Travelers who frequently use Hotwire will want to learn about their loyalty program called Hotwire Express. The program is not new and has been around since 2009, but very few travelers actually know about it. Here is how it works:
Enrolling In The Hotwire Express Program
Travelers cannot sign up to become members of Hotwire Express. The program is designed for frequent website users, and the only way to join the exclusive club is by invitation only. This means booking more than some amount of hotels per year. The exact threshold is unknown — when I called Hotwire, no specific number of bookings or dollar threshold was revealed, only that it was based on a “formula of nights booked and dollars spent on Hotwire.” According to some in the Hotwire forum, the threshold seems to be around $1,000 of hotel reservations or 10 night stay per year to be admitted into the program.
The best way to ensure you get into the program is to book all your hotel reservations under the same Hotmail account (email address and password).
Getting notified: Oddly, I did not receive any email notification that I was now a member of the Hotwire Express Program. I only noticed this when I saw the program logo top right hand side of the screen when booking a hotel on Hotwire. To find out if you are a member, log in to your Hotwire account and look in the top right corner.
Hotwire Express Benefits
The program offers the following benefits:
- A direct phone number for customer support and issues resolution: I have called Hotwire Express twice. Both times, I was extremely satisfied with their customer service. This was a very welcomed surprise considering many complaints travellers have about Hotwire. I give them an A+ for customer service to program members.
- Exclusive benefits such as hotel upgrades: When I called Hotwire to enquire about this, the answer I received was vague. Unlike other loyalty / frequent customer programs, there is no concreteness around the perk you will actually get. The best way to ensure you receive such offers is to ensure you are signed up for their 2 newsletters: “Persoanlized Hot Rate Alerts” and “Savings Notices”. The benefits are too vague for me, I give them a D for perks.
- Ability to block unwanted hotels: Sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it? It is a little too goo to be true. Here is how this one works. Once you have booked and stayed at a hotel, you can avoid staying at this hotel in the future by blocking it. Good for travellers who frequently visit the same location, but there is very little benefit to travellers who want to avoid the bad experience in the first place. To be clear: You cannot block a hotel unless you have stayed there and had a bad experience. I give this perk a D.
- Bending the rules: Hotwire doesn’t advertise it, but another perk of the Hotwire Express program is that they can bend the rules for you. The example I was given was around their no-cancelation policy. It sounds like if you’re a program member and complain hard enough, there is some latitude for them to cancel your booking and issue a refund. Again, there is lack of concreteness, so I give this perk a C.
Hotwire Express Overall Rating
I have to give this program a mediocre C-. My main complaint is that it lacks concreteness that I like to see in loyalty programs. Some of the perks are nice if I ever have to use them (such as calling their support team), but these benefits are rare. In the 100+ bookings I’ve made on Hotwire, I’ve had to call customer service just 3 or 4 times. Other perks are too vague, and there is never any guarantee that I will derive a single benefit from them.
I would not recommend that travellers use Hotwire just because of their program. Instead, I always recommend travellers consider Hotwire in these circumstances:
- After you have exhausted your free rebids on Priceline and cannot find a hotel cheaper than what Hotwire is offering.
- When you need to avoid Priceline because of the Name Your Own Price restrictions such as need certain hotel amenities or need a room for more than 3 people.
- If you can reveal your Hotwire hotel before bidding, thus taking the risk out of buying a mystery hotel.