Hotwire is Expedia's answer to Priceline. If you take the hotel star rating and cost on Hotwire offerings and compare the same star level on Expedia Hotels, then match the exact cost down to the penny on Expedia, you'll know what hotel Hotwire's got, most of the time.
I've done quite a bit of travelling in Europe in the last year, and Priceline has better Hotels and prices, if you play there game right, be patient, an book at least 1 week in advance. If you wait till the last minute, prices can be higher I've noticed. I think, they think, you think , it would be lower because of last minute empty rooms, but in reality your apt to pay more because your more desperate with little time left and less room availability. Get it?