Hotwire.com – is another one of the biggies. Like Priceline and Orbitz – and within some days Hotels-in.com – Hotwire’s services include booking for hotels, flights, car rentals and vacation packages. They also have a particularly handy tool called “Trip Watcher.” With Trip Watcher, you can tell Hotwire where you want to go and they’ll send you updates on rates and specials. And it’s free!

Like Hotels Combined, Hotwire’s homepage tells us how Hotwire is “different—and better.” Curious, I clicked on the link and was redirected to a comprehensive website with texts and flow-charts. The main distinguishing factor seems to be the company’s “Hot Rates” which are generally unsold tickets and rooms Hotwire’s partner companies need to sell.

Like many of these larger sites, Hotwire’s major downside is that it’s really impersonal. There’s neither a blog nor even traveler advice or reviews. So, if you don’t already know where you want to go, and money isn’t your first priority, Hotwire probably isn’t going to be much help.