Anyone use Hotwire?

[MorningGlory]

I noticed a couple of people mentioned Hotwire, so I had a look at it for our upcoming stay in May. We're staying 10 nights, and it offered a 3* hotel in the Disney Main Gate/Celebration area for $29 per night!!

Can this be true? Is there any way anyone could tell me what hotel(s) it is likely to be? It did list the hotel amenities, and it has a pool and fitness room, and is near a Golf course as well as the usual others (bar, restaurant, internet, wifi, etc).

It just sounds too good to be true?

Cheers

 

[lmogs]

That's the excitment of Hotwire! You just never know. . .

However - several of our friends have used it, and had great luck. If staying on budget is your main goal, I would definitely recommend it. We stayed at a $29/night hotel last September on I-drive (just to save cash) and it was great - breakfast included! Sometimes I wonder how those hotels even make money!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

if you go to www.betterbidding.com they list what hotel is probably is. If it's not listed in the "hotel list" you can ask for help in indentifying it. They've been correct for me approx. 6 times.

Personally, I wouldn't go below a 3.5* on HW, just to be safe. 10 nts. is a long time to spend in a crappy hotel.
good luck!

 

[MorningGlory]

Thanks for the replies

I seen the sites like betterbidding (and another, can't remember the name right now) but for some reason I can't get on them. Something to do with my PC I think, it's happening with random sites recently

I'm not overly fussy, it's just me and my son so as long as the place is clean, the amenities/bar, etc don't count for much. And to be fair, you could be hit with a horrible room even if you book through a known hotel. We stayed at the Comfort Inn LBV last year (which gets terrible reviews on here) and had a great time.

I'm trying to cut back on some costs since the £ is so much weaker than it was against the $, and this seems like too good an opportunity to miss

I'm gonna keep working on my PC to see if I can get onto those sites and try to suss out which hotel we will be getting put in. Even if I could narrow it down to a few, at least I could just surmise it will be the worst of them, and anything better will be a bonus

Again, thanks for the help!

 

[Darcy03231]

I travel a lot and use Hotwire all the time. I always book at least a 3* and have never been disappointed. Some recent chains I've gotten when booking a 3* are: Hilton, Hyatt, Doubletree, Sheraton and Wyndham.

 

[MorningGlory]

I posted about this on the board I usually frequent, UK Trip Planning, before I realised it might be better served on here. One of the people on the UK board gave me a great tip. I searched for a package deal on Hotwire, and there was only 1 3* hotel with the amenities described, and in that particular area - The Holiday Inn Maingate East.

Looked on Trip Advisor and the few reviews it has had have all been very positive.

I think I might take a chance on this....

 

[Kay1]

I recently paid $29 for a similar hotel. Is it smoke-free? The one I got was and it turned out to be the Ramada Celebration where I stayed twice before when it was the Hyatt.

I use Hotwire often and agree that if you're pretty picky you should go with 3.5 stars. I just noticed today that theres a hotel with the same characteristics for $29 but it's 2.5 stars. I wonder if it's the Ramada but got busted down half a star?

I actually have another 3-star that I'm paying $33 for. It has similar characteristics to the Ramada but turned out to be the Days Hotel Disney Maingate. I started to have a cat about it but the rooms look beautiful and I can see why it's a 3-star. It was a Holiday Inn and looks like a great location - very close to AK.

 

[dgaston]

I think there's a good chance it's the Ramada Celebration for $29. I posted my positive review on the review thread. But another DISer had a less than stellar experience there.

 

[michelle1]

I've used Hotwire for many hotels and have not had a bad experience yet but I did use betterbidding to help me figure some out. A 3 star is usually a Holiday Inn or comparitive and the reason you have such a good rate is because you are staying 10 nights and you are booking so far ahead. The more nights you stay, the better rate you get and the price will go up as you get closer to your dates.

 

[Kay1]

I think there's a good chance it's the Ramada Celebration for $29. I posted my positive review on the review thread. But another DISer had a less than stellar experience there.

