Hotwire Reviews
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About Hotwire
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Hotwire is a travel and vacation website that offers deeply discounted deals on hotels, car rentals, flights and more. With Hotwire, you can book deals directly from the site or through the company’s app.
- Deals in many categories
- Easy to book online or with app
- Significantly discounted rates
- No cancellations
- Doesn’t show hotel name until booked
Helpful Reviews
What is Hotwire?
Hotwire finds hotel rooms, rental cars and vacation packages at deeply discounted rates. Travelers can look up travel information on the website or the mobile app and access 24/7 customer service.
The company advertises the ability to connect you with four-star hotels at two-star prices, and it partners with leaders in the travel industry, such as Hilton, Hyatt and most major car rental companies and airlines.
How does Hotwire work?
You can use Hotwire to search for flights, hotel accommodations, rental cars and vacation experiences. You will not see the hotel's name until you book your stay — this is what allows Hotwire to offer such deep discounts.
Hotwire gives you other information about the hotel, such as the star rating, customer reviews, the city where it's located, an area map and sometimes even a detailed description of the local neighborhood and a list of local landmarks.
Hotwire has an easy-to-use filter option so you can narrow down your search by location and date.
- Hotels
- Enter your destination, check-in date, check-out date and how many guests will be traveling to have Hotwire show you a list of hotels in the area, their discounted rates, their Expedia reviews and other basic info. No names or addresses are included.
You can filter your search by hotel class, price range, amenities, guest rating and the general area. Before you book, you’ll see the base rate, your dates and additional fees. Once you book, the sale is final and you receive the name of the hotel, the address and other specifics.
- Car rental
- Booking a rental car on Hotwire works much like booking a hotel. You enter your dates and pickup and dropoff location. Hotwire lets you choose your preferred car type and set your budget before presenting a list of rental cars at discounted rates.
- Flights
- When you’re booking flights, Hotwire tells you the name of the airline you’ll be flying with. It also gives you flight details such as change fees and the number of layovers.
- Vacation experiences
- When you book a vacation package with Hotwire, you have the option to bundle your hotel, car and flight.
Hotwire prices
While Hotwire strives to give you the best vacation experiences at low prices, there are a few other fees to consider before booking. Before you confirm your purchase, Hotwire shows you a breakdown of your purchase, including the base rate and its “tax recovery charges and fees.” These fees vary based on the hotel that you're assigned.
It's also important to remember that some hotels have additional costs, such as parking, resort fees and convention fees. These charges typically aren't listed as part of the booking process, and travelers pay these extra fees with the hotel company directly.
Travelers can save more money with Hotwire by downloading the app and taking advantage of last-minute travel deals.
Hotwire FAQ
Who owns Hotwire?
Expedia Group owns Hotwire.
How do I get a refund from Hotwire?
All tickets and purchases through Hotwire are final and will not be refunded. All changes and cancellations must be made through the hotel, car rental company or airline.
How does Hotwire work for hotels?
Travelers enter their trip information into the search, and Hotwire produces a list of discounted rates available for that time. Customers do not know the name of the hotel until they make a reservation, but they do receive information about the hotel’s rating, location and customer reviews.
Does Hotwire have promo codes?
Yes. Customers can receive promo codes when they sign up to receive emails from Hotwire.
Still have questions?
Is Hotwire legit?
Hotwire is a reputable travel company that is recognized across the globe for providing valid and discounted travel accommodations. It is owned by Expedia Group, another trusted and well-established leader in the travel industry. Some people may not like not knowing the name of the hotel they’re staying at until making a reservation, but Hotwire is worth checking out if your primary goal is keeping costs down when traveling.
Hotwire Reviews
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- 4,897,627 reviews on ConsumerAffairs are verified.
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- 4,897,627 reviews on ConsumerAffairs are verified.
- We require contact information to ensure our reviewers are real.
- We use intelligent software that helps us maintain the integrity of reviews.
- Our moderators read all reviews to verify quality and helpfulness.
Reviewed June 9, 2026
My wife and I booked our stay at Cadence Niagara Falls through Hotwire from May 29 to May 31. What happened during our stay was honestly one of the scariest experiences we have ever had in a hotel. Around 3:09 AM on the day we were checking out, we heard someone outside our room. When I looked through the peephole, I saw a man standing there in nothing but his underwear. He looked drunk and kept trying to open our room door. He stayed outside our room for almost 20 minutes. My wife and I were absolutely terrified. I was scared to open the door because I had no idea what this person might do. We were trapped inside our room, scared for our safety, just watching and hoping he would leave. It felt like a nightmare. We kept calling the front desk for help. We called more than 10 times and nobody answered. Nobody. We were completely on our own while this was happening.
The man eventually moved on and started trying other room doors in the hallway. That made it even more frightening because it was clear he wasn’t just confused about his room. Neither of us slept for the rest of the night. We were shaken up, stressed, and scared. The next morning we told the front desk what had happened, but the manager acted like it was no big deal. There was no real apology, no concern for what we had gone through, and no effort to make things right. After we got back home and finally had time to deal with everything, I contacted Hotwire expecting them to take this seriously. Instead, I was told that because I called 8 days after my stay, there was nothing they could do and offered me a $20 credit which feels extremely disrespectful and reeks of lack of empathy. I honestly don’t understand that response. Just because someone doesn’t report something immediately doesn’t mean it didn’t happen or that it wasn’t serious.
