Sorry to hear so many have had bad experiences with hotwire. I did not. Actually, just the opposite! My husband had an interview in Greenville SC and I used hotwire to book our 3 night stay. Selected our dates and a 3-4 star rating accomodation. Inquired in the surrounding Greenville area of what hotels would fit their description. We couldn't go wrong. Took the leap and ended up paying $66/night for downtown Hyatt Regency. Posh stay! Yes we had to pay for parking, but we were aware of that from researching Hotwire's customer care section. Parking consisted of $3/day unlimited acess and was billed directly to the room. Hyatt rooms are WAY more than $66/night. Check it out for yourself. During check out, we were charged exactly what was stated. My opinion is if you have the forsight and time - then research and take the leap. I would and have used hotwire before...not only for hotel reservations but business rental car service also. Saving my company over 1/2 the expense. Why not a 5 star listing then? That's the chance you take. Good luck.

Do not use Hotwire. I booked a hotel & on the day of arrival I called to confirm the room. They said they did not have the reservation., so we stayed a different hotel. Hotwire would not refund the money & said we were no-shows. Beware they are crooks!!!

be aware that when they offer you " great" blind deal you might end up with fartherst away hotel on their area map. This is what happened to us when we booked hotel in downtown seattle - they put us in the far away hotel which is not even in downtown - AND YOU CANNOT CANCEL. Think twice before hitting that button

Hotwire, sold us an room, then when we got the hotel name, they were charging 25 dollars for parking each night, guess what not a deal at all, they said too bad, and did not even care about the complaint when we called, could of got a 5 star for the price I have to pay for a 3, NEVER AGAIN

Dont trust or use Hotwire I booked a 2 star hotel in the Poconos and was given a hotel that at best would be considered star. The web site is misleading. My hotel room had a fowl smell and stains floor and walls, the smoke detector was missing. As for the bathroom the toilet overflowed, and there was mold and mildew all over shower stall, plus shower dripped all night. The place was also use for section 8 housing. I should have walked away when they gave me towels when I checked in. No heat or blankets, we slept in our cloths. No refund of course. Keep away from hotwire for your own good.

I booked a car reservation through hotwire because it seemed to be cheap. When I went to pick up the car at the airport, car rental company said I have to wait for 6 hours or more to get one. I called hotwire and asked them to cancel my reservation but all my effort is still in vain. They would no way take out the charge, saying once booked, the reservation is final. I still don't understand the logic. Am I supposed to wait for a car 6 hours? I feel like I am completely cheated. I would give a rating of -10000000. Fully disappointed. Nobody should book with them. My case may be a random one, but I am eligible for a refund back atleast I am also going to start a community to protest against their rude customer service attitude in Orkut, Facebook, myspace...whereever I can. perhaps I should get a domain like hotwiresucks.com. No one should have my experience.

Hotwire totally sucks.
I tried to change my flight department destination and they said they can't do that, which, in fact they said I can when I called them to make changes to my plan before the first flight!!
I fucking wasted more then $1200 on that stupid round ticket(for two people)
and now I can't use them.

Customer service...that bitches don't know a thing they are talking about. Keep saying I'M THE ONE WITH POOR UNDERSTANDING. Fuck you. You are the one who fucked up everything.

Fuck you hotwire.

Hotwire sucks. Go to hell bitch. Never, ever, use them. They will steal your money.

I dont' even want to give them one star. Should've read the ratings first.
They are worth -5stars

I booked my hotel through Hotwire. First of all it doesn't show any hotel detail or address before payment. I booked my hotel and after confirmation i found hotel was 30 Miles away from my desired location. I called customer service. they were not ready to cancel my booking ... its their policy... but finally i said ok i will travel for 30 mins... and when i reach that hotel it was really in bad shape.

It was really bad experience i had.. I am positive i will never book anything from hotwire.

i booked a flight thru hotwire 5/24/08 for 9/6/08....on 8/06/08 i rec'd an email changing both my non-stop flights to flights with connections - doubling my travel time and leaving 2 hrs earlier @ 6am and arriving home after midnight.....
I will never use them again--you think your getting a good deal-when what they changed it to would have been less expensive TWO MONTHS AGO!! They blamed United airlines, and United said they could do nothing with Hotwire "deals"..... The agent kept saying Yes, ma'am you're correct. I understand your concern...etc, then when I said I wouldn't use them anymore, and would tell people what happened, he just asked if I wanted him to deactivate my account. They suck, never again.

