Travel Writer: HDR Team - Page 13

Expedia Unpublished Hotels – Revealed

Travellers booking a hotel room using Expedia Unpublished Hotels can save a lot of money, but how do you reveal your hotel before bidding?

First, a quick primer on Expedia Unpublished hotels. Hotels with excess inventory sell off their rooms to Expedia. Since these rooms would otherwise be vacant, hotels are generally quite happy to sell them off at a deep discount. However, they don’t want to diminish their brand or anger customers who paid higher rates. Expedia Unpublished Hotels makes this possible by not revealing the name of the hotel until after you buy your room. Instead of displaying the hotel name, Expedia displays certain information such as the general vicinity of the hotel, its star rating, and hotel amenities.

Expedia’s Unpublished Hotels are actually provided by Hotwire, and as far as I can tell, Expedia and Hotwire use the same inventory and provide the same data. In other words, the way to reveal an Expedia Unpublished Hotel is to figure out the equivalent Hotwire hotel.

Westin Diplomat on Priceline

HotelDealsRevealed.com collects information from travellers who have actually used Priceline. Customers are willing to post their winning bid, and report how much they paid and reveal the hotel name. Thanks to Priceline forum members, we know much about the Westin Diplomat on Priceline.

(1) The Westin Diplomat is a 4 star hotel on Priceline.
(2) The hotel appears in the Hollywood bidding zone.
(3) The Westin Diplomat tends to go for between $100 and $120 per night, although we have seen it go for as low as $70 and as high as $140.

Bidding for Travel

Bidding for travel has gained popularity over the last few years, and for very good reason. Travellers can save money on products such as hotels, car rentals and airline tickets. The biggest savings are in hotel reservations, where travellers can save sometimes 60% or more, but bidding for travel also has some risks associated with it. The most popular travel bidding sites are Priceline and Hotwire. Here are some strategies for how to rebid on Priceline and how to reveal the name of your hotel before making your purchase.

Hotwire Revealed

Travellers hope to have their hotel name on Hotwire revealed can do so simply by comparing the information found on Hotwire to the info on the Hotwire Hotel Lists. These lists are created by actual customers who have shared their purchase details, including the hotel name. This makes it possible to reveal your hotel before bidding for travel. There are a few caveats however. First, the data displayed on Hotwire may be slightly different from the Hotwire Hotel List. The reason for this is…

14 Hidden Charges on Priceline Hotel Rooms

Priceline offers the best hotel rates, but it pays to do your homework and beware of some of the hidden charges on Priceline hotel rooms. Consider their own warning:

The credit card is required for any additional hotel specific service fees or incidental charges or fees that may be charged by the hotel to the customer at checkout. These charges may be mandatory (e.g., resort fees) or optional (parking, phone calls or minibar charges) and are not included in your offer price.

Priceline Complaints

Did you know that most Priceline complaints can be avoided? The best way to deal with a Priceline complaint is to avoid the complaint in the first. Here are some ways you can avoid complaints against Priceline. First, use the hotel list to find out what hotel you might get. Second, ask members of the Priceline forum for help bidding…