The hotel booking site, Hotwire.com, is one of my favorite sites to use when traveling. Among the deals I’ve received recently on Hotwire: InterContinental in Tampa, $99 over New Year’s Eve; Westin Jersey City, $129, at the end of January (neither price includes tax)
I like Hotwire better than Priceline because you don’t have to guess on what price to set. Even though the site is “opaque” – meaning that you commit to buying your room without knowing exactly what hotel it is – I find it easier to decipher what I’m getting with Hotwire. Plus you don’t have to go through the machinations of Priceline’s bidding process, which can take a while if your original offer is rejected.
If you want to use Hotwire for your next trip, here are a few tips:
1. Figure out what hotel you are getting before you buy. Unlike Priceline, Hotwire offers clues so you can figure out what hotel you are likely to get. Here’s how to do it: Check out the hotel’s amenity list – a group of icons that appear under the hotel’s location. Then open up another window in your browser to BetterBidding.com, a website forum where frequent Priceline and Hotwire users post their recent buys and lists of what the different hotels offer.
Let’s use my Tampa trip as an example. The hotel that I was considering had an airport shuttle service icon on Hotwire. BetterBidding told me that of the 4-star Tampa hotels listed on Hotwire, only the InterContinental had shuttle service. So I knew that I was going to end up there.
If you are like me and you want to know where you are staying, this extra step is worth it.
2. Factor tax into your budget. Both Priceline and Hotwire show prices without tax, which can add $20-$30 to your per-night rate.
3. It’s great for car rentals too. I’ve found car rentals on Hotwire for as low as $15 a day. What I like about Hotwire’s car rental policy is that it’s more flexible than their hotel purchases and they don’t charge you until you pick up the car (hotel purchases are non-refundable and must be paid immediately).
4. Be realistic about the kind of hotel you are getting. Both Hotwire (and Priceline) specialize in getting rid of unused inventory – the rooms that hotels haven’t sold. These hotels are going to be the larger chains such as Marriott, Hyatt and Hilton that often appeal to business travelers (which is why weekend rates can be so low). If your goal is to stay at the hippest hotel in town, you will be unhappy with Hotwire. Five star properties such as the Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons and Mandarin Oriental are usually not listed either.
But Hotwire is great if you are simply looking for a good deal on a city hotel with basic four-star amenities.
Want more travel tips? Visit travel writer Chris Gray Faust’s site, Chris Around The World: A Travel Journalist’s Tips from the Road on how to plan a better vacation.
