I simply do NOT understand the "hotwire.com" concept.

Redstone

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Mon Jan-19-09 09:47 PM
Original message

I simply do NOT understand the "hotwire.com" concept.

So. You commit to renting a hotel room in a specific city, but NOT until you've made a NON-cancellable reservation, do you find out exactly WHICH hotel, and WHERE in the city it is, in which you'll be staying.

Huh? Who would want to bet their money on a crapshoot like THAT? Not me, cool.

Redstone

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flvegan

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Mon Jan-19-09 09:49 PM
Response to Original message

1. Like buying tickets to a baseball game without knowing the teams

or where the game is?

You're so demanding, Redstone. :sarcasm:

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Redstone

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Mon Jan-19-09 09:58 PM
Response to Reply #1

5. Bingo.

Redstone

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PeaceNikki

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Mon Jan-19-09 09:50 PM
Response to Original message

2. The "where" in the city is very clearly defined.

I've used it for Chicago. If you use it in a city with which you're very familiar (or know someone who is), you can figure out the specific hotel before you commit.

I've gotten Swissotel in Chicago for $89 on a Friday night and Sheraton on the River for $79.

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Redstone

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Mon Jan-19-09 09:58 PM
Response to Reply #2

4. "You can 'figure out the specific hotel?'" I can't imagine wanting to do that;

I simply cannot understand how it would be worth saving twenty or even fifty dollars a night and not know where the hell I'd be sleeping. And I'll be damned if it would be worth my time to have to "figure out the specific hotel." I just wangt to make the damn reservation, know where I'm going, and be done with it.

Redstone

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PeaceNikki

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Mon Jan-19-09 10:03 PM
Response to Reply #4

6. Heh... Swissotel and Sheraton rates are about triple what I paid.

Edited on Mon Jan-19-09 10:03 PM by PeaceNikki

4-4.5 star hotels in the Magnificent Mile or Gold Coast won't be a disappointment and there are only a handful.

But hey, if you have money to burn, more power to ya!

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HERVEPA

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Mon Jan-19-09 10:26 PM
Response to Reply #4

8. Got a 3.5 star room in NYC for $187 in good location.

Any published price on regular discount sites was more than $300.
Great prices on car rentals also and always major chain.

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GOPisEvil

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Mon Jan-19-09 09:50 PM
Response to Original message

3. I've used Priceline in just that very way, and have had zero problems.

You pick the level of hotel you are willing to accept. I have stayed in hotels for 50% of list price. In fact, when I came up here to Seattle for my house hunting trip, I got a nice room at the Double Tree airport for about 50% off. Even though I had to pay for parking, I still came out ahead.

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WolverineDG

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Mon Jan-19-09 11:22 PM
Response to Reply #3

13. I use priceline when I know the city

& can make a guess as to which hotel I oculd be getting. I got a great hotel for a steal in London once...7 days at $60/night; I looked at the rates posted on their website. :wow: I couldn't even afford to breathe there at those rates.

dg

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fishwax

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Mon Jan-19-09 10:23 PM
Response to Original message

7. You do know where in the city it is

You don't necessarily know which hotel, but they list them by a rating system, so you know what kind of hotel it is, and if you want to it's usually not that tough to track down which hotel it is. I've saved quite a bit with it, and never saw it as much of a crapshoot.

But it's not for everyone, I suppose, and that's cool :)

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Initech

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Mon Jan-19-09 10:27 PM
Response to Original message

9. I fucking HATE Hotwire.

I booked a flight to Kentucky on them last year... and wound up staying a couple extra days. It was a PAIN IN THE ASS to change the flight. :mad:

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WolverineDG

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Mon Jan-19-09 11:19 PM
Response to Reply #9

12. which they warn you about up front

if you wanted to be able to change your reservation, you could have booked a flexible fare. You get what you pay for.

dg

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Initech

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Tue Jan-20-09 12:19 AM
Response to Reply #12

14. Yeah that is true.

I ALWAYS book my flights directly from the airline if I possibly can. This was one of the rare instances where I didnt - and wound up paying for it.

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LynzM

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Mon Jan-19-09 10:29 PM
Response to Original message

10. We've used it a bunch...

More for flights than hotels, but hotels, also. If it doesn't matter so much where you're staying, and if you're willing to walk a block or 6 in trade for saving a bunch of money, it can be worth it.

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Wapsie B

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Mon Jan-19-09 10:31 PM
Response to Original message

11. They're supposedly able to get deep discounts that way.

But I don't like hotwire for that very reason. If something happens at the last minute to change things you're outta luck, as with Priceline.
I use Orbitz.

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LeftyMom

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Tue Jan-20-09 12:25 AM
Response to Original message

15. I've used it in San Francisco

but I know the city and knew that all the hotels in that particular area were fine. I wound up with a great deal on a really cool old hotel, fantastic location, right on Market street only a block from a BART station, for less than I've paid previously for seriously sketchy hotels halfway down the peninsula.

I wouldn't use it if I didn't know the city well enough to have a pretty good idea of the hotel selection in the neighborhood or what neighborhood would be convenient to my destination. Which really limits my options with it- generally any place I know that well I have someplace to stay just for asking.

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LSdemocrat

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Tue Jan-20-09 12:42 AM
Response to Original message

16. I suppose it works better for highly-rated hotels

As you get outside the biggest cities, there are only so many highly-rated hotels to the point where if you can specify a certain area of town and a high enough rating you have a pretty good idea about which hotels it might be selecting for you.

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Bossy Monkey

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Tue Jan-20-09 03:42 AM
Response to Original message

17. 9 times out of 10, it worked great, but boy that 10th time

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=day%27s+inn+atlanta+airport&fb=1&split=1&view=text&latlng=15380731512147006213&dtab=2&oi=md_reviews&sa=X&ei=hIx1SYGgNYzgNaLJtWk
Was listed as a three star hotel. There was no actual gunfire, but after you've said that, you've said everything. I think this was in fact Travelocity, but same general idea. We got the hell out of there and went to some kind of Marriott; then girlfriend got some kind of refund from Travelocity eventually as I recall.

Generally, you can trust their reviewers to give you consistently good (or fair, if that's what you're interested in) accommodations. Don't know what in hell they were thinking in this case.

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Midlodemocrat

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Tue Jan-20-09 07:49 AM
Response to Original message

18. I think it works great if you absolutely have to have a hotel

in a specific place at a specific time. Otherwise, not so much.

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