My secret to booking 4 star hotels for 2 star prices
Hot Wire!
HotWire.com has been around for as long as I’ve been travelling but it wasn’t until two years ago that I actually tried HotWire for myself. It was SUCH a good experience. The ongoing argument between my boyfriend and I, is the quality of hotel to book when going on vacation. I love the luxurious, spa-like resort or the skyscraping, chic, metropolitan boutique hotels…my boyfriend does not share this sentiment. Cheaper is better for both of us but I can’t sacrifice quality just to save some money.
Over the summer, we decided to road-trip home from Dallas, Texas, back to Erie, PA. Our journey took us to Memphis, Tennessee for one night, Nashville, Tennessee for one night and Lexington, Kentucky for one night. I was planning on draining my bank accounts for this trip, knowing that I did NOT want to stay in a Super 8 and my boyfriend wasn’t going to pay for 4-star accommodations. This is when HotWire came to the rescue!
HotWire has a “Mystery Booking,” feature that allows you to book a room at a vastly lower cost than would be charged through a different channel.
Most “Hot Rate” listings are AT LEAST 15% off, some are more than 50% off! The catch? You don’t know what hotel you are booking. It sounds scary but it really isn’t. With a little research it’s possible to solve the mystery, or at least get close. The booking will say something like, “4-Star Boutique Hotel,” it will tell you the vicinity the hotel is in, the amenities. With some listings it even guarantees that the booking is one of an assortment of given hotel chains OR will say “the last person to book got _______ Hotel!” When you see that, you can be certain the listing you are about to book will also be at that hotel. If that isn’t the case, using the information that is given to you, you can figure out which hotel the booking is likely for.
How to Solve the Case of your Mystery Booking
A “mystery listing,” will say “4-Star Boutique Hotel,” in the “Downtown District,” “Free Parking,” “Pets Allowed.” All you have to do is take the given information, and create a Google search with those details and you will see a list of all hotels matching that description. If you use all the information given to you by HotWire, it usually is a short list. Most of the time, only one hotel will fit the description perfectly, giving you a match to your mystery booking!
While it’s obviously nice to know which hotel you’ll be staying at BEFORE you book, HotWire gives you the reviews and ratings for that hotel and if they’re positive reviews, you can feel secure in placing a reservation without being completely sure of what hotel it will be at. AND a 4-Star hotel is a 4-Star hotel. Getting a 4-Star hotel for a 2-Star hotel price is still better than getting a 2-Star hotel at a 2-Star price, even if you aren’t sure of what you’re booking. If you are relatively flexible on location (I would say 5-10 mile radius of flexibility) it will be very easy for you to find a great deal on a nice hotel! Just be smart, make sure the hotel fits your location, budget, and amenity requirements and book away! You won’t be disappointed.
In Memphis we booked The Guest House at Graceland for under $120
In Nashville we booked The Noelle Nashville for under $150
In Lexington we booked The Campbell House, Curio Collection by Hilton for under $100
very nice pictures!