Priceline and Hotwire are both great sites to use to get a hotel at a discounted price. The problem with using the Priceline bidding system or Hotwire is that you can't see what hotel you're going to get. One of the biggest reasons people don't use Priceline or Hotwire is because the sites charge the person before they know the hotel they're reserving. Some people are totally fine with getting a hotel this way because it can save a lot of money. Most people don't realize there are tools out there to help you figure out what hotel you're actually getting ahead of time.
One of the best sites to use as a tool for Priceline and Hotwire is www.betterbidding.com. What this site does is compiles information from users who used either Hotwire or Priceline to get a room. So when Hotwire is saying they can offer a 3 star hotel with laundry, pool, continental breakfast, and free wifi in the west suburbs, the person will put down what actual hotel it is. If enough people do this, the site compiles lists of hotels in states and cities and what hotels they are. If this doesn't make sense to you. I will explain:
For an example I searched Hotwire for a hotel in Minneapolis, MN for the night of April 6th. Hotwire has a deal for a 3.5 star hotel in downtown with these amenities: Smoke-free rooms, fitness center, restaurant, business center, self-service laundry, and internet access. Now that I know the amenities, I can check betterbidding. They organize their lists by state, then by city, then by area of the city. Once I find the Minneapolis area, I click on downtown and scroll down to the 3.5 star hotels. It looks like there is three to choose from: Crowne Plaza Northstar, Millenium Hotel, and Sheraton Midtown. Looking at the amenities, I see that the room that I am going to get is most likely going to be at the Crowne Plaza Northstar. Now maybe, I haven't stayed in a Crowne Plaza or heard of it, so I'm still not sure. Just head on over to tripadvisor.com and type the hotel name in. Check the reviews on it, and it looks like this hotel gets very good reviews, so I should feel pretty confident in taking advantage of the deal. No need to worry about getting stuck in a bad hotel here. This is how making sure you have enough knowledge can get you a real good place to stay on Hotwire for real cheap.
Priceline works the same way on better bidding. There's just one caveat. Since the price is up to the bidder, a little more research needs to be done. It has a nice list of star ratings so you know what hotel you have a chance at, and below people will list the successful bids they had and what hotel they got. This is a good starting point to know what to bid. There's no reason to bid higher than you need to. Also a good tip for Priceline is to start off only selecting very few regions and star ratings on your first bid. Just be super picky. Like, I only want a 4 or 5 star hotel in downtown for 60$. If your first bid gets rejected on Priceline, you have to set new parameters. So now maybe I want a 3.5 star hotel in downtown or east downtown for 65$. This 2nd bid will have a much better chance at succeeding and I still should get a hotel I want.
Also, when looking at hotels, I always recommend checking the reviews of the place by users as opposed to the star rating. You will be much happier staying at a 3 star hotel with great reviews than a 4 star hotel with bad reviews. You're a budget traveler, so just stay at the cheapest hotel that you can find with the best reviews. Who cares about the star rating? You're traveling on a budget. I hope this guide gives you the confidence to try and use Hotwire and Priceline. Both sites are amazing tools for the budget traveler, and being too scared about staying in an unknown hotel doesn't have to worry you anymore after reading this guide!
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