SailingGrace Posted October 1, 2010 #1 Share Posted October 1, 2010 Was going to stay at the Ramada Hollywood Beach Resort because I wanted a mini-vacation before my cruise...arriving FLL on Friday and sailing Sunday. But the hotel gets mixed reviews and they are renovating so it's hit or miss on getting a decent room. When they said they'd charge for the free airport shuttle (they only allow 2 free so they charge if you are a family with a kids)- I thought I'd cancel that reservation and go elsewhere. But where? For a beach? I found this site that helps you bid on Hotwire. I followed all the advice and got: W Fort Lauderdale Hotel for $109 nightly. The taxi will be about $20 each way, right? Anyone ever stay here or know of this place? The website looks cool- but looks can often be deceiving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrzej5914 Posted October 1, 2010 #2 Share Posted October 1, 2010 I would not worry at all. Every W Hotel I stayed in was all that and more. It's part of the Sheraton family hotels. Have a wonderful trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarep Posted October 1, 2010 #3 Share Posted October 1, 2010 I think you did great. We are staying here for 3 nights early November prior to being on the Solstice. We paid approximately same price through priceline and were pleased. We have been to Ft Lauderdale numerous times and are very familiar with the area. Everything we have heard and read about the W is great and we are really looking forward to staying here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueHerons Posted October 1, 2010 #4 Share Posted October 1, 2010 Was going to stay at the Ramada Hollywood Beach Resort because I wanted a mini-vacation before my cruise...arriving FLL on Friday and sailing Sunday. But the hotel gets mixed reviews and they are renovating so it's hit or miss on getting a decent room. When they said they'd charge for the free airport shuttle (they only allow 2 free so they charge if you are a family with a kids)- I thought I'd cancel that reservation and go elsewhere. But where? For a beach? I found this site that helps you bid on Hotwire. I followed all the advice and got: W Fort Lauderdale Hotel for $109 nightly. The taxi will be about $20 each way, right? Anyone ever stay here or know of this place? The website looks cool- but looks can often be deceiving. The hotel is cool as hell and the pool is great! Your kids will have a blast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f7prez Posted October 1, 2010 #5 Share Posted October 1, 2010 If you would be happy at a Ramada hotel, you probably won't mind a W hotel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royalcruz Posted October 1, 2010 #6 Share Posted October 1, 2010 The W will blow the Ramada away...you won't regret it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailingGrace Posted October 2, 2010 Author #7 Share Posted October 2, 2010 Wow! Thanks, now I'm really looking forward to our cruise! I may need it to rest and recover from our mini-vacation at the W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royalcruz Posted October 2, 2010 #8 Share Posted October 2, 2010 Wow! Thanks, now I'm really looking forward to our cruise! I may need it to rest and recover from our mini-vacation at the W. If you are going to be at the east pool on Saturday or Sunday, you are correct!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandybeach Posted October 10, 2010 #9 Share Posted October 10, 2010 how were you gauranteed this hotel? could you please let me know how you got this rate...it would be greatly appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dotcomgirl Posted October 12, 2010 #10 Share Posted October 12, 2010 sandybeach, I haven't tried it yet, but I think they're talking about going to http://www.betterbidding.com and using the information there to try and get a certain hotel. There really are no guarantees though. For info on the FLL hotels using Hotwire, from the Better Bidding home page, scroll down to the section that says "Hotels". Under "Florida" click on "Hotwire - Florida". At the top of the next page, click on "Hotwire Hotel List - Florida". That post lists areas and hotels. Scroll down in the post to find "Fort Lauderdale" and under that section you will see amenities for each hotel in the area. I think the idea is that when you're on Hotwire and get a price for a mystery hotel, it shows the amenities that hotel will have and you can cross reference to the Better Bidding list to see if that is likely to be the hotel that you want. Here's a link to a page about the amenities: http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?showtopic=101& Again, I haven't actually tried any of this myself, but it appears that there is a lot of good info on the Better Bidding website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markadele Posted October 12, 2010 #11 Share Posted October 12, 2010 I used Hotwire in july for 4 star beach area and got the W looks like a great place. they have talked about this place on the florida board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireofficer5 Posted October 12, 2010 #12 Share Posted October 12, 2010 Ramada Hollywood beach is a dump. But its on the beach. Get the Marriot Hollywood Beach or Weston Diplomat. Most FT. Laud. beach hotels are across the street from the beach, even the W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dotcomgirl Posted October 12, 2010 #13 Share Posted October 12, 2010 I just booked the W Hotel in FLL for our pre-cruise night for $130 total after taxes! (Didn't want to bother with the hassle of bidding, so I just opted for the government employee rate...) Never stayed in a W before, but advertised prices on Expedia are $469 per night for the same room, so it's got to be good! Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargenet Posted October 12, 2010 #14 Share Posted October 12, 2010 One thing about the W.. we were going to stay there and switched to the Westin Diplomat. Had a free certificate we needed to use.... The reason we switched is someone said there is no "privacy" in the rooms...meaning you can see the shower from the sleeping area. Something about a glass wall! Since we are traveling with a 7 year old we thought a room with a little more privacy might be a better option! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailingGrace Posted October 12, 2010 Author #15 Share Posted October 12, 2010 That's true...if everyone is sleeping in 1 bed, then they don't have much to separate the bathroom shower/tub from the bedroom. But if you have 2 beds, they do. The W recognizes the need for privacy when it's more than just a 'couple'. Hope I don't feel out of my element as I usually travel on the cheap and swanky, expensive places are just things I dream about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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