Booking a hotel online - advice please

wiseolsham

Hi folks. Just quick one, Im booking a hotel in the states at the moment and have brought it down to 3 sites to book at. bookings.org, hotels.com and expedia.co.uk

bookings.org dont charge anything nor do they charge your card upfront! They dont include taxes though, in the final price. Has anyone used bookings.org
or hotels.com or expedia.co.uk for booking a hotel. The only disadvantage to hotels.com and expedia.co.uk is they charge your card up front. All 3 sites are saving hundreds off booking with the actual hotel direct!!! So any advice on which to use or indeed which not to use...Thanks!

Ruu_Old

I normally use Needahotel.com and find them very good. Not many hotels charge your card until you checkout.

wiseolsham

Ruu wrote:

I normally use Needahotel.com and find them very good. Not many hotels charge your card until you checkout.

Cheers for the reply, but its not the actual hotel, its the website. Hotels.com and expedia say you have to pay up front.

Flukey

Try contacting the chosen hotel direct if you can. If not by their own booking system, Get something like Skype and you can ring them directly for a cheap rate. If you know someone in the area where you are going, you can even get them to reserve it for you.

gandalf

Have used Hotels.com and Expedia in the past.

I have also used 1800hotels.ie as well. All are good. As suggested check if the hotel has a direct site as well and compare them all.

wiseolsham

gandalf wrote:

Have used Hotels.com and Expedia in the past.

I have also used 1800hotels.ie as well. All are good. As suggested check if the hotel has a direct site as well and compare them all.

Major difference in the prices, nearly 500 quid more expensive on the actual hotel! Rang the hotel itself and sounded them out and they basically said they have very good promotional rates on hotels.com

The only thing Im not keen on is that hotels.com and expedia charge you up front. booking.com doesnt! Anyone any experience with booking.com?

Cheers!

gandalf

Naw never used booking.com so can't comment on them.

Personally I didn't worry about paying up front and both are fine. Another to add to your list is http://www.lastminute.com/ as well.

Our man in Havana

I have never had any issues with hotels.com, actually I prefer to pay up front esp if the rate is good.

blue banana

I have used booking.com for 2 hotels in Sardinia. I had to cancel due to a change in numbers. No problem in cancelling the booking online and I wasn't charged a cent. I would reccomend it.

wiseolsham

Cheers! Decisions, decisions!!!!!

wiseolsham

blue banana wrote:

I have used booking.com for 2 hotels in Sardinia. I had to cancel due to a change in numbers. No problem in cancelling the booking online and I wasn't charged a cent. I would reccomend it.

Cheers again!

WhatsGoingOn

wiseolsham wrote:

Hi folks. Just quick one, Im booking a hotel in the states at the moment and have brought it down to 3 sites to book at. bookings.org, hotels.com and expedia.co.uk

bookings.org dont charge anything nor do they charge your card upfront! They dont include taxes though, in the final price. Has anyone used bookings.org
or hotels.com or expedia.co.uk for booking a hotel. The only disadvantage to hotels.com and expedia.co.uk is they charge your card up front. All 3 sites are saving hundreds off booking with the actual hotel direct!!! So any advice on which to use or indeed which not to use...Thanks!

I generally use hotels.com. Booked a hotel in London last year. When we arrived the room was really small, cramped and dusty. Hotel said it was the last room so there was nothing they could do. They offered us 2 nights refund (from a 3 night stay), which we took because there was no way we were staying there. Emailed Hotels.com when I got home and they refunded the 3rd night and the service charge too. So they have a good backup service

wiseolsham

WhatsGoingOn wrote:

I generally use hotels.com. Booked a hotel in London last year. When we arrived the room was really small, cramped and dusty. Hotel said it was the last room so there was nothing they could do. They offered us 2 nights refund (from a 3 night stay), which we took because there was no way we were staying there. Emailed Hotels.com when I got home and they refunded the 3rd night and the service charge too. So they have a good backup service

Thanks for that. Does this mean hotels.com are getting the crappiest rooms in the hotel and thats why their prices are so cheap?

WhatsGoingOn

wiseolsham wrote:

Thanks for that. Does this mean hotels.com are getting the crappiest rooms in the hotel and thats why their prices are so cheap?

No, I doubt it, we were late checking in, it was close to 11pm, so it just happened that way. I've used them a good few times since and have always got a good room.

Our man in Havana

I can personally vouch for hotels.com. I got a room in a Las Vegas casino for €40 which was a far superior room to the ones I had paid €80+ for previously.

Captain Trips

Used booking.com/nl/at many times, always been excellent with prices and cancellations. I noticed it is better in central europe for choice though, UK not so much I found.

Another way is to check the big chains (e.g., Marriot group, etc., ) as they sometimes have promotions.

edengarden

This is a fantastic site i used for a hotel in Portugal and saved a lot http://www.reserveahotelonline.com fantastic!

wiseolsham

Ok folks, many thanks for all of those. Looks like its gonna be hotels.com or booking.com. The only thing I dont like about booking.com is it doesnt include the 13.38% tax for NY and it doesnt include the per night charge thing as well. Thanks again for all the suggestions, really appreciate them!