Hubs does not want to use hotwire again after the mix up last year when we were given a single king bed although we requested a double. I have been looking into our stopover in Charleston and was checking out Priceline. Has anyone ever used them before? Have you done the whole bidding process? And, if you have, what were your experiences?
I've used Priceline many times for hotels and cars (I think it's pretty bad for air travel, but that was several years ago, they may have changed since then).
Unlike Hotwire, you do need to actually bid a specific amount, so it can be hard to know where to start. I always check out betterbidding(dot)com - you can search by city and state to see recent winning bids. That site also has a list of hotels that participate in Hotwire and Priceline, so you can often get a pretty good idea of which hotels you'll get. I'll warn you that it's not 100% accurate, but it helps.
The other issue with Priceline - as you have probably seen with Hotwire - is that each city or area is divided up into specific regions, and you could get a hotel anywhere in that region. If you're uncomfortable with Priceline's region - for example, if it goes too far inland, too far north or south, etc. - then I suggest not using it, because you could end up ANYWHERE in that area. However, I have noticed that Hotwire and Priceline often use different maps/regions - the main reason I switch back and forth between Hotwire and Priceline is usually to narrow down the search area to better fit my needs.
I'm sorry that you had a bad experience with Hotwire. In my years of using Hotwire and Priceline, I've really only had one that really went badly like that. In general, though, I feel like my experiences with Priceline have been better than Hotwire. I don't have any data to back that up, it's just a general impression. Of course, the bidding process makes Priceline more complicated and probably more time consuming, though they do have an "Express" page now with deals similar to Hotwire if you don't want to bid.
My one suggestion in both cases is to try for higher-starred hotels, if you can fit that in your budget. The bid difference between a two star and a four star hotel is often surprisingly small on Priceline. The higher the stars, the more likely hotel staff is to treat you well, even if you paid a lot less than everyone around you. If you have a bad stay, your bad review on TripAdvisor (or wherever) is just as damaging as someone who paid rack rate, so I think they tend to treat Priceline bidders better than the people at two star hotels, who frankly don't care what kind of review you leave.
Sometimes, good hotels just have a slow season, and they put rooms on Priceline/Hotwire just to fill them up. In general, I do think that the three & four star-type hotels on Priceline/Hotwire are good hotels, but like any facility, they have a few rooms that aren't as good as the rest. Maybe most rooms have a scenic view of the lake, but others have a view of the parking lot. However, SOMEBODY has a view of the Dumpster, and no full-price paying guest will accept that room. So, they put it on Priceline (or Hotwire). You'll still get all the same services and benefits to staying at a 3-4 star hotel, but be aware that you're getting a room that might not be quite up to the level of the rooms around you. So, if you're staying somewhere scenic and the view is important to you, I'd avoid the bidding sites. Other than that, though, I think it can be a good way to find a good deal on a better hotel than you could otherwise afford.
For reference, I'm in the (very) early stages of planning a trip to Universal, and I'm not considering Priceline at all. I probably want to stay on property, and the specific location, theme, amenities, etc. are all too important to me, so I just can't accept a random hotel.
I hope that helps!
and I happened to win a silent auction for a super cute area rug for the girls' bedroom! It's a $250 rug and I got it for $39! It matches the girls' room perfectly and their carpet got destroyed when our A/C leaked. I'm pretty excited about it!
. I hope everything works out just the way you hope it will!
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She's not 4 or 5, she's 11, and a veteran of both WDW and UO. But for her a day dedicated to wandering around a fun place with the family, eating some junk food and enjoying the sun was absolutely great. 
