Hotwire
Reviews and Complaints

This was my first experience booking hotel travel with Hotwire. I ordinarily book with Expedia or Priceline and never had issues with either one of those agencies. I felt deceived by Hotwires booking claims and did not get what I was lead to believe I paid for…a 3.5 star hotel Ramada, Sheraton, Hilton. The hotel that was booked by Hotwire was a below par hotel with all reviews being 1-star! I never would have booked this hotel and immediately contacted Hotwire to complain and cancel after booking. I was connected with the first agent (female) at 7:19pm Oct 9th, who placed me on hold to further review the reservation. After which, she never returned to the call and I was connected to another agent which I had to go over the same complaint again! The 2nd agent was unable to retrieve the reservation after searching by my email, reservation # and phone number. The agent then told me that the reservation must have been canceled out by the 1st agent and I should receive an email within 10 minutes confirming cancellation. After 10 minutes, I had not received an email so I called the hotel directly to see if they still had the reservation. The front desk confirmed that the reservation was still in their system and I informed her that I canceled with Hotwire and that reservation should be canceled. Later, I called Hotwire back and spoke with the 3rd agent who was unable to assist me in any way. He mentioned there was no evidence or notes from my previous discussions in the system and the reservation could not be canceled. I informed him I would be filing a complaint with Hotwire and disputing with my bank. I’m EXTREMELY DISSATISFIED with Hotwire and will not be using your services again! Very disceptive!

I recently order a car from the Hotwire website car rental specials. Unfortunately, I have had a very disturbing experience with customer service and the misinformation provided me. The advertisement indicated that location pick-up was *** airport (my desired location)--it didn't say vicinity. I clicked to pay and then found out that it was at *** (about 2.5 miles from the main airport. I was very bothered and called customer service on Monday March 21 to indicated that was not what was advertised before I paid. I understand that it was a nonrefundable order; however, the real location was only advertised after I paid. The Hotwire agent informed me that there was a shuttle to the off-site location. I agreed to that option. Yesterday I went to the airport to get the shuttle to the offsite location as instructed to discover that there was no such shuttle! In fact, Sixt Car rental location agent (***) told me that they haven't had a shuttle service since COVID. Why then would the Hotwire service agent tell me that there was one? As a result, I had to get a taxi from the airport for $20 (minimum price required by taxi driver) for 2.5-mile drive! This morning I called Hotwire once again and was told that I could not receive a reimbursement for the taxi fare. Furthermore, she said there was no recording of my conversation (although she said that all calls are recorded). I have a log of my calls on Monday. She was implying that I was lying. I feel cheated and disrespected! She could not provide me with any corporate contact information. I have a screenshot of the advertisement as well as a log of my phone calls. I would appreciate if you could expedite a return of $20.00, the least that Hotwire should do for inaccurate advertisement and an agent's mistake about shuttle service.

I made a hotel reservation through Hotwire and I chose this establishment because I have two dogs and needed that amenity. After I made the reservation through Hotwire, I called this establishment to confirm that they received my reservation and to also confirm that they knew I was bringing my dogs. I was told that there was an extra $28.30 charge a day which I didn't really have a problem with even though it wasn't stated in hotels policy on Hotwire. When I got there yesterday. I found out that they also wanted $100 deposit on top of the $28.30 a day. That also was not stated on Hotwires website with their policy but that's not all. Then they told me that they would also need a copy of my pets vaccination shot records. Nothing was ever said to me when I called to confirm about that nor the $100 deposit. I would have gladly brought their shot records so needless to say they would not rent me a room after driving 3 and 1/2 hours to get here. My granddaughters birthday party is today and I had to find a different alternative. Hotwire refuses to give me a refund. If I can post pictures of the conversation I had with Hotwire then I'm going to because they lied to me and said that the hotel refused to refund the money. I was sitting right out front of the hotel while I was talking to hotwire so I went in and I asked the agent at the front desk and she said that she did not refuse, she just couldn't approve it because she didn't have the authority to do that. You are not going to keep my money. Please, don't use Hot wire and it wasn't even a nice hotel anyway. I was very glad that this all transpired once I actually looked at it as I was leaving. I looked the hotel up on Better Business Bureau in *** and it has a D+ rating but yet Hotwire says it's a 3 star. I went through Hotwire not the hotel and that's why I believe Hotwire owes me a refund

I booked a 2-night, 2-room stay at Quality Inn for a funeral with my son and family. The rooms had a mildew smell, were unclean, and had missing door moldings, allowing outside light to seep through. I contacted Hotwire to complain and agreed to stay one night due to late hours and traveling with children, planning to leave the next day. Hotwire agreed to reimburse the second night. Upon checkout, the manager questioned our early departure. I explained the situation and was later informed by Hotwire that the hotel claimed we stayed both nights, which was false. Instead of a full refund, they offered a $25 credit against the promised $362. Despite multiple calls and the hotel confirming they only charged for one night, Hotwire refused to refund or recontact the hotel. We had to book another hotel for the second night. I am frustrated by Hotwire's lack of resolution and the misleading high ratings of the hotel. I will not use Hotwire again and will share this experience.

