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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.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Deals in many categories
- Easy to book online or with app
- Significantly discounted rates
Cons
- No cancellations
- Doesn’t show hotel name until booked
Bottom Line
Hotwire sells hotel rooms, car rentals, flights and vacation packages that might otherwise go unsold for discounted rates. It partners with many major companies to provide a variety of options.
Featured Reviews
I reserved a hotel room using the hot rate tool, which gives you an undisclosed hotel in a certain star range for a very good price. ... When I arrived at my hotel this time, ther...
Read full reviewHotwire gives best deals and details and handles issues much faster than others. They give you area comparisons and options to add to your trip like rental car and outings. The de...
Read full reviewWhat 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.
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
ConsumerAffairs has collected 1,817 reviews and 2,474 ratings.
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Reviewed Nov. 15, 2023
I am a business traveler and use Hotwire extensively. I set up a business card to use and it disappeared and they billed my personal card. I asked them to change the billing to the correct card and they refused and said they couldn't? Really? I book 2 to 3 nights a week and they now list my business. Stupid business practices. This was a simple adjustment for a heavy user.

Reviewed Nov. 14, 2023
I rent a car luxury car with Thrifty in Denver, they don't have it waiting for 1 hour and the end have to take mid-size and paid luxury car. Thrifty said, "Call Hotwire for refund" and Hotwire said nope. What idiots.
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Reviewed Nov. 10, 2023
Having never used Hotwire the way it is now it was a surprise when trying to book a hotel for one night that we don't know what hotel we would get until we paid. We got an Air BnB called Metro Tempe Apartments. The room we reserved was a mess, when calling Metro back they didn't have another room and we had to drive two hours back home arriving home at 1230am (not fun). We called Hotwire the next day and was told they could only give us a $25 credit, not the $125.19 we paid. We called back a 2nd time and talked with someone how talked with Metro for a refund.
After numerous phone calls and trying to convince Hotwire and Metro we didn't stay the night we did get our full refund from Dan, a supervisor who was very nice on the phone. The hard part was telling my story each time I talked with someone different and getting to point of being angry about this to get my refund. I will NEVER stay at the Metro Tempe Apartments and don't think I'll use Hotwire as I don't know where I'll stay until I pay. Again, my thanks to Dan the supervisor for his assistance in getting my issue resolved and my full refund back.
Reviewed Nov. 10, 2023
I do not recommend Hotwire for renting a car. I rented a car through Hotwire in Louisville for two weeks, but Hotwire charged me 440 USD in addition to the 748 USD that the rental car company charged me!!

Reviewed Oct. 24, 2023
We booked Holiday Inn Express through Hotwire in Nebraska City for one night. The Hotel Charged us as well. Neither one wants to pay us back for double-paid room! Hotwire gotten a lot more greedier over the years.

Reviewed Oct. 13, 2023
My husband and I recently took a trip to Vegas for his birthday. We were quoted a price of $58. The car rental company (Ace), states they never received this price. Neither company wanted to reach out to the other. Both agents at Hotwire were completely unhelpful and didn’t want to listen. So, please beware you’re not going to be helped if you book through this company. Very sad and disappointing!
Reviewed Oct. 12, 2023
I booked on their site, paid in full. Go get my rental car, the provider is saying I had to pay more money from what Hotwire took from my credit card. My cc limit is $500 so extra money dollar car rental was asking for wasn’t available but hotwire website doesn’t say any amount that the rental provider needs to pick the car up! I call hotwire cs to get assistance. They say cuz they helped me once they can’t help me again! The economy is ** up & they just taking people's money with no explanation & no credit back nothing!! Hotwire lost a customer!! They are thieves!!!!

Reviewed Sept. 25, 2023
Look at all of the negative reviews!! I wish I would have!! Their website made me refresh the search page and it changed the dates without me noticing prior to booking. And they would not refund my cash. Trying to save a little now ended up costing me more money.
Reviewed Sept. 17, 2023
I booked a room through the app that promised a branded hotel. When I got to the hotel the name and brand I was promised had changed yet Hotwire did pass through the reservation. It was late at night and not many options so I stayed overnight. I reported the issue to Hotwire and their rep said the site wasn’t updated. My reservation showed the old name and I provided proof that it wasn’t the same hotel. They offered no customer service. Not even a credit for the experience. I wasn’t looking for a refund but I did expect something to be adjusted since they false advertised. They told to fill out the survey.
Reviewed Sept. 12, 2023
I booked a hotel and paid for it with Hotwire but when I got to the hotel the person in the office informed me that they would not be honoring my reservation and that I could not get a room. Hotwire refused to refund my money so that I could get another room and would not book me a room but kept my money. I had no choice but to sleep in my car thanks to Hotwire. I will never use that horrible site ever 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
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