I usually prefer to book directly with a hotel chain because you have the option of cancelling without hassle if travel plans change unexpectedly. These days, they give you just as good rates also, almost as good as the prepaid 'cheap' rates of the travel sites. Last year I had to change plans for my return home on a trip, due to extreme weather expected the next day. I had booked and prepaid the room through Expedia. The hotel manager was very helpful and said he would gladly refund the charge for my last day, but asked me to contact Expedia to have them OK that. I found out the hard way that Expedia has absolutely no way to contact them other than to book hotel rooms. If you need to change anything, they won't let you talk to them. So I was out the cost of that extra day, even though the hotel was more than willing to assist me.
1
That happened to me as well, but I used booking.com, they did let me out of the deal without much problem. The article doesn't mention them or AAA, I am curious where they are in all this. I do find and compare hotels through these companies, but I also go directly to hotel websites for additional information. I also use Google walk or whatever its called to check the area around a hotel before I book. I learned that descriptions can be deceiving.
1
Best way to fight back against OTAs is to campaign to get them out of organic search
Search engines do a great disservice to independent hotels particularly by ranking OTAs ahead of individual properties when you search for hotels in a destination
Do search engines get commission for this? They must be pushed out into the advertising sections of a search page anyway, they aren't 'hotels'
Search engines do a great disservice to independent hotels particularly by ranking OTAs ahead of individual properties when you search for hotels in a destination
Do search engines get commission for this? They must be pushed out into the advertising sections of a search page anyway, they aren't 'hotels'
As previous commenters have pointed out, you can often get a better deal by contacting the hotel directly because they save a heavy commission (up to 30%). But as others also noted, if you don't know exactly which hotel you want it's a royal pain to do so: it's much more convenient to have a one-stop-shop. Now that the market's a virtual duopoly (Expedia/Priceline) some new sites (like BookBedder.com and FairBooking) have appeared that try to find a middle ground by being more "fair" to the hotels. It will be an uphill battle for smaller sites to get a foothold, but judging by the largely negative comments about Expedia below, maybe there are enough annoyed consumers to give them a chance: let the free market decide!
3
ThIs is true, however consumers are not aware that they can use travel memberships such as hotels etc to get below parity rates as they are a closed loop program with premium purchased inventory. I only use Hotels Etc and beat public OTA'S 100% of the time
1
I travel to NYC 1-2 x/month. I use booking.com because I like to stay at different hotels to make the trips less monotonous. Booking.com also has the best customer service out of all the sites. I hate when the front desk clerks mention that "if I had booked directly with them..." Take your hotel off of the other sites if you want people to book directly with you.
2
You should consider private programs that use the same technology as the big OTAs but do not charge hotels any commissions. This makes it win win for hotels and consumers. I travel 3x per week and use Hotels Etc and they beat public rates and hotel rates 100% of the time. I got 82% off the hotel I'm at right now.
I often use booking.com and have had to cancel my trip the day I was to check in for health reasons. They let me out of the deal without much problem. I am very happy with Booking.com and their customer service.
Interesting to see the evolution of this space in the past 15 years or so. Booking your own travel was one of the first huge consumer empowerment enablers at the dawn of the internet. No longer did people need to talk to a travel agent to book a hotel or reserve a flight. And it got people comfortable transacting larger amounts online (>$100.) And initially the technology race was to provide better results preferenced to those with the best margin for the online travel agents (not necessarily the shopper.) Nearly all online travel agencies make their money from the airlines or hoteliers--particularly hotels or those who book both together. Now that there is parity on the technology side, the race to reduce opex has begun and achieve economies of scale through consolidation. I'm surprised Google hasn't better leveraged the ITA Software purchase and gotten into the travel business. Their search technology seems like a natural fit for travelers seeking places to stay and methods of travel. Maybe they will now with the Alphabet initiative.
1
I have used Google Earth to help me locate and view hotel locations. I would have booked in particular locations I would not have been happy in had I not takin the time to do that.
1
As someone that books travel as part of their job, this is just going to waste more of my time that could otherwise be spent working on something else. This is not progress, but a step back for productivity.
2
The hotel industry is reprehensible. The alternate sites arose to give customers service -- exactly what the hotels weren't doing. I belong to one "rewards program" that plays shenanigans with rates and availability. For example, on many occasions, I've tried to make reservations at a hotel via the hotel chain's "rewards program" website. Frequently the website reveals no availability at the property in which I'm interested or it shows an exorbitant rate. If I go to make reservations an an alternate website or even via the hotel chain's non-reward program website I often find availability and/or cheaper rates. These hotels are running scams left and right.
