For some using on line tools to book all of your travel, rental cars and hotels is nothing new. And for some this is simply not something you're comfortable with because there are so many sites out there that guarantee the best rates and it can get awfully confusing. How do these sites work and am I really getting the best deal?
Well we are here to clear up some of these items, today we are tackling Opaque sites. The sites we are talking about are Priceline and Hotwire, how do they work and how do they differ? First up Priceline. This site allows you to name your own price or how much you are willing to pay. Priceline then responds as to whether or not your "bid" has been accepted. The tricky part is that you do not know the supplier until you have completed your transaction. Hotwire is a bit less opaque than Priceline, you can see the price that you will pay, but again you do not see the supplier or hotel until after the purchase is complete. In simple terms Hotwire works with a fixed rate model instead of a bidding model like Priceline. However both of these sites keep the consumer from seeing who the supplier is until the purchase is complete. Thus making it opaque.
In either case there are things to be cautious of when booking with these opaque sites. Purchases made on these opaque sites are nonrefundable and also non reusable - there is no money back in the case of a cancellation.
Opaque sites can be a great source of savings on travel (did you know that 30-60% savings are typical for hotels?). As with most great things simply being armed with as much information as possible is the key. For those of you already using these tools - keep clicking, and for those of you not quite ready I hope that some of this information has helped clear up some questions you had!
