I traveled cross-country last summer and stayed in a different hotel/motel every 2-3 nights. In order to keep things as economical as possible, I used Hotwire's feature of blind booking. For the most part it was great, we were usually able to stay in a hotel/motel that was pretty decent for reasonable rates. Sometimes we lucked out and got something amazing. But every now and then we got something so awful that, had we not been in a bit of a bind, I would have walked out. So I'm wondering - have you ever tried booking this way? And has it ever backfired on you?
I have not given it a try, but it sounds like a great feature for the adventurous. I have thought about trying it multiple times, but often the people I travel with like their creature comforts and would not be ok with a really bad hotel. Do they have any kind of minimum standard guarantees? I would think that hotwire would not want to be associated with any of the absolutely atrocious hotels.
It's not so much minimum standards as much as they have ratings. Like, they'll say "this is a 3 star hotel with a 75% positive rating" but then you'll see a 2 star hotel with a 98% positive rating. At that point, even though the 2 star hotel will be less fancy you'll see that it's probably the better deal as more people found it accommodating. They'll also list all the amenities so, say, if you're just looking for a place to sleep for the night and a pool isn't important to you, you can pick that one. But if you've got some laundry to do, want to rest up a bit, it's nice to know there's a hotel with a bit more action. They won't say which hotel it is, but they will say the area, and if you're a bit of a detective you can figure it out. Most of my experiences have been good - but I'd love to hear from others who may have had other experiences. Or, more positive ones too!
I'm going to have a trip coming up, so I'm starting early. I've been looking around, and I noticed those "deals." In this case, there is no way I'd do it. I don't think the savings is enough to make it worth the risk. The area to which I'm traveling has some nice areas and some definitely not so nice areas. I noticed one of the places they were advertising, and the town is just.... no. I would never stay there. Then, I saw the "grab bag" thing with a hotel with a similar description (and same exact price, mind you), and I have to guess that it's the one in the town I don't want to stay in. It's actually a dangerous area with a lot of crime. I don't think it's worth the savings (if there even is a legit savings) for me to put myself and loved at risk of ending up in a hotel in a bad area. I'm not super picky. It doesn't have to be fancy. It does have to be safe and clean. I'm glad it worked out okay for you, and it might for different destinations, but I'll be taking a pass on that for this trip.
I agree with you sometimes luck give us the best opportunity but sometimes bad luck remains with us to spoil the fun of travel. I also experience such awful situations and try to book a hotel before going there to be very sure about it to avoid such situations.
I do not have the courage to stay in below par places. I would not get any rest I would be so afraid of something walking on me while I am sleep or biting me. It is good to know that these places are not as bad as I make that I make them out to be in my mind.