6
I generally book directly with the hotel and book hotels that I have loyalty points with. I know what I am getting and for what price. I do you booking sites like hotels.com and booking.com, if my hotel chains don't have hotels in the location or they are too expensive. And I will use them for smaller hotels in foreign countries without a trustworthy website. My experience has been ok, once I recognized that they won't really be able to do much for you if the hotel has problems.
And a big caution: make sure you read the fine print on cancellation fees. Often the low rate offered is because you pay in advance with no refund ability. For fully refundable if cancelled on time, the rates are equivalent to corporate or group discount rates that you could probably get with Triple A, etc.
And a big caution: make sure you read the fine print on cancellation fees. Often the low rate offered is because you pay in advance with no refund ability. For fully refundable if cancelled on time, the rates are equivalent to corporate or group discount rates that you could probably get with Triple A, etc.
1
After a reservation for a room in Zurich via Expedia, I swore never to use them again. Reason: when we went down for breakfast,, which is ALWAYS included in Switzerland, we were told that our reservation via Expedia excluded breakfast and we were charged CHF 30 each for breakfast, an outrageous sum.- That made the good price via Expedia a poor deal. -Of course there was no obvious mention of that in the offer on Expedia.
2
I just can't see how hotels will "fight back" against them...Online comparison sites i just better in general as you can compare over 1000s of different hotel to make sure you find the cheapest! I use http://hotels.findhoteltrip.com and it's the one I'm going to use as it's saved me more money than using any of the bigger comparison sites which sounds strange but it's true! I do feel sorry for hotel in that sense but online is so much more easier
1
Campaign to get them out of organic search
A sure way to get the customers is for Hotels to go back to the way reservations used to be done, without the noxious pay up front in advance with no cancellation possible.
1
The sites like Expedia and Orbitz provide a service - they help you to choose the best hotel for where you want to go. In most cases they will also guarantee you get the best price, or they will refund the difference. Surely that is better than trawling through all of the individual hotel sites trying to work out the best option for you? Since when did anyone feel sorry for the hoteliers! They'd charge you for the air you breath if they could.
3
I have been using hotels dot com (whoever the hell that is!) and earned a so called "free night." When I tried to USE that free night, however, it turned out to be a 55 dollar credit to apply to my bill. NONE of the nights I had paid for was ever 55 dollars, always more. So the credit wasn't even a representation of an actual free night. And the final insult to my intelligence was, when I tried to apply the credit to my room purchase, the room and rate I wanted had become "unavailable." They did however have a room for 12 dollars more. I terminated the transaction, started over without using the "free night" and got my room at the original cost-proof positive that their site was set up to rip off!
4
The travel industry consisting of hotels, motels, Airbnb, tourism agencies, convention & visitors bureaus, hotel associations and many lobbyist are not advocating for the consumer. For example: look at NYC & Company where the only thing on the mind of ppl who work at this faux tourism agency is sending out a press release each year stating how many visitors came to NY. What's not addressed is the large amounts of dollars charged to the individual hotels for membership dues. Meanwhile, where do they get the data to support how many visitors come to a city via these websites? So, statistically numbers are usually way off and nobody knows in NYC or any other city the true tourism #'s when using these websites. Nobody is concerned about the workers behind the booking agents where this is outsourced to India and jobs are lost in the US.
2
In all honesty, I don't find many differences between these hotel booking sites in terms of price and convenience. In fact, when I do find a good "deal", it's usually not the room I want and it's based in a location that doesn't appeal to me. In my opinion, is best to call the hotel directly and negotiate that way. Or just visit the hotel online. It's simply not worth the hassle a saving a few bucks at the most for something you may not want.
1
Maybe this makes me part of the problem, but I use Booking.com or Tripadvisor or venere.com or even orbitz or expedia to get an overview of locations and prices (for leisure travel). Then I google possible hotels, and then usually book directly with the hotel. A tiny hotel in Italy once told me that the booking website charged them 18% of the price. OTOH, booking.com is extremely handy when dealing with hotels that don't have well-developed websites. I usually go ahead and pay a little extra for free, late cancellation.
5
You should check rates with companies like www.hotelsetc.Com that do not charge hotels commission instead they make money from the $99 year membership fee. I have saved over $10,000 this year by booking my business travel through Hotels Etc
I would only use an Expedia or Orbitz for leisure travel and at times, the pricing isn't all that attractive either. Unless you travel in a specific locale for business and you don't care about a consistent level of service, it would be a nightmare to work through these sites for frequent changes to travel plans. With regard to negative comments made about hotel points' programs, for those who have had to change their travel plans within a 48-hour window, and there's a convention or another big event taking place in the destination city, good luck securing a room nearby; that is unless you have status on a hotel's reward program. Some do not understand there is such a thing as "time cost."
