Due to archeological excavations, the design drawings of the hotel and the church had to be redrawn. The “Magdala Archaeological Park” was opened (click here ) a few years ago, and the hotel…. was opened last year in November 2019!

So I had to come here and see!

What would the experience like, staying at the biblical “Magdala”?

Location

It’s literally at Magdala. And not in Tiberias, where many hotels are situated. 

It’s easy to take a bus from here to Tiberias or Safed! After getting off the bus from Migdal Junction, it will take about 8 minutes to pass through a local supermarket, gas station and cafes. It will not be particularly difficult to walk ~

I heard that the road from the hotel to the bus station will be open in the future! (It only takes 2 minutes to walk! It will be super convenient)

Though most people come by tour buses!

The look in the morning, wow.

Check-In

There was a nice scent in the lobby! It actually smells like a luxury hotel! In fact, it ’s only been 2 months since the opening, and the place was packed with international groups.

The receptionist was a Christian Arab (judging by the last name, plus this is a pilgrim house), next to it is the gift shop. The picture behind it should be the structure of the Magdalen Hall.

Official website: https://magdalahotel.com

It’s really a nice hotel, and not just a hotel… read on!

My welcome drink. It’s a hot drink made from pears..?! Pretty interesting, I loved it!

Facilities

There is an elevator! And there are comfortable seats in every corner ~ you can chat!

Let’s use the elevator.. haha… why not…

This is the second floor, there is a comfortable chair in the same corner ~ This place has amazing scenery during the day!

The Magdala Hotel has only two floors, and it feels very comfortable.

This is a photo taken on the second floor toward the lobby.

In the middle there’s a “fish pond”, and it’s actually from the time of Jesus/Yeshua… 2000 years ago!

The fishermen would throw their catch directly from their boats to the fish pond! This is THE fish pond! The designer moved the historic fish pond here, how cool is that!

Well, the way to the room ~ The hallway is super spacious and has a sense of luxury! !! The first time I felt that my luggage was not stuck! Haha!

Let’s go to 148~

The Room

Let’s see…. wait, there’s a bottle of wine on the table?! Wow!!

Let’s see the room at a glance ~ This is a super spacious guest room. There’s a luggage rack next to the TV, wardrobe, tea set, refrigerator, and the shower is next to the entrance!

This bed is awesome … First of all, there are 5 pillows!! 5!!! And then it is really wide. I can turn over…..  and turn over.

I think the bed was at least 1.5 times wider than an ordinary bed, at least!! It’s so wide that I doubted whether I was sleeping in a double bed! !!

Small tea set and refrigerator~  It’s nice to have a cup of tea and hot water in the room! (So important for Asians anyways, we drink hot water all the time)

The toilet … The toilet was very spacious ~ I wonder if as a backpacker, I got used to smaller spaces… Oh but it’s not difficult to adapt, I have already quickly adapted, haha!

In short, the toilet is awesome, and the washstand is separated ~

Wait, do you see what I see?

AHAVA is in the room! AHAVA is a Dead Sea brand, pretty famous actually. So there’s AHAVA lotion, shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel! Amazing! (Not a typical pilgrim house you’d expect!)

Because of the inspiration, I bought more Ahava products at the airport, haha!

Even though the room is shared only between me and my mom… the toilet is separated from the shower, and both are incredibly spacious! Wow!!

The hair dryer is also a normal new type, not a hair dryer that looks like a vacuum machine… (pretty popular from 1980s in Israel) ~

How it looks during the day ~ I got up in a panic, and then quickly looked at the scenery outside … Because I only saw the road at night, I was curious to know what it’d look like in the day

(again, this is really a spacious single bed)

The scenery from my balcony … There’s  a Jewish village in the first century AD, and Mt.Arbel~

Wow ~ I feel like I am in a resort … Only better…

There are 150 rooms at Magdala, this is the cheapest room ~ But this view is already incredible!

(There are rooms facing the lake, but the difference will not be too much)

Dinner

OK ~ back to dinner! The name of the restaurant is Tarichaea. Does it ring a bell? Taricheae, mentioned by historian Josephus, it means “place of salted fish” ~ See, Magdala has a lot of nice details

The dinner buffet is open daily from 7 pm-9pm! It’s time to eat!