I wish I could leave 0 stars! I am writing to hotwire to express my experience with booking and customer service. My friend and I booked an all-inclusive package with Hotwire to Cancun and unfortunately had to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances. Fortunately, we had a feeling we might have to cancel we purchased the insurance protection that came with the booking just in case. We received a refund for the hotel and a credit voucher for the United Airlines flight of 1141.00 per person. Great the insurance worked! Our flight voucher expired on July 3, 2020. Due to a pandemic happening in the year 2020, I called in May of 2020 to extend the credit for one more year since I could not travel in the year 2020 and use my credit. I was told I only needed to give my airline confirmation number and I would be able to use my credit before July 3, 2021. I call again on February 9th of 2021 to use my credit voucher; I include the itinerary number and the airline confirmation number to be told that I couldn't use my credit because it was expired. I explained I called in May to explain why I could not use the credit before it expired and it was extended another year. The agents were not helpful and I had to call two more times within that week until I found an agent that was able to understand my situation and know how to take care of the situation. Unfortunately, the trip I wanted to book was after July; I was not aware even though I called before July the trip itself needed to take place before July. I was not able to finish the conversation because I had to go to work so I made sure there were notes regarding my situation and the next time that I called I could book right away. Unfortunately, that was not the case and It took many phone calls back and forth from United and Hotwire to finally book my trip. I did end up losing money even with a first-class upgrade. This was the worst experience I have ever had with customer service. The agents seemed incompetent in their knowledge I was disconnected multiple times on hold for many hours while waiting to speak to an agent and while on phone with an agent. This took over a week! to book now on February 19, 2021, I have finally used my credit after I was on the phone with the agent for more than an hour. I will never book with Hotwire again!

Hotwire*** is in the business of DEFRAUDING guests. Here is why... If you read a majority of the complaints filed, most of them are about the "Hot Rate" deals... A majority of people complain of being misled, and when asking for help or guidance, are told "Our Hot Rate rentals are deeply discounted, and as such, are booked as final and non-refundable... We obtain deeply discounted rates in exchange for guaranteed reservations. If our partners can be absolutely confident reservations will be used as sold, they are willing to offer reduced rates." - this is a direct quote from a complaint written 2/14/20. The reply was written 2/24/20 by *** Customer Care Relations, Hotwire Corporate Office Now I will explain how they are committing FRAUD by hiding behind that fact that we as consumers are so excited for a deal, and that we are naive in trusting a "reputable" company would not cheat us... I travel often and usually use other sites to book like hotels***. In fact, I had already booked a car rental on another site for $29/day. my rental is for a full week and their price was $231.60 + tax of $65.66 for a total of $297.26. Upon finishing this booking, a pop-up from hotwire*** shows up claiming that they could rent me the same car at $19/day... WOW, I thought! this is amazing... given that the taxes I paid already were 28.35%, this should have put the car rental at roughly $196... Honestly, I was so excited, I didn't even look at the final price or read the terms and conditions... which I am sure they bank on... I clicked through everything, and paid for my reservation... final cost...$277.55($149.10 as base rate + $128.45 tax). $20 cheaper than my initial reservation through company B... Then I went to sleep and thought about this... How did my tax rate become 86.15%? if hotwire*** is getting these rates from the rental companies "in exchange for guaranteed reservations," shouldn't the paying customer benefit from the "rates?" Answer is.. we as paying customers do not... hotwire*** keeps it! THERE IS NO BENEFIT FOR THE PAYING CUSTOMER... BEWARE! I tried to call and ask why I was paying more in taxes... the answer I got was that there different regulations... blah blah blah,... taxes are GOVERNED by the GOVERNMENT. They do not change by almost 60%. The service agent on the phone said there was nothing that can be done because sales are final... I wanted an answer, so I asked to speak to her supervisor... who also told me that there was nothing that can be done. I am in the business of customer service... there is always something that can be done to make your PAYING CUSTOMERS happy and want to return and do more business. Further... to prove this again... I looked up the same car, from the same rental agency for the same dates on their retail version... ready for this... Car = $234.88 Tax = $66.22 for a total of $301.10... again the tax is 28% use with caution