I am shocked that the FTC allowed Facebook to buy Instagram yet blocks this merger. Instagram had 40 million socially connected users when Facebook bought them. It was an remains Facebook's #1 competitor used by 300 million people and growing fast. The FTC had a chance to make a competitor to Facebook and instead allowed them to buy away competition. Mark Zuckerberg was clearly scared of Instagram and every writer wrote why he purchased them so quickly. Here the situation is different.
3
The last time I tried to use Priceline, it kept showing me airline fares that melted away or were unavailable when I actually tried to book them. This was in 2006. They might have fixed those problems by now, but I'm still not a customer, almost 10 years later.
9
Expedia has farmed out their customer service to the absolute cheapest bidders. Last time I needed help the person I spoke to was in Cairo. They don't really understand what you are saying because their English is limited; they just read their scripts. If you have a real problem, don't expect much help.
18
I quit using third party sites a long time ago. As many have pointed out if you have to make a change, regardless of the reason, the aggravation just isn't worth it. When I travel I will deal with the hotel or airline I want directly. If there is a problem or my experience is less than stellar, a letter to the CEO or President usually results in a solution that benefits both parties. Mergers only benefit the Board of Directors and stock holders, not the consumer.
14
I just stayed at a Hilton Hampton Inn. I'm an Hhonors member. Whether or not I was, booking directly was $89. Booking through Expedia was $119.00. If your lazy, you pay.
7
I've been both burned by expedia and gouged by individual hotels.
Haven't stayed in a hotel in about 3 years now. I use Airbnb exclusively (or Holidaylettings in the UK) and have such a quantitatively superior experience in every dimension.
The places are cheaper, larger, better appointed, not in tourist ghettos, with good sound insulation, and none of that creepy anonymous passer-through vibe that even nice hotels have. Half the time, I end up with a complimentary bottle of champagne or fruit basket, and a new friend to boot!
Haven't stayed in a hotel in about 3 years now. I use Airbnb exclusively (or Holidaylettings in the UK) and have such a quantitatively superior experience in every dimension.
The places are cheaper, larger, better appointed, not in tourist ghettos, with good sound insulation, and none of that creepy anonymous passer-through vibe that even nice hotels have. Half the time, I end up with a complimentary bottle of champagne or fruit basket, and a new friend to boot!
5
And if you're staying in a home where the owner doesn't change keys between guests? Or if you fall and suffer a significant injury? Or there's a fire and the home isn't insured for paying guests?
6
It sounds like pnut is a very experienced traveler, is likely well aware of the issues you raise and has decided to stay at private residences regardless. Consumer choice is good.
3
I once booked a rental car through one of these services. When I got to my destination airport, I called the rental company to get directions and they told me that they over booked and I was out of luck. I immediately called the company I booked the car through and they told me that it was between me and the rental company. I pointed out that I booked the car through them and basically was told, too bad. I never used another booking agency again.
7
I found it unusual that there was no mention of Trivago, which advertises extensively on T.V. Trivago searches numerous websites and displays various rates for similar (and sometimes the same room!) at your destination. If the hotels and motels cannot discriminate on price, irrespective of where you book your room, why not check Trivago first and then the website of the particular hotel/motel chain having the best price to determine whether there are additional advantages to booking directly with them?
2
Every time I've had a travel problem and there was a middleman involved in the booking -- the frustration level has been extreme.
When I've booked direct the problem is fixed because I'm calling the people who took my money -- thus they have it to give back to me if necessary.
Just a few months ago I processed a refund from Continental while booking on Jet Blue...in 20 minutes...hopped on my new flight and was on my way home.
When I've booked direct the problem is fixed because I'm calling the people who took my money -- thus they have it to give back to me if necessary.
Just a few months ago I processed a refund from Continental while booking on Jet Blue...in 20 minutes...hopped on my new flight and was on my way home.
8
I guess I'm the first Priceline bidder to speak out here. They promise savings of up to 60%, and they aren't kidding. I have seldom paid more than 50% of the cost at the hotel website. The best hit was $75 for the Waldorf Astoria. More typically, I get a well located business hotel for half price, usually near the California Coast where I frequently vacation. I often stay at Hiltons and Marriots. But many times I step down to Holiday Inn Expresses, which are generally new and well-located, if not luxurious. Those who have not learned how to bid on Priceline are throwing away a lot of money for no good reason. And those who do work the system know that bonus points are not even the least temptation when 50% off is available.
18
I do not travel a great deal, but at least once a year I go on vacation in Europe. I once encountered the paradox -described in the article- that booking through the hotel directly penalized me with a higher price as opposed to booking through an aggregator (I called a favorite hotel in Paris myself on the phone to book a specific room, and the hotel receptionist was very sad to let me know that!) That was 5 years ago. Now I notice that I am able to access my favorite hotels (they are all small independent hotels) via their own sites or email contact address, and I bypass the aggregators. Actually, some of these hotels are not featured anymore on Booking.com, Hotel.com etc where I used to be able to (or had to) book them: this tells me my small hotels are fighting back and are reclaiming their independence from big fish contracts.
