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What I mean by that is on most other sites, they claim to get you a discount, but the other travel sites have the same price, and if you book through the hotel directly, you usually get the same or very similar rate.
So, if you find the hidden hotel on Hotwire, is the discount real, or will the price be the same?
I've gotten great deals from both Hotwire and Priceline, so at least the last time I used their site I certainly found value in it. Some sites like betterbidding dot com will really help you narrow down which hotel you will end up with based on criteria presented and location. It really helps take a lot of the guesswork out of which property you'll win. I've yet to be disappointed using those sites and the deal I got.
If you don't know the name of the property you're bidding on, something there are still deals there. But if you're talking non-opaque pricing, booking direct is usually better these days- the chains typically have their own best rate guarantees, and you also get 5-20% back (depending on elite status) if you play their loyalty program game since you don't get loyalty points on third party bookings.
Exactly what beachmouse said. I see occasional deals on hotwire and priceline's hot rates/nyop/express deals (and I happen to be a frequent user of expedia so once every rare blue moon they throw you a bone too), and it can get even better when combined with the coupons they send out from time to time, but when it isnt much of a deal I'd contact the provider directly to see what they can offer you.
I use Priceline all the time, it's similar with Hotwire but slightly better.
The guesswork is much easier if you only book hotels with more stars. How many 4+ stars hotels in one area? Usually, not too many. Some research is necessary.
We use Hotwire regularly for stays in larger cities when we know the general area where we want to stay. We've received some excellent rates and have never had a bad experience.
Funny the post above prefers Priceline. We've always preferred Hotwire.
Past deals with Hotwire--Wharf front hotel in Boston's North End (4/5 star) at less than 1/2 price.
NYC hotel in Grand Central station/Midtown area--more than 50% off.
Beachfront hotel in Florida--about 60% off direct booking price.
We use Hotwire regularly for stays in larger cities when we know the general area where we want to stay. We've received some excellent rates and have never had a bad experience.
Funny the post above prefers Priceline. We've always preferred Hotwire.
Past deals with Hotwire--Wharf front hotel in Boston's North End (4/5 star) at less than 1/2 price.
NYC hotel in Grand Central station/Midtown area--more than 50% off.
Beachfront hotel in Florida--about 60% off direct booking price.
I have used Priceline and Hotwire hundreds of times. I prefer Priceline in that the hotel ratings are a lot more reliable. My last Hotwire experience involved a run-down America's Best Value Inn in Texarkana that was a complete dive.
I have generally found the deals on Priceline better. The Hyatt Regency on Chicago's Michigan Ave. for $48 was always a great deal.
In recent years, I have found that the Priceline/Hotwire deals less compelling. That is a factor of the economy. During the next recession, the deals will be great due to all of the overbuilding in the hotel industry.
To respond to my own thread for anybody who is interested, the discounts are very real.
Booked a hotel for 2 nights on Hotwire and the price was 139 per night. Once the hotel was revealed, I checked their website and the price was 400. That price fluctuated and went down to I think 239 the day before our booking dates.
But it was still a great deal. I'll be using Hotwire from now on...
It also depends where you are staying, and a couple of other factors.
For ex., i was looking at an all inclusive in the carribean, the rate was reasonable, but i checked the hotel direct. There was a kids stay free promo direct, just dont add kids in the reservation, but the third party did not have knowledge of KSF promo.
Another is the price match garantee the booking direct offers. The will always beat the third party sights.
And another, some hotels wont allow points collection, if booked third party.
Nearly every time that I've booked a hotel/motel in the last 10 years or so, I've used Hotwire or Priceline. I've never seen a property more expensive on Hotwire than on the hotel website (even with a AAA discount or group code). I typically also figure out the property before I purchase or make a bid.
I usually pick Priceline over Hotwire (especially if I think I have figured out the property). The same hotel (I'm just picking some random price point for comparison) on Hotwire is say $130, but on Priceline I could have a bid accepted at $100. I know not a huge difference but it is still a savings nevertheless. The hotel on the official website or when searching for the best price through Kayak but end up retailing for $200. USUALLY the same hotels are on both sites.
The only drawback (and I saw this again because 90% of the time I have figured out the property before I bid/purchase) imo is that many times they do give you a crappy room. Almost all the time I've gotten the room that is the furthest away from the elevator and/or a lovely parking lot/view of an office building. I've asked at a few hotels if I could get a different room but many deliberately will place prepaid customers in those rooms. It's a con however, I would still prefer to save $$ over anything else.
The last time I used Priceline was for my trip to DC. I thought I did have the hotel figured out but was wrong lol. I bid $70, $75, $80, and then $85 until $86 had approved. I ended up with the Georgetown Marriot. On Marriott's website it went for $279 a night, but with AAA it's $206 a night. With my travel agent rate it was $194 a night. This hotel as far as I know is never on Hotwire (not typical).
I remember the data because I made a post about it on another forum.
In any case it's a thrill for me to get a nice hotel greatly reduced but not being 100% certain that it's the hotel I want lol. I rarely will book properties not on either site.
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