Hotwire: All that and then some

Bargain hunter though I strive to be, especially for travel, I had never tried bidding or blinded travel sites until recently.

I liked the idea of a bargain--who doesn't?--but not finding out critical information such as the time of the flight and the name and address of the hotel until after I booked and paid was way more adventurous than I like to be. For a short vacation, the time that your flights leave and your total time in the air are critical. Similarly, the location of your hotel can significantly improve or hurt your vacation experience.

But I recently found an occasion for which buying a hotel room "blindly" was not such a bad thing.

We're heading back to NYC shortly and decided to find a hotel room in Stamford, CT for the night before so we can get a jump on the day's activities. We didn't care where we stayed, as long as the hotel was close to the train station and was in a safe area. A three-plus star rating was not required but was certainly a bonus.

I started investigating on hotels.com and found some acceptable deals starting around $80, which is not too bad. Most of the nicer hotels were priced at $120 and up, though. On a whim, I decided to check out the deals on hotwire.com and found a 3.5-star hotel for $59/night--bargain! I returned to hotels.com to investigate the 3.5-star hotels in the area and found 3--a Hyatt, a Marriott, and a Holiday Inn. All three looked nice enough from their websites and were advertising prices that were close to $200/night. I knew that I had stumbled upon a good deal.

I didn't book right away, though, and good thing--because the price fell $4 more by the next day! At $55/night, I knew I couldn't pass up the deal, so I booked. Hotwire told me the total amount of the taxes (at $55/night, they weren't too high). The booking page said that sometimes hotels charge additional fees, such as a resort or parking fee, and they would be due upon arrival or checkout. I suspect we'll have to pay some nominal parking charge, and that's ok with me.

After I clicked "Buy," the page told me the hotel that we are staying at (and I was right--it is one of the three I suspected).

So far, I am very pleased with Hotwire. Of course, everyone has heard a horror story or two about online travel agencies, so I'll try not to get too enthusiastic until we check in and the hotel actually has a room for us. But I intend to call the hotel to confirm the reservation with them (always a good idea when you book through a third party) and to inquire about additional fees.

Hotwire isn't for everyone, of course. First of all, you have to pay all of the charges at the time of booking. They offer some level of trip insurance, but it doesn't cover you if you change your mind. Definitely read the fine print before you decide to buy their insurance. Second, they don't offer you a choice of rooms; they recommend that you call the hotel after booking to tell them your requests, such as one king or two double beds. Third, I've read online reviews of people who book hotels through discount sites and end up in the smallest and worst rooms in the hotel. Finally, even if you book a hotel that offers a frequent stay program, such as a Starwood hotel, your stay doesn't count as a stay and you don't earn any points from the stay.

Now I've tried Hotwire--perhaps someday, I will be brave enough to bid on a flight or hotel on Priceline.