How to Use Hotwire.com to Find Cheap Hotels

I use the hotel booking site, Hotwire.com frequently for my travels, most recently when I went to Tampa for New Year's (InterContinental for $99 per night, not including tax) and Jersey City, New Jersey at the end of January (Westin Jersey City, $129).

I prefer Hotwire to Priceline, because you don't have to guess on the price. The site is "opaque" - meaning that you must buy the room before you know the name of the hotel. It's easier to figure out what hotel you might be getting on Hotwire. And you don't have to go through Priceline's bidding process, which can drag on if the site rejects your original offer.

If you are unfamiliar with Hotwire and want to use it for your next trip, here are a few tips:

1. Figure out what hotel you are getting before you buy. It's easier to do this on Hotwire than Priceline, because Hotwire offers more clues. Here's how to do it: Look at the hotel's amentiy list. That's a group of icons that appear under the hotel's location. Then open up another browser window to BetterBidding.com. That's a forum where frequenty Priceline and Hotwire users post recent buys and lists of what the different hotels offer.

For example, for my Tampa trip, I saw that the hotel I was considering had an airport shuttle icon on Hotwire. Of the four -star Tampa hotels listed on BetterBidding, only the InterContinental offered shuttle service. So I was 99% sure that I was going to end up there.

It may take a few extra minutes to do this, but if you are like me and you want to know where you are staying, it's worth it.

2. Factor tax into your budget. Both Priceline and Hotwire show prices without tax, which can add $20-$30 to your per-night rate.

3. It's great for car rentals too. I've found car rentals on Hotwire for as low as $15 a day. What I like about Hotwire's car rental policy is that it's more flexible than their hotel purchases and they don't charge you until you pick up the car (hotel purchases are non-refundable and must be paid immediately).

4. Be realistic about the kind of hotel you'll get. Hotwire and Priceline specialize in getting rid of unused inventory - the rooms that hotels haven't sold. These hotels are usually the larger chains such as Marriott, Hyatt and Hilton that often appeal to business travelers (which is why weekend rates can be so low). If your goal is to stay at the hippest hotel in town, you will be unhappy with Hotwire. Five star properties such as the Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons and Mandarin Oriental are usually not listed either.

But Hotwire is great if you are simply looking for a good deal on a city hotel with basic four-star amenities.

Looking to find the best deals and travel tips? Visit travel writer Chris Gray Faust's website Chris Around The World: A Travel Journalist's Tips from the Road.

Shop eBay for Brand Name Luggage Below: