What is the difference between Priceline and Hotwire?
 

I am familiar with PL, but have never used Hotwire...what is the basic difference between the two sites and how they work? Which one do you prefer??? thanks.

I use PL frequently for hotel rooms and I always consult biddingfortravel.com beforehand. BFT is a great forum where people post winning hotel room bids from PL so you have a good idea of what to bid. Never used hotwire.

Hotel difference:

With Priceline, you have to PICK a price and bid that, knowing nothing (in theory) about the hotel you about to get except for quality ("star") level and general area. You don't find out if you actually won the hotel until after Priceline tells you if they accepted your "bid." It's kind of suspenseful. But you can overbid if you don't know what you are doing.

With Hotwire, they TELL you the price of the hotel plus some general ammenities but not the name of the actual hotel until you pay for it. You can then take that price or leave it. There's no "bidding" and the only guesswork is wondering what the hotel is. But sometimes you can guess the hotel ahead of time based on amenities. E.g. how many hotels have suite rooms and free breakfast? If it's a 3* or above, it's probably an Embassy Suites if there is one in the area.

I have used Priceline many times for hotel rooms. Only used Hotwire once, when I wanted to get a specific hotel at the same hotel I'd gotten already with Priceline (adding another room). I paid about $20 more with Hotwire, but I knew it was the Embassy Suites (see above). Otherwise, I usually check Hotwire first before bidding Priceline and have always gotten a successful bid lower than whatever Hotwire is offering. Occasionally people do get a better deal with Hotwire but it seems to be rare.

You have to be careful with Hotwire because sometimes they offer stuff at the same price you could get it for on your own(!) but with the same restrictions as they put on any other reservation i.e. no changes or refunds. You really have to do your research ahead of time with either Priceline or Hotwire if you want to save any money.

Andrew

Wow, Andrew. What a wonderfully written and perfectly explained comparison of the two. I've often wondered myself some of these issues.

Yes, good explanation. I use Hotwire OFTEN for car rentals. In fact it is in my process for getting to PL. When you get a quote on HOtwire, it is for the total price you pay, including taxes and any surcharges.
Therefore, when shopping for a car rental I look on Travelocity or such for the ballpark price of a car. Then I go to Hotwire and find out what the taxes, etc. are. You don't have to accept that "bid" for your business but now you know. If I think I can do better I then bid on PL, knowing what will be added in the way of taxes. With one exception I have always done better with PL--but sometimes the price on Hotwire is so reasonable I don't even try on PL.

Another thing with Hotwire, their 3* is sometimes Priceline 2.5* ((b))

Andrew's post is great, but there is one other <b>major</b> difference that should be noted. With hotwire, you can specify up to 4 people per room. Priceline guarantees a bed for 2 people - period! That could be just one double bed, or possibly even two twins (not sure if that's possible with priceline or not). Parents traveling with their children can use hotwire without feeling like they have to take the risk of being able to get two beds.

But I thoroughly agree that no one should use either without a bit of homework up front, or you risk overpaying, getting a bad hotel, or both.

Hey, I didn't know you could specify four people for a Hotwire room - good point! You can indeed get a Priceline room with two twins - I did, although it was in London last fall (Thistle, Marble Arch). Fortunately, I was not traveling with three other people.

Budman is right: you must be careful when comparing hotels between Hotwire and Priceline, because they sometimes rate the same hotels with different star levels. Example: Priceline called the Embassy Suites Fort Lauderdale a 3-star hotel, but Hotwire called it a 3.5-star. I think Priceline is always more conservative i.e. lower number of stars than Hotwire.

Andrew

Er, I mean, WHEN Hotwire and Priceline rate a hotel with different number of stars, Priceline is lower. Sometimes they will rate a hotel at the same level.

Andrew

Years ago, I used both regularly and favored Hotwire over Priceline. Back then, I'd get somewhat lower rates with Priceline, but nicer hotels with Hotwire.

Some people reported &quot;Priceline&quot; rooms and a less than friendly reception when checking in, but that has never been our experience.

I nearly never use Hotwire any more, unless I can reasonably &quot;guess&quot; the hotel and the rate is favorable.

Others have reported (and based on my personal observations and experiences) that the Hotwire ratings are suspect and rates are often the same (some say even higher) than booking the same hotel directly.

The main reason I no longer use Hotwire is that I just haven't seen great rates. AND, they constantly send you e-mails &quot;you can save up to and additional $XX on your XX/XX/XX stay&quot;, but when you check, the rates are actually much higher.

I must say, however, that Priceline does NOT have the bargains I've obtained previously these days. Particularly with regard to their &quot;packages&quot;.

For various reasons, there is way less traffic on BFT these days. Used to be you could really bid intelligently, even rush to bid for a really incredible bargain (such as $110/night for the Marriott Marquis over New Year's). Lately, there are fewer and fewer winning bids to peruse, either because folks are no longer bothering to post or they're just not as successful as before, or both.

&quot;How they work?&quot; With either you must do your homework and know what you're doing.

A good resource for educating yourself on using both is www.betterbidding.com

www.betterbidding.com is a good site for Hotwire information.

I've used both Priceline and Hotwire for Boston. I used to bid Priceline 3 star Cambridge to be assured of getting the Cambridge Hyatt which is down the street from my daughter's dorm at MIT. Last year Priceline changed their Cambridge map boundaries to include a little section across the river in Boston and that added a 3 star Doubletree. The Doubletree is not convenient to anything and surrounded by highways. Now I use Hotwire if I have to have the Hyatt. It's listed on Hotwire as a 3 1/2 star customer favorite.

Be sure to recheck maps before you bid.

When using Hotwire for air fare, be sure to read carefully. We were comparing 2 flights to Albuquerque - the cheaper one ( by $4) actually indicated the departure was between 6a.m. and noon....the other flight didn't say anything about departure time, but cost more!! Go figure!! Since Expedia, travelocity, et al were offering the same price with the actual known flight time, we did not end up using Hotwire.

I only bid on Priceline 4 star hotels as their ratings are often shaky. Many hotels that priceline would consider a 3 star I would conider 2.

Also check the biddingfortravel.com hotel list for each city as you can often figure out which hotel you'll probably get. This website is fantastic.

I'm surprised more people don't use Priceline. Also a lifesaver for last minute airfares for funerals or medical
emergencies.

I've heard Priceline is big in Canada as Canadians are known for being ch- er thrifty.

I use both.

But I always try Priceline and use that as the first option. If that GREAT price doesn't fly, then I opt for Hotwire at a certain level, but usually if I can determine which hotel it is. You can often do that with Hotwire by matching amenities and reviews etc. Not always.

I find the Hotwire is NOT worth it (auto pay/no cancel etc.) on some of their pricing. When I do get it, and I always do with 6 weeks or more lead, a Priceline success is always far more $$$ saved.