I've never booked a hotel through any of the on-line sites such as Expedia or Venere. Is there an advantage to booking with the hotel such as actually being able to communicate with the hotel itself if questions come up? Are the costs of a room actually cheaper if done through a site? Is there customer service on these other sites if you have questions during the process of making a res? Or is it " Make the res, press Confirm and then that's it till you arrive at the hotel? Thanks for the help
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9221 posts
Sometimes rooms are cheaper, sometimes not. They may have special offers and easier cancellations. The best way is to compare the price, amenities and cancellation policy on the various sites and also with the hotel. Personally, I like www.hrs.com, due to ease of use. Other people will have their favorites too. Once you have your reservation, then you would do all your communication with the hotel itself. Have you looked at Priceline? I haven't used it personally, but I think you can get some pretty fantastic deals on it.
Posted by
Ann Arbor, Mi
3696 posts
Carla... I have recently used booking.com for a number of hotels and it was easy because it kept all my reservations in one place, they typically have a pretty good cancellation policy and they have a 24/7 hotline for questions, etc. I also directly emailed hotel with specific questions through their site. I checked prices and did not find any difference in booking directly.
Posted by
Nederland, CO
1530 posts
We generally stay at RS recommended places, but I have booked a room on Priceline for London, and got a great deal. I would only use them for a big city hotel where I wasn't too picky about the hotel. Ended up paying 95 USD a night for a very nice room in a large business hotel. You don't get to choose specific hotel, just how many stars and which neighborhood.
Posted by
Toronto, ON, Canada
112 posts
I like booking directly with the hotel, though I do look at the other sites to compare prices (comparing the total price including all taxes and fees). I've found booking directly with the hotel sometimes gives me more options. I recently booked a trip to Spain booking directly with the hotels, and the prices were exactly the same, if not cheaper, than 3 other travel sites I looked at (I think hotels.com, travelocity,and expedia).
Posted by
Honolulu/Seattle, HI/WA, USA
2787 posts
I going to Europe every summer for the last 10 years, I have always booked directly thru the B&B or the hotel even tho I may have checked out prices on some of the consolidators.
Although I have never had a booking problem that way, I feel that if something were to come up, I would be treated better than another potential customer who booked thru a consolidator. By booking directly I also am able to find out what rooms are available when and express my preferences which have almost always been made available. Some places recommended in RS guide books give a discount if mentioning his book when making the reservation directly with them and then some even asking to see the book when checking in. (Hotel Sutton Hill - Istanbul - for example)