Jane

We are first time visitors to California and plan to stay 3-5 nights in San Francisco at some point during an April fly drive vacation (although we probable won't bother hiring a car in San Francisco). Our kids aged 7 and 9 will be with us. Has anyone got an opinion (or similar previous experience) about whether I am wise to consider booking 4* Fishermans Wharf accommodaion through Hotwire at $104 plus tax per night. Any idea which Hotel we might end up with?

J Correa

My husband and I stayed in the FW area last month. We made the reservation through Priceline and got the Sheraton for $55/night, plus tax and a service fee which was around $6-7. Priceline lists this hotel as a 3* according to the Priceline rating system.

I've never reserved through Hotwire because I find that I can get better rates with Priceline.

Check www.biddingfortravel.com to see what hotels people have gotten in that area with Priceline. You can also see what rates people have gotten as well. I suspect that Hotwire has the same basic hotel lists as Priceline and I think there is also some info about Hotwire on that site as well.

Missie

Note that rooms booked through Hotwire and Priceline are clearly designated as for TWO people. If you need a room for four, you should be using other resources.

Jane

message: J Correa
That's a great rate at the Sheraton. Well done! If I want a room for four it seems that Priceline and Hotwire are a gamble, so just wondering whether you would recommend the Sheraton (nice rooms, good location etc) if I were to book direct? Thank you.

J Correa

Jane - the Sheraton is very convinient to the wharf area - only a couple blocks to the waterfront. It is also close to the cable cars and the F Line, both of which will take you downtown. The cable cars of course are a SF landmark and should be ridden at least once, esspecially if since you have kids, but they are very crowded and the lines can get long. The F line runs along the Embarcadero and up Market St and has old streetcars from all over the country and the world. When we were there last month we rode a car from Milan and one from New Orleans. Lots of fun and pretty convinient for getting between the wharf and downtown.

Anyway, back to the Sheraton, the hotel was fairly nice. The lobby was really nice, as were the people. The carpet in the hallways were a little worn and probably due for replacement, but everything was really clean. Our room was a nice size and had all the regular ammenities, including movies and video games. The beds were a little hard and the linens were average - no fluffy comforters or 400 thread count sheets. Housekeeping did a great job. There seemed to be a lot of families staying there, but I didn't notice a lot of hallway noise or anything from people going back and forth and we didn't hear anything from the neighboring rooms so we either had quiet neighbors or the soundproofing is really good.

Overall it was a good hotel. Not luxurious, but comfortable. To get a better rate than the rack rate from the hotel, you might try expedia, orbitz, or yahoo travel. I think they have the option to book a room for more than 2 people and you might be able to save a little bit of money. If not, just call the hotel and see what they can do. Since the economy is down, you might be able to negociate with the hotel and get a discount. Otherwise, I think the rack rate was about $120 when I checked. I'd pay that if I couldn't get a better rate.

joebob

I don't think any of the hotels in the wharf area are true 4 stars. there is a hyatt which is OK and the marriott is at best a 3 star. hotwire is usually pretty accurate with their star designations so maybe there is one in the area I don't know about.

Susan

At biddingfortravel.com they list these five hotels that priceline uses as three stars:

Hilton
Hyatt
Sheraton
Marriott
Tuscan Inn

I'd venture a guess that Hotwire may consider the Tuscan Inn a four star. But be prepared to get any of these if you are using hotwire.

Biddingfortravel doesn't list any four star hotels in the Fisherman's Wharf area.

Jane

still searching for a good deal, but keep coming back to the Hotwire rate....just how much of a risk would I be taking to book a 4* in Fisherman's Wharf via Hotwire when I need a room for 2 adults and 2 chidren but am only guaranteed a room to accommodate 2 people. The potential 4* hotels in the Fisherman's Wharf area are large hotels - surely they would be able to reserve me a room for 4 if I emailed immediately after booking? Any comments or previous experience anyone? Is it worth the risk? Thanks.

Jane

ttt
anyone?....