5
You usually get a better deal if you book with the hotel directly. You do not pay I advance like Travelocity/Expedia and if you have to cancel for a reason (medical, etc.) it is much easier than working through a third party.
5
I tried individual hotel reward programs, but none of them come close to Hotels.com and their "purchase 10 nights, get one free" rewards program. For most reward programs, you would need to purchase about 20 nights to get one free.
Hilton's HHonors program regularly has double or triple point promotions which means you need to purchase less nights to get one free.
This summer I booked a number of hotels in Asia; in many cases, it was impossible to find hotels direct numbers because of the power of the aggregators. This was infuriating because in some cases, I needed to call the hotel with questions related to the hotel, not the reservation. At least if I call a hotel chains reservation desk directly, they can then connect me to the hotel.
2
I will NEVER use Expedia again.
I purchased an airline ticket through them to a relative's funeral. Due to my sadness and distraction, I put in the wrong month for the ticket. When I explained this to Expedia, they told me to call the airline, which then told me to call Expedia, which refused to change the ticket for me. As a result, I had to obtain a new ticket. When I later tried to get a refund from Expedia, they demanded a copy of the death certificate to prove that I had attended a funeral. Hopefully needless to say, I was not going to ask a grieving aunt for a copy of the death certificate in order to get back the cost of my ticket.
Shame on Expedia.
I purchased an airline ticket through them to a relative's funeral. Due to my sadness and distraction, I put in the wrong month for the ticket. When I explained this to Expedia, they told me to call the airline, which then told me to call Expedia, which refused to change the ticket for me. As a result, I had to obtain a new ticket. When I later tried to get a refund from Expedia, they demanded a copy of the death certificate to prove that I had attended a funeral. Hopefully needless to say, I was not going to ask a grieving aunt for a copy of the death certificate in order to get back the cost of my ticket.
Shame on Expedia.
10
The point in this article of most interest is "rate parity" rules between hotels and web sites. That really eliminates the only reason to book through Expedia and the like. Also the hotels can really hurt you with points. I stayed in a Marriott for a week after booking through a third party web site. Marriott gave me points for only one night for that reason.
1
Not very familiar with online booking, I didn't understand the difference between booking directly and booking through Expedia. And it cost me because I was not allowed to alter my reservation without charge, even three weeks out. I'll never ever use them again. It was an expensive mistake.
8
Never had anything but fantastic, friendly service from Expedia. They even got an airline ticket refund when I'd inadvertently booked two flights. And, no, I have no other interest, financial or otherwise, in the company.
3
The expedia/orbitz merger would be obviously anti-competitive in terms of companies providing broad travel booking services, which is the essence of what they do. The combined entity's market power would enable it to more powerfully extract concessions from the travel industry, thereby boosting consumer prices.
2
Wish price parity was consistent. I just booked a hotel in Tbilisi, Georgia. Their site was 180. Expedia and other online sites was 155 for the same room. Plus I have earned points on Expedia that paid in full for a recent room and a quarter of the recent booking.
Some chains indeed are consistent between what they charge direct but not all hotels, especially independent ones and in this case one abroad. My suggested is that one checks both the hotel direct and aggregators.
Some chains indeed are consistent between what they charge direct but not all hotels, especially independent ones and in this case one abroad. My suggested is that one checks both the hotel direct and aggregators.
On a recent trip Priceline farmed out my reservations to Bookings.com without even bothering to inform me. So I coudl find no indications of my reservations on their site, the hotel that I was trying to change my reservation with informed me I had actually made my reservation through Booking.com. When I phoned Priceline, they told me I had to phone a company I have never heard of (Booking.com) to change my reservation. And the customer service at both Priceline and Booking.com was not very good.
......I am going to phone hotels directly from now on.
......I am going to phone hotels directly from now on.
2
I use Expedia, but I'm not thrilled with its software. Its service is better than airlines oftentimes, as they can help you rebook a whole trip when the airlines mess with the flights. Particularly bad as USAirways and American merge and consolidate flights by canceling after you book. Try to book two rooms on Expedia, it's pretty much a nightmare, though. Hard to get 1 double, 1 king; hard to ask for connecting or nearby rooms; just not nuanced. Best software out there is Delta's [iOS] app, which allows you to select a new flight in 3 clicks - confirmed, I kid you not - when your first flight is likely to be late enough to miss your connection.
