Collect moments not things.
These are words I'm trying to live by and a lifestyle I'm trying to model for my kids.
I hope to teach them that the things we acquire are not what adds true value to our lives. Instead we make quality time, adventure and new experiences a priority.
Though often times experiences are expensive.
But I've found a way to reach those champagne dreams even on a beer budget.
Hotwire.
Have you tried it?
I’m sure you’ve heard it advertised.
They promise great, last minute, deals on unsold rooms. Catch is they don’t tell you the name of the hotel.
They provide the area, ratings, amenities and will even let you know a few hotels that it might be.
Like, Hilton - Sheraton - Omni or DoubleTree - Hampton Inn - Holiday Inn or Best Western - Quality Inn - Motel 6 ... that's the gist, those are just a few but like with the like, for the money.
So you should have an idea and with some real sleuthing you can make a pretty educated guess about which it would be but if you like the ratings and are comfortable with the options just take the gamble and be surprised!
Now I’ll tell you why I’m sold on Hotwire and this is in no way sponsored -- I wouldn’t turn down kickback though if they’re feeling generous.
I've used Hotwire a handful of times now and have only been burned once.
Truth be told I was feeling extra cheap that day and we were in Nowhere, Oklahoma with very limited options.
That night we paid about $43 for a no name hotel that included free breakfast at a built in Denny's. Sounded good, lobby was beautiful. As we walked to our room though we didn't dare to go under the balcony for fear it'd crumble on us!
We made it to the room, nothing looked structurally sound and then a huge roach greeted us!
My husband and I stuck it out though, no children were subjected to these conditions.
Breakfast included a show of the staff fighting and cussing about which tables they should have.
It was interesting.
You've been forewarned; it is a gamble.
There's the horror story now to the good stuff ...
We've made trips to the Dallas-Ft. Worth area the last couple weekends, once for date night and again with the boys. Each weekend we stayed just one night, Saturday night, prime time for hotels to ask the most from you.
Well date night we ended up staying at the Sheraton and for family time we wanted near the Galleria Mall and ended up booking The Westin that is built into the Galleria!
Yeah, I was feeling pretty fancy-shmancy and now I'm blowing my social media facade and letting you know I'm not really a high roller.
There was a minibar with a tiny, tempting box of $12 jellybeans -- I told the boys were off limits!
I only dreamt of ordering midnight fries from the all-night room service; not for their asking price.
But enjoyed the clean, sturdy, beautiful buildings, roach-less rooms, rooftop pool, over-made beds and as all hotel stays, the fact that I didn't have to clean it.
Now let's talk money so you know the real deal. Pre-tax.
The Sheraton was $75 and on the drive I began to wonder just what hotel prices mean anymore. Since so many websites are offering 'deals' ... just how good was our deal?
So I searched the web as my chauffeur, errr husband, drove.
I tried both Expedia and Travelocity because I remember booking with them in my pre-Hotwire days.
$156 a night. That was the 'deal' for the same room I had just booked.
The Westin - I booked it for $77 .... curious again, I checked other sites. $179! Their average price from their own site was $209.
And this is why my Expedia go-to was always a middle-of-the-road, $100 a night, Hampton Inn.
Now we're staying in four and five star hotels for even less.
What's better, search Hotwire on RetailMeNot for additional savings. Each time I booked there was a $5 back for $25 purchase offer.
Ebates & Ibotta also offer a percentage of cashback for first using their site to go through Hotwire. Those two links will take you to them with my referral codes, we will each get a little something if you try them for any purchases.
I hope this information takes your dollars further, literally.
Come back and share the deals you've scored if you try it.