I never stayed at the hotel I booked through hotwire. After looking at priceline and expedia I chose to try hotwire. It seemed to me that they had the best rates so I booked. Big mistake on my part. I was given several choices of motels and choose the one that looked like it would suit our needs. We were visiting family and had the choice of staying with them. The reason that we didn't stay with family was simple. They do not smoke and my husband and myself are both smokers. We wanted to be able to lay in bed at night, relax drink a glass of wine and smoke. What they (hotwire) didn't tell me was the hotel we choose was completely non smoking. I understood that if you wanted a non smoking room, that you may be given a smoking room if no non smoking rooms were avaliable. BUT there was no mention anywhere that the hotel we book was non smoking. NOT UNTIL I had booked the room and went to their website. I had several choices as far as hotel rooms in the area I was staying. I wouldn't have chosen this place had they had simply added a line saying non smoking hotel. I feel leaving this info out was deceptive. I'm out $180.00 and stayed somewhere else for the same cost. I will not use them again!!

Hotwire Custumers service is very poor and these people are very lazy. They charged me a pre-authorization on my credit card for a booking that didn't go through because the rate was not available anymore and when I called them many times they couldn't call my credit card company cause they are too lazy. Some of them even hung up on me when it was time to call them. They just didn't want to make the effort. I had to sleep outside cause I had no room and a pre-authorization of $500 held on my credit card. They made it very miserable. I'll never book with them again.

  Hotwire is terrible and deceptive. I made a booking recently. Before I made the reservation, they promised a four-star hotel but after paying the money it turned out to be a three-star. I called the hotel and they confirmed it was a three star hotel, as did three other websites. The customer service people said it didn't matter what the hotel or any other website says about it; since hotwire considers it a four-star hotel it IS a four-start hotel. I pleaded with them and asked them not to ruin a special occasion but they didn't listen. They even refused to let me speak with a supervisor. I will NEVER use hotwire again.

I usually book directly at motels or the chain headquarters, and sometimes I can get a better deal at Travelocity or Expedia. This time I tried Hotwire, but will never do so again. I was booking more than 5 months in advance but was offered only one selection, supposedly a 2 star motel. Examples of 2 star motels used by Hotwire included LaQuinta, Comfort, and Days Inn. Any of those would be fine, but when I booked I found that I was staying in a Super 8, not at all acceptable. I paid $84.45/night at Hotwire, compared to $66.81 if booked at the Super 8 website.

I have also tried to book a flight on Hotwire, Kansas City to Fort Lauderdale, and found that their best offering was about double what I ended up paying at Travelocity. At least Hotwire did indicate what airline and what itinerary before booking. These experiences have made it clear that Hotwire does NOT offer a service that I will use ever again. And anyone should avoid the lesser Hotwire offerings, realizing that their examples can be quite misleading. Although you may possibly save money on the 3 or 4 star bookings, from what I have seen you will not save on their other services, and you may be misled in the process.

Hotwire is a very deceptive organization. I booked a hotel last minute for a pretty good rate, and upon arrival came to find that a smoking room was booked by Hotwire and that late in the evening, there were no non-smoking rooms left. I have an allergy to tobacco and a smoking room is not an option for me.

When I originally booked, it stated all the amenities the hotel and room would have, free breakfast, parking, right down to the type of room (i.e. 1 king, 2 queens), yet ironically, no mention of a smoking room. Enraging. Lying by ommission. Unethical.

I called Hotwire, and they told me where to go. Needless to say, I was out $100 and scrambling for another hotel room at midnight. Never again.

