Hotwire is one of the first websites I visit when booking a vacation. Hotwire is a website that allows you to book hotel rooms for discounted prices. The caveat to using Hotwire is travelers don’t find out the name of the hotel until a payment has been made to reserve the room of your choice. Until now. I believe I have cracked the code to identifying the hot rate hotel without entering your credit card information. Want to know how I do it? Keep reading.
8 Steps to Booking a Hotel on Hotwire Like a Boss
Step 1: Select your vacation destination and the expected dates of arrival and departure.
Step 2: Filter the hotel options by neighborhood and hotel class. I usually opt for a 3 to 5 star option. I mean why not, right? What do you have to lose? Note: star rating is sometimes based solely on traveler reviews.
Step 3: Skip the today’s top deal. Although the price may look appealing, this listing will not give you the information that you’ll need to figure out the hotel you are booking prior to paying your money.
Step 4: Search for a hot rate hotel listing that shows you 4 possible hotel options. The site usually guarantees that you will be assigned to one of these hotels once you pay.
Step 5: Note the number of reviews the hotel has on TripAdvisor. This is the major key to figuring out which hotel the listing is for. There are 354 reviews on TripAdvisor for the hotel in the example above.
Step 6: Here’s where the fun begins. You get to play travel detective during this step. Open TripAdvisor.com in a new window. Copy and paste the name of each of the hotels featured in the listing into the search bar. You are searching for the hotel that has the same number of reviews. Note: There may be a few more reviews on TripAdvisor than on the Hotwire listing because travelers are constantly leaving reviews. I usually look for the one that is closest in range.
Here are the 4 hotels featured in the listing.
Test your knowledge.
Can you determine which hotel you would be reserving based on my trick? Remember, our Hotwire listing has 354 reviews on TripAdvisor. Keep reading for the answer.
Step 7: Once you have identified the hotel, read the reviews and look at the traveler photos. You can also visit the hotel’s website to determine if this hotel meets your needs and your standards.
Step 8: If you like what you see, book your hotel room! It’s that simple.
I have used this trick on many occasions and it has worked perfectly. Most recently, I booked a room in New Orleans for a weekend getaway. We ended up staying in the Mayflower Suite at the Hotel Indigo in the Garden District for less than $100 a night! It was amazing! Check out these photos from our stay.
*Challenge answer: If you chose the Hotel X Toronto, you are correct!
Travel Gem: I like to book my hotel room the week prior to departure for long term stays. Weekend trips will vary. I have booked a room a few days in advance and have gotten a good deal. I’ve even booked a room while en route to my destination. Luckily, I haven’t run into any issues thus far.
I do not recommend waiting until the last minute to book your hotel accommodations if there are major events happening in the city you are visiting. Hotels could have limited vacancy during these times.
If you found this post helpful, be sure to like and share with your friends. Drop me a line if you book a hotel stay using these steps.
Have you used Hotwire before? What tips would you share with the SMS Community? Leave a comment down below.
Disclaimer: This technique was deemed effective at the time of publishing (February 2019). Unfortunately, Hotwire could change their algorithm at anytime. Proceed with caution.
