<p>HOTWIRE WARNING
Please be careful if you continue to use hotwire especially for hotels, their area maps are inaccurate as a result often your hotel is located much further than you want; to enjoy the short weekend with the kids.
I and others (I have heard from), have had this experience and Hotwire
is extremely COLD on sensitivity.
In a recent related call a service representative emphasized that I should tell my friends that Hotwire is
not meant to give them convenience, just lower prices Therefore I am !!</p>
<p>Thanks for that heads up shleasmom!</p>
<p>There are some web sites that provide a great deal of information about the hotels available on Priceline and Hotwire. I just used Priceline (for the first time) for a college visit to Carnegie Mellon. I read through the postings on the website betterbidding.com, and was able to know with pretty good certainty which three-star hotel I would get and what I would have to bid to get it. I spent a few hours online figuring this stuff out, but had fun doning it. I ended up with a $158 room for $50 ($68 after taxes and fees). I have a friend who visits his child at Duke and always books on Priceline.</p>
<p>I’ve also had very good luck with Priceline. Just be careful of what you bid on, you could end up in a less that decent area if you are unfamiliar with the area you wish to visit.</p>
<p>Yep have used hotwire.com for all our college stuff, for all 4 kiddos. Just got back from visiting son at princeton, used hotwire with the help of betterbidding.com and booked the Hyatt Regency princeton in $50 range per night. Stayed at the same hotel move-in weekend for an even cheaper rate also booked through hotwire. Used hotwire for DD in New Mexico, NY for sister and a car rental in Philly all in the past 2 months. Not a single problem.</p>
<p>I have also booked the wrong hotel accidentally, called them up and they refunded the mistake and rebooked the right one even though it was not available anymore. We used them for trips to Boston, Nashville, Orlando, LA, Vegas, just used them this morning for NYC, for sis. </p>
<p>Agree with other posters, advance research, cross-referencing with orbitz/expedia and the how-to websites made all the difference.</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>to All- tip on betterbidding is welcome</p>
<p>Kat- I use them the mostly for P’ton also, I often get the Hyatt (never at your prices) most recent booking for founders day did not seem to include the Hyatt, Westin further but still in area was my option. </p>
<p>My recent was with an LA situation, I called them almost before the confirmation came up and they were not helpful! g figure</p>
<p>Thanks all ~ other tips welcome.
~S~</p>
<p>I am just beginning to dabble into the priceline/hotwire arena for lodging (I’ve used them for auto rentals). I’ve been reading biddingfortravel.com and am just beginning to read the betterbidding.com site as well. It is a lot to digest. Does anyone have any nice “things to know for sure before you bid” pointers to share?</p>
<p>Learn the trick on Priceline where you re-bid by adding a zone that doesn’t have the star level you are aiming for. (Does that make sense?)</p>
<p>Don’t ever post anything on biddingfortravel.com. (You’ll end up banned - the moderator is deranged.)</p>
<p>I like Priceline a lot. Hotwire is more hit or miss, and we don’t use it much.</p>
<p>Thanks, weenie. I looked a Priceline but haven’t dabbled yet. So if you want a 3 star and want to rebid, you have to add a zone that has no 3 star hotels? What if you can’t find one nearby that meets that criteria?</p>
<p>Shleasmom, I’ve never done online bidding for hotels so I can’t respond to that, except to say I may start! However, I always check the college website first as they usually list hotels that really are fairly close to the school and go from there.</p>
<p>jym26: If there isn’t a zone nearby that has no 3 stars, then the trick doesn’t work. As always, don’t forget your bid, if accepted, is non-refundable. We find Priceline works really well for those one-night stays, where you don’t really care exactly what hotel you’re at. It’s perfect for college visits, especially because it makes it really cheap to get 2 rooms if you don’t want to share with a teenager or two. I probably wouldn’t use it for a vacation. My husband used Priceline every weeknight for a nightmare 1 1/2 year stint when he commuted to a consulting job 350 miles from home. He became quite accomplished at it!</p>
<p>Thanks, weenie.