BEWARE OF PREDATORY PRACTICES! I have used Hotwire*** in the past to book hotel stays for me and my family in the past and have noticed a pattern that has increased over the years that only seems to be getting worst. Hotwire*** has two types of offerings for hotel bookings on their website. One is the typical booking that one would expect from other online hotel booking brokers where one books the hotel knowing which hotel one is getting and another method where, for a slight savings, one can book a hotel without knowing which hotel one gets but know the general region one will be staying in. I have historically booked with only the later method. In the past, when someone booked through the anonymous method one clearly knew what one could expect to pay as the price one paid was inclusive of the stay, apart from incidental fees like room service or additional services one could elect post arrival. Lately, however, more and more of these bookings have fine print pricing details where they state that the hotel carries an additional "resort fee" that is charged by the hotel upon check-in. These fees began modestly and have escalated to the point where they are as expensive or even more expensive than the actual price paid to Hotwire***. Some would argue that this is far from predatory given the transparency, albeit small print, when one books through Hotewire***, and I would agree. The fees are an outrage but are far from inexcusable given that one can elect or not elect to book with these hotels. However, the latest unscrupulous business practice that is clearly predatory is what is NOT stated when one books through Hotwire***. Now one is also expected to pay exorbitant resort fees that often exceed the original price of the hotel AND be met with additional fees that are NOT stated when one agrees to book an anonymous hotel that carries the condition that the booking is non negotiable and can not be cancelled. Personal example: I recently booked three nights at the *** The advertised price for the anonymous method (I was not aware of the name of the hotel prior to my booking it) is: $39 a night The small print "resort fee" price that was posted prior to booking is: $28. In total my booking price inclusive of Hotewire***'s price as well as the resort fee for three nights is: $226.95 (a far cry from $117 would expect if they don't read the fine print). When I called the hotel I was told that I would also be charged a $15 per night parking fee. That is $45 in addition to the $84 tact onto the price advertised. This is a predatory practice that hid behind a***plete lack of transparency through Hotwire***. When I called Hotwire*** to***plain and state that the existence of this additional charge was not only predatory but also constituted a breach of contract, I was told that all sales are final and that there would be no cancellations. I will NOT ever do business with Hotwire*** and I would advice anyone that values their money and believes that businesses should follow basic ethical practices to avoid this site at all cost.

I am writing to express my utmost disappointment and disgust with my recent stay at Suburban Extended Stay in Kennesaw, Georgia on 7/5/2023 through Hotwire. I booked a room at your establishment with the expectation of a clean and comfortable environment, but unfortunately, my experience was far from satisfactory. Upon entering the room assigned to me, it became immediately evident that the cleanliness standards at your hotel were severely lacking. The room was in a deplorable condition, with visible dirt, grime, and stains on the furniture, carpet, and walls. I was appalled to discover multiple roaches scurrying across the floor and walls, indicating a severe infestation issue. As a paying customer, I find it completely unacceptable to be subjected to such unsanitary and repulsive conditions during my stay. The presence of roaches not only poses a serious health hazard but also creates an extremely uncomfortable and distressing atmosphere. It is evident that proper pest control measures have been neglected, putting the well-being of guests at risk. Furthermore, I must address the issue of false advertising with Hotwire. Hotwire hotel's online reviews and promotional materials depicted a clean and well-maintained establishment. However, my experience contradicts these claims entirely. It is evident that Hotwire hotels has misled potential guests by misrepresenting the state of its facilities. This breach of trust is deeply disappointing and raises concerns about the integrity of your business. I immediately approached the front desk to voice my concerns and requested to be moved to a different room. However, I was informed that there were no other available rooms. This response is wholly unacceptable, as it suggests a lack of consideration for the well-being and satisfaction of your guests. I expect a higher level of customer service and prompt resolution when faced with such grave issues. Given the unhygienic and uncomfortable conditions I endured during my stay, I kindly request a full refund for the cost of my reservation at Suburban Extended Stay through Hotwire. I believe it is only fair and reasonable considering the significant inconvenience and distress caused by the state of the room and the subsequent inability to provide an alternative. I trust that you will address my concerns promptly and take appropriate action to rectify these issues. I sincerely hope that Suburban Extended Stay and Hotwire will demonstrate a commitment to ensuring the cleanliness and quality of your facilities for the benefit of future guests. Failure to do so will leave me with no choice but to escalate this matter further and explore other avenues to obtain the compensation I deserve. Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter. Itinerary #[protected]

Rented a car through y’all. Tried to call when all United flights were cancelled and got no one. Then when I finally texted, which is a crap way to communicate with someone when you’re stressed out, I was told that if I would’ve contacted y’all last night, you would’ve given me my money back but, even though I didn’t use the car because everything got canceled, you’re keeping the money! That is stealing!

I made a hotel reservation on 06/27/2023 for the dates of 06/28/2023 - 07/01/2023. Upon receipt of my confirmation, it only showed the dates of 06/28/23 - 06/29/2023. I immediately contacted Hotwire on 06/27/2023 within minutes of receiving the confirmation and advised them of the incorrect dates. I spoke with "Rein" who advised me to go sign into my Hotwire account and add the additional days to my existing booking. I did exactly as she instructed me to do. I requested that she contact the hotel and verify that the hotel allow local residents to stay in the hotel. Rein advised me that she tried calling the hotel 5 different times to no avail - the hotel would not answer so she was unable to confirm. I continued to call the hotel throughout the night through early morning with no luck - the phone just continuously rang. I telephoned Hotwire on 06/28/2023 and spoke with "Ria" who advised me upon my request that she was able to make contact with La Quinta front desk and was told that they would not cancel the reservation and that they do allow local residents to check in their hotel with a major credit card. I requested to know who Ria spoke to at the hotel and she advised me that she spoke to the front desk person. I asked her to obtain a name of the front desk person. Ria claims that she called LaQuinta Hotel back and was denied a name - she said the person just told her to say "the front desk person" gave her the information. It took Ria less than 2 minutes on each call that she made to LaQuinta. I advised Ria that I felt she was being less than honest and I did not believe she had made contact with the hotel at all. Ria insisted that she did and stated that the only thing that she could do for me is cancel the reservation with $20.00 penalty. After going back and forth, I reluctantly accepted the only option she provided which was built on deceit. Ria ended up charging me a total of 40.00 penalty because she said even though I corrected the dates of the original reservation and added two more days, it counted as a separate reservation. I got into my car and went to the hotel following my conversation with Ria to find out that the hotel's phone had been out for several days and they were not able to receive ANY calls which further validated my suspicions that Ria had blatantly lied; additionally, the front desk person stated that they would be willing to cancel the reservation without any penalties. He attempted to cancel it and found that it had been cancelled by Expedia at 11:35AM and 11:38AM respectively. I spoke with supervisors Jay and Martin and explained the situation; both supervisors refused to rectify the situation by refunding the $40.00 that Ria charged me. I am requesting a refund of the $40.00 in addition to a credit for free 3 nights free hotel stay in the future due to the inconvenience, frustration and the employee misconduct this event has caused me.

