hotwire to establish my bid price. i have had much better luck quality wise and price wise with priceline but so far all my bids have been rejected in alaska

 

i had only one bad exp with hotwire so far. typically i wont book unless its a 3 star or more. i had one bad 3 star in MA and your right hotwire didnt care. despite the fact it was hotwire i went straight to the hotel company and demanded my money back. it took some effort but i got it. i was later informed by hotwire that they had removed the hotel from their list entirely but they never offered me anything.

 

i havent used them since but mostly because i have been able to beat the offers on priceline. i would use them if i "had to".

 

but i have stayed in way too many 3 and 4 star spectacular hotels for 30 or 40 cents on the dollar to stop using them.

 

thanks for your answers everyone

[momeason]

According to the guide book I have been using, many of the hotels in Alaska are not kept to the same standards as on the mainland. My guidebook "Alaska for Dummies" says B and B's are a much safer bet. there are some close to the airport. This guidebook says Expedia and the Internet Hotel sites will book you in some real dumps in Alaska. I also use these sites for travel, but he does not recommend it in Alaska. Go to Trip Advisor and check reviews. There are some real horror stories. Do an internet search. You will come up with lots of possibilities at reasonable prices with lots of TLC and breakfast.

[Yukon]

>>According to the guide book I have been using, many of the hotels in Alaska are not kept to the same standards as on the mainland. <<

 

Having traveled quite extensively around the world, and having stayed at probably 35-40 Alaska properties, I don't think that's fair. And having just returned from Fort Lauderdale, FL, I assure you that our hotels are far better deals in terms of both condition and price than that city :(

 

Murray

[NancyIL]

>>According to the guide book I have been using, many of the hotels in Alaska are not kept to the same standards as on the mainland. <<

 

Having traveled quite extensively around the world, and having stayed at probably 35-40 Alaska properties, I don't think that's fair. And having just returned from Fort Lauderdale, FL, I assure you that our hotels are far better deals in terms of both condition and price than that city :(

 

Murray

 

Murray - how was your cruise?