You’d naturally expect quality dinner when the room was so nice … but I didn’t expect it would be so good! There were so many options!

First of all, I saw salmon!!!

Incredible!! I LOVE salmon!

So there are 5 choices for the main course alone! And besides salmon, there is also pork! !! Incredible! !!

Not enough space for salads, there are just too many options!

And the desserts!

The difference between the room+breakfast option vs half-board option is US$23 per person. But in Israel, you don’t get much with $23 (about 70NIS), maybe you can get a nice pasta, but not a buffet like this!!

Whoever reads it, don’t miss out on the dinner!

And this is not over yet! In fact, the buffet is divided into two sides, the other side has a more complete set of dishes. Visually, I would say there were at least 40 kinds of salads, and there’s also soup!

The seating area~

The second night, the place was packed!

And I found a group of Taiwan!! (I’m from Taiwan too)

The next day there is no salmon, all 5 main dishes were different and so delicious. I think there was sea bass and duck meat.

Finally, I felt satisfied with eating, because as an Asian, my diet isn’t hummus, falafel, shawarma, shakshuka… I need something …else! Haha!

Plus, if you want to eat something more formal, it’d cost at least 100NIS, yet there won’t be so many choices … this is just incredible!

Drinks were probably billed separately (with room number), by the way, really not a good time to drink Corona beer -_-

Facilities 2

Let’s see what it looks like during the day! Remember these two chairs? Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, you could see the synagogue, market, and village outside …

The scenery on the second floor ~ Super super, super worth staying here! (Even just for sitting here!)

The fish pond during the day. Is there a sense of confusion in time and space?

Life is a gift. Hehe!

You can walk out from the glass window behind the fish pond!

More seating area, I guess it’s a part of the cafe. I heard that there will be new restaurants in the future!

The menu. Even if you are not staying here, come for coffee! The latte is only 14NIS!

A gym is somewhere here. And a swimming pool!!

In a short distance (Magdala is not that big), you’d see the prayer center, which is built over the ancient harbor!  Very cool!

When you stay here, you can come here as you like, even after the business hours, and I guess you don’t need to pay extra for the ticket.

Let’s walk to the lake, but not an ordinary lake! It’s the Sea of Galilee! (It’s a lake) If you can spot a little bit of blue, that’s the lake ~ how interesting!

This is a small worship corner, it is very suitable for groups to come here for the morning prayer!

You can read more about the Magdala archaeological park here! I wrote about it 1-2 years ago. So this is the 1st-century synagogue where Jesus/Yeshua taught! Behind it, it’s the Magdala Hotel!

At first, the prayer center was meant to be built here, closer to the road. When the foundation was dug, wait, an ancient synagogue was found!

Isn’t this a miracle?

And we found Magdala!!! Incredible! In order to maintain precious archeological findings, the blueprint of the Magdalen Hotel and the location of the prayer center had to be modified to what we see today.

Breakfast

Breakfast buffet is open from 6: 30 ~ 09: 00, basically most people come with the group, so it’s super quiet after 7: 30 ~

There are many breakfast options too!

Eat your veggies, even in the morning, it’s good for your health. Haha!

For the hot food, there are three kinds of eggs ~

The special feature of breakfast here is that the coffee is served by the waiter (and they are super polite), and it is really good American coffee!

My happy breakfast!

Conclusion

The standard, the service, the quality, the room for this price, I’d say it’s the most amazing accommodation you’d see in the Tiberias area.  If you have budget, I really recommend it!

I can see how this place will be packed with tour groups, and it will be difficult to reserve a room. In fact, I don’t need to predict, just go online and see how many dates are already blocked out, and the Magdala Hotel has opened just for 2 months! Incredible!

If your group is taking you here, you are lucky! This is definitely the best place to stay in Galilee! Everything is either new or 2000 years old!

I loved this place!