I've been using Hotwire for years, and I gotta say, I was completely caught off guard, shocked, and appalled at how I was treated on June 9th. I mean, come on, Hotwire, what happened to your customer service?

So, I booked some air travel through Hotwire.com, and I expect to be notified of itinerary changes, right? Well, I was pleasantly surprised that our itinerary remained unchanged in the months before our trip. I printed the itinerary from Hotwire.com on June 5th, and we flew from OAK to SEA on the 6th without any issues. But, when we got to the airport for our trip home, things went downhill fast.

We presented ourselves at the Alaska Air counter for check-in, five hours ahead of our flight time. But, the flight that Hotwire.com booked us on didn't exist! Thank goodness we were early, or we would have been in some serious trouble. We and the Alaska staff could see our itinerary online on Hotwire.com, but it just wasn't an existing flight.

Alaska offered us seats on a flight to SFO, but our car was in Oakland, and Alaska didn't have any flights at all to Oakland that day. The Alaska staff were extremely helpful and told us of other airlines with flights to OAK. So, I called Hotwire, and was told that I had to work it out with the airline. I requested a Supervisor, and was put on hold for 20 minutes. Keeping my phone on hold, I called Hotwire with another phone. I explained that I can't be kept on hold, because I am standing at the airline counter with NO WAY TO GET HOME, because Hotwire booked me on a non-existent flight, that I can't work it out with the airline, because they don't have a flight!

Finally, a supervisor named Sean came to the phone. He told me my booking is non-refundable, and they are not putting me on another airline, and I had to work it out with Alaska. At this point I was crying (Gah, I am so weak sometimes), and my boyfriend had to take over the call (it was his phone anyway :)). 'Supervisor Sean' continued to refuse to accept any responsibility. He agreed to talk to the Alaska Air agent. She advised him that they would be more than happy to give us seats on a flight, if there was a flight to our destination! She started to provide him information of other airlines that had flights, and he yelled at her. She gave the phone back to my boyfriend. 'Supervisor Sean' refused to provide a last name or an ID reference. My boyfriend thanked him for being no help at all, told him we'll figure it out, and ended the call. 'Supervisor Sean' had the nerve to CALL BACK and yell at us for 'being rude.'

In the end, we accepted the kind offer of a flight from Alaska to the wrong City, and found a ride to our car. But, I gotta say, I will never trust hotwire.com again. How can they remain in business if this is how customers are treated when customer service is needed? It's just not right.

Yo, so I gotta tell y'all about my experience with Hotwire. I was looking to rent a car for a week and had already found a pretty good deal on another site. But then, Hotwire pops up with a claim that they could rent me the same car for even cheaper. I was hyped, so I didn't even bother to read the fine print or check the final price.

After I paid for my reservation, I realized that the tax rate was way higher than what I had paid on the other site. When I called to ask about it, the customer service agent gave me some BS about different regulations and said there was nothing they could do. I asked to speak to a supervisor, but they gave me the same answer.

I did some research and found out that Hotwire keeps the discounts they get from rental companies, and the paying customer doesn't benefit at all. Plus, a lot of people have complained about being misled by their "Hot Rate" deals.

Honestly, I wouldn't recommend using Hotwire. They're just trying to make a quick buck off of unsuspecting customers. Stick with a more reputable site and read the fine print before you book anything.

I'm writing this review to share my experience with Hotwire.com. Let me tell you, it was one of the worst experiences I've ever had as a consumer. I'm still so angry and disgusted, I could put my fist through a wall.

Here's what happened: I received an email from Hotwire confirming my reservation to check into a hotel later that day at 3:00pm. Payment was successfully received, so I thought everything was good to go. However, for the entire remainder of the day, I never received any calls, texts, or emails leading me to believe there was a potential issue, flag, concern, etc.

When I arrived at the hotel at 5:45pm, they requested an additional $100 for incidentals (twice the cost of the room) and I declined to pay. I left the hotel and found a replacement option. I called Hotwire to see if they could possibly just switch my reservation to that option.

The operator proceeded to inform me that the account I set up earlier when making the reservation was flagged by the Risk Management division for potential fraudulent activity, deactivated, and my reservation removed from the system. This comes after they had already successfully removed the funds from my account. They made no effort to contact me and simply confirm if I was aware of activity, which would have eased their concerns. They did nothing.

