I had a bad experience with hotels.com a few years ago where the hotel didn't honor my request for two beds—a request that I thought was guaranteed. Reading the

I had a bad experience with hotels.com a few years ago where the hotel didn't honor my request for two beds—a request that I thought was guaranteed. Reading the fine-print, I discovered that it was completely up to the hotel; not surprisingly, my booking got very low priority. I now book all travel—hotels, airfare, etc.—directly with the provider. The service ends up being a lot better, and the cost is usually the same.