By the way, I heard that a hostel will/might be built in the near future, in the basement of the Magdala Hotel because there are many hikers in the area. I hope this plan will work out

Official website: https://magdalahotel.com

Well, your dream can easily come true! Citadel Hostel, an 800-year-old youth hostel, wait, I mean an 800-year old Jerusalem stone-house that runs a youth hostel is an excellent option! You can book a dorm bed or a shared room. The view on the balcony is incredible. If you want the experience of waking up in Jerusalem, this is the place!



Location

From Jaffa Gate. First, go down a flight of stairs, then turn right and go up the stairs. After that, there’s a flat road. It’s 4 minutes walk to the Church of Holy Sepulchre!

It’s sort of in parallel to the main road, so it doesn’t belong to any quarter!

The entrance to the Citadel Hostel! This building is 800 years old!

My impression of the Old City of Jerusalem is dark and cold… I have no idea if this hostel would turn out to be a bad experience….

Check-In

When I came in, I was amazed by the architecture! It’s more than what pictures can deliver! You feel immediately connected to Jerusalem, really, you have to be there. With a relatively “okay” review, I was surprised that the staff was so friendly. Our triple room was $85, with a shared bathroom and no breakfast. A dorm bed would cost $25, so a triple room was a good deal. By the way, cash only. The staff let us store our luggage before our room was ready. When I asked if I could leave my luggage here the next day after check-out? The staff immediately agreed and said I could leave it there as long as I want. I was really impressed By the way, even though bus 231 from Damascus Gate to Bethlehem was easy, I would rather not to carry my luggage all the way from Jerusalem to there!

Facility

Unexpectedly, the lounge was cozy and pretty! It was much cleaner than expected too! The area could consider spacious as this is how big a floor is in this 800-year-old building! So this probably counts as the basement? Look at these sofas (floor cushions)! So Middle Eastern!

From here, there’s a doorway for leaving luggage. And that door at the end leads to a dorm room.

 

If the lounge is considered B1, the reception as 1st floor, then from the intriguing stairs it leads to 3 more floors.

This is the second floor. There are two rooms and 3 shared bathrooms. 

On the third floor, there’s a kitchen. But I found the electric stove inefficient. It takes forever to cook something. And the switch for the light is impossible to find… well, there’s a box above “Exit” with a yellow keychain right? That’s the switch! 

And let’s go to the 4th floor. There are two rooms. 

And finally, on the 5th floor, there’s this amazing balcony! You can see the Mt.Olives from here! Wow! The location is superb, and I leave the good views for your surprises! It is simply amazing!

The Room

I stayed in the cheapest triple room with shared bathroom. I didn’t take pictures for the shared bathroom, there are 3 of them, small but enough. It might not be ideal if you are larger in size…

So here’s our room! I like staying in a stone room, the experience made me happy! It’s more atmospheric there than on pictures. But the room was small. It wasn’t cold, and there were blankets on the bed. In Asia, we don’t use blankets. So when a blanket is used, it is always in a cover. It isn’t expected to put a blanket on top of a bed cover. So, anyways, this is a cultural difference. My mom and my aunt didn’t like these blankets.

And… Wifi was terrible in the room. Probably because of the stones? And the socket (near the door) was too high that made it hard to charge the power bank.

These are the rooms from 4th floor. It looks brighter because of the windows, but it is less atmospheric in my opinion.  

For $85, with no private bathroom or breakfast, I think it is not so good for value. But hey, this is in the Old City! Prioritize what is important to you, the location? View? Atmosphere? Or Value? In terms of value, at least for me, there are better choices in the New City.  The Post Hostel or Stay Inn Hostel. Or Zion Hotel. If you have more budget, and that you really want to have a good experience in the Old City of Jerusalem, then consider Sephardic House ! ($120 for a double room)！

Citadel Hostel — 2019

There are at least 30+ pilgrim houses in Jerusalem alone. And 30+ more around Israel in Acre, Bethlehem, Haifa, Nazareth, Tiberias, and Tel Aviv. I’m including guest houses opened by Messianic Jews in this post too.

Jerusalem

Some pilgrim houses are quite pricy. These are 6 options that I would personally prioritize considering value for money:

6 Good for Value Options

1.Ecce Homo Convent

150 year old convent. Rooms are basic. But reviews are good!