They next told me that they couldn't help me and that I must contact the Risk Management division at another number. However, because it was now after business hours, no one answered the phone or contacted me back in an effort to immediately rectify their ridiculous, unfounded actions.

They kept hiding behind the veil of fraudulence. At this time, I pointed out that I made the reservation using my card. There was no fraudulence. They, on the other hand, removed money from my account and were still holding it, after shutting me out completely. That appears to be much more fraudulent than anything they cited with my account.

For the next two hours, I called, recalled, left messages, and more messages. As of 5 minutes ago, the money has not been returned and Risk Management has not returned any of my 5+ heated voicemails. This is fraud. Bad business. Complete disrespect and disregard for the consumer. They basically took me off of a perfectly good working boat that I paid to be on in good faith, kept my money, and threw me out in the water without any concern for a due diligence process or the facts.

I don't know what to do except share my story. If anyone has experienced similar treatment at their hands, please let me know. There is strength in numbers and this behavior needs to stop. It's on, Hotwire.

I am attaching copies of the confirmation email and my bank statement showing the funds being taken and not returned. This is beyond unacceptable, and I refuse to be treated so horribly without retribution for their actions.

- Mike Lozano

Me and my hubby, we decided to book a hotel in Rome, Italy through Hotwire. We were looking for a hotel that offered Complimentary FREE internet, which is not always easy to find in Europe. We made sure that the hotel we chose had this amenity before we booked. Hotwire advertised that one of the three hotels we could get would have Complimentary FREE internet. However, when we arrived at our hotel, we were told that we had to pay 10 euros per night for internet and that we could only use it in the lobby, not in our rooms. We were very upset because we specifically chose a hotel that had Complimentary FREE internet as advertised on Hotwire. We immediately emailed Hotwire the next day, while we were in the lobby, after having paid to use the internet. We checked our booking confirmation email and found out that it stated that the hotel offered Internet Access and NOT Complimentary FREE internet, as advertised on Hotwire PRIOR to and DURING booking. This is FALSE ADVERTISEMENT. How can they say that we will get one of the three hotels listed and the amenities that it will have is complimentary FREE internet and then it doesn't?

We received an email from the customer care team THREE WEEKS later, saying that we had to call so that any of the "travel specialists" could resolve our inquiry. We called and explained our situation with screenshots, so they could process a refund for false advertisement. However, one of the customer care team members said that the research team didn't provide any details on our account, so he couldn't help us. We requested to speak to a supervisor, who stated that what the team member said was correct, but that because of their process (which was NOT mentioned in the email), all we had to do was email that customer care team member stating that we spoke to a supervisor, so that the research team could look into it. However, this was going to take another 3-5 business days (so now it's been over a month since this first happened and we're still dealing with this) for them to get back to us for a response.

Seven days later, the same customer care team member got back to us, stating that they could not process a refund because it was our fault. Our fault that they advertised that our hotel was going to have Complimentary FREE internet and it didn't. We spoke to the supervisor just now and she basically said that she could do nothing about it and that the research team already said no. Even though Hotwire lied. We will NEVER EVER use Hotwire again. They have lost us as a customer. We suggest that you pay a little extra and get yourself an Airbnb or spend your money on a hotel that you actually like and that will provide all the amenities it says it will. We never experienced this with Hotwire, but we do not appreciate FALSE ADVERTISEMENT.

I went on a trip from Texas to Minnesota to visit my ailing mother and decided to book my flight and car rental through Hotwire. I was satisfied with the service until I received a notification that my Delta flight schedule was changing due to COVID-19 precautions. Unfortunately, this change shortened my trip by 29 hours, which was beyond my control. I had paid for a 5-day car rental, but now only needed it for 4 days, so I requested a $100 refund. However, my experience with Hotwire's customer service was not pleasant.

I called them three times, but was hung up on each time after waiting for 30 minutes. On my fourth attempt, I spent 93 minutes on the phone with them, being put on hold for 30 minutes and transferred between operators. Despite explaining my situation calmly, I was informed that I would not receive a refund because one of my changed flight times did not exceed 4 hours. This was frustrating because both of my flights shortened my trip by 29 hours, and one of them was only shortened by 1.5 hours, while the other was shortened by 3.5 hours.

I have read other reviews on this site, including a 5-star review from Angella R. (who sounds like she works for Hotwire). However, I can confirm that there was no option for a car refund or credit, and no assurances were given. I am not surprised that Hotwire has an overall rating of less than 2 stars.

I strongly advise against using this company. Do not believe their guarantees or be fooled by their flashy commercials. I feel scammed and disappointed that I had to pay an extra $100 to a company that showed no compassion or understanding during these unprecedented times. My family is not wealthy, and $100 is a significant amount for us. It is disappointing that Hotwire would prioritize holding onto that money instead of showing loyalty to their customers.

As someone who has traveled to more than 50% of the USA, I cannot recommend Hotwire any less than I already have. If you have had a similar experience, I am sorry for you. If you are considering using Hotwire, please go somewhere else for your own sake. Stay safe, stay healthy, and God bless the USA!

