Hotwire: Great Deals on Hotels, Flights + Rental Cars

I first discovered Hotwire when booking hotel rooms on a ballpark trip way back in 2003, and I have been using them almost exclusively ever since. Anytime I go on a research expedition for my fellow baseball fans, I’m using Hotwire…for my hotels especially, but also flights and rental cars.

The deals are definitely amazing…

Planning a baseball trip? Get FANTASTIC deals on hotels, flights and rental cars…book your trip with my friends at Hotwire! (It’s still Kurt’s favorite!)

Click here to book your trip to your next baseball destination today!

I’m sure you’ve noticed how expensive hotel stays are these days. If you book directly through a hotel website, you’re looking at triple digits to stay anyplace decent, and that’s not even counting the additional markup to stay in an expensive city like Boston. Years ago, before I became independently middle class, I would often stay in a Motel 6 or whatever place accepted AAA coupons.

Have you ever stayed in a Motel 6? If you have I don’t need to elaborate. I’ll be kind and say they’re “basic”. But there’s a reason Motel 6 and Super 8 and Days Inn are so popular. Price.

Now, I don’t mind paying more for a nice room. I’ve stayed in Doubletrees and Hiltons at times, and thought they were well worth the few extra bucks. But if I can get that room for $80 instead of $140, I’m going for it.

Hotwire makes that possible.

Hotwire lists rooms that hotels have trouble occupying and are willing to offer for a discounted price. You can sort hotels in your search by star rating, by a high level of positive reviews, by geographical area and by amenities. If you want a three star place with free breakfast and a pool near the O’Hare airport, and at least 80% of the people who review it liked it, Hotwire can find it for you.

There’s one small catch: Hotwire won’t give you the name or address of the hotel until you book it, and there’s no canceling unless you pay a few extra bucks for a cancellation policy (it’s not a large amount).

I have no problem with this. How many times are we familiar with the area we’re staying in anyway? I don’t have an affinity for any brand; I’ve had less than stellar experiences staying in popular name brand hotels. There can be a world of difference between two Best Westerns (and I like Best Western, just using them as an example). If 90% of the customers liked the place, I figure I’ll be fine, and I’m almost always satisfied.

I have scored some absolute steals on hotel rooms through Hotwire, and it’s still my favorite site for lodging.

By the way, you can also get inexpensive rental cars and flights (and packages including all three), and I’ve done very well using Hotwire for that too.

Full disclosure: Hotwire is an affiliate of Ballpark E-Guides. Even if they weren’t I’d happily recommend them anyway. So tell them I sent you, and use this link to try it on your next baseball trip!

(Hotwire ad courtesy of Hotwire.)

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