I have faith that the software for all companies, hotels, airlines, etc will get much better, but no faith that flying actually will. There are too many of us wanting to go too many places cheap; fuel won't stay cheap forever; airline consolidation will kill us on prices; and no one is building new infrastructure (or at least not more airspace).
I have faith that the software for all companies, hotels, airlines, etc will get much better, but no faith that flying actually will. There are too many of us wanting to go too many places cheap; fuel won't stay cheap forever; airline consolidation will kill us on prices; and no one is building new infrastructure (or at least not more airspace).
1
There's an obvious solution to the hotels fighting back against Expedia taking a page from the airline's solution to boosting profits: Expedia has to outspend the American Hotel and Lodging Association on Capitol Hill.
3
I have learned in the past few years to book directly with the hotel,unless it is out of state. A few years ago, there was a windstorm in Southern Ca, which knocked out power for days. I called a few hotels that were in a area which had power, and Marriott not only booked us at 3:00 a.m., they charged only$40.00 a night to all of the families in our complex. All the families were comped breakfast at the buffet, as long as they stayed, in our case 5 days. They earned at least 35 permanent customers with the people in our complex alone.
13
I just spent some time in several different hotels that were owned by Hilton, and booked the rooms directly with them. Yes, BASIC internet access was included, but the hotels offered an enhanced service for an upcharge.
Talk about nickel and diming the customer!
Talk about nickel and diming the customer!
10
That seems perfectly normal to me. There's free water out of the tap, too, but they make you pay to drink the bottled stuff, don't they?
And ironically, it is mostly the higher end hotels that have this policy. I've been traveling for business, completely unable to use the room internet....without paying an additional $25/night. The basic was too slow to even load a search engine. I try to travel with an ethernet wire these days.
I'd rather sleep under a bridge than under Expedia's algorithms.
10
My trip next week includes flights in a foreign country booked on Expedia. Having read this, however, I don't think Expedia will be seeing my name again. SWM makes a good point on hotels, though. They have been happy to charge high wi-fi fees and undisclosed resort fees. The consumer has no friends here.
5
We book directly with the hotels we use. After a while we become known as regulars and get breakfast on the house, a bottle of wine and some such goody! We get early check in and have no problem with cancellation. The travel companies are hopeless when it comes to customer service. The staff are unhelpful; some don't even understand the issues (this from my children who had to cancel a trip because of a death in our family!) We got a full refund eventually after threatening legal action, But the wasted time!!!!
3
Customer service in America is so horrible when it comes to airlines and hotels that I stopped traveling in America years ago. If the airlines and the hotels would start treating us like customers instead of bottomless pockets of money to be charged for every little thing, I might consider taking a trip. As it is the costs outweigh the pleasures.
19
When traveling overseas I book directly with the hotel. I'm a regular at several hotels in France so when my name is recognized, I always get an upgrade. That would never happen on any of those other websites. I book directly with the airlines too. It's just not worth my time and trouble to do otherwise.
15
Best news in the world today -- an industry fighting Amazonization, lest it lose its pricing power of its stock-in-trade, a commodity (vacant rooms) to a middleman, an super-agency acting as a marketing agency and commodity exchange.
Amazon is simply too powerful.
Bravo.
Amazon is simply too powerful.
Bravo.
I purchased a trip through Expedia (hotel, airline tickets).
The trip fell apart through no fault of our own.
We had purchased insurance, but the fine print exempted Expedia from responsibility.
I spent about four hours on the phone, but most of the Expedia "representatives" could not speak English.
We lost about $2000.
We will NEVER again book through Expedia...or any other online travel agency. EVER.
The trip fell apart through no fault of our own.
We had purchased insurance, but the fine print exempted Expedia from responsibility.
I spent about four hours on the phone, but most of the Expedia "representatives" could not speak English.
We lost about $2000.
We will NEVER again book through Expedia...or any other online travel agency. EVER.
40
Sorry about your experience, I tell everyone to buy cancel for any reason insurance, is only a little extra. Had trip booked to Egypt to see the pyramids when revolution broke out, if not for cancel for any reason insurance would have lost 5k. Full refund.
Have you considered asking the Haggler for help?
I agree with @JayEll. I am a currently a VIP member with Expedia, but several recent experiences with them (charged full room rate even though I cancelled way before posted cancellation date), and their terrible to non-existent customer service. (For example, I was on hold for over 30 minutes, and they follow a script so they are absolutely of no help). I have second thoughts, and I will directly book with the hotels and airlines from now on.
25
Best to avoid the travel sites, they are not cheaper, they provide no customer service and if there is any difficulty with the room it must be resolved through them, not the hotel. It also seems you always get the crappo rooms through them.