I recently had an experience with HOTWIRE that left me feeling extremely frustrated and disappointed. My husband and I were driving cross country and had booked a hotel through their website. However, when we arrived at the hotel, we were informed that it was fully booked. It was already 10pm and we were exhausted, so this was not the news we wanted to hear.

The hotel staff was helpful and tried to find us alternative accommodations, but the options they offered were far below the caliber of the hotel we had originally booked and paid for. We ended up having to book a new reservation through a different hotel altogether.

To make matters worse, we were never contacted by HOTWIRE about the error or the next day, even though the hotel had notified them of the problem. We had to call them ourselves to request a refund, which took several phone calls and about 2 hours to finally receive.

When I asked if they could compensate us for the inconvenience, they offered a voucher but said I had to book on the phone to redeem it. However, when I tried to use the reference number they gave me, it didn't exist. This led to a frustrating cycle of phone calls and transfers, with no one seeming to be able to help me. I asked for a supervisor several times, but they were extremely reluctant to transfer me and even when they did, the person wasn't actually a supervisor.

After being on hold for 40 minutes, I finally spoke to a supervisor who told me that they "don't do vouchers" and could offer nothing for the hours of wait times, poor service, and the error on the first booking. I was extremely disappointed and frustrated with the lack of resolution.

Overall, I would not recommend using HOTWIRE. Their customer service was the worst I've ever experienced and they don't seem to value their customers or their time. It's worth paying a little extra to go with a different company or booking directly with the hotel. And just a heads up, EXPEDIA is their parent company.

hotwire.com is a website that I have been using for the past 6 years. However, after my recent stay at the Comfort Inn in Grain Valley, I will never use it again. I had never had any issues with booking through HW until this stay. I contacted their customer service via chat and phone to try and resolve the issue, but both representatives told me that there was "nothing they could do to make it right". As a single mom with 3 kids, these last few months have been really tough for my family. We have been going through a divorce, selling our home, and had to move in with my parents. I wanted to take my kids on a vacation, but I didn't have the financial means for it. So, I decided to book a local hotel through HW with only one criteria: it had to have a pool. I did a quick cost-benefit analysis based on price, location, and MOST IMPORTANTLY having a pool. All sales are final after you book, so I was very meticulous in only considering options with a pool because it was the only reason we got a hotel 10 min from where we live. Once we had carried all our luggage inside, unpacked and settled in the room, we got our swim suits on and headed down to the pool only to find out that it's permanently closed. The hotels website states the pool is permanently closed (and has been for a while) but Hotwire failed to update their site with this information. When you book through Hotwire, you do not get to see what hotel you are booking, the only information you are given to make your choice is the price, area, and amenities. My kids were heartbroken and disappointed, and it completely ruined our attempt at a fun escape to temporarily forget the struggles of life. When I called Hotwire to express my dissatisfaction and address the deceit of them promising certain amenities and not fulfilling their word, I was told that they were "sorry" and even though I was misled in my booking, they would not do anything to accommodate for their misconception. It was a huge disappointment for my family and a breach of trust as a loyal customer. As a business professional myself, I cannot fathom lying to someone to receive their business and further destroying the company's reputation by refusing to take responsibility and accommodate for the misconception. A business is destined to fail without its customer base, and one that chooses a foundation of moral deceit over time will lose its customers and ultimately fail. Hotwire got the little money I had to try to treat my family and salvage this challenging year, and there is nothing I can do to get that back. But what I can do is enlighten other potential customers on their values and hopefully save the next family from the disappointment I have experienced. I pride myself on being a subjective and forgiving individual, and I gave them 2 opportunities to own their mistake and make it right, but they chose a path of greed. Karma is real, and they won this round, but their company's lack of moral compass will lead to their demise.

Hotwire is a company that I had high hopes for, but unfortunately, my experience with them was not a good one. I booked a hotel through their website that was advertised to be only 1.1 miles away from the event I was attending. However, upon receiving the name and address of the hotel, I discovered that it was actually 8.33 miles away, which would take over 2 hours to walk to. I immediately called Hotwire to ask for a refund or to be moved to a closer hotel, but was told that because it was a "Hot Rate" booking, they could not offer a refund.

I explained to the representative that the information presented to me was false and that I only booked the hotel because it was advertised to be close to my destination. However, the representative told me that the 1.1 miles was a straight line distance, not an address-to-address distance, and that they could not give precise distances because it was a blind booking. I was frustrated and asked to speak to a manager.

The manager reiterated the same policy and refused to help me. I was upset and told her that Hotwire was being sneaky by listing distances by how the crow flies rather than address-to-address when they clearly had the information. I asked for a refund or to be moved to a closer hotel, but was told that they would not be issuing a refund and that they stood by their decision.

As someone who has worked in customer service for over 30 years, I was disappointed in their lack of effort to correct the misrepresentation. I understand that mistakes can happen, but when a company and its employees do something wrong and won't make it right, it is unacceptable. Hotwire did not offer an apology or any compensation for their mistake.

I am writing this review to warn others about my experience with Hotwire. I hope that by sharing this information, others will not be taken advantage of. I will never use this company for travel bookings again and urge others to do the same.

I recently used Hotwire to book a rental car and had a terrible experience at the rental agency. When I arrived to pick up the vehicle, the attendant told me to email the declarations page from my insurance. She also told me that I had to pay for the Toll system fee even though I had my own device to use.

