The Best Deal On A Hotel Room Rate May Not Be Where Your Think

May 21, 2007

If you are going to book a hotel room, where do your think you would you get the best price?

A) Online Travel Website (such as Expedia or Travelocity)
B) Travel Agent
C) Call The Hotel Directly
D) Hotel Website

I assume that most people would choose the online travel websites, but that may be a bad (and costly) assumption. A Canadian newstation (see video below) did a test of 20 hotels in Canada and found that 13 out of 20 of them gave the best price when you called the hotel directly - with one hotel, the savings was over $200 a night.

Part of the problem is that room rates are constantly fluctuating depending on demand and they can change 3 to 4 times a day. So what does this mean for the average Joe? That it’s probably worth your time when you find a hotel where you want to stay to call them directly before locking in the online price.

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Information: May 21st, 2007; 9 Responses

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Categories: Holidays; Saving Money; Travel

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Reader Comments

Comment Number:: 1
Written by:: ToothCutter
Posted on:: May 22, 2007 at 6:12 am

I can’t speak for everyone, but I believe most of the readers of this site would’ve chosen correctly correctly.

You can always do better by directly negotiating with someone, offering cash, and sometimes being lucky.

I still suggest going to the websites to review the hotels beforehand. Getting a 90% discount means nothing if you have to deal with bloodstained sheets, or worse - being on a smoking floor.

Comment Number:: 2
Written by:: Michael
Posted on:: May 22, 2007 at 7:25 am

I actually would have thought that was pretty obvious. I use the online sites for comparison and reviews, and will book with them if I find an exceptional deal.

Other than that, it makes sense that calling the hotel would be best, there’s no extra fees for the website or agent, and the price is going to be the most up to date.

This is a great thing to do in Las Vegas especially. Get a player’s club card (free most anywhere) and the next time you go call the hotel and tell them you’re a member. They usually give you better rates to get you back. Obviously it helps if you play some too, cause they track it and know they’ll get you to the tables a little.

Comment Number:: 3
Written by:: vsjhoc
Posted on:: May 22, 2007 at 10:23 am

So in Lost Wages — excuse me, Las Vegas — you need to lose money at the casino in order to get a room discount … the house always wins.

Comment Number:: 4
Written by:: Lazy Man and Money
Posted on:: May 22, 2007 at 10:58 am

One great way to save money is to try to get the business rate. My old company was a subsidity of AOL, so our secretary would often call and ask for the Time-Warner rate. The discounts can be huge. The hotels never asked for any proof or anything either.

Not sure if this was unethical or stretching the ethics, so do with it as you feel comfortable.

Comment Number:: 5
Written by:: Teri
Posted on:: May 23, 2007 at 6:36 am

I’ve noticed the same for airfare lately. In he 1990s those internet deals were awesome, but now that everyone uses them, I have found calling directly usually leads to a better deal. Good Point. I usually do the online searches to narrow it down, and then call directly to lower the price even more.

Comment Number:: 6
Written by:: Nicole (Subscribed)
Posted on:: August 2, 2007 at 6:17 pm

This was a great post! I found it really useful, and I referenced it in this page:
http://www.mahalo.com/How_To_Book_a_Cheap_Hotel_Room
Thanks for the information!

Comment Number:: 7
Written by:: Marc (Subscribed)
Posted on:: August 18, 2007 at 2:48 pm

Sites like Priceline and Hotwire offer opaque hotel deals that allow for very low prices. I’ve stayed at 4* hotels for under $40 per night and have been extremely happy with the results.

Comment Number:: 8
Written by:: Ben (Subscribed)
Posted on:: August 30, 2007 at 3:27 am

I would always compare hotels on a hotel price comparison site to check the rates at online agencies. Some price comparison systems also check hotel chain websites so take into account all the options.

Comment Number:: 9
Written by:: Stuart Hughes
Posted on:: December 17, 2007 at 9:26 am

Maybe obvious to some, but not so obvious to others. Folks should call the hotel before booking online just to make sure the prices found online are the most current.