Priceline vs Hotwire for pre/post cruise hotels

[Clarkk W Griswald]

I'm looking for comparison between the two for booking hotels. We had used Priceline once previously, and while we got a good price on the hotel room, we got a crappy room. I requested a king, non-smoking, and when we checked in all that they said was left was double, smoking room. The room smelled terrible!!

 

So if anyone has ever used both, which did you like better, and why?

Thanks!

[Shippy]

I actually use them both for reference & then go to the actual hotel site.

We just booked the Renaissace Long Beach which is a Marriott property. It was $159. on both Hotwire & Priceline. The Marriott site was running an 'internet' special for the date we wanted & it was only $99.

 

A few months ago, it was the same type of senerio when we went to Fort Lauderdale & stayed at a Hilton Doubletree.

 

I find the same is true for airlines. I use orbitz for reference then go directly to the airline site to book.

[ikelmay]

I think you summed up the positives and negatives of using Priceline. Rates can be excellent, but you can't specify room configuration. It is possible to request directly with the hotel after your confirmation but don't expect a guarantee on beds, smoking etc.

 

It is a crapshoot - sometimes the rooms have been less than stellar, sometimes excellent. I have found a tendency recently to allocate rooms furthest from the elevators which suits me fine!!

 

Also, check the taxes and charges each time - I ended up with a terrific hotel in central London through Hotwire with a very low addon which I think was a mistake.

 

As to PL v Hotwire - I do my research and have a good sense for what I'm bidding/viewing. Hotwire tends to be slightly more, but there is a greater sense of what you are getting, and for those unaccustomed to bidding, it is easier to navigate. I always check both sites though, as occasionally Hotwire can be the better price.

 

I'd also agree with the previous poster - don't automatically assume with the addons and charges that PL/Hotwire are cheaper. I recently bagged an airport hotel in San Diego that was cheaper directly than either PL or HW and it was completely flexible (something to bear in mind that all PL and HW bookings are non refundable/non changeable).

[negc]

My experiences using Priceline have only been positive. :) Recently I bid

$65 for a two night stay in the Ft. Lauderdale area next November and got the Hyatt Place - Ft.Lauderdale Airport - South. In the Miami area we have managed to bid successfully for the Marriott Biscayne Bay, Radisson (now the Hilton Miami) and the Hyatt Regency Downtown Miami and paid significantly less than we would have paid had be booked directly with the hotel. Only for the Hyatt did we bid more than $65 (it took a bid of $115 to get it). If you are familiar with the areas that Priceline uses, and limit yourself to higher end (3+star) properties, you can usually get a good hotel for a very good price. In all our instances we have never had a bad room and almost always have been able to get the type of room and the amenities that we desired. When we booked the Hyatt in Miami, the clerk at the desk even upgraded our son and his family to a suite that easily accommodated the five of them.

Haven't used Hotwire and always check the major chains first to see if they are offering any special deals that would make it more advantageous to book direct, but in most instances, Priceline has proven to be our best option.:)

[melodieRN]

we use travelcity, the rates were pretty comparable to staying at a buisness class hotel in the pgh area. We are guaranteed our room too. For instance we are going to be staying at the wyndam hotel in miami for 99.00 each night on their site it would have cost 401.00. There is no way i would have paid 400.00 for a room,since we booked our cruise with them and they gave us this deal, it was well worth it.

[pcur]

I have used hotwire, priceline, expedia, and the hotels directly. Here's my 2 cents:

 

Hotwire: if you carefully research in advance on another hotel booking site, like tripadvisor or expedia, you will know the amenities and location of your preferred hotels. I read all the descriptions and reviews before I go to Hotwire, since you are asking for a "x" stars hotel in a certain area.

 

Having said that, I got a fantastic deal post-cruise in Hawaii last year at the Outrigger Waikiki for $69 a night, plus tax.

 

In addition, we had booked through them for our family cruise out of FLL last December, and the hotel was "demoted" for some reason. Since I had indicated a certain star rating, they gave me a $25 credit for each night. Well, I had booked 4 rooms, so we had $100 to pay for another hotel room on our next cruise!

 

Priceline: I find the opposite to be true from what was previously posted above. I have always found Priceline more expensive on anything I've tried to book through them: hotels, cars, cruise prices.

 

Expedia: I use this site as my research site. I have booked many hotels through them, and they give you online coupons when you book with them multiple times. I find their prices very competitive.

 

Booking direct with the hotel: I always go to the hotel, airline, car rental, etc., before I book on any other site. Sometimes the price is lower booking directly, and sometimes not.

 

My most recent booking is a good example. I needed an inexpensive hotel in Waikiki. I did my research and found a hotel that has great reviews, but the price was really low. I went to the hotel's web site, and even though the price was the same, the hotel has an additonal feature. I could opt to pay an additonal $7 per night at check-in if they had an upgraded room available. This was a lot cheaper than buying the higher category room when I booked. I just checked this hotel for a friend last week, and our price was lower than what they are now charging for the same room about 3 weeks before we will be there. Also, the reviews are still good on TripAdvisor and Expedia!!

 

So, I suggest you try all of the above and see what the best deal is.

[Host Kewlguy]

I think people are confused regarding Priceline. The only feature that should be used on Priceline is the "Name Your Own Price" bidding option. No other discount web site can match Priceline's savings. Especially when bidding on hotels. We also bid for rental cars on Priceline.