After receiving the declarations page, the attendant told me that I did not have enough insurance. I explained that my current coverage is $300,000/$500,000/$100,000 for Liability, which is the highest insurance coverage my carrier offers. However, she said that they did not accept umbrella policies.

I asked to see the policies where it indicated what the insurance requirements were. She provided a page that I have attached indicating that I needed to provide a $2,500 deposit if I was to decline the insurance and the Toll system fee. This was frustrating because the insurance that the rental company sells has a maximum liability of $75,000 and the one I provided is for $500,000.

When I provided the credit card that I used to reserve the vehicle, the attendant said that she attempted the charge and it was denied. I asked her to run it again, but she said she had to request permission to run it again. She said she ran it again and that it was denied, but when I called the card issuing company, they told me that the charge had not been attempted.

The rental car attendant was helping another customer by the time I got off the phone with the credit card representative. I tried to get her attention, but she refused to even acknowledge me. I asked the person on the phone to please wait for a moment, but the rental car agency lady simply refused to even look at me or help me in any way.

When it was my turn again, I requested that she run the card again, but she said she had to ask for permission to run the charge again. She said she ran it and declined again. I requested a receipt of her running the card, but she fumbled with the machine for a while and would not give me the receipt.

I then asked if she would run any one of my other credit cards to pay for the deposit, but she said she had to call and get permission to do so. Out of frustration, I laughed, but she accused me of laughing at her and told me to get out and that she was not going to rent to me because I was laughing at her.

I called and texted HotWire, but they told me it was a non-refundable rate and I did not have the required insurance (which I have), so it was on me and there would be no refund processed.

Overall, the rental car company lowballed the rental rate and tried to upsell me services that I did not need. They also refused to rent to me because I did not get any of their overpriced items that I did not need. It was a frustrating experience, and I would not recommend using Hotwire for rental cars.

HOTWIRE.COM: A WARNING TO ALL!

I've used Hotwire.com to book hotel stays for me and my family in the past, but I've noticed a pattern that's only getting worse. They have two types of offerings for hotel bookings on their website. One is the typical booking that one would expect from other online hotel booking brokers where one books the hotel knowing which hotel one is getting. The other method is where, for a slight savings, one can book a hotel without knowing which hotel one gets but know the general region one will be staying in. I have historically booked with only the latter method.

In the past, when someone booked through the anonymous method, one clearly knew what one could expect to pay as the price one paid was inclusive of the stay, apart from incidental fees like room service or additional services one could elect post-arrival.

Lately, however, more and more of these bookings have fine print pricing details where they state that the hotel carries an additional "resort fee" that is charged by the hotel upon check-in. These fees began modestly and have escalated to the point where they are as expensive or even more expensive than the actual price paid to Hotwire.com.

Some would argue that this is far from predatory given the transparency, albeit small print, when one books through Hotewire.com, and I would agree. The fees are an outrage but are far from inexcusable given that one can elect or not elect to book with these hotels. However, the latest unscrupulous business practice that is clearly predatory is what is NOT stated when one books through Hotwire.com. Now one is also expected to pay exorbitant resort fees that often exceed the original price of the hotel AND be met with additional fees that are NOT stated when one agrees to book an anonymous hotel that carries the condition that the booking is non-negotiable and cannot be canceled.

Personal example:

I recently booked three nights at the Grand Orlando Resort at Celebration 2900 Parkway Blvd, Kissimmee, FL ***

The advertised price for the anonymous method (I was not aware of the name of the hotel prior to my booking it) is: $39 a night

The small print "resort fee" price that was posted prior to booking is: $28.

In total my booking price inclusive of Hotewire.com's price as well as the resort fee for three nights is: $226.95 (a far cry from $117 would expect if they don't read the fine print).

When I called the hotel, I was told that I would also be charged a $15 per night parking fee. That is $45 in addition to the $84 tacked onto the price advertised.

This is a predatory practice that hides behind a complete lack of transparency through Hotwire.com.

When I called Hotwire.com to complain and state that the existence of this additional charge was not only predatory but also constituted a breach of contract, I was told that all sales are final and that there would be no cancellations.

I will NOT ever do business with Hotwire.com again, and I would advise anyone that values their money and believes that businesses should follow basic ethical practices to avoid this site at all costs.

In the hot deal promotion, it explicitly states "Guaranteed hotel chain / You're guaranteed to stay at one of these regional or national chains:" and presents logos for Hilton, Doubletree, Embassy Suites and Sheraton. Once the booking is confirmed, the reservation is for Holiday Inn by IHG, which is not one of those brands. The agent and supervisor say those are supposed to be examples, but that's not what the website says. This is bait and switch. If you want to say they're examples, then say that, or something to that effect so there isn't an unpleasant surprise when the booking is made. When i went back to see the same promotion after the surprise, the brands were different (see screenshot). I just assumed that's based on the available inventory at the time.

website pricing has been misleading and using a bait and switch model for several weeks. I chatted with 2 separate CSRs on 2 separate occasions who both fed me the same parrot response of pricing sometimes isn't updated in a timely manner. and then one of these idiots looked up a price on their end and gave me a $15.55 daily rate that was a typo on their part.