I am a business traveler and have used Hotwire as my primary source for hotel rooms since based on my comparisons had affordable rates. I have always had a problem with not knowing in advance the hotel policies and restrictions and felt that their lame excuses for why they do not list these details were nothing more than a con job to keep the funds from unsuspecting travelers. Well this week I have just become one of those unsuspecting saps. I reserved a room for the weekend so that my wife and I along with our sheepdog could go house hunting (am relocating), I reserved a room using hotwire and after completing the transaction and looking over the hotels amenities and location found out that they do not allow pets. When I tried to resolve this issue with the dumb clucks at HW I was told in no uncertain terms that I was SOL, weve got your cash and you should have known better and this was from a supervisor. In short I would STRONGLY recommend that everyone steer clear of these frauds and use Priceline or Expedia, you will have a better chance of getting your issues resolved by using these guys and if enough of us BOYCOTT hotwire they may get the hint and change their ways or I am hoping they will go by way of the DO DO Bird.

I am very upset with Hotwire. They guarantee a discounted price for hotel. However, when I checked the price direclty at the hotel it is exactly the same. This means that I am not getting any discount. Moreover, somehow they reserved a smoking room for me. I called Red roof Inn where I will be staying and they said that the changes has to be made thru Hotwire for a non smoking room. I called Hotwire and they cannot change and nor can the hotel. I may have to now stay in a amoking room that I paid the exact price price that the hotle was offering. I cannot even pay the difference for a non smoking room direclty at the hotel as this reservation was made thru Hotwire. I think Hotwire sucks big time and shouldn't be trusted for discounted prices. I may never make a reservation thru Hotwire. I may prefer priceline or Travelocity.com.

Hotwire is deceptive.
I hope whomever is reading this is smarter than me and checks reviews before booking a hotel. The rating system is extremely deceptive. You will not get the type of hotel you are promised from the rating system. Plan on getting one of much less quality. In addition the savings is nothing. Don't use them and tell everyone you know to steer clear as well.

Worst customer service I have ever had. I had an unexpected change in plans and had to change my plan tickets. Not only were they not helpful, but I think the may have lied to me about the transfer fees. I finally called United Airlines directly and they helped me to change my flights immediately. The flight fare difference was lower than what Hotwire told me and they gave me a flight that Hotwire claimed was not available.

Hotwire is a form of gambling. You take your chances and hope that things work out, because if they don't, don't expect Hotwire to help you out. Absolutely the worst customer service. Buyer beware of their NO REFUND policy. They will not budge on this even when a product is purchased through them but not delivered. Canceled flights due to weather, when the carrier cannot reschedule means that you have lost your airfare. The airline carrier and Hotwire play the game of passing you back and forth. Hotwire doesn't care about you...you are simply a credit card number, and they have little concern over whether the service purchased is provided. Buyer beware.

I did see how negative the comments are, but sometimes, they do a good job on giving the lowest hotel rate and airline fare. I know it is so long ago, but they searched for the best itenerary when I vacationed in Wisconsin in 2004 for a low price and I had no problems because it was giving me direct flights to an area nearby my destination without telling me what airliner I'll take. A better example was in 2002 I vacationed in Miami- I was delighted when they gave me the lowest price (after searching countelss others)- for one flight to and return!! I did get a slip up going to Indianapolis, but it was OK due to an error at the front desk managing the smoke detector in 2005. The most recent was me booking to Buffalo Downtown and finding the best hotel, location and hospitality I had ever seen. Getting there was different- should I have booked on Hotwire, I would not have negative thoughts on Priceline because it gave me a flight from Lexington KY to there, but I have to stop at O'Hare and I couldn't change the itinereary!

Hotwire at least has a brain where you can name your area of where you want to stay in the city you'll lodge, and I liked it better when they they gave you the option of picking the alternate airports and the areas you want to lodge instead of naming your price and not having these choices. Now I feel upset because they don't do it anymore on airlines and that the prices aren't always the lowest prices when planning your vacation. Overall, their service was solid for me back then. I haven't done much traveling now, but I feel that despite that the company changed, they will still give the best service to me.

