Once you start saving in one area, it's hard to not want to save in other areas, too.
You might have noticed I was MIA yesterday...well, my husband and I decided to take a little getaway sans kids. He suggested Vancouver, BC - one of our very favorite cities and just a few hours' drive away. Typically, I'd just use Expedia or Orbitz, but decided on a whim to try Hotwire.
If you've not used the service, here's a quick rundown. You plug in your criteria - city, date(s) of stay, number of guests - and it will give you availability listings. The catch? You see the general vicinity, the price you'll pay, and the number of stars (based on a 5-star rating system) - but you won't know the hotel name until after you book it!
After chatting with my hubby, we decided to take the little gamble and give it a try. We selected a 5-star hotel in West Vancouver for $91. Guess what? Once I got the hotel name, I went to their website and found their rooms start at around $250 USD - more than twice what we just paid! I went to Expedia and found their price started around $230 USD. AND the hotel was right on the waterfront - in the hub of the city. I was impressed!
My husband was still skeptical. But when we got to the hotel, we were immediately impressed with their service. What's more - they UPGRADED us when we got there! I couldn't believe it. And when we got to our room - breathtaking views of the water and the city from the 15th floor. It was absolutely incredible. I went to sleep watching seaplanes land in the harbor and woke to the sun rising over the mountains - spectucular!
Needless to say, neither of us wanted to check out the next morning. We could've easily stayed another week and spent several days just enjoying the beautiful hotel.
So if you've never tried Hotwire, I highly recommend it. We will most certainly use it again!