I was going to do just as you suggested-- try it for a one-night stay. I have to bid on 2 rooms (we are taking a family jaunt). Do I list the # of occupants as 2 (as in 2 per room) or 4? I don’t DARE ask the wild-woman mod on biddingfortravel. Shes scary.</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter how you list the occupants. Just make sure it’s two rooms - and I can’t remember if you do that at the beginning or if you add a room after your bid is approved. Also, it’s OK to put both rooms in one name. (I’ve only done two rooms a couple of times.)</p>
<p>Either way, once you get the rooms, CALL the hotel like 6 or 8 hours later (after they get the computer update from Priceline) and ask for what you want - nonsmoking, adjoining rooms, or whatever. MOST hotels will kindly accommodate your request. (It’s funny really, you’re paying like $50 for a $175 room and they even give you the free breakfast, free drinks at the bar coupons - really anything they normally give out.)</p>
<p>I’m a huge priceline fan. I’m sitting in a priceline hotel right now - 3* hotel for $45 that took our hotel rewards card and gave us free breakfast coupons. You just have to understand the system. I’ve never had any problems with biddingfortravel.com, that’s where I learned to use priceline bidding most effectively. In general, I’d say priceline works best for those visits where you don’t need specific amenities (indoor pool for example) and can be flexible about where in an area you stay.</p>
<p>I’ve used both Priceline, AND Hotwire. In general, I found Priceline to be a slightly better deal. However, we used Hotwire to book a hotel in NYC for the weekend (actually the Hyatt on the water in Jersey City). It was NICE!!! And, it cost about 1/3 to 1/2 the going rate!</p>
<p>The biggest advantage to Hotwire, was that it allowed us to specify a room for 4 (basically two beds), whereas Priceline will only guarantee a room for 2. If you are visiting with a college student, or a family, and prefer two beds rather than two rooms, this is important. In large cities (NYC, Chicago, etc.) a room with a single bed is more common, therefore more likely. </p>
<p>Like Dad’o’two mentioned, it was also possible to have a better guess as to what hotel we would likely be getting through Hotwire. It lists the ammenities the hotel offers before you agree to pay. Comparing that list with the list of hotels others have received (through sites like Betterbidding.com or biddingfortravel (for Priceline only)). The Hyatt, for example was the only 4 star hotel other bidders ever mentioned. On the Priceline site, the there were only 3* hotels listed, so we had less assurance we would receive the Hyatt. </p>
<p>The other thing we noticed was that the Hotwire price fluxuates. We knew our exact arrival dates, and watched the site for about a week. On one day the price was nearly $50 less than previously (for a single room). We grabbed it then. If you have some time, you may want to watch the prices for your anticipated date of arrival. Obviously this is not possible if you’re leaving at the last minute.</p>
<p>Typically, however, we’ll use Priceline, primarily because the cost is generally lower, and we are more familiar with the stragegies. </p>
<p>When taking a multiple day trip, we will usually combine Priceline stays with generic hotel stays – with day of arrival cancellation policies. That way, should the trip change, we have some flexibility. Should the trip be cancelled, we’re only out the Priceline bids.</p>
<p>“Typically, however, we’ll use Priceline, primarily because the cost is generally lower, and we are more familiar with the stragegies.”</p>
<p>OK, do you have any strategy tips for a Priceline neophyte?</p>
<p><a href=“http://p070.ezboard.com/Hotel-FAQ/fpricelineandexpediabiddinghotels.showMessage?topicID=2.topic[/url]”>http://p070.ezboard.com/Hotel-FAQ/fpricelineandexpediabiddinghotels.showMessage?topicID=2.topic</a></p>
<p>This is from the biddingfortravel.com site.</p>
<p>Wow - thanks so much.</p>