Hotwire works like this:
*you go to
www.hotwire.com and register
*you enter the perameters of your vacation (Like, Orlando--June 6-12--area=WDW/LBV)
*you are then directed to a page that says they are looking into your request. This usually takes 1-2 minutes.
*The final results pop up. The screen will list the ratings of hotels, the price per night, but not the actual hotel name. It will end up looking like this:
****--$176
***.5--$79
***--$56
**.5--$33
**--$26
*--$13
*You have one hour to respond and select one of the deals they have offered. If you choose to, it is a simple matter of paying by credit card. If not, no big deal. You can try another search with other perameters.
I don't know of anyone who has had a bad experience. Really I only know of me and my FIL using it, and we both had good luck (I don't know what his specific results were, but he said it worked great, I don't know if he has used it again.)
As with everything else, there are some warnings.
*Hotel star ratings are probably overstated. In looking through my records, the Doubletree Club was a 3.5 star hotel. While it was nice, it wasn't what I would consider three stars. I would shy away from 1 stars (personal preference), and when I have done searches, the 4 star hotels are ALWAYS overpriced (you could get better rates by calling around or doing some research on the net.) A mid-price hotel would probably be fine.
*Personally, I would hesitate to make reservations for more than one or two nights. Since you don't KNOW what you are paying for, it makes me leary to plan a whole vacation around a hotel that may not be what I need.
*Buyer beware--you get what you pay for. While there are great deals to be had, and I don't doubt Hotwire's stability as a company, you will not get the Four Seasons for $10 per night. Keep in mind there are deals to be had, but if it seems too good to be true....
I hope this helps!! You are sure to have a great time!
