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Airbnb own and operate HotelTonight, which is a foray into hotels. It can (and I think certainly will) get there. Anecdotally, HotelTonight is my go-to for bo

by tonyhb 6y ago

Airbnb own and operate HotelTonight, which is a foray into hotels. It can (and I think certainly will) get there. Anecdotally, HotelTonight is my go-to for booking any hotel, any time.

lotsofpulp 6y ago
If it's Hilton/Hyatt/Marriott/IHG/Choice/Wyndham, you can go to the hotel brand's website, you will get the same room for cheaper if you are part of the free hotel rewards program. You're also more valuable to the hotel since you'll be paying netting the hotel more income than someone coming from HotelTonight (since the hotel doesn't have to pay HotelTonight commission), therefore more eligible for perks or upgrades.
- jashmatthews 6y ago
  Due to rate parity clauses member rates on OTAs like Expedia basically match the franchise reward rates. They’re often the same rate plans in the software hotels use for managing their rates. I checked Hilton SF downtown for next week and it’s $91 on HT and $95 on Hilton Honors rewards pricing.
  - lotsofpulp 6y ago
    In my hotel tonight app, I searched Hilton San Francisco for a 1 night stay in Hotel Tonight. It returned Hilton SF Airport Bayfront at $93 for a room with either 1 or 2 beds. In the Hilton app, I get the same hotel for the same night at $87 for a room with 1 king size bed or 2 double size beds. Then I was able to search for Hilton SF downtown in Hotel Tonight and find the Financial District one, which was available for the night of Fri Nov 27 for one night. Hotel Tonight had a price of $152 for the following room: “The hotel will assign room at check in and it will fit 2 adults” The Hilton app showed the financial district hotel available on Tue Nov 24 (which the hotel tonight app showed as not available) for $95, and for Fri nov 27, the Hilton app shows 1 king bed or 2 double size beds at $159. So it looks like you’re right for some nights for some hotels, except they don’t let you confirm a room type on Hotel Tonight. I wonder how this squares with Hilton’s best price guarantee: https://hiltonworldwide3.hilton.com/en/price-match-guarantee/overview.html https://hiltonworldwide3.hilton.com/en/price-match-guarantee... Looks like they’re trying to engage in some price discrimination. I would call the hotel front desk and tell them, I can pay the cheaper hotel tonight price, and you get 85% of that (hotel tonight pays the hotel 85% of the price you pay hotel tonight), or the hotel can sell to you directly for 10% off the hotel tonight price and end up making 5% more and see what they say. It’s also possible the franchisor is violating their franchise agreement by letting hotel tonight sell for cheaper than Hilton’s website, so you might be able to get an even bigger discount by filing a complaint with Hilton.

by tonyhb 6y ago

Airbnb own and operate HotelTonight, which is a foray into hotels. It can (and I think certainly will) get there. Anecdotally, HotelTonight is my go-to for booking any hotel, any time.

lotsofpulp 6y ago

If it's Hilton/Hyatt/Marriott/IHG/Choice/Wyndham, you can go to the hotel brand's website, you will get the same room for cheaper if you are part of the free hotel rewards program. You're also more valuable to the hotel since you'll be paying netting the hotel more income than someone coming from HotelTonight (since the hotel doesn't have to pay HotelTonight commission), therefore more eligible for perks or upgrades.

jashmatthews 6y ago
Due to rate parity clauses member rates on OTAs like Expedia basically match the franchise reward rates. They’re often the same rate plans in the software hotels use for managing their rates. I checked Hilton SF downtown for next week and it’s $91 on HT and $95 on Hilton Honors rewards pricing.
- lotsofpulp 6y ago
  In my hotel tonight app, I searched Hilton San Francisco for a 1 night stay in Hotel Tonight. It returned Hilton SF Airport Bayfront at $93 for a room with either 1 or 2 beds. In the Hilton app, I get the same hotel for the same night at $87 for a room with 1 king size bed or 2 double size beds. Then I was able to search for Hilton SF downtown in Hotel Tonight and find the Financial District one, which was available for the night of Fri Nov 27 for one night. Hotel Tonight had a price of $152 for the following room: “The hotel will assign room at check in and it will fit 2 adults” The Hilton app showed the financial district hotel available on Tue Nov 24 (which the hotel tonight app showed as not available) for $95, and for Fri nov 27, the Hilton app shows 1 king bed or 2 double size beds at $159. So it looks like you’re right for some nights for some hotels, except they don’t let you confirm a room type on Hotel Tonight. I wonder how this squares with Hilton’s best price guarantee: https://hiltonworldwide3.hilton.com/en/price-match-guarantee/overview.html https://hiltonworldwide3.hilton.com/en/price-match-guarantee... Looks like they’re trying to engage in some price discrimination. I would call the hotel front desk and tell them, I can pay the cheaper hotel tonight price, and you get 85% of that (hotel tonight pays the hotel 85% of the price you pay hotel tonight), or the hotel can sell to you directly for 10% off the hotel tonight price and end up making 5% more and see what they say. It’s also possible the franchisor is violating their franchise agreement by letting hotel tonight sell for cheaper than Hilton’s website, so you might be able to get an even bigger discount by filing a complaint with Hilton.