Difference between Hotwire and Priceline prices

[iahphx]

Needed a hotel in the San Fernando Valley (north of LA) and went to Hotwire first to get an idea of what might be available. They had a 4-star Hilton in my zone for $68 (I determined it was the Hilton by looking at the "packages" feature). So I bid on Priceline (3 stars) to see how well I could do. I got the Hilton for $42.

That's a pretty shocking differential, and I don't think it's THAT different from others I've seen. Even with all these bonuses Hotwire is throwing out, it's hard to get very enthusiastic about using their service. Sure, given their slightly different business model, you'd expect Hotwire to charge more (there are no "dumb bidders" to soak). But this kind of markup is simply excessive.

[skelman]

The opposite can be true, although it is rather difficult to quantify exactly, as few people are willing to pay more for a Priceline bid knowing that the same or similar hotel can be had through Hotwire for less.

Most recently, I've stayed at a 3* hotel in Quebec City for $52 per night, having tried Priceline up to $50 for a 2* with no luck. I obviously don't know how much I'd have to spend on PL, but clearly it would be no less than HW.

I also prefer to stay at suite hotels, something that is often impossible to tell with PL, but is stated beforehand with HW. The question is whether knowing such things is worth the extra cash to you.

[thereuare]

Well said.

[silver]

hotwire is generally a fixed rate at most hotels while the priceline rate floats off of their best available rate. so if they are discounted heavily during a need date at the hotel, the priceline rate would be better, I would check those rates during holidays and weekends while looking at hotwire during midweek business travel and high demand leisure times

[skelman]

In my admittedly limited experience, I've noticed no such correlation.

I mostly book weekend travel in larger cities, and I've had pretty mixed results so far, with Priceline and Hotwire satisfying my needs about 40% of the time each, with Orbitz and Travelocity filling in the rest.

I still think that both PL and HW are pretty competitive, which is why I do my research every time.

[thereuare]

I find that both rates fluctuate based upon the hotel's actual demand (which is usually reflected in the hotel's prices). If this wasn't the case, Hotwire would always be the better choice during times of high demand... but that's not necessarily the case.

[mikepa]

I saw the opposite. I bid $60 for a 3* hotel in the Universal area of Orlando and it was rejected. I then found out about hotwire and it offered me a 3* hotel for $43!! (I'm at the hotel Clarior now and it's a bit dumpy for 3*).

[thereuare]

... but the Clarion is not a 3* rated hotel by Priceline (as well it shouldn't be), so not really an apples-to-apples comparison.

[gleemonex]

i tried this same sort of strategy yesterday.

i checked hotline for halifax out of curiosity, and they had a 3.5* for $93. so i figured that priceline might also have inventory at the same place. so i opened up savingsbarn and bid $60 for a 3* in halifax, which was rejected. i added a rebid zone and tried $65, which was also rejected.

is there any sort of rule of thumb about using hotwire to gauge priceline?

[thereuare]

I don't think that there is any formula regarding pricing, as:

-some hotels discount much more than others

-Hotwire prices and mark-up fluctuate

-Hotwire is more competitive in some areas and less in others

One thing to keep in mind though is the general rule of thumb regarding Hotwire ratings:

Hotwire 4.5* = Priceline 4*

Hotwire 4* = Priceline 3* or 4*

Hotwire 3.5* = Priceline 3*

Hotwire 3* = Priceline 3* or 2.5*

Hotwire 2.5* = Priceline 2.5* or 2*

In my opinion, for a truly opaque purchase, the Hotwire 3* is the riskiest of ratings... you could get a Radisson (which would usually be ok) or you could get a Comfort Inn/Holiday Inn (which i would prefer less than a Radisson)

[byeloe]

One exception to the above rule is the Sheraton downtown Toronto, which is now rated as 4* by priceline but remains an easily identifiable 3.5* on Hotwire.

[Jeffreysm]

I live in Canada and it looks to me Priceline only accepts USA billing address but Hotline accepts international users. Is this true or have I missed something?

[thereuare]

Some have had success following the details in this thread:

PRICELINE CANADA