Travel Destinations

I use the hotel booking site, Hotwire.com frequently for my travels, most recently when I went to Tampa for New Year’s (InterContinental for $99 per night, not including tax) and Jersey City, New Jersey at the end of January (Westin Jersey City, $129).

I prefer Hotwire to Priceline, because you don’t have to guess on the price. The site is “opaque” – meaning that you must buy the room before you know the name of the hotel. It’s easier to figure out what hotel you might be getting on Hotwire. And you don’t have to go through Priceline’s bidding process, which can drag on if the site rejects your original offer.

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. 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.

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.

If you are like me and you want to know where you are staying, this extra step is 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. Hotwire is great for car rentals too. I’ve found prices there 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.

Looking to find the best deals and travel tips? Visit travel writer Chris Gray Faust’s website Chris Around The World: A Travel Journalist’s Tips from the Road.