My Travel Blog

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.

Here are some tips if you want to use Hotwire for your next trip:

1. Figure out what hotel you are getting before you buy. Hotwire has clues that makes this easy to do. First, check out the hotel’s amenity list - a group of icons that appear under the hotel’s location. Open up another window in your brower to BetterBidding.com, a forum where frequent Priceline and Hotwire users post lists of what the different hotels offer, as well as their recent buys.

On my Tampa trip, for example, the hotel that I was considering had an airport shuttle icon on Hotwire. BetterBidding told me that of all the 4-star Tampa hotels, only the InterContinental offered shuttle service. So I was almost positive that I would end up there.

It takes more time to do this, but if you are like me and want to know where you are staying, it’s worth it.

2. Don’t forget tax. Priceline and Hotwire show their prices without tax, which can add $20 to $30 to your per-night rate. Factor this in when making your budget.

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. Hotwire (and Priceline) specialize in getting rid of unused inventory - the rooms that hotels haven’t sold. And generally, 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). So you aren’t going to find many boutique or independent hotels through the service. 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 if you are just looking for a good deal on a city hotel that has basic four-star amenities, give Hotwire a try.

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.

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