25
I never use aggregator sites for hotel or flight bookings. My husband got his Million Miler designation on United by us never doing that, and we wouldn't trade that for anything an aggregator could offer. We can board early this way, and stay in lounges on long layovers--we travel a lot for work, and these perks help us arrive relatively rested and more peaceful, of immense value to us. I have several large hotel chains on which we have loyalty programs, and a few of those who we like best where we have status levels--free late checkout, sometimes free upgrades, the occasional free room night, and always good prices. These are not for 'leftover' type rooms, or rooms on the lowest floors, which is often what an aggregator offers. For people who travel as much as we do, a quiet room on an upper floor, and a view with light out the window, are worth a lot to us. But we also get decent prices this way as well. This is a good balance for us. And if we need to make a change in our reservation, it's much easier when you book direct.
11
How nice FOR YOU. For most people, this is impossible. Unless you own a business, or travel for business (AND your company allows you to keep your bonus miles -- many force you to turn them back to the company!), it is impossible to get a Million Mile designation unless you are a millionaire.
Most average folks are lucky to get one short vacation a year, and even luckier if they can use it to fly anywhere or stay in a fancy hotel.
These are real privileges of -- if not quite the 1% -- then the upper 4% of the income strata. If you have this kind of privilege, it is often unimaginable to understand how ordinary people have to live.
Most average folks are lucky to get one short vacation a year, and even luckier if they can use it to fly anywhere or stay in a fancy hotel.
These are real privileges of -- if not quite the 1% -- then the upper 4% of the income strata. If you have this kind of privilege, it is often unimaginable to understand how ordinary people have to live.
You are humorous. We are not remotely the 4%. It took my husband over thirty years to make his status as a million miler--by actually flying a million miles on United, bit by bit by bit, for work. Their mileage program has changed now, as have most of the programs at the major US airlines, to include requirements of dollar amounts spent as well as miles flown for status levels, but he made it in to his status just before these new rules went into effect. He does not work for a corporation, or make large amounts of money; he works for himself. We do not take fancy vacations, nor do we want to--a vacation for us is to be able to stay home, in our small house, and water the roses. It is easy to assume things about others when you know zero about them, as you did in this post, but as so often happens then, you are wrong.
I gave up booking through Expedia after the third time I arrived at a hotel to be told they were overbooked and had rebooked me to a "comparable property close by": each time their idea of "comparable" was hilarious, and not in a good way, and their idea of "close by" was anywhere within 50 miles (on one occasion I booked a hotel in mid-town Mahattan and they rebooked me to a hotel in Newark, NJ). Expedia is no help when this happens because they believe the contract is fulfilled as long as the hotel rebooks the customer. When hotels are overbooked, they will always boot the Expedia customer first so be warned.
31
After my last trip from NY to Florida, I will drive in the future if I'm spending a week. Gas, tolls, and an overnight hotel stay will cost less round trip both in money and aggravation and not have to be subjected to the car rental insurance rip offs or over priced, uncomfortable plane rides second only to the back of a pick up.
17
There is an Amtrak train to Florida from very close to Washington DC where you can take your car with you. It's called the Auto Train, and goes from Lorton, VA. Or if you would rather just go from Boston without your car, there is train service from Boston all the way down to Miami. You can go from Boston direct to DC on the high-speed Accela or on a Regional train, and change there for the Silver Meteor or the Silver Star to Florida. The Accela is all Business and First Class, but you can buy Business Class on the Regional trains, and there is Sleeping Car Service available on the Florida trains from DC, which go overnight. Sleeping Car passengers, who are in First Class, have their meals in the Dining Car included in their ticket price. If they wish they can have their meals served in their private room as well. (There are various room types, from small to larger, with different prices--my husband I buy the smallest, the Roomette, which sleeps two.) Sleeper passengers also have the Metropolitan Lounge in DC available to them on their layover in Washington. Then you arrive rested, having seen much of interest and beauty from the train, and not a freeway and its exits instead. If you want to investigate this, go to amtrak.com. You can see prices and schedules there.
@JayEll: having done this roughly a zillion times, there is no easy way. If you fly, it has the benefit of being fast -- you leave at maybe 10AM and get in at noon. But you have all the misery of airports, parking (or cabs), TSA, searches, are very limited in what you can bring (many airlines now allow NO luggage for free of any kind!) and you are packed in like a sardine (albeit for only about 2 hours).
You can drive, but it takes 18 hours for me to get from Cleveland to Orlando. Yeah, some people can go faster, but I like to go to the bathroom, stretch my legs and eat a decent meal (i.e., not in the car while driving). I've done it a zillion times as I said, and I know the route like the back of my hand, but I cannot get there any faster. If your destination is southern FLA, it will take considerably longer than this.
