I have been booking directly with hotels rather than through the international booking agencies, as often recommended by Rick. However, I saw some communications where people said they saved a lot by going through Orbitz, Travelocity, etc. What is your experience. Do you sometimes think it almost too confusing and cumbersome with sooooo many options. I like researching and planning - UP TO A POINT. Planning N, Italy in June.
Posted by
Atlanta
3258 posts
Hi Gayle,
In most cases I like to book direct with the hotel. One hotel owner in Italy told us that he gives a bit of a discount for booking directly rather than through an international booking agency. That may not be true in every case.
I use Booking.com or Verere.com to compare prices when I'm researching options for places to stay.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
I would always rather book directly with the hotel as it avoids most overbooking problems - but not always.
If I do use a 3rd part booking agency I would rather use one like www.booking.com or www.venere.com which does not pre-charge your credit card. Rather you pay at the hotel upon checkout. With these booking agencies you can also email the hotel to confirm that they actually do have your name on their reservation list.
I've also used www.easyclicktravel.com and www.octopustravel.com with all success stories and VERY good prices, but both of these are pay-ahead type booking sites.
Posted by
Freedonia
15614 posts
Gayle...use Orbitz and similar sites to get the best deal possible. Then, contact the hotel directly--not the 800 toll free number for the chain if it is a chain--and ask if they will match the price. You are always better off dealing directly with the hotel. (That's not just Europe, but almost anywhere including the U.S. )
If there are problems and you deal with the hotel directly, the hotel has to deal with them. If you book from a third party, the hotel could say work it out with that third party, not them.
Posted by
Dallas, TX, USA
1170 posts
Book direct, book direct, book direct. Find several places of interest on TripAdvisor.com (choose the "availability not confirmed" option to get a complete list) and contact them directly from their website. When you deal with an online travel company, sometimes the reservations get lost or screwed up. When dealing directly with them, you can get a direct confirmation, and if there are any problems, you won't have to go through a 3rd party. Make certain that whomever you contact has the correct dates confirmed for you. In Europe, dates are formatted DD/MM/YYYY instead of MM/DD/YYYY in the U.S. I have had problems with reservations in this regard, so you should be diligent in double checking your reservations as sometimes there is a language barrier. Also, make sure you understand their cancellation policy.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
As for date formatting the best idea is to just spell it out clearly so that no one is confused. "I will arrive on June 22, 2010". Don't get screwed up in the symantics of dates when you can easily spell it out.
Posted by
OP
San Diego, CA
10 posts
Thanks to you all for the valuable information. I did use the suggestion to find on-line rates and ask if the hotel would match. They did match it! I prefer going directly through the hotel - so that was a great idea. I will try it again as I research Parma. Gayle
Posted by
Freedonia
15614 posts
Gayle...glad my suggestion worked. It's not something you easily find in a book or by using Google.
Tim also brought up a good point...spell out the name of the month. Don't just use numbers
To use 6/5/10 is June 5, 2010. To the Europeans it's May 6, 2010.