Here are 4 tips to make sure you get a good hotel from Hotwire.
- Travel Advisor Rating - You want to see one. If you find a snapshot of the Travel Advisor rating for that particular hotel then it will be above average. In those instances it's absent you can reasonably conclude that Hotwire has filtered the result out. If Hotwire does not want to display the Travel Advisor rating then you might not want to blindly select that hotel.
- My 3.5+ star rule - A 3.5 star hotel by definition has a restaurant located in it and the rating guide names chains such as Hilton and Crowne Plaza . For the same price as I would normally pay $75 - $125 for a Hampton Inn or Country Inn and Suites, I can stay in a luxurious room that costs twice what I was prepared to spend.
- Isolating Hotels - If you know what hotels are in a specific area via some online research then you may be able to figure out through process of elimination (and star ratings) which hotels you will likely get. For my most recent trip I knew that in the area I wished to stay that all of the 3.5+ hotels were very nice, so it was easy.
- Hotwire Operators are helpful - You can call at any time and talk to a live person in the middle of the process. Hotwire representatives have specific rules (like not saying the name of the hotel) but they will give you endless clues to help you make that plunge. For example after I have isolated which hotels it might be, I Google Map the area, then ask them if the hotel is walking distance from a given street crossing. This works if there are not too many options in the designated area for a given hotel class
Bonus Tips:
- Prices Change - I have noticed the price of hotel rooms seem to fluctuate a bit. In the middle of the day I saw a $69 price. By 4:45PM that evening it was $67. I made a phone call then it was time to place my order at 5:15PM and the price was now $79. So that phone call cost me $20 over 2 nights, however the price of the hotel retail rate for those nights was $200 so I wasn't complaining about only saving $121 per night.
- Retail Price Listed is Not Accurate - They don't want you to be able to figure out the rate by giving an exact figure and you calling hotels and comparing. What I have found is the figure they choose is conservative. I typically save more money then what they promote.
My personal experiences:
I have used Hotwire for 5 different hotel stays. Each time staying in a 3.5 - 4 star property. I have been very satisfied. Hyatt, 2 Sheratons, Crowne Plaza, Westin. The most expensive room $120 a night, the least expensive $67 I booked to visit a convention when the retail rate was over $200 a night.
I highly recommend Hotwire if you follow the tips outlined above to make sure you don't end up in a dive. Best of luck.
