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Hotwire Features and Benefits
Hotwire.com offers several key features and benefits:
Key Features:
- Low Prices: Known for offering some of the best hotel prices on the internet.
- Hot Rate Deals: Highly discounted rooms, with prices reduced by as much as 30 percent.
- Price Watch: Users can set up a price watch that sends emails if the price for a specific date changes.
- Map View: Hotwire’s map view segments cities into areas, making it easier to find accommodations in a specific location.
- 24-Hour Cancellation Policy: Most bookings on Hotwire offer a 24-hour cancellation policy.
- Ease of Use: The booking process is simple and straightforward.
Benefits:
- Bargain Finder: Hotwire sells rooms, seats, and cars that have gone unsold by the companies, making it a good way to find bargains.
- Random Room Selection: All hotels in the area that are of the star rating selected or higher, submit empty rooms into a draw. Once a purchase is made, a room is randomly drawn from the available rooms from the hotels in the area that meet the criteria.
- Secrecy: The name of the hotel is not revealed until after the purchase is complete, making the process fair to all hotels.
- No Rewards Program: Unlike other booking services, Hotwire doesn’t have a rewards program, which might be a drawback for frequent travelers.
Hotwire Pricing
Hotwire.com calculates estimated charges for car rentals based on the agency's published rates, taxes, and fees. For retail rate rentals, the price includes all applicable tax-recovery charges and fees, with no hidden charges. For retail rate coupon rentals, the price reflects any applied discount. All rentals include unlimited mileage unless otherwise noted.
Hotwire Hot Rates for car rentals also include all applicable tax-recovery charges and fees, with no hidden charges. These rates are negotiated with car rental agencies and can offer significant discounts. However, Hotwire can only guarantee the quoted rate for the prearranged length of your booking or reservation. The car rental agency rate for additional days may be significantly higher than the Hotwire rate.
Additionally, Hotwire offers a Price Guarantee for hotel and flight + hotel bookings, which refunds the difference if a lower rate is found within 24 hours of booking or up to 48 hours prior to hotel check-in.
Hotwire FAQs
Hotwire Return Policy?
Hotwire Return Policy
Hotwire has specific policies regarding cancellations and refunds that vary based on the type of booking made:
Hot Rate Bookings
- All Hot Rate bookings are final. They cannot be canceled, refunded, changed, exchanged, or transferred under any circumstances. This policy is in place because these rates are heavily discounted, allowing for significant savings but with no flexibility.
Standard Rate Bookings
- For standard rate bookings, cancellations are allowed without penalty. Users can log into their account, navigate to the "My Account" section, and cancel their reservation. The cancellation policy may vary by hotel or service provider, so it's essential to review the specific terms associated with each booking.
Refund Process
- Once a cancellation is processed for standard bookings, refunds will be issued to the original payment method. However, it may take up to 30 days for the refund to be processed depending on the volume of requests being handled.
Important Considerations
- Cancellation fees may apply depending on how close the cancellation is to the scheduled date.
- For car rentals under standard rates, early returns do not qualify for refunds; users are encouraged to keep the vehicle for the entire duration booked or cancel without charge and rebook if necessary.
In summary, understanding these policies is crucial for anyone considering bookings through Hotwire to avoid unexpected charges or losses.
Hotwire Alternatives
Here are the top 10 alternatives to Hotwire.com:
- KAYAK.com
- Expedia.com
- Hotels.com
- Hopper.com
- Priceline.com
- Travelocity.com
- Orbitz.com
- Enterprise.com
- Cheaptickets.com
- CarRentals.com
These alternatives offer similar services and are popular among users. They provide a variety of platforms, including web-based, iPhone, Android, iPad, and Android Tablet apps.
How To Open A Hotwire Account?
To open an account on Hotwire.com, follow these steps:
- Visit the Hotwire.com website.
- Click on the "Sign In" button located at the top of the page.
- Complete the short registration form.
- Enter and confirm a password.
- Optionally, save your billing information for future bookings.
Alternatively, an account can be created during the checkout process. Simply enter and confirm a password, and choose to save your travel information for future bookings. The email address provided will be used for all Hotwire communications, including booking confirmations, special updates, and any email newsletters requested. It will also be used when signing in to Hotwire. Please ensure it is kept up-to-date.