Review: Hotwire.com

So I stated in an earlier post that I would review Hotwire.com for you guys. Since I've misplaced my list of sites to review, I completely forgot about it until rereading that post. I promised it, so here it is!

Hotwire.com
http://www.hotwire.com/



Above is what the page looks like.
As you can see, the homepage is very well laid out, and you can tell exactly what you want, and where to find it. Lets say I wanted a room in Toronto, Ontario for June 20th-June 22nd. I want one room for two adults (as seen below)



This information was very easy to put in, and I liked the calender that popped up for you automatically when you clicked the date.
This is an example of the next page that follows after clicking "find hotel":



As you can see, hotels are sorted by star and in the area. This may be okay for some people, but I personally would prefer to know where EXACTLY my hotel was located. I'd also like to know what currency these prices are in. I decided to click "Continue" in the first option, the $62 4-star hotel in Downtown East Toronto. My new screen featured:



We have my cost in the left, and my amenities, as well as what my hotel chain could possibly be, but nowhere on the page did it say what hotel I would be getting! I clicked 'Continue', then 'Continue as a guest' because I don't want to sign up for a website that I'm not liking so far. Even clicking this required me to fill out a lot of information! It also made me put in an E-mail address. What if I didn't have one? Now I'm fearing getting spammed. After doing all this, it expected me to pay and book my room.

Now, I know hotwire.com is made famous for "getting 4-star rooms at 2-star prices", or at least it says so on the commercial, which is great for your budget, but wouldn't you want to know what hotel you were staying at?
What if you had a child at Sick Kids hospital in Toronto, and booked your hotel with Hotwire, only to discover that it's 30 minutes away by car. Do you really want to be 30 minutes away from your ill child?

My Verdict:
In my opinion, Hotwire is great for their prices, however not so great for planning a trip. If you don't have a car, and are staying in a city with a great mall, how would you know you were getting a hotel within walking distance of the mall? Hotwire.com would probably be best for those who love surprise hotels (I don't! I love to look at every picture I can find online before choosing my hotel!) and who have secure transportation.
My star rating:
5/10.

Happy Travels!