What's the best accommodation comparison site?

i use booking.com for browsing/searching for places to stay. I also use Frommers and RS books too. Sometimes if i have a Lonely Planet book i will also reference that. Note that as far as "comparisons", booking.com isn't it but it does have reviews. Also, i usually dont book throughout them but will contact the lodging directly or use their web site and also see what price they offer and go from there.

It all depends on what resources i have on hand.

happy trails.

I really like www.hrs.com as they have good prices, non-partial reviews and a good cancellation policy.

I too use Booking.com most times. Recently, I received abnormally expensive prices in a city that's usually much cheaper for accommodations.

I went to the individual hotels' websites to find much cheaper rates than Booking.com was offering.

I'll continue to use Booking.com, as just about every hotel/B&B and motels are included in every place in the world. But I'm not going to pay 2x a normal room rate when using them.

I really like booking.com

It depends what you are looking for.

Sometimes I like vrbo.

What is a virtual concierge and how can that help you find the properties best suited to your needs wants and desires?

Do you speak any of the language(s) used in the country(s) you are going to be in?

Most towns in Europe have websites. Some of these websites will have an English side. Most have a listing of accommodations in town, with links to their websites. Some of these accommodation websites will have English sides. Or, if you understand some of the local language, you won't need English.

Anyway, if you can read the town websites and the accommodation websites, this will be the very best way to find and reserve accommodations. Write directly to the properties you find this way.

Booking websites charge a fee for bookings, customarily 15%. It is only the places that are expensive enough to afford these commissions that you will find on booking websites, but there are many more places (2x to 3x) that don't list on the booking websites, and they are usually a more economical option.

I know enough German to find the important information on websites that I find on town websites and write for accommodations, and I usually save 1/3 to 1/2 of what I would normally spend if I used booking website.

I use booking.com and Tripadvisor a lot. I cross-check listings. Interestingly, though TA doesn't verify reviews, and Booking.com has reviews only from people who've used their service, there is rarely much discrepancy. Many people say they prefer to book directly, after checking reviews. We often stay at a number of places, because our trips run 3 weeks to a month. (Next one has 6 lodgings reserved.) For us, therefore, the convenience provided by booking.com, of having all confirmations in one place, is worth the few extra euros. (I wouldn't pay more than a few, however.)

I also use booking.com and cross check with TA. Then preferably book direct with smaller places, however for our upcoming trip there were 2 instances where I booked direct then saw that the price listed on booking.com was actually lower. I also used Priceline for big cities and either bid or took express deals.

@Rosalyn,

on my last trip (21 days) to Germany, I used my method (town websites) of booking. I spent 1342€ for accommodations for 21 days. Using booking.com, for comparable accommodations, I would have spent 1982€. So, using booking.com, I would have spent 640€ ($864), about 50%, more. A lot, IMO, to spend just for "having all confirmations in one place", but if it's worth it to you ...?

@Jill,

in two out of three places on this trip, the properties were also on Booking. I paid less than I would have paid for the same place on Booking because I either 1) got a package deal not offered by booking, or 2) stayed at the same place in a less expensive room that was not offered on booking. In the other five cases, I just found a less expensive place that was not offered by Booking in the same town.

Thanks everyone! This is really helpful. Much appreciated.

Actually in the past couple of months I've more and more come to appreciate (and probably now prefer) www.momondo.com for air, car and hotel comparisons.