I couldn't find the thread, but my comments would have been positive, too.

 

[Purseval]

We just stayed at the Ramada Celebration and posted a review here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1995439

It sounds like it is in the price range they were quoting you, we also stayed at the Holiday Inn Maingate and the Radisson Celebration which are very close to the Ramada and also 3*. I posted reviews on all of them, you will find them in the reviews section or you can PM me with questions. I've stayed at dozens of Orlando hotels over the years and a 3* will get you a decent room with a decent bed and a useable pool/hot tub for relaxing. I have also found that we are so busy when we go to Orlando that we don't use the rooms for much else besides sleeping. Our last vacation was 8 days and I got in the pool one time. You're usually pretty tired and once you close your eyes you can't tell the difference between the Ramada for $29 and the Grand Floridian for 10 times more

 

[DisneyMagicMommy]

I actually just reserved a 3 star room with all the things you specified...except the price was $33 a night. I got the same place Kay1 got...the Days Hotel. The pictures do look decent...and I couldn't beat the price. I'll let you know if I like it or not after I return on Nov. 5th. Good Luck!!!

 

[MovingThemOut]

Posting to report that the Days Hotel Maingate that everyone is receiving on Hotwire is rated on "The Unofficial Guide Book" (my Disney/Orlando BIBLE) as a 2*. Out of a possible 100 points the rooms rate a score of 50. I probably would never stay in a room rated lower than a 65 by this book -I did once stay at a 67 rating (in the Orlando area) and would never do so again unless the price was under $30 a night and then I wouldn't stay for any extended time period! I'm not bashing anyone that went for this deal on Hotwire-I SO hope your stay is enjoyable and I have to say that I have been tempted.
For those wondering about the aforementioned Ramada still showing on Hotwire-I read a hotel review made during the month of October (on another website) in which the poster claimed to have won it on Hotwire for $33 a night as a 3* property. The Unofficial Guide Book does not review this property but I am very curious as to the property as it was formerly a Hyatt.
Oh Yeah-On the plus side to the Days property-It is 5-8 minutes from the Disney parks (closer than the majority of Disney Resort properties). Hope this info helps.

 

[masonsmousermom]

I used hotwire for our upcoming trip...booked a 4 star in DTD and it turned out to be the Buena Vista Palace. I also looked into the 3.5 star Disney Maingate and asked the experts at betterbidding.com. Suggestions were made that it was likely the Holiday Inn Maingate. I would guess that's the hotel that you're looking at for $29/night.

 

[Kay1]

Posting to report that the Days Hotel Maingate that everyone is receiving on Hotwire is rated on "The Unofficial Guide Book" (my Disney/Orlando BIBLE) as a 2*. Out of a possible 100 points the rooms rate a score of 50. I probably would never stay in a room rated lower than a 65 by this book -I did once stay at a 67 rating (in the Orlando area) and would never do so again unless the price was under $30 a night and then I wouldn't stay for any extended time period! I'm not bashing anyone that went for this deal on Hotwire-I SO hope your stay is enjoyable and I have to say that I have been tempted.
.

I don't feel bashed at all, so don't worry about that. I just wonder exactly when the UG was written? The Days Hotel Maingate has only been in existence a matter of months. These new owners went all out renovating the rooms with Italian tile, black granite counters, and 42" flat-screen plasma TVs, upscale mahogany furniture, microwaves, fridges with freezers.

It's on Black Lake Road and can't be confused with the Days Inn Maingate which would be a 2*. I've checked out the hotel's photos and those of online reviewers and can't believe it ranks 50 out of 100. Expedia has some nice photos and has it as a 3*, too.

 

[MorningGlory]

I don't feel bashed at all, so don't worry about that. I just wonder exactly when the UG was written? The Days Hotel Maingate has only been in existence a matter of months. These new owners went all out renovating the rooms with Italian tile, black granite counters, and 42" flat-screen plasma TVs, upscale mahogany furniture, microwaves, fridges with freezers.

