Priceline Hotel: Using Hotwire to spot cheap areas before bidding on Priceline

[stealthology]

Hi there,

Do a lot of you use this strategy to select an area which you know is pretty low based on the Hotwire price, and start your bids at ~20-40% lower on Priceline?

Are the hotel databases and prices for both of these sites pretty darn similar and update at around the same time?

Thanks!

Dan

[stealthology]

I guess another question is if it's common for there to be a great deal on Priceline while the same hotel on Hotwire isn't such a great deal.

[thereuare]

You can use HOTWIRE to get a general feel for rates, but it's not an apples-to-apples comparison since:

• each service rates hotels differently, so a 4* on one service might be a 3.5* thru the other service
• each uses different zone boundaries in a given region so the HOTWIRE hotel you're seeing may not even be in the zone that you intend on bidding
• each has their own universe of hotels (what appears on one site may not appear on the other)

If you'd like help with an upcoming stay let us know the particulars (desired zone, star rating, budget, dates, etc) and we'll try to assist further.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[stealthology]

Thanks for the info. Well, I'm just looking for the best 4 star deal to be had in DC or Arlington.

Anyone can help? Thanks.

[AaronJB]

Please let us know date/s of tavel and desired budget per night for this stay and we would be happy to offer suggestions.

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.