HOTWIRE IS A JOKE   JUST TRY TO CHANGE A RESERVATION IF AN EMERGENCY COMES UP. THEY ARE UNFEELING AND WILL NOT CHANGE ANYTHING.  I WOUOLD NOT RECOMMEND THIS SITE FOR ANYONE.  I HAD TO CHANGE FLIGHT PLANS DUE TO ILLNESS.  THE AIRLINE WAS VERY NICE 9(USA3000) AND CHANGE EVERYTHING.  THEY EVEN GAVE ME THE SAME SEAT.  THEN COMES HOTWIRE--THEY REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING --THE CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THE SUPERVISOR WERE BOTH UNABLE TO CHANGE ANYTHING.  FUNNING, BY MISTAKE I CALLED BUDGET RENTAL AND THEY WERE GOING TO CHANGE EVERYTHING UNTIL THEY SAW IT WAS MADE THROUGH HOTWIRE.    DO NOT EVER BOOK ANYTHING FROM HOTWIRE.  I HAD TO LEARN MY LEASON THE HARD WAY.

If you like pay for the hotel hot knowing were you going to stay and when you try to contact them there is no answer.This is Hotwire to me so be aware before you click...

HOTWIRE IS A JOKE! EVEN AFTER SPEAKING WITH THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS AND CONFIRMING A ROOM WITH A HOTEL I WAS GIVEN DECEPTIVE INFORMATION AS TO THE TYPE OF ROOM I WOULD GET. AFTER ARRIVING TO MY HOTEL I FOUND OUT THAT THE ROOMS THAT HAD BEEN CONFIRMED FOR SIX ADULTS AND FOUR CHILDREN WERE NOT AVAILABLE AND THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO SETTLE FOR THREE ROOMS WITH A KING BED IN EACH ROOM. I WOULD NOT REFER HOTWIRE TO ANY HUMAN ON THIS EARTH.

DON'T DEAL WITH THESE PEOPLE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE! You not only SAVE NOTHING!, you get the worst rooms in the hotel and the hotel rating is always shown higher than it really is. Two years ago I booked throught them to Vancouver and got a great deal, so this year I booked 5 different hotels through them. In each case the hotel was a lower star rating than stars Hotwire showed, we paid MORE than the hotel rate & what other guest paid and got the worst rooms in the establishment. We booked in Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Isla Mujares, Orlando and Las Vegas. Three vacations ruined at high cost of dealing with Hotwire.

I love hotwire. I have used them many times and have not been disappointed. I just booked a room in San antonio for 66.00 and after I did so I checked to see if I got a good deal. I did, I saved 60.00 a night. At 6 nights thats a savings of 360.00 dollar. They offer no refund so dont book if there is a chance you will change your mind but they do offer travel insurance in case an emergency comes up.

I travel monthly and lately tried booking packages via Hotwire to save a little money. I paid for a three star hotel (which I later found I could have gotten for $15 a night less on another site, although Hotwire called my price a "deep discount"). When I arrived at the hotel I was informed that the elevator was not working and I had to schlepp my luggage up and down three flights of stairs! The hotel was willing to offer me compensation, but because I had booked with Hotwire, they could not, unless Hotwire worked with them. I wrote multiple emails to Hotwire and they responded with their "regrets" but otherwise did nothing. I would NOT book with Hotwire in the future, especially since there are so many other choices out there. Also beware they may NOT have the lowest price!

You pay your money and you take your chances. Good outcomes are rare.

I will never use hotwire to book a flight again. You have to pay before you see the itinerary of the flights, plus they deceive you by offering the possibility of non-stop flights when none actually exist. Considering they have your departure and destination plans, this is something they could tell you right away but choose not to until after you have paid and booked your flight. Do not use them and run the risk of booking a terrible itinerary. The $10-$20 you save will not be worth it.

Rude customer service, left me without a hotel room I had paid for. Don't make the same mistake I did!! They'd leave you out in the cold!

Hotwire is generally much more expensive than Priceline, yet they are every bit as stringent about the no refunds, no changes policy. Furthermore, Hotwire will often sell rooms for above rates available directly through the hotel, so you are advised to shop around first.

Would have been good but their inflexibility and rude customer service leaves me upset and frusturated. I travel frequently for business and tried them one time - never again.

It's a nice alternative. I just got a ticket for $40 cheaper than orbitz, non-stop instead of one stop with Orbitz, and not overnight. Hotwire doesn't always work, and you have to roll the dice a little bit with the times of departure, but if you can be flexible it it's a really good alternative to Orbitz.