[thereuare]

Both Priceline and HOTWIRE each have their own "terms of service" which are the actual rules which govern your puchase, but here is a short tutorial on each:

PRICELINE and HOTWIRE share many similarities, as well as many differences.

The general theme of each service is that you will get a great deal, but will only be told the name of the hotel after you agree to purchase it. This is presented as a 'win-win' since the hotel is able to get revenue for a hotel room that would have otherwise gone empty, and the consumer gets a great deal. As well, by not disclosing the name of the hotel until it is purchased, the hotels are able to charge higher prices to guests that only want to stay at their specific hotel and book through "traditional" methods.

With PRICELINE you are able to pick the area you'd like the hotel to be in, the dates of your stay, the minimum star rating (quality level), and the price. You tell Priceline that you want a hotel in XYZ city, 4 stars or better, and you are willing to pay $50/nite. Priceline will then see if they have any rooms that fit your criteria. If they do, you now own it.

HOTWIRE follows the same general theme, except Hotwire allows you to pick the area you'd like the hotel to be in and the dates of your stay. Hotwire will then show you prices for a variety of hotels (without disclosing the names) at different quality levels, as well as what amenities are available at each one. You can then decide which, if any, you'd like to purchase. Once you agree to buy the hotel, the actual name and address will be revealed.

If you have any questions about either service, feel free to ask. The users here are a friendly bunch and will be happy to help.

[Excel]

Hello Thereuare,
It is more clear now. Does it mean I can bid at a lower price in PL without knowing at all which hotel it is? As for Hotwire, I have to take the price listed with no bidding at all and I do not know the exact hotel. In this case, I will post question here and others will help me guest which one it is before I go ahead with reservations, right?

[thereuare]

Excel,

Where (city) are you looking to travel and what are the dates of your stay... we'll then move your post to that section of the board and continue your thread there.

[robb01]

Thank you, I've often used hotwire but never priceline. I will give them a chance now

[royal]

robb01, on Oct 14 2008, 03:48 PM, said:

Thank you, I've often used hotwire but never priceline. I will give them a chance now

I'm also a long time HOTWIRE user and PRICELINE noob, looking for a switch since hotwire has screwed me over twice (once said hotel has kitchen didn't, other one said hotel had microwave/fridge and didn't) Let's give PRICELINE a spin and see what happens!

[dahammer]

royal, on Dec 15 2008, 04:12 AM, said:

I'm also a long time hotwire user and priceline noob, looking for a switch since hotwire has screwed me over twice (once said hotel has kitchen didn't, other one said hotel had microwave/fridge and didn't) Let's give priceline a spin and see what happens!

if your hotel is missing any of the amenities stated prior to purchase, you have grounds to dispute your purchase with HOTWIRE customer service. However, you will need to carefully read the description of each amenity. According to HOTWIRE, a kitchenette can mean a microwave and a small refrigerator. I successfully disputed the "suite" amenity given to an Extended Stay America room and was offered "hot Dollars" towards a future stay. On another stay, the fitness room was out of service, so I reported this and received hot Dollars towards a future stay.

[rambo]

hi all,

I'm a new poster here and just bided on PL today. So, no luck and have to wait for 24 hrs to be able to bid again. I just need the advice if after 24 hrs, PL would terminate my bidding and not holding my credit card if they found my requiry hotel later on after 24 hrs waiting period?. I just would like to make sure that if I move to Hotwire instead and PL wouldn't charge on me. Can someone let me know about this?. thanks.

[yellowdog]

rambo

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Yes, you can move on to HOTWIRE without a problem. PRICELINE will not "bid for you" again. If your bid didn't get accepted so just move on.

Just start a new topic if you need help with your HOTWIRE stay.

Yellowdog.

[rambo]

thanks a lot for the advise.. it's great to know how bidding thing work with PL.

[OldRelayer]

rambo, on Aug 14 2009, 11:22 PM, said:

thanks a lot for the advise.. it's great to know how bidding thing work with PL.

There are a few tricks to a successful bid on Priceline and I think most of them are documented here. For me the trick is insuring it is the hotel I want. Hotwire once had reviews of the hotel they were offering which gave you everything you needed to know to isolate what hotel you were getting. I got the Sheraton in Philly and the Hyatt Harborside Boston for cheap using this approach, now it is more of a gamble on what hotel you actually will get. I have been lucky most of the time being able to find the hotel I want or an upgrade(which isn't always a better hotel) by really studying the star ratings in your area and keep the area as small as you can make it, then there will be more of a chance of you actually getting the hotel you want. The 1/2 stars are usually a good way of getting a good hotel and knowing what you are getting, for instance, there might be 4 or 5 3 star hotels in and area but only one 3 1/2, if you are persistent and have a lot of time you can get that hotel for the best possible price. Of course it also works for 2 1/2 star hotels as well. I like the 2 1/2 star hotels they don't have all the things I don't use anyway and they generally offer a decent breakfast. Right now I am trying to get a hotel for Sept 18, 19 in Portland Maine. I started a month ago, I haven't changed my bid price yet but I bid $50 for a 3 star(which in the past has worked, 5 or 6 times) but this time it is stubborn. There is also a 3 1/2 hotel in the same area which we have stayed at and liked quite well. I am bidding $50 on the 3 star and $60 on the 3 1/2 at the moment, I might have to ease that up as I get closer to the date. I also have some Certs for nice restaurants from Restaurant.com $25 certs for $2, can't beat that. I need to be in the area for a Wedding the host hotel is $279 which most people will pay, but and pay all out doors for a good meal, we will do it for less than half of that and probably have a better place and have a better time. There ya go, that is the sum total of what I know.

Good luck,
Barry

[acampos]

hi, this is my first time in here and i pretty much read and got an idea of how this works. but i still have one question. can anybody tell me how long it usually takes for priceline to give me a response on my bid. it's just that i think im looking in to this too late because i'm going out of town today (since it's already the 29th) and i dont know if i should even bid or not. how long? thanks

[AaronJB]

Acampos, Welcome to Betterbidding.

If your bid is accepted, you are told instantly and given the details. There are some rare occasions where the service will get back to you in a few minutes with a response, but it's generally instant.

Please use the site's PRICELINE or HOTWIRE links to start your purchases and searches.

[acampos]

Thanks a lot for your response. Just wanted to let u know that I just got back from my trip to dallas. (I'm in houston, texas) everything was great. The hotel was great I figured out how to work this priceline. I'll definitely use it again. The only thing is that I'm looking at the comments above and I realized that I could have bid less maybe. But I think I got what I payed for. A 3 1/2 star for $65. Right in downtown dallas. That's good right?

[thereuare]

acampos,

Please share your results with the board by posting your win in the Priceline - Texas section of the board so that the information can best help others in the future. We will answer any question you have regarding your purchase in this newly created thread.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

Thank you.