I spoke by phone with a manager that said, or I should say read the policy and some b.s. about they are aware of the problem (website lying about prices) and she's not really sure how long they can get away with operating this way. but it seems to be working fine to raise company revenues.

They quote one price, charge a higher price. I'll be checking the website weekly for accuracy and report my findings to the FTC and any state regulators as applicable. TAKE THE WEBSITE OFFLINE IF IT ISN'T WORKING. !

Made a reservation at motel 6 in Pensacola, FL, 4/22/2023. Person at front desk was extremely rude, charge me 50 for incidentals and threw me the room key. Once I entered the room it smells really bad like a dead animal or something. Holes in the walls and when I entered the bathroom a live rat came out and I just took my stuff and went back to front desk.

Told the same rude guy if he can change my room because of the room status and he said no!

I just left the hotel and went to another one.

Then I called hot wire customer service phone number and a lady with a foreign accent took the call and told me that they could not help me because they tried to call the hotel and nobody answered.

Worst experience on my life. Will never use hot wire again

Whatsoever!

Had to contact my bank and file a fraud complaint and dispute transaction.

Time Period: every 2 weeks since November

Location: Sarasota, FL

I book through hotwire frequently (because my company requires I book through them), and I've come to the conclusion this is just their business practice. If you complain to their customer service, they claim their prices change constantly and don't immediately update them.

However - If this is happening every day, every time I use their website - that is not a slow update to the prices, that's a business practice. They usually show prices 2/3rds up to 1/2 the price in the hot deals of what they switch the price to when you attempt to check out. What changes is the "discount."

If their hot deal is already redeemed by somebody else like they say it is, then it should no longer be advertised - thats a form of false advertisement; however, usually, the hotdeal is still there, but the price suddenly changes when you click on it. What is happening is the price is just displayed wrong and they refuse to take responsibility for it.

I've come to the conclusion that either their website is well overdue for an update, or this is an intentional business practice. Neither of which are acceptable. Their confirmation at checkout with a much higher price feels like a slap to the face. I wonder how many people have accidentally checked out assuming that the price is the same as what they clicked on; only to find out afterwards that they got a larger bill.

Furthermore, I've done the ground work to check prices on the same vehicles over and over throughout a 24 hour period, and there is little to no attempt to fix their pricing mishap. Frankly there is no excuse for the hot deals, if they're truly a one time redeem, they should be taken down as soon as they are redeemed by another customer. Its obvious this is just a continuous bait and switch tactic. Which tells me there is little to no attempt to correct this issue. Its more likely a business practice than just a website issue.

I was renting a car last night on11/26 that I booked through you guys at PHL airport confirmation number [protected] my flight was was running a little behind but I was out front around 7:30 waiting for the shuttle for Sixt that was not showing up,

I tried calling them with no luck, come to find out they close at 7:30pm witch I had no idea of that, and all the other ones are 24-7 so I talked to some other bus shuttle drivers that said there has been so many problems with Sixt and they asked me why I would book though them, So I had no choice but to go book a car with Dollar, I’m hoping you can help me with my lost that I had no control of, pick up was supposed to be 6:30 which how can you book me with them that’s so close to there closing time it took 25 min to wait for luggage, I’ve been booking with Hotwire for many of years and never had any problems, I’m hoping you can keep me as a customer and do the right thing and reimbursed me, confirmation number for Sixt was [protected] this all was so frustrating last night,

But I’m really hoping you can help,

email is [protected]@yahoo.com

phone number is [protected]

thank you Richard Hobbs

We booked a flight for a deal price and realised that the layover was 8 hours. So we tried to cancel the flight on the website and were not able to cancel asking us to call the customer care line. So we did and they say that since it is a deal ticket it cannot be cancelled, however on their web site it says tickets can be cancelled with 24 hours.

This message is for the general public who want to book with HOTWIRE, please be aware that while booking flights it bargain fare does not show any layover hours. It is only after you pay they will reveal the time and the layover. This is very unfair and very misleading.

Paid in advance Aug21 for travel June22 when arrivede at airport there was no record of transaction Hotwire is less than accommodating in resolving I have danced with the vendor and the bank for credit card charges ,there was no service for the charges hence I am out $1047.06 Can for a rental that was NOT provided . Initially the reservation was changed from 10:amto 10: pm as a credit then the reservation was rebooked .Vendor Hotwire says there was a credit provided ,there has been no proof of credit provided by the vendor Hotwire.I have reecived travel insurance refunds from credit card company .There has been no satisfaction with regards to the failure of Hotwire providing a service as paid for by me. The Credit card ( bank ) has stated that because of the timee factor involved they are unable to help further.I am not looking for anything other than what was paid by Me $1047.06 . Hotwire did NOT provide a service for the funds collected so they failed in the contract between myself and Them,

Arrived to check in, it was too early left our bags there.

Got a call from the hotel our reservation was canceled and hotwire should have told us. We were left stranded and had to find another hotel and due to a conference in town was 1800 more for the 3 nights. Hotwire will only offer 25 for their error. That us unacceptable. This happened today Sept. 19. 2022 in San Francisco.