We had travel, work, and other responsibilities to deal with after coming back. When we finally found the time to raise this issue, we were basically told we were too late. Am extremely disappointed. My wife and I spent a night terrified for our safety, received no help from the hotel when we needed it most, were dismissed by the hotel management, and then received no empathy from Hotwire either. This entire experience has been upsetting, frustrating, and honestly heartbreaking. I never expected to be treated this way after going through something so frightening. Because of how this was handled, I will never make a booking through Hotwire again.
Reviewed May 7, 2026
My husband and I booked a four star hotel in Ft Lauderdale. When we arrived there were very visible bedbugs in the room and safety issues with the locks. Hotwire refused to give us a refund even though we provided photo evidence of the problems with the hotel. We will never book with Hotwire again.
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Reviewed May 5, 2026
Hotwire is the worst company ever. I cannot believe that in this day and age, you cannot cancel more than two months in advance if your plans change. I don't care what their policy is, this is not a policy that is sustainable in this day and age. I will never refer and I will never use hot wire ever again. I plan on taking out a full page ad in the New York Times to air my disgust with this company.
Reviewed April 19, 2026
Hotwire is the most horrible company ever! Their phone lines rarely work without hanging up on you when you when you need to get a hold of someone. Texting with an agent takes a very long time. I reserved a hotel heart rate. Where you do not know which hotel you are getting until after you pay for it and it is not allowed to be cancelled. The hotel I booked was for a 4 1/2 star hotel, supposedly.
I got to the Hotel. Checked in. It was late at night because I had flight delays and flight cancellations. This 4 1/2 star again supposed hotel room had hair all over the floor. Outlets didn’t work. The couch was badly stained. The desk was chipped and losing all of its paint. The exterior door was even losing its paint. The couch had rips, the tile in the bathroom was painted black and chipping off. There was long black hair all over the floor. And the carpet was stained. I would never stay at the Wade Downtown Chicago again. And I will never use Hotwire again for any bookings. The agents on the phone that I finally got a hold of two days later were not helpful at all and they offered me a $40 refund. Which I paid over $200 for this hotel room. Bad customer service. Never again!
Reviewed March 31, 2026
To whom it may concern, Last year, the technician mentioned 1 one free of phone service în addition to the Service provided through the contract on Palm Chase Lakes. I have found myself with the bill for the phone line that it’s supposed be free for 1 year. I have called and forced to pay to restore the service. I have asked to cancel the phone line service and restore the account to the original contract under Palm Chase Lakes. 2 months later same extortion gimmick. No internet or TV and the service can’t be restored until payment is made for a phone line that it's supposed be cancelled and services restored to the initial contract under Palm Chase Lakes. I’ve been told, I have to wait 24 for management to respond. No internet, no TV…
Reviewed March 7, 2026
I would give a less star if possible. These people took my money and applied it to a room overseas with no refund. A mistake made on their behalf. They should be shutdown. These people are frauds. Never make the mistake to use them.
Reviewed March 5, 2026
I've used HW before with varying results. I just booked a hotel for tonight and I did not receive any of the hotels on the "which one will I get". Furthermore, the hotel location is miles from the search location. A total rip off - bait and switch. Beware - don't use.
Reviewed Feb. 18, 2026
Hotwire is now using a bait and switch approach--showing lower rates for rooms that aren't available. It's a shame--I used them for years with no issues but no more. I found a lower rate on Expedia than Hotwire was trying to switch me to. Adios, Hotwire.
Reviewed Feb. 16, 2026
Absolutely Disgusting and Unacceptable Experience at Hotwire.com. We traveled all the way from Vancouver to Victoria with our kids for a family vacation. We had a confirmed reservation and everything was planned around this booking. We arrived at NIGHT, with children, tired from travel — only to be told at the front desk that they had “oversold” the hotel and there was no room available for us. No room. No backup plan. No real help.
What makes it worse:
• No proper apology
• No compensation
• No follow-up call
• No accountability
They simply acted like it was normal. This is completely unacceptable, especially to do to a family with children who trusted their confirmed reservation. A hotel that does not honor bookings should not be trusted. Our trip was ruined because of their incompetence. We absolutely do NOT recommend staying here. Avoid booking with them if you value your time, money, and family vacation.
Reviewed Feb. 3, 2026
They are the absolute worst. ZERO cancellations allowed. I made a reservation and tried to cancel in under two minutes. They would not let me cancel. What kind of cracker jack deal are they running. Sketchy as heck. Never again.
Hotwire Company Information
- Company Name:
- Hotwire.com
- Year Founded:
- 2000
- Address:
- 655 Montgomery St.
- City:
- San Francisco
- State/Province:
- CA
- Postal Code:
- 94111-2627
- Country:
- United States
- Website:
- www.hotwire.com