Using hotwire to bid priceline

[iahphx]

Operating under the assumption that many of the same hotels participate in both Priceline and Hotwire, I've taken to pricing Hotwire before I do any priceline bidding. This technique has become more useful of late as Hotwire has expanded their list of cities.

It's hardly scientific, but I have found that I can usually get a priceline reservation for about 10 bucks less than the best rate I see on hotwire for that star level (and I operate under the assumption that hotwire is a little more lenient on their star rankings). This would make some sense, of course, because Hotwire's business model would seem to necessitate some sort of additional markup over priceline's "you've got to guess it exactly right for the lowest price" model.

The other useful thing about consulting hotwire is for times when you get frustrated with a priceline bid that, based on previous recorded results, "should" be accepted. If you're not seeing hotwire rates "in the ballpark" of your bid, chances are the inventory is simply not there for the low rates on one or more of your days. Just today, for example, I broke down a multi-day bid on hotwire to see if I had any "problem days" in my earlier unsuccessful priceline bid. Sure enough, I found one day in my intended stay where hotwire had awful rates. I then took that day out of my priceline bid and voila -- bid accepted at the price I wanted (of course, you then have to work your trip around the day you can't get!).

Another benefit of consulting hotwire is their willingness to reveal the amenities of the hotels participating. As has been discussed elsewhere on this board, this often helps narrow down the guess of what hotel you're likely to get, perhaps even on a comparable priceline bid.

There may also be times when, based on the data hotwire gives you, you would choose to pay a little more to "select" a specific hotel on hotwire. With priceline, you're likely to get the low bidder at the star level you choose -- with hotwire, you get to choose which "unnamed" hotel you want, with the amenity list and customer recommendations giving you some pretty darn good clues. This is particularly valuable in big cities with lots of hotels in a zone or star level. For example, the Atlanta downtown zone has been corrupted by a 3-star Holiday Inn Select when everyone really wants one of the nicer "real" 3-star hotels in that zone. Using hotwire, I believe you could easily "guess" your way to one of the better hotels (perhaps picking a "customer choice" property after reading the reviews?) for a few bucks more than what you could get for the worst hotel for on priceline. Similarly, if you wanted a suite, or a property with a pool, you could choose that on Hotwire as well.

Bottom line is that it's an advantage to consult hotwire before placing a priceline hotel bid, and then deciding if and how much you want to bid on priceline.

[thereuare]

GREAT post!

I will add that Priceline's new new 'taxes and fees' combined format inflates the fee on extended stays. I think there are situations where and extended stay (7+ nites) would likely yield a better price via Hotwire than on Priceline, which didn't used to be the case.

I think it's risky to try to determine the Priceline hotel you are likely to receive by looking at Hotwire, but perhaps you've been successful at it. I guess it could possibly work in small towns with a low selection of hotels, but i wouldn't "count on it" as i think it would have a high probability of leading to disappointment.

[iahphx]

I think it's risky to try to determine the Priceline hotel you are likely to receive by looking at Hotwire, but perhaps you've been successful at it. .

Certainly more art than science, but for frequent priceline users deploying all of the "tools", it gets fairly easy to guess what you're likely to get. Of course, once in awhile, you get something completely from left field.

But that's part of the game -- you've got to be willing to stay in some places you'd rather avoid, for the "thrill" of saving some money (often, a lot of money) and the opportunity to be pleasantly surprised more often than not.

[thereuare]

I think it's risky to try to determine the Priceline hotel you are likely to receive by looking at Hotwire, but perhaps you've been successful at it.

I was trying to clarify for the newbies so that they DON"T think:

"the 3* hotel on Hotwire showed a pool and an airport shuttle, so i bid less on Priceline and the hotel i received doesn't have either of these"

[iahphx]

Yeah, there's definitely a learning curve. For most folks, just taking a look at some of the successful posted bids and then taking a look at hotwire for their specific days will probably lead them to a successful priceline bid that they will be happy with. Unless you're planning your dream vacation, or are simply "anal" about the process, that's really all you need to do to be a "smart bidder."