<p>I’ve never used either but I’d like to.
What are the differences between the two? Has any one had good or bad experiences with either?
Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>I’ve only used Priceline and much success, although there are circumstances where I wouldn’t use it. Specifically if I needed a hotel in a very specific location or a room for more than 2 people, especially in large cities were there are many ‘business’ hotels with primarily 1 bedded rooms.</p>
<p>With Priceline, you select location, and star value and then name your own price. They may or may not accept your bid for an hotel meeting that criteria. If a hotel does accept, a non-cancellable reservation is made and your credit card will be charged. I think with hotwire, you also select location and star value, and they offer the price at an unnamed hotel with the criteria entered. Like Priceline, once you accept their offer, you can’t cancel and your credit card is charged. My guess is similar hotels show up with both.</p>
<p>Cheak the website <a href=“http://www.biddingfortravel.com%5B/url%5D”>www.biddingfortravel.com</a> and <a href=“http://www.betterbidding.com%5B/url%5D”>www.betterbidding.com</a>. They both have lots of info on the typical hotels awarded, and at what prices. They also give some bidding stategies, in the case of priceline.</p>
<p>I used to use Priceline, but I got tired of the bidding process. Now I use Hotwire regularly. You are given hotel options where they do not tell you the name of the hotel, but they tell you the number of stars, what part of town it’s located in, and some of the amenities it has. You have to fully pay for the room before they tell you the name. I’ve never been put in a bad hotel (I pick 3 stars and above, though), and I’ve gotten great bargains. I just did this for a New York trip. I purchased a 3.5 star hotel in Midtown East for $136 per night. Turns out, I know the hotel, and it’s great. On their website, or any other travel service, the rooms are well over $200. To sum up, you have to know the part of town you want to stay in, such as downtown, or airport, etc. You have to have fully pay for the room, so there is no cancellation. It seems a bit scary to pay for a rooom without knowing the hotel, but at 3 stars and up, I’ve gotten rooms in Hiltons, Hyatts and other very good quality hotels, and really good prices.</p>
<p>I have used hotwire and priceline. I use hotwire when I need to be in a specific hotel and website like betterbidding.com helps you identify which hotel you are getting. I use priceline on road trips when the exact location of the hotels matter less. I usually bid on 4* but 3* ones are usually acceptable also.</p>
<p>Priceline will get you much better deals. If you use those two web sites handemom mentioned, you pretty much know exactly which hotel you’ll get and what the lowest bid should be. I’ve used priceline dozens of times and have only been surprised once or twice, but even then, the hotels were nice. PM me and I’ll walk you through the bidding process.</p>
<p>Did my first Hotwire purchase last weekend thanks to the wonderful tips of CC’ers! </p>
<p>All went smoothly - definitely use the betterbidding sites to help you figure out your hotel. </p>
<p>I got a 3.5 star hotel for $41 - probably about 60% less than their cheapest rate. All went well at the hotel (only thing that surprised me was that while I got a receipt from Hotwire via email, I didn’t get the “slipped under the door” receipt at the hotel - the hotel said since I purchased the room “third - party”, they don’t even know what I paid. </p>
<p>Would definitely use this process again especially if I am fairly familiar with the area or can do decent research on the area beforehand.</p>
<p>A nice hotel room for $41 - who doesn’t enjoy that!</p>
<p>I’ve used both, and have received both nice and not-so-nice results, although usually pleased. The few times we were disappointed included one where the hotel was rated 4*, but was very old and worn, despite the amenities. Other disappointments include poor hotel locations (very inconvenient, not necessarily unsafe), or obvious lower standard rooms (next to a noisy elevator equipment room for example). Some great surprises include upgrades to suites, incredible views of the Chicago skyline, and a Hotwire Hyatt deal in NYC that was fantastic. </p>
<p>Priceline only guarantees one bed. If you have more guests to a room, or want 2 beds, use Hotwire, where you can stipulate 3 users (and guarantee 2 beds)</p>
<p>Prices on Hotwire can vary daily. Watch for a few days. Priceline is usually – but not always – slightly cheaper.</p>
<p>I’ve typically-- but not always – found better prices when bidding further in advance.</p>
<p>We usually mix and match bids with refundable reservations. I don’t like to use Priceline or Hotwire for an extended stay, just in case we receive a disappointing bid. One or 2 days doesn’t matter, but a week could get long if you don’t like the results.</p>
<p>Betterbidding.com tends to be a much more user-friendly site. Read the helpful bidding hints, and feel free to ask newbie questions. I especially appreciate their new addition which lists wins by calendar dates. With that feature, you can quickly compare prices with your planned travel dates.</p>