<p>May be putting together a quick unplanned trip this weekend. Just need one night in a hotel in Columbus, Ohio. Never used Hotwire before, but tempted to try…</p>
<p>Quick tips? Better luck/prices if you wait closer to the date? (our date will be July4) How many stars should I look for - want something kind of nice, but top of the line not necessary. Are there “area” describtions pretty on target? (for instance if it lists a hotel in the “airport” area is it really just a few minutes from airport?) </p>
<p>Will I be bidding on a room? At what point are you obligated to take it? How soon before you find out if you got a room? Is there a sneaky way to find out what hotel they might be offering?</p>
<p>Appreciate any advice you have. If I don’t use it this time, maybe I"ll get brave next time. But I’m really tempted to try!!!</p>
<p>I have used Priceline numerous times in the cities of Cleveland, Philadephia, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Chicago. I have always gotten great hotels (Hiltons, Hyatts, etc) and never paid more than $90 most times less than that. On Priceline, you are offered areas and there is a map showing each area and you choose which area and what level room you would like; 2 star, 3 star, etc. You then put in your bid. If the bid is accepted, you pay immediately and then you find out where you are staying. I was really nervous the first time I tried but have never been disappointed. I’ve even chosen 3 star hotels and after my bid was accepted found out that I had actually been given a 4 star hotel. If the bid is too low, you can back all the way out and try again with a slightly higher bid until you get one that is accepted. Otherwise, to try again with a higher bid immediately they may ask you to change one of your conditions; i.e. area or level of hotel. I usually don’t want to change what area I am choosing or the hotel level, so I’ve found the inconvenience of starting all over and then raising the bid works for me.</p>
<p>Hotwire there is no bidding. Price offered for a set star rating in a predetermined location, they provide maps for each area and the respective zones each area is broken up into.</p>
<p>Priceline is the one with the bidding. Using betterbidding.com with the hotels pinned by star rating/specific zone location/amenities written in the EXACT order they are on hotwire clues you in to which hotel you will be receiving.</p>
<p>Haven’t guessed wrong much in the past seven+ years I have used hotwire.</p>
<p>You can also always ask the moderator/owner at betterbidding, she has other ways of identifying the hotels ahead of purchase.</p>
<p>Ask the moderator within the state/region forum you are looking to buy from. Yes on waiting but can change daily even hourly. However, you are within a week so I doubt it will get cheaper for THAT specific hotel.</p>
<p>Once that hotel has been purchased another hotel becomes available within the same star rating. Can go up or down. Just depends.</p>
<p>If you click through the price you can see the added hotel tax and your total you will be billed before you purchase.</p>
<p>I never “got” the appeal of Priceline, but I use Hotwire a lot and have never been disappointed. I stick to 3-Star hotels and better. I don’t recall the prices on Hotwire dropping over time. YMMV.</p>
<p>Hotwire is nice. You can go to betterbidding and see what 3.5 (for example) star hotels have ever been offered in the area you are looking at. If any one of them are fine with you, you are pretty darn safe in booking. Of course, there is always the chance that just today they added a new hotel to that area at that rating that you wouldn’t want, but unlikely. I think it works best when you have some familiarity of the area you are booking in; some of the “areas” are really big and there is a significant difference between the “north end” and the “south end” for example. (I recently bought a room in a perfectly reasonable hotel that normally sells for about $110 per night for $45 per night.)</p>
<p>You might also consider EasyClickTravel. I think you will save more money on Hotwire but if it doesn’t look like a good plan once you have investigated, try EasyClickTravel. (Kayak.com can help you figure out if you are getting a good deal.)</p>
<p>I booked a 3.5 star in Columbus (had also pretty much figured out which hotel it was - thanks to the betterbidding referral - thumbs up!) for $41!!!</p>
<p>I’ll call the hotel later to confirm and check on room (2 beds, etc) - I always feel better if I check ahead…!</p>
<p>If the rest goes well, I’ll definitely try this again! Thanks for your tips all! :)</p>
<p>You can pretty much tell which hotel the Hotwire venue will be by the number of TripAdvisor ratings the place gets. I’ve never looked at better biding or the other sites referenced in this thread but betcha they mention this nugget.</p>
<p>I generally use the Priceline name your own price, but have used Hotwire in the past. I found that if you look at the “packages” on Hotwire, you can see what amenities a certain hotel has, then go back to the hotel section and find the hotel with the same star rating, and the exact same amenities. I have been able to accurately identify hotels that way.</p>
<p>i like priceline better…go ahead…take the plunge ! bid !</p>
<p>consult sites like betterbidding and biddingfortravel…to get an idea of what bids have been accepted in recent months.</p>
<p>we have found excellent deals…getting 4 star hotels for around $60.00 or $65.00…</p>
<p>if you select 4 star or above on either site…jmho, i think you’ll be more satisfied with your room. i have not been pleased with some 3 stars that we had in the past…old rooms.</p>
<p>Columbus is an area that is very Priceline/Hotwire friendly. I used them for travel to the area during college visits and never had any trouble figuring out which hotels were involved. Princeton NJ was another easy one although I did run into a problem there when the hotel tried to charge me a surcharge for two double beds because I had booked through Priceline. Other areas - not so easy to decipher.</p>
<p>I took the plunge last weekend and used Hotwire for the first time. Went to one of the bidding sites and got the info I needed. The area I was looking in only had a few places and only one had tennis nearby so I was able to figure out what I was getting. Pd 60 dollars for a room that the cheapest listed anywhere else was 155. I would try it again.</p>