It's on Black Lake Road and can't be confused with the Days Inn Maingate which would be a 2*. I've checked out the hotel's photos and those of online reviewers and can't believe it ranks 50 out of 100. Expedia has some nice photos and has it as a 3*, too.

Thanks for all the replies everyone

Kay1, it is indeed the Days Hotel on Black Lake Road. Not what I was expecting it to be, but I have to say the reviews on tripadvisor are largely positive and the photos I have seen of the rooms has not put me off one bit. They look fantastic!

I've never been to the area, not even to pass through, so I don't know what it is like for amenities, but I had a look on Google Earth and there is a TON of restaurants all close to the hotel.

For $29 per night, I think me and my kid won a watch with this one!

 

[MovingThemOut]

Since the OP has now booked her stay, I'm only replying to help others looking at going for this hotel and to answer Kay's questions to the best of my ability-I hope your stay is great MG and look forward to your review after your stay.

Yes, the 50 pt rating on UG is indeed for the Days Hotel Maingate located at 7601 Black Lake Rd. UG (not any other source) rates it as a 2* hotel. I will admit that when they do their inspections and ratings and then finally get them out in their most recently updated edition, it generally is 7-9 months later. The ratings that I am giving you were published in late Sept. They are generally also carefull to look at properties that are renovating and rate the renovated rooms vs. the nonrenovated.

All this being said, I do NOT believe these numbers were given after the renovations. I looked at the dates of the reviews at tripadvisor and those making comments on the renovations seem to indicate that the majority of the work was probably being done in Sept. Thanks for pointing out the renovation fact-with the proximity to entering the parks (this hotel virtually in the backyard of Animal Kingdom), this does indeed tempt one to seek out a possible hotwire win. For those wanting to look at this Hotel's website visit www.legacygrand.com:wizard:

 

[DisneyMagicMommy]

I just returned from my stay at the Days hotel on Black Lake Road. And it was great. The rooms were very nice for the price. I was pleasently surprised. The lobby was beautiful. The rooms had Granite countertops, plasma TV's, and plenty of storage. The beds were pretty comfortable as well. The shuttle was nice and we did use it however if you want to take a midday break it would probebly not be the best idea to use it. As some reviews on tripadvisor have stated..the elevators are not in good shape...but those will be renovated soon. Overall though...for the price I paid (33 a night)...I was very happy.

 

[Kay1]

I just returned from my stay at the Days hotel on Black Lake Road. And it was great. The rooms were very nice for the price. I was pleasently surprised. The lobby was beautiful. The rooms had Granite countertops, plasma TV's, and plenty of storage. The beds were pretty comfortable as well. The shuttle was nice and we did use it however if you want to take a midday break it would probebly not be the best idea to use it. As some reviews on tripadvisor have stated..the elevators are not in good shape...but those will be renovated soon. Overall though...for the price I paid (33 a night)...I was very happy.

I'm back now, too. I was very satisfied and loved having the kitchenetter. We did not use the shuttle but thought the drive was very easy. The longest drive I had to a Disney park was ten minutes to the TTC. AK was super close and we could see Everest almost as soon as we left the hotel parking lot.

We did have some trouble with the room key as some on TripAdvisor mentioned. I'd like to offer this advice to anyone who stays there: if your key doesn't work, don't give up. Just keep trying because they're tricky and temperamental. The first night I was frantic because my son had slammed his finger in the van door and really wanted in that room so I could give him ice and Advil. It took about eight tries before I got the green light. The other two nights I got it on the second or third try.

Other than that, it was great.

 

[MorningGlory]

Thanks for the mini-reviews, DisneyMagicMommy and Kay1!!

I'm starting to feel really good about our stay there now. We are fairly easily pleased as it is only really a place to sleep for the night for us - cleanliness is our only priority. It looks like the room will be nice to spend a little time in, if we feel the need to rest for a bit.

Thanks once again!