 

Regarding the OPs' comments, I would suggest in the future you call the hotel immediately after your bid is accepted and inform them of your room requests. The hotels generally won't guarantee the requests but usually try to accommodate them.

[138east]

Hotwire - you can get a room for 4 people

 

I always call the hotel the arrival morning to make sure they have my reservation and that the appropriate room is blocked out for me.

 

When recommending to others on these forums I always feel more comfortable recommending Hotwire because of the ability to more accurately guess what they are going to get. I have an excellent "guess" rate for Boston where the hotel rooms are so expensive that using Hotwire or Priceline is almost a necessity.

[pcur]

I think people are confused regarding Priceline. The only feature that should be used on Priceline is the "Name Your Own Price" bidding option. No other discount web site can match Priceline's savings. Especially when bidding on hotels. We also bid for rental cars on Priceline.

 

I've tried "name your own price" many times on Priceline for hotels and car rentals. The car rentals especially are always more expensive than my favorite car rental booking site. The hotels always end up at the same price, or not working at the same price, as other web sites. So, I finally gave up with Priceline and use Hotwire instead.

 

I have a price in mind, I find it somewhere, and then I go to the various web sites to check their prices. Priceline never meets the other price I found. I think either their fees bump it up, or they don't have the same contracts with the hotel vendors.

[pcur]

I have an excellent "guess" rate for Boston where the hotel rooms are so expensive that using Hotwire or Priceline is almost a necessity.

 

That's it exactly! If you do your homework and become familiar with the hotels and their features, you can pretty much get one of your top choices.

[Host Kewlguy]

I've tried "name your own price" many times on Priceline for hotels and car rentals. The car rentals especially are always more expensive than my favorite car rental booking site. The hotels always end up at the same price, or not working at the same price, as other web sites. So, I finally gave up with Priceline and use Hotwire instead.

 

I have a price in mind, I find it somewhere, and then I go to the various web sites to check their prices. Priceline never meets the other price I found. I think either their fees bump it up, or they don't have the same contracts with the hotel vendors.

 

Our experiences with Priceline have been completely different than yours. We have saved thousands of dollars over the years using Priceline and no other web site comes close to the savings we've received. We almost always pay no more than 50% of the rack rate on the hotels web site.

[willing292]

I've had great luck dealing directly with the hotels. I think it's because I'm a loyalty member with them all.

[OhioJeff]

I've tried "name your own price" many times on Priceline for hotels and car rentals. The car rentals especially are always more expensive than my favorite car rental booking site. The hotels always end up at the same price, or not working at the same price, as other web sites. So, I finally gave up with Priceline and use Hotwire instead.

 

I have a price in mind, I find it somewhere, and then I go to the various web sites to check their prices. Priceline never meets the other price I found. I think either their fees bump it up, or they don't have the same contracts with the hotel vendors.

This is so strange, I use Priceline name your own price about 50-60 times a year and have never found any site that came close to the deals I have gotten.

 

Im curious what cities have you been checking? I use the research sites and always submit the lowest accepted bid and usually get a 4* hotel in most places for $65-85 a night included fees and taxes.

[Nebr.cruiser]

This is so strange, I use Priceline name your own price about 50-60 times a year and have never found any site that came close to the deals I have gotten.

 

Im curious what cities have you been checking? I use the research sites and always submit the lowest accepted bid and usually get a 4* hotel in most places for $65-85 a night included fees and taxes.

 

I agree with you; we have always gotten amazing deals from Pricelines bidding site--4* hotels usually in the $55-$79 range. So far the rooms have all been just fine. One hotel was farther from the port than I wanted, but that was due to a bidding error on my part--didn't do my homework well enough as to the areas in San Diego. On occasion we've even been upgraded or given ocean view rooms on request.

 

We've used Hotwire as well, with some great deals. It's often easier to be almost sure of what hotel you are getting by researching the amenities and using sites that help with the bidding/purchase at Priceline or Hotwire. Hotwire is best if you must have beds for four--that can't be guaranteed on Priceline.

 

I also check the hotel sites, but seldom find deals that match either Hotwire or Priceline. If they are close, I'll probably book with the hotel direct due to more flexibility.

[pcur]

I agree with you; we have always gotten amazing deals from Pricelines bidding site--4* hotels usually in the $55-$79 range. So far the rooms have all been just fine. One hotel was farther from the port than I wanted, but that was due to a bidding error on my part--didn't do my homework well enough as to the areas in San Diego. On occasion we've even been upgraded or given ocean view rooms on request.

 

We've used Hotwire as well, with some great deals. It's often easier to be almost sure of what hotel you are getting by researching the amenities and using sites that help with the bidding/purchase at Priceline or Hotwire. Hotwire is best if you must have beds for four--that can't be guaranteed on Priceline.

 

I also check the hotel sites, but seldom find deals that match either Hotwire or Priceline. If they are close, I'll probably book with the hotel direct due to more flexibility.

 

Well, I'll try Priceline again. I was trying for the same # stars and price, but getting nothing. I think I was trying mostly in FLL, near LAX (where I got a terrific price from Hotwire), and HNL. And, I did all the research stuff the same, too.

 

Maybe things improved since I gave up on them.

[CaribeDiver]

Used Priceline for Mariner cruise next month and got Crowne Plaza for $80 when the cheapest room on CP site was $143.

[lovemylab]

I prefer priceline. I have usually saved at least 40-50% on hotel rooms, sometimes more.

 

With proper research, you can usually narrow down what hotel you are getting with hotwire. However, I've found the savings on priceline to be better.