Hotwire Low Price Guarentee w/Priceline name your price?

[Meats123]

Hello all,

I am wondering if its possible to take advantage of Hotwire's Low Price Guarantee using a booking via Priceline.com. Example scenario:

Hotwire hotel listed as $80/night

Priceline hotel bid won at $40/night for the same hotel

I ask because I've mastered Priceline and Hotwire for my area and know which hotels correspond to each star rating and zone. If I were to book two rooms, first at Hotwire and then at Priceline, the unmatched total would be $120/night. However, with the double the difference would take down the price to $40/night for two rooms!!!!

Questions:

1. Has anyone ever done this?
   
2. Can anyone poke holes in my example?
   
3. Is there any possibility of using the Low Price Gaurantee and Priceline without booking and paying for 2 rooms?
   

I think there is a possibility in my area to have a hotwire hotel listed at $149/night and priceline bid to win at $39/night. The doubled difference would be $220/night.

Thanks guys!

[powerplantop]

The rate has to be displayed on the website and be bookable.

[Meats123]

The rate has to be displayed on the website and be bookable.

hmm... seems like that could be open to interpretation. from reading hotwire's fine print the rate can not be any special discount applicable to certain people or members. priceline certainly does not discriminate or have special booking codes that reduce the price. once the hotel is booked, that should be proof enough that its bookable since it already been paid for, no?

[dahammer]

NO

From HOTWIRE's Double the Difference page:

In order to verify the other rate's availability, Hotwire may request additional information from you including, without limitation, the URL address reflecting the lower price or the name of the hotel representative that quoted the lower rate, and/or your address or contact information in order to confirm the availability of a refund during a given six-week period.

The Low-Price Guarantee applies only to non-qualified rates available to the general public in the same hotel, on the same dates and for equivalent room types as the booking you made on Hotwire. The Low-Price Guarantee does not apply to membership or corporate rates or special discounted rates including AAA, AARP, employee, military, government or convention rates. The Low-Price Guarantee also does not apply to rates made available on Hotwire after your booking. Employees (including their families and persons residing in the same household) of Hotwire hotel partners are not eligible.

Why don't you give it a shot and report back?

[Meats123]

i emailed their customer service about this. Yes, i read what you posted and NO it doesn't specifically exclude priceline. It says they "may" ask for a URL, but if you already booked the room, that should be good enough evidence. All rates on priceline are non-qualified, subject to availability.

[BEAV]

I've used Hotwire's double-the-difference program several times in situations where I needed two rooms on a given night.

It's been a simple process each and every time. Submit your application to Hotwire noting Priceline as the website you found your lower rate. They will reply with a fax number for you to send your Priceline confirmation sheet with date and price info. I've done this several times and have always been successful.

Below is a link to a previous Hotwire double-the-difference claim using Priceline as the lower-priced source:

Hotwire Double the Difference Guarantee

[Meats123]

Thanks Beav, you are proof that my theory is correct. The rub is that you need to book the priceline hotel first, and be sure that the hotwire hotel is the same one. If you nail those two, you can make it an incredible deal.