: http://www.eccehomopilgrimhouse.com/Enquiries

：Via Dolorosa St 41

:Dorm Bed $35, Single $63, Double $106

 

2.Austrian Hospice

Built in 1863, originally for pilgrims from Austria

: www.austrianhospice.com

：In Christian Quarter of Old City

:Dorm Bed €32, Single €97, Double €140, Triple €198 ……..  Under 3 is free. Dinner €16

 

3.Guesthouse of the Greek Catholic Church

A part of Melkite Greek Orthodox Church. Pretty interior.

: www.austrianhospice.com

：In Christian Quarter of Old City

:Single US$87, Double US$115, Triple $155 Incld. Breakfast

 

4.Church of God Guesthouse

Super cheap option on Mt.Olives!!! Good view too!

: www.jerusalemguesthouse.org

：Al-Mashreq Alley 2

:Single US$15, Double US$30,  So cheap!!!

 

5.Maison D’Abraham

On Mt.Sinai. French Catholic pilgrim house. 50 years old!

: https://www.secours-catholique.org/the-abrahams-house-in-jerusalem

: Single €50, Double €80, Triple €90, Quadruple €100 including breakfast ! …….. 3-12 years old half price, dinner/lunch €13

 

6.Messiah’s Guest House

It’s next to Mt.Zion. Location is okay. Price is okay too.

: http://www.messiahguesthouse.com

:Single US$40, Double US$60,  Triple $75

If you have higher budget, maybe you can consider these options:

Other options in Jerusalem

1.Lutheran Guest House

Built in 1860 for German Christian pilgrims. Gorgeous.

: http://www.luth-guesthouse-jerusalem.com

：St. Mark’s Road, Jerusalem

:Single €57-68, Double €90-104 , Triple €119-135, Quadruple €160-176

 

2.George’s Cathedral Pilgrim Guesthouse – Jerusalem

Built in 1923~

: Check Booking.com Here

：Derech Shchem st. 65 / Nablus Road 65, Jerusalem

:Single $94 , Double $112  , Triple $163

 

Options above $150

1.Christ Church Guest House

A place with 200 years of heritage. Accommodation of CMJ.

: http://www.cmj-israel.org/CMJ-Ministries/Christ-Church-Guest-House/Guest-House-Overview

：Omar Ibn al-Khattab Sq, Jaffa Gate

:Single $104 , Double $160

2.St. Andrew’s Guesthouse

Opened by Scottish church.

: http://scotsguesthouse.com/

：David Remez St.1, nr Railway Station

:Single $1115 , Double $160, 4-person apartment $340

 

3.Notre Dame Guest House

French Assumptionists convent built in 1885

: http://www.notredamecenter.org

:from $330….

 

4.Knights’ Palace

Inside old city

: www.knightspalace.com

:Single $160, Double $220…

These are other options online but I don’t seem to know the prices.

Prices Unknown...

1.St. Thomas Hom- Syrian Christian Guest House

:

www.stthomashome.wordpress.com

：6 Chaldean St. (Near Damascus gate)

 

2.Armenian Guesthouse

Opened in 1885 for Armenian pilgrims

:

armenianguesthouse@hotmail.com

：36 Via Dolorosa, Muslim Quarter

 

3.Salesian Sisters' Pilgrims' Home

Run by nuns. Outside the Old city.

:

www.salesiansistersjerusalem.com

 

4.Casa Nova Hospice Guest House

Run by Franciscan

:

http://it.custodia.org/default.asp?id=1497

：10 CASA NOVA ST, Jerusalem (next to Holy Sepulchre)

 

5.St. Peter in Gallicantu

:

http://www.assomption.org/en/works/pelerinage-en/saint-pierre-en-gallicante-en/welcome?set_language=en

：On Mt.Zion

Dormitory available. French speaking

 

6.Rosary Sisters Ein Krem Guest House

Convent was established in 1885.

:

http://www.rosary-einkarem.com/index.html

：3 HAMA'AYAN HABIKUR RD, EIN KEREM. In Ein Kerem (John the Baptists' hometown)

 

7.Victoria Guesthouse  (Lutheran)

On Mt. Zion. Has a garden.

