Travellers can save a lot of of money by using Hotwire for their travel reservations, especially hotel rooms. If you’re not familiar with how to use Hotwire, this article provides answers to some of the most common Hotwire frequently asked questions (FAQs). Topics covered include: how does Hotwire work for hotels; how to reveal your Hotwire hotel; and much more.
How does Hotwire work? For hotels, here’s an overview of how it works when you’re booking a hotel on Hotwire. When you search for hotels, you do not know the name of the hotel until after you buy. Instead, you are given some information about the hotel but not the name or the exact location. Here is what you know about the a hotel at the time of bidding:
- Dates of travel and the hotel rating: You specify this information when you search for hotels.
- Approximate location of the hotel: Hotwire puts hotels into “zones”, and your hotel will be somewhere within that zone.
- Hotel amenities: They tell you the hotel amenities you’ll get, such as swimming pool, airport shuttle, fitness center and the like. This is one of the great reasons to choose Hotwire over other bidding sites such as Priceline.
What type of bed will I get on Hotwire? This is a very common question. The simple answer is that it depends on how many guests you’ve specified. On hotel reservations, you can specify up to 4 persons per rom and you’re guaranteed bedding to accommodate all guests specified. Usually, hotels assume up to 2 guests per bed (queen or larger), and therefore, if you want a guarantee of 2 beds its best to specify 3 guests when making your hotel booking.
How to cancel a Hotwire hotel reservation? Reservations are non-refundable and cannot be cancelled. I am always surprised by the number of customers that complain about this because the cancellation policy is very prominent when you make your reservation. As a general rule, do not use Hotwire if you think you might have to cancel or change your reservation.
What type of discount can I expect? Travellers can expect to save anywhere from 20% to 50% on hotels. Because of the risk (non-refundable and mystery hotels), I avoid Hotwire unless I am saving enough to compensate me for the risk. I like to save at least $15 per night to make it worth my while. Note that Hotwire discounts are usually not as deep as Priceline.
How to reveal Hotwire hotels? This is the most commonly asked question. It seems like everyone wants to know how to reveal their Hotwire hotel before booking. Thanks to the internet, revealing the name of your hotel is possible. The easiest way to reveal your hotel name is to use the Hotwire hotel lists here on HotelDealsRevealed.com. These lists are generated by fellow travellers and customers who shared their purchase details on the Hotwire forum. Simply compare the following: hotel zone, hotel rating, and amenities. Chances are, if you find an exact match, that’s the hotel you’re going to get.
How reliable are the Hotwire Hotel Lists? We go to great lengths to keep the hotel lists as up to date as possible but they are still not 100% accurate. Sometimes hotels change amenities (e.g., they no longer offer airport shuttle service) or other chances occur. In other cases, the data we have is simply wrong. Therefore, I always advice that when using the Hotwire hotel lists to reveal your hotel, use the cautiously, and only as a guide to help you learn what hotel(s) you might get.
By the way, this site and the hotel lists rely on crow sourcing, meaning through the goodness of travellers such as yourself paying it forward and sharing their Hotwire hotel purchase info. It would be great if you contributed.
What are some common Hotwire complaints? I wrote an article on Hotwire complaints. This covers 90% of the most common complaints, but feel free to voice your own complaints on the discussion forum
How can I get additional help? The Hotwire forum is a great place to get help. We’re a community of several thousand strong and love to help fellow travellers save money and avoid some of the pitfalls. Check out the Hotwire forum and feel free to ask any questions.