I have some relatives who can drive straight through, but I cannot. After 12 hours or so of driving, I am nearly psychotic with exhaustion and I don't trust my alertness either -- definitely not after dark. So you have to figure in a motel for the night. 10 years ago, I could still find some out-of-the-way cheapie places for $25-$30 a night. No more. You are very lucky to pay less than $60. The tolls are not egregious (yet!) as they are driving the NY or MA turnpikes.
Also in your own car, you can bring all the "stuff" you want, no lines or body searches -- you can have your own cooler with your own food -- heck, I bring my dog. But it takes 18 hours.
You can drive, but it takes 18 hours for me to get from Cleveland to Orlando. Yeah, some people can go faster, but I like to go to the bathroom, stretch my legs and eat a decent meal (i.e., not in the car while driving). I've done it a zillion times as I said, and I know the route like the back of my hand, but I cannot get there any faster. If your destination is southern FLA, it will take considerably longer than this.
I have some relatives who can drive straight through, but I cannot. After 12 hours or so of driving, I am nearly psychotic with exhaustion and I don't trust my alertness either -- definitely not after dark. So you have to figure in a motel for the night. 10 years ago, I could still find some out-of-the-way cheapie places for $25-$30 a night. No more. You are very lucky to pay less than $60. The tolls are not egregious (yet!) as they are driving the NY or MA turnpikes.
Also in your own car, you can bring all the "stuff" you want, no lines or body searches -- you can have your own cooler with your own food -- heck, I bring my dog. But it takes 18 hours.
@pw: oh how I would adore a train that went from Ohio down to Florida with my CAR on board. It would be fabulous. Alas, this service is only from Washington DC. It does nobody else the least bit of good. (It is also pretty expensive.) Maybe someday. I probably won't live long enough to see it.
Taking the train WITHOUT your car would be pretty nearly useless. Florida is not Manhattan. You can't just walk around places. You NEED a car. If you must rent one, that is a significant cost you have to figure into the equation.
The train also takes forever. The condition of the tracks in this country is pitiful. If you are retired, and just want to scenery -- OK, it would be fun to do. ONCE. It is not practical if you have to go back and forth on a regular basis -- or with children. Amtrak costs more than comparable airfare and takes 10 times as long.
NOTE: it is fast and efficient to take the freeway, but it is not REQUIRED. You can plot a route that avoids freeways and tolls, along the "blue highways". If you have the time, it's very enjoyable. There are many amazing places in this beautiful country of ours, and we miss so much flying over it or on the freeway.
Taking the train WITHOUT your car would be pretty nearly useless. Florida is not Manhattan. You can't just walk around places. You NEED a car. If you must rent one, that is a significant cost you have to figure into the equation.
The train also takes forever. The condition of the tracks in this country is pitiful. If you are retired, and just want to scenery -- OK, it would be fun to do. ONCE. It is not practical if you have to go back and forth on a regular basis -- or with children. Amtrak costs more than comparable airfare and takes 10 times as long.
NOTE: it is fast and efficient to take the freeway, but it is not REQUIRED. You can plot a route that avoids freeways and tolls, along the "blue highways". If you have the time, it's very enjoyable. There are many amazing places in this beautiful country of ours, and we miss so much flying over it or on the freeway.
Some of us discovered this long ago. Many hotels are willing to offer free breakfasts, free WiFi, free cancellation, even free valet parking to those who book direct by phone or hotel web site. The room price is often the same as that offered on Expedia, and sometimes better when you figure in the AAA/AARP/senior discount Sometimes you have to ask, sometimes it's right there on the web site. For me, Kayak, Expedia, Orbitz, etc., are just one more tool: find the cheapest on-line consolidator price, then check the hotel directly and compare. You'll probably even get to talk to a real person who's happy to have your business and who treats you with respect and courtesy. Are you listening, airlines?
49
In short, neither the hotel chains nor the online booking sites have the slightest interest in providing the consumer with competitive pricing.
Not only would it cut into their profits, it would violate their cozy contractual agreements.
As usual, the so-called 'free market' is rigged against the consumer.
Not only would it cut into their profits, it would violate their cozy contractual agreements.
As usual, the so-called 'free market' is rigged against the consumer.
35
I used Expedia for years, but that is OVER. Their customer service should be renamed "customer disservice." For a recent trip, it took me literally 9 hours to reach a representative to obtain a receipt for a prepaid car rental. Days later, I wanted to change my flight only to have Expedia reps tell me I couldn't change it when, in fact, JetBlue said it was okay as long as it was done via Expedia and subject to a change fee. Those calls to Expedia took 3 hours. Most of the reps could not speak clearly. I tried to reach their corporate office for resolve, but that is a closely guarded secret. I finally bought a one way ticket on Jet Blue because I couldn't take dealing with Expedia.