:

https://jerusalem.lutheranworld.org/content/lutheran-world-federation-guesthouse-91

Tel Aviv

Tiberias

Nazareth

Bethlehem

Haifa

Acre

Other Websites

For other options not listed above, perhaps take a look on these websites:

• Casa Nova in Jerusalem
• Casa Nova Outside Jerusalem
• Other Christian Guesthouses in Jerusalem
• Other Christian Guesthouses Outside Jerusalem
• iTravelJerusalem

Location

Paamonim Jerusalem Hotel is located in the new city. Yafo center light rail is 1-minute walk away. And about 10 minutes walk to Mahane Yehuda market. 17 minutes walk to Damascus gate! The location is ideal!

The look of Paamonim Jerusalem Hotel from outside doesn’t stand out. The signage was small. Google Maps street view still has old data. But I don’t think it is hard to find if you know you are looking for this place.

At the entrance on 1st floor, it doesn’t quite show is a hotel. But take the elevator to 2nd floor where reception is . 

There are two lounges on the 2nd floor. One is a lobby for rest, some tea bags and cookies are provided (but not as generous as BY14TLV in Tel Aviv) And then the other lounge is for dining, and where we had our breakfast in the morning.

From the lounge- The Bell building! (Paamonim means bell)

There are only 4-6 rooms per floor, oh, and I think there’s a clinic on the 4th floor. It’s weird that this elevator is shared. But let’s just say it is hard to acquire an entire property in Jerusalem! And this place is branded as Aparthotel. (I think)

Let’s see our quadruple room. A small kitchenette is at the entrance but it means just a microwave and a sink. Anyways… I don’t know if with a microwave the counter can be called a kitchenette, but I guess everyone’s opinion is different.

And the room was small. About 20m2.   I took this picture standing between two single beds. You can’t open a suitcase at the same time. (unless you drag is to dining table)

The second room is with a door and looks like a proper room. The double bed here is 2 single beds.

The view from the balcony!

I was super happy with the shower room. Hot water was really “hot” water, and finally, I saw a normal hairdryer that doesn’t look like a vacuum machine.

Toiletry set. Again, Sea of Spa.

Facilities

I don’t remember seeing any facility except Shabbat dinner service?

Breakfast

I am so fond of my breakfast memory here. They serve from 7 am till 10 am, but they wrap up at around 10:30. The ambiance, the options, and just everything are wonderful. A friend of mine compared with 5-star hotel she stayed in Jerusalem, and she said she felt more relaxed here! This is THE place to chat!

Let’s see the options…. make your own orange juice! Yay! My happiest memory! (But it’s not available on Shabbat as you aren’t allowed to work)！

Cute signages

Salad zone. No meat. Israel is too kosher for us.

Spreads. You can use jam and honey from the shelf!

Cereals, milk and a super slow coffee machine. Not available on shabbat by the way!

You don’t see backpackers here. People who stay here aren’t pilgrims or tourists either (except us? haha). I think most people are on business trips here. So maybe that explains why a microwave is enough.

Final Verdict

Location is right next to Yafo station! Lots of restaurants nearby. Generous breakfast option. Some tea bags and available in the lobby. Reasonable price ($200 for 4) but kitchenette wasn’t of much use and room size was small.

Paamonim Jerusalem Hotel  — 2018

These are the websites that I recommend!

1.HotelsCombined

Hotelscombined is good for comparing prices. If you already know which hotel/hostel that you want to stay, it’s not a bad idea to ‘double check’. 

2.Booking.com

I use Booking.com. This is my “go-to” booking portal because the interface is much easier to use. I think the prices is presented as clear as possible. And you get some perks being Genius member.  Booking.com works with local credit card companies, so make sure you check what’s available in your country.

3.Hotels.com

If you are looking for “proper” hotels, in terms of quality, Hotels.com has better listing (there are exceptions though).  The game here is if you stay 10 nights you get 1 night free (average price). I use it when I want filtered hotel-like accommodation.

4.agoda

There was a day when agoda was popular. It’s not so popular in my home country now (and many places) mostly because the quality of listings are not verified, the hidden costs and hard to use filters. They’ve now got this rule for giving you rebates. If it’s hard to find accommodation in your budget, try Agoda. You might find something cheap but with bad reviews.

