Invite ye felawes and frendes desirous in gold to enter the gates of Shrewd'm, for they will thanke ye later.
- Manlobbi
Personal Finance Topics / Living Below Your Means
No. of Recommendations: 1
Tried this question elsewhere and got a muted response.
Just curious, what are the thoughts on the best hotel deal
1. Book directly with a hotel chain
2. Book via a hotel aggregator e.g. hotels.com, trivago
3. Book via a travel aggregator e.g. Hotwire, JustFly
4. Opt for a travel package that includes hotel options
5. Discounts via other methods e.g. Credit card discounts, AAA, etc.
No. of Recommendations: 4
Great question. I've been finding my best deals on Priceline, though my guess is there are probably better deals to be had if you know what you are doing.
I haven't used Hotwire, though it looks like it is worth checking out. Priceline has some "anonymous" deals where they don't reveal the name of the hotel until after you book, but I've found that if you hunt around you can sometimes figure out which hotel it is based on number of stars, original price, amenities, etc. Sometimes it is even actually stated if you read the fine print before you book.
Then there's also the "just show up" method. It was probably 20 years ago now that I was making a spur of the moment trip to Yosemite, and called in the morning to book a hotel just outside the park. The guy who answered the phone earned my eternal gratitude (and hopefully some good karma) by telling me not to bother making a reservation on the phone, but to just show up and walk in. There was hardly anyone staying there (it was winter) and their "walk-in price" was lower. When I got there, it turned out to be half what I would have paid if I had booked on the phone. A couple nights later I moved to a different hotel but still nearby, and had a similar experience with the walk in price being much lower. I've tried that a few other times elsewhere in the last couple years, but without success. The prices I've been quoted walking in have seemed to be if anything higher than what I would pay booking online.
No. of Recommendations: 1
@Carpian - Hotwire has a similar "anonymous deal" feature as Priceline. Depending on location, there might be a couple, or tens of "Hot rate" deals available.
No. of Recommendations: 2
what are the thoughts on the best hotel deal?
The answer depends upon a number of variables.
If you expect to stay in hotels more than 3 or 4 times/year, it may be best to pick a major chain, join their loyalty program (and get one of their no-fee credit cards, if they offer one), and book through their website. You can also generally get a AAA, government, or senior discount in addition to the frequent-stayer perks.
The reviews at the big travel aggregator websites are good for researching a place to stay, even if you don't book through them. A simple google search (including via google.com/travel or even Google map) will generally show you the offer price from multiple websites. I find that booking.com works well and is reliable.
Travel packages can sometimes offer a good deal, but it pays to research the lodging independently before booking the package--and also see if you can cobble together a package on your own that's at least as good.
No. of Recommendations: 3
Not too surprised that MisterFungi (or any other poster) could see applicability of one option vs another. I guess, the bigger takeaway is that of using two of the options together e.g. hotel price + AAA discount. Thanks for the feedback MisterFungi
No. of Recommendations: 4
As some might be aware, we travel between 6 and 10 months a year, so we do quite a bit of hunting around for the best price - and all of the above strategies can offer the best price from time to time. A couple of additional ideas:
1) Be aware that non-cancelable rates can be much cheaper, but your travel insurance/credit card company will not cover the cost of a cancelation unless you meet their conditions (such as being ill).
2)Sometimes foreign hotels are cheaper (even if using an agency like Expedia) if using a VPN (sometimes coupled with Google Translate) to appear as if you are local (payment is generally in foreign currency, so make sure your credit card doesn't charge a premium).
Jeff
No. of Recommendations: 1
Jeff,
I think you had mentioned this item. I discovered this last year on a visit to Africa, more specifically, Tanzania. In some countries, there are "tiers" of exchange rates. In Tanzania, some banks have a two tier rate
$50, $100 - one exchange rate
$20, $10, $5 - lower exchange rate
Sometimes the difference can be sizable - abt 10%
On my airport departure, I thought I would tackle this by using my Capitol One card. Still didn't work as the merchants generally charged a fee to convert from Tz currency to $$$
