Hotwire

[jdpri]

Do you get a better deal by buying the same day or by buying ahead of when you want to stay.

[dahammer]

Greetings!

this topic is covered in the FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions. I typically bid (PRICELINE) or buy (HOTWIRE) on the day of my stay as this gives me the most flexibility with my schedule. That said, there have been several occasions where I attempted to duplicate bids from previous posts, but these were rejected. With regards to HOTWIRE, I have seen prices increase or listings disappear. I attribute this to hotels being able to fill the hotel using conventional means.

There have also been times where HOTWIRE's prices came down or previous rejected bids were accepted as the dates drew near.

The best advice is to buy or bid when your plans are firm since your stay is not cancellable.

Please list your dates of travel in a new post, your desired budget and star level, and we can suggest a bidding stratgegy.

Please use the HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links on the board for your searches and bidding/purchases.

thanks!

[Z3R0]

Do you get a better deal by buying the same day or by buying ahead of when you want to stay.

Typically, with any reservation, the closer you book to day of travel, the higher the rate. This being because availability is probably going to be limited. Usually if you book a month or so in advance you'll get a really good rate, because a lot of availability may be offered. But hotels may have people with non-opaque reservations that cancel or change, so will open more rooms up which will in turn effect the rate as well.