5.Expedia.com

I used this website 10 years ago…..  and I did a research on the prices offered for “Flight+accommodation”, well, you can save about 16% if you choose the deal of the day. Otherwise it’s about the same as other websites.

6.Hotwire.com

Don’t use hotwire in Israel. At least my experience in 2017 was not good. You get blind deals but a ‘deal’ never existed.  The ‘40% discount’ claim was the price of this hotel comparing to simialr hotels in the neighborhood. How can you compare oranges to apples? What’s the point for presenting price difference of two different hotels as 40% discount?

7.Priceline.com

Priceline is similar to hotwire. You don’t know the name of the hotel until you have a deal. There is a function of  “Name Your Own Price!” Again, in my opinion I don’t think this model would work in Israel….

8.Airbnb

If you want to stay in a room with kitchen, then it is better that you rent an apartment/studio. Expect to pay $20 per head at least, so the price is about the same with dorm-bed if you are a group of 2-3 people, except you have way more privacy.

9.Flipkey

Similar to airbnb. The listing seems to be superior. It’s a brand of Tripadvisor!

10.Home Away

Like Airbnb. This is a brand of Expedia. It purchased VRBO. The options look good actually!

11.Couchsurfing

Israeli love traveling and hosting. You can easily find a host in Israel, and personally I think it is a good way to see a country through the eyes of a local. It’s very time consuming to find a host though, and it costs $25 to be a member now…

 12.BeWelcome

Similar to couchsurfing (before it is commercialized). But the interface is so basic and there aren’t as many hosts on it.

 13.Home Exchange

You need to pay $150/year to be a member, so it’s for serious users only. But I think it worth a try if you are a house owner and if you can work something out!

 14.WWOOF

You are allowed to volunteer as a WWOOFer not longer than 30 days with a regular B/2 visa (the visa you get when entering Israel as a tourist).  The membership fee is $48 a year. There are many good oppurtunities which actually sound fun!

 15.Craiglist Israel

If you are considering short-term rentals, you can use craglist. The term is for minimum a year I think.

 16.Janglo

Similar to Craiglist. Lots of ads to check.

 17.Facebook Group

Good for sublets. You’ll find 1-2 month oppurtunities in these two Facebook groups. A room without bath is typically 2000NIS/month. You are sharing the common area with other roommates. Often you’ll see SS/SK, SS means roommates are shabbat keeping (SS: Shomer Shabbat) and SK means the kitchen is kosher (SK: Shomer Kashruth）

1. https://www.facebook.com/groups/JerusalemApartments/
2. https://www.facebook.com/groups/121562707980013/

18. Pilgrim Houses

There are many Christian pilgrim houses. Many require you to write emails to check availability (like the Casa Nova I stayed in Tiberias)

19.Zimmer

If you feel like having a can somewhere, check out zimmer. I find it expensive though. Check: www.israel-tours-hotel.com , www.weekend.co.il (in Hebrew)、www.zimmer.co.il (in Hebrew)

20. Camping

There are free campsites in Israel (Ein Bokek, Masada, Tiberias), but I’m not sure what facilities there will be except toilets. If you go to national or private campsites, expect to pay ₪65-₪70 ($16-$17) a head! Unless you love camping, you might as well go to a hostel. For more information:  http://gocamping.co.il/apage/71496.php

Hopefully you will find one of these websites useful! Happy searching!

What is Hotwire? 

It’s a ‘blind booking’ website. The hotel rooms are offered at discounted price. You will have some information (the stars, reviews, conditions), but you will only know the exact name of the property until you pay.

The fun thing about Hotwire is getting a great hotel room at a surprisingly discount! Maybe 30-40% off.  (Otherwise everybody can just use Booking.com) They keep the name of the hotel hidden, so that market price will not be destructed by this ‘game’. Yes, it’s like a lucky draw.

Hotwire In Israel? Nah…..

These were my options in Jerusalem. I went for the only one that says 40% off!

But my actual experience was that…  there was no discount.  I was paying the same price on Hotwire for this ‘blind booking game’ as I would pay directly to the hotel (refundable rate).

