2 ms·

Directly through the hotel websites that I have loyalty status at. Not a very useful answer but, hey, it's wildly common among business travelers so I thought

by patio11 14y ago

Directly through the hotel websites that I have loyalty status at. Not a very useful answer but, hey, it's wildly common among business travelers so I thought I'd mention it.

narcissus 14y ago
I don't know much about Priceline: it definitely doesn't seem to do much for Canada at least. But I just wanted to "+1" this. Living where we live, the Hotwire prices really aren't 'secrets' as we pretty much know exactly which hotels are which on that site. Anyway, as a lark we decided to compare Expedia, at least, against the website of the hotel that we always would stay at and we were really surprised to find that it was actually cheaper on their website than on Expedia. And like you say, you get the bonus of loyalty points. Hotwire may have been cheaper, but normally we found that booking through the hotel you would get Wifi and sometimes parking included, as opposed to paying for them separately and those things always evened everything out. The only time I found this not to be true was when we were booking the hotel on the day that we were planning on staying there... that kind of timeframe has always been cheaper to book through Expedia etc.
saryant 14y ago
Back when I was a consultant on the road, we'd talk to the sales manager at the nearest Hilton (most of us were HHonors guys) and negotiate a group discount for the team. Even in metro areas we could generally get below $130 a night with perks thrown in. Plus, they'd book all our reservations for us. We just cancelled the weeks we didn't need as we went.
- calinet6 14y ago
  I'm curious if there's a lot in it for them; for example, if you book through some third party, are they paying 20-30% in fees to the booking site to get you in the door?
  - joshmlewis 14y ago
    Yes on sites like Expedia commission can get as high as that and hotels hate that. They'd rather actually talk to you and get to know you while you book and give you a discount than see you book online and them have to pay a high commission.
  - ErrantX 14y ago
    Not only that, but they have a significant markup on rooms. So if they can fill rooms otherwise empty they will be happy to cut the margins - because it is all extra money! Also, it means you'll probably come back next time.
ErrantX 14y ago
I've come about face on this approach; which is what I always used to do. Now I find a shortlist of independent hotels via booking.com or lastminute, and then contact them directly for deals. Usually you can get a higher quality service for a better price than chains. One tip, though, is to barter - especially if you're travelling midweek. I've got some excellent deals (including free evening meals, room upgrades etc.) by bartering at short notice for rooms that otherwise the hotel wouldn't fill. The best deal I got was a full suite, several free drinks, and free breakfast at a 5* London hotel for the price of one of their basic rooms. You just need the balls to negotiate :D Never book online if you can avoid it!

by patio11 14y ago

Directly through the hotel websites that I have loyalty status at. Not a very useful answer but, hey, it's wildly common among business travelers so I thought I'd mention it.

narcissus 14y ago

I don't know much about Priceline: it definitely doesn't seem to do much for Canada at least. But I just wanted to "+1" this. Living where we live, the Hotwire prices really aren't 'secrets' as we pretty much know exactly which hotels are which on that site. Anyway, as a lark we decided to compare Expedia, at least, against the website of the hotel that we always would stay at and we were really surprised to find that it was actually cheaper on their website than on Expedia. And like you say, you get the bonus of loyalty points. Hotwire may have been cheaper, but normally we found that booking through the hotel you would get Wifi and sometimes parking included, as opposed to paying for them separately and those things always evened everything out. The only time I found this not to be true was when we were booking the hotel on the day that we were planning on staying there... that kind of timeframe has always been cheaper to book through Expedia etc.

saryant 14y ago

Back when I was a consultant on the road, we'd talk to the sales manager at the nearest Hilton (most of us were HHonors guys) and negotiate a group discount for the team. Even in metro areas we could generally get below $130 a night with perks thrown in. Plus, they'd book all our reservations for us. We just cancelled the weeks we didn't need as we went.

calinet6 14y ago
I'm curious if there's a lot in it for them; for example, if you book through some third party, are they paying 20-30% in fees to the booking site to get you in the door?
- joshmlewis 14y ago
  Yes on sites like Expedia commission can get as high as that and hotels hate that. They'd rather actually talk to you and get to know you while you book and give you a discount than see you book online and them have to pay a high commission.
- ErrantX 14y ago
  Not only that, but they have a significant markup on rooms. So if they can fill rooms otherwise empty they will be happy to cut the margins - because it is all extra money! Also, it means you'll probably come back next time.

ErrantX 14y ago

I've come about face on this approach; which is what I always used to do. Now I find a shortlist of independent hotels via booking.com or lastminute, and then contact them directly for deals. Usually you can get a higher quality service for a better price than chains. One tip, though, is to barter - especially if you're travelling midweek. I've got some excellent deals (including free evening meals, room upgrades etc.) by bartering at short notice for rooms that otherwise the hotel wouldn't fill. The best deal I got was a full suite, several free drinks, and free breakfast at a 5* London hotel for the price of one of their basic rooms. You just need the balls to negotiate :D Never book online if you can avoid it!