My advice to travelers: stay as far away from Expedia as you can unless you welcome disrespectful disservice. My advice to Fed regulators: do not approve the merger.
My advice to travelers: stay as far away from Expedia as you can unless you welcome disrespectful disservice. My advice to Fed regulators: do not approve the merger.
54
There are many hotel chains in any major city. I am certainly not going to check them one by one, logging into each of their individual sites, each with their own little username and password login. Aggregator sites exist for a reason...
Otherwise, I may just come to rely more on AirBnb... at least, that has more capacity in any given city than most individual chains.
Otherwise, I may just come to rely more on AirBnb... at least, that has more capacity in any given city than most individual chains.
2
You don't need a password and log-in to check rates for given dates on a hotel's website. You do of course need to put in number of people, etc., but not a password.
11
First you check Expedia or some other site and then choose the hotel that is best for you based on your criteria. Simple. That eliminates the need to go to 10 different hotel web sites. And you don't need to log in to the hotel site to check. Note the rate parity rule in the article - that means you don't get a better rate through an aggregator site.
1
There was a time, not so long ago, that hotels published rates -- everyone paid the same for the same room type on the same dates! Airlines too!
Now, you sit in room 101 and talk to your neighbor in 102 to find he/she paid $50 less! Same for airlines.
Well, when you go to the hotel websites, you have to go through the room/date selection process before they quote a rate -- because the rates keep changing depending upon demand.
It's called "yield management," which charges more as the hotel/plane nears capacity. The hotels/airlines make a little more this way, but they alienate passengers -- and their "products" lose individuality, becoming merely commodities.
The online travel websites are just a continuation of this trend, which is all about greed.
Well, the hotels and airlines created this mess, and now we all have to live with it.
Now, you sit in room 101 and talk to your neighbor in 102 to find he/she paid $50 less! Same for airlines.
Well, when you go to the hotel websites, you have to go through the room/date selection process before they quote a rate -- because the rates keep changing depending upon demand.
It's called "yield management," which charges more as the hotel/plane nears capacity. The hotels/airlines make a little more this way, but they alienate passengers -- and their "products" lose individuality, becoming merely commodities.
The online travel websites are just a continuation of this trend, which is all about greed.
Well, the hotels and airlines created this mess, and now we all have to live with it.
48
I have seen hotel claiming last 5 rooms and in reality its 50% empty; greed is everywhere and justice department is looking the other way, thank you obama
1
The hotel industry has been laughing its way to the bank charging exorbitant fees for things like wifi, and every other over-priced item for sale in a hotel, and now they're complaining about the loss of commission to businesses that drive consumers to them. Cry me a river.
33
They are making more profit and they got greedy for ever more profit
1
No wonder the wealthiest, who control every facet of the internet and the regulatory agencies, are getting more profit-bloated every day. The article says, "A traveler might assume that hotels could offer lower rates to guests who book directly. But generally they are barred from doing so, both by their contracts with the online booking sites and by government regulators that enforce price transparency for published rates." Independent and socially responsible hotel chains should get some courage and drop out of the online booking agencies (soon to be agency) and stop this price control through market manipulation. I independently traveled in nine countries in Europe for two months earlier this year, depended on Expedia and Priceline to book hotel rooms as I went and paid way too much for poor or mediocre rooms because I was traveling on a 3-star budget and got 1-star lodgings for the money I had. Tour groups are now using the online booking agencies and gobbling up all the decent accommodations with workable rates except the small chains and mom and pops who don't use online booking. Next time I travel I'm going to figure out how to find moderate chains and reasonable mom and pop accommodations and have a much more enjoyable trip.
7
Re njglea's comments: Try using smaller chains like Best Western for European hotels. In the three instances that I used BW I found a lovely hotel in Venice literally a few steps and a short bridge from St. Mark's Square and In Madrid, a lovely little hotel a short walk from Plaza Mayor. In St. Peter Port, Guernsey we stayed at a very nice hotel which was part of a local Chanel Islands chain. All three hotels were friendly, helpful, clean, centrally located and served wonderful breakfasts.
BW was used as a marketing tool for these smaller hotels thus allowing them to reach a larger market, especially in the US.
Smaller locally owned hotels use the BW name/marketing for their hotels.
BW was used as a marketing tool for these smaller hotels thus allowing them to reach a larger market, especially in the US.
Smaller locally owned hotels use the BW name/marketing for their hotels.
5
To "njglea" and "tr": How about trying local small hotels and inns? I travel often to Europe and have never stayed in a chain hotel. I want to experience the local flavor and get more personal service, so I check with Rick Steves' books and official city tourism sites for lodging.
Hotels won't lower the rates during peak season or weekend even when they have more then 50% empty rooms, everyone wants monopoly
charge little to nothing, gather information, squeeze, repeat....