The Groovy, Psychedelic Super Bowl Bus

[RashanGary]

What kind of a dump did you stay at in Chicago where they sold a bottle of wine for $12?

Just kidding with ya...kinda. I say this because I was in Chicago a couple of months ago and we stayed at the Drake...where bottled water was $10. It was Evian, not even close to being "fancy" by bottled water standards!

The Hyatt. I got the room for $88 per night on hotwire. Normally it's $200 per night. The wine was bought at a little grocery store that was right across the street.

I used to work for Hotwire. My job was to fight with people on the phone. Acctually, I was supposed to promote the product while saying no, but I just ruined peoples day by fighting with them and rubbing it in that they lost money. Everyone loved when I was on a phone call because I said what everyone wished they could say, but when I got my reviews, it was a little ugly.

Really though, Hotwire is pretty great if you know how to use it. It's esspecially good in downtown chicago (but it depends on the date).

[RashanGary]

I think our water was $8.00 per bottle.

[Badgerinmaine]

Well, if there's no room on the bus for me, can I get a ride in the Groovy Old VW Microbus? I'll bring a case of Moxie, yessah.

"Moxie--Makes Mainers Mighty!"

I'll flag you down here on I-95. [/b]

[Badgerinmaine]

Really though, Hotwire is pretty great if you know how to use it. It's esspecially good in downtown chicago (but it depends on the date).

I've done very well getting hotel rooms on Hotwire--works esp. well in the bigger cities. I got a fantastic deal in Chicago last time I was there, and have done quite well in Boston and New York with them too.

[RashanGary]

[quote="Badgerinmaine"]

I've done very well getting hotel rooms on Hotwire--works esp. well in the bigger cities. I got a fantastic deal in Chicago last time I was there, and have done quite well in Boston and New York with them too.

You're using it the right way. The star rating is pretty accurate. There are occasional problems, but usually it's with the lower star rating. The best way to use hotwire is to go online and search Hotwire first. If all they have is two star hotels, I think it's best to just forget it unless it's like a 2 star for $15 or something and you really want to save money.

for the most part though, if you like a quality hotel, I think you should just stick with 3 star and above. Ideally, you want 3.5 star or 4 star. Anyway, if you see a 4 star hotel in downtown Chicago, don't feel like it's too good to be true. It really is a 4 star for 1/3 the price. It's a similar concept with drafting talent out of the draft though. The more flexible you are with location (or player position), the more likely you are to get quality. If you really have to be right accross from a seminar, then you are going to pay full price or get a lesser product or get lucky. Same thing with a draft pick. If you want a CB, you are either going to pay full price to move up, get a lesser product or get lucky. Anyway, oppertunism and flexibility are pretty good qualites for any shopper. Sounds like you know what you are doing, badge.


I act like a hardass, but I was acctually a pretty good HW employee. When I got Lawyers or doctors (sometimes you can tell by thier email addys) or just really smart people, I had a great speal that really explained the core of how hotwire worked so well. Sometimes, if a person had the capablity of understanding, they would say "wow, thank you so much. That makes so much sense. More than anything, I'm surpised someone at some call center just explained that to me the way you did. YOu need a raise. I've talked to people at this same company that fed me a BS speal. Wow, thank you". If the person was an idiot, they would sort of nod and smile and hang up thinking I just fed them a line of bullshit.

Anyway, it's a pretty simple concept. I think the concepts that Ted applys are pretty simple too, but GM's and fans everywhere don't seem to get them, so I know they must be hard ot grasp.

[RashanGary]

Another pitfall of Hotwire. Don't go assuming there is a great deal every single time. Use the tools that are available (star rating, price and the map areas). I always got in trouble for sending people to hotels.com, but I refused to set someone up with something that wouldn't be good. I'm not a sneaky salesman. I used to say "check us first, really, you'll find the best deals from time to time. If you see a 4 star that is outragously low, you just hit the jackpot. If you see a 4 star that is close to the same price of hotels.com, that means you are not getting a great deal and you might as well just hand pick a hotel for a couple dollars more. I'll say the same thing to you guys. Stick with the higher star rating. Only take deals that seem too good to be true and you'll never get burned.

People think you get what you pay for, but with hotwire it's not that way. The price has more to do with availablity than quality so just be selective and I'm serious, you'll get some deals in big cities that you never thought possible. If anyone ever wants help, I can't gaurantee anything, but if something good is out there, I know how to find it while minimizing the risks.

[Badgerinmaine]

I'd agree with everything you're saying based on my experience. In particular, flights are not always cheaper there. Sometimes the flight prices are flat-out ridiculous. I always check other sites first to get a sense of what the going rate is, and then go to Hotwire. You can do very well there sometimes on rental cars as well. I have made a lot of use of Hotwire and think it provides a great service. I like it much better than Priceline; you have a much better idea of what you are going to get and pay up front.

One of the things that is a bit of an issue with Hotwire for me is parking fees at city hotels. When I'm not bringing a car, it doesn't matter, but when I am, it would be nice to know if I'm going to have to pay $20-25 a night to get rid of my car, and you can't tell anything about that until after you get your room.

[RashanGary]

haha, badge, you obviously use HW enough to know what's up. Those are all in the top 3 for complaints.

You are right on the cars. Great deals for that too. Again, you have to be a little flexible. You can't pick out a Ford Mustang, but you can save a good amount of money by being flexible. I think the car rentals are the safest bet. Hard to get burned there. Flights are the worst with Hotels being the tricky one that you have to really feel out. In my experience, if the hotel deal looks really good (price/star rating), it usually is and the further you go up the star rating, the better off you are. If the deal just looks so/so, then you might as well just pick out your own hotel on hotels.com or just show up at the hotel and ask if there is any type of manager's special. Sometimes they'll give a deal if you just ask.

[MJZiggy]

In particular, flights are not always cheaper there. Sometimes the flight prices are flat-out ridiculous.

I thought we were taking the bus?

[BallHawk]

I've found HW could for somethings in the past, mainly hotels. Airline ticket prices are so inconsistent from site-to-site in some cases so you have to be careful. I've found sidestep.com a pretty good site for airline tickets. Farecast is also good when looking for flights, if your dates are flexible and you can see how the market is going. Kayak is kinda overrated, IMO.

[Badgerinmaine]

In particular, flights are not always cheaper there. Sometimes the flight prices are flat-out ridiculous.

I thought we were taking the bus?

But...but...nobody's invited me to get on the bus yet.

I may have to hitchhike...

[RashanGary]

Re: The Groovy, Psychedelic Super Bowl Bus

You're on, after Rastak (the only perenthisis)

[MJZiggy]

In particular, flights are not always cheaper there. Sometimes the flight prices are flat-out ridiculous.

I thought we were taking the bus?

But...but...nobody's invited me to get on the bus yet.

I may have to hitchhike...

Well it's already been noted that if we let Mad drive, we're gonna wind up in Maine anyway...

[Bretsky]

In particular, flights are not always cheaper there. Sometimes the flight prices are flat-out ridiculous.

I thought we were taking the bus?

But...but...nobody's invited me to get on the bus yet.

I may have to hitchhike...

Well it's already been noted that if we let Mad drive, we're gonna wind up in Maine anyway...

I'll drive; however we'll need some extra seating on the bus because we'll pick up several from the pit stops Nutz and Skin take us too

[Badgerinmaine]

Well it's already been noted that if we let Mad drive, we're gonna wind up in Maine anyway...

I'm glad this is a bus and not a taxi, then. That'd be one helluva fare.

Sounds like the Magical Mystery Tour!
"Coming to take you away...take you today..."