What seems to work in other countries (USA, Canada etc) doesn’t work in this part of the world.  Not in Israel! 

And because of this ‘hot rate’, I cannot get a refund, and I cannot even cancel the bidding. Hotwire would only reimburses me the ‘difference’ in prices. ($7)

I’ll explain what happened.

My Hotwire Experience in Jerusalem  (2017)

1.Picking Zone an Hotel

There aren’t many hotels in Jerusaelm to begin with. I chose the zone to be in West Jerusalem. So the only option with 40% discount was this 4-star hotel, which was discounted from $181 to $109, and it’s $121 including taxes.

I was fine not knowing which hotel it was. $121 for a 4-star hotel in Jerusalem is a very good price!

2.Hotwire Result

And after I paid….  The system tells me I made a reservation at King hoolomon Hotel Jerusalem. My first question was, wait, is this a 4-star hotel?

And I went to King Solomon Hotel’s website. The same room type with the option for ‘free cancellation’ is….. $114！

Where is my 40% discount? Why is Hotwire saying the original price was $181? It’s not $181, it is $114….. Why am I using Hotwire?

So I tried to give this feedback to Hotwire’s customer support.

3.Low Price Guarantee

It’s disappointing how Hotwire protects the right of customer. You cannot get a refund after you made a reservation. And low price guarantee only means

For Hotwire Hot Rate hotel and car bookings, the refund will be equal to the difference between your Hotwire rate and the lower rate for the total days of your booking. If a refund is issued, your original reservation will not be cancelled

You have to find a cheaper offer within 24 hours, and then you… get the difference in rates!!

In my case, I wanted to know where was the 40% discount as advertised? If there’s no discount, then all hotels can get on Hotwire, and write 50%, 60%, 99% discount. And once customers make reservation and find out they are paying the same price with no discount, the hotels are guaranteed by Hotwire that these consumers cannot cancel the booking. Then hotels only need to refund some customers that make this claim within 24 hours.

Hotwire is making it easy for the hotels.

With $120, I found have more options at other hotels. Or I could at least book this same place at $114, having the information of which hotel, plus having the chance to cancel booking.

My feeling is that the 40% discount was falsely advertised.

4. Applying for Difference in Rates

You cannot cancel your reservation. What you can do is only to apply for getting a refund in rate difference. Click here for:  Low Price Guarantee application form

You have to apply in 24 hours after your booking. First you need a screenshot that shows the same date, same room type of the same property. See, this hotel is $114 on Booking.com even.  So I’m eligible for $7 refund.

And then this is the form.

Then write down how much you paid Hotwire, and what’s the lower price you found. Then upload your screenshot as evidence.

Then wait for 48 hours. Or 5-7 working days from terms of conditions.

5. Follow Up

I got my response in 5 working days. It looked like this:

And the second email was longer: It didn’t explain if Hotwire should be responsible for the advertising 40% off without confirming if the discount even exists. And even I made 2 phone calls and emails to explain how this is unfair to customers, I didn’t get a formal reply.

Then finally, I got an email that explains how they define ‘discount’

The crossed out rate is an example based on similar hotels in the same neighborhood.

Similar hotel in same neighborhood? Exactly! Hotwire uses the price of hotel A to tell you that you are staying at hotel B at 50% discount! I don’t understand the logic. How can you compare apples and oranges?

Maybe in some other countries, there’s a fixed standard on hotel standards. But in this part of the world, you cannot neglect that hotels are very different, and it’s unwise to claim you are offering ‘discounts’ to customers by comparing the rates of 2 hotels.

Maybe the hotel didn’t offer Hotwire a good rate in the first place, so that gives me doubt on how Hotwire partners with other hotels in Jerusalem, and if those hotels understand the business of Hotwire. But ultimately, when I gave feedback to Hotwire on my disappointing experience after multiple phone calls and emails, Hotwire didn’t seem to do anything to save its brand image. They left this issue as ‘there’s nothing we can do’.

Since I could not find similar information online previously, I hope after sharing my experience of using Hotwire in Jerusalem, others can be more prepared on whether Hotwire model works in Israel or not.