Hotwire Hotel: Hotwire Fees

[hohogap]

I'm used to bidding Priceline's "Name Your Own Price" more often and take their $6.95 fee as reasonable when Naming Your Own Price. I noticed in my recent HW booking on their "Secret hot Rate" deal that the fees seemed high, over $10, based on Alaska's sales tax for hotels. I then looked at straight booking the Hampton on Hotwire as I need another stay to reach HiltonHonors Gold for the year, and possibly do a few more business trips and catch up to the Diamond HH level. In any event, Hotwire lists the exact rate that Hilton.com lists for a non-cancellable reservation, i.e. $175.12. Hilton adds tax of $14.01 for a total of $189.13. Checking back in with HW, their "added fees and tax" were $24.59, an additional $10.58 over the direct booking on Hilton.com. Hadn't previously noticed the HW fee on direct bookings, has this been standard? PL lists the Hampton for a non-refundable price of $182.15, with "taxes and fees" of $16.63, which means they are collecting about the same on a straight booking as Hotwire! Not that high when you use the NYOP, so I guess I need to be sure that when I book direct with Hilton, I book through the BB Board Support Page link above when needing the nights to keep my HHonors level!

Thanks again for all of the assistance the site provides.

[thereuare]

All third party websites charge booking fees.

[hohogap]

Amazing. And the fact that people book them without booking direct with the hotel to save money is ridiculous.