Price matching your hotel!

[virtualm]

For those travelling away this summer don't forget to check the price you paid against competitors website prices. Most major hotel websites (Hotels.com & booking.com price match). I've just been refunded £80 from hotels.com as I found the same hotel cheaper on a competitors website. I'm getting quite addicted to this.

Also found a hotel I booked in December £20 cheaper elsewhere so I raised a claim with booking.com and they've also refunded me the difference.

Anybody share any other tips?

HTH

[RicksAlfas]

My tip is to contact the hotel and ask for a price direct. It's often similar to the comparison websites and I feel (with no evidence to back it up whatsoever!) that if there was a problem with the room or the booking you would be looked after better.

[chris7676]

Just get it from the place that has the best price. Simple(s).
Unless you like to play their dirty "matching" games.

[anonymous-user]

As above, there are plenty of sites now that return results from all OTA’s, the likes of Trivago, Tripadvisor etc.

Contacting the hotel is a good tip too. If they can avoid the 10% commission they’d have to pay the OTA, they may offer you a discount for booking direct (or their prices may already be cheaper on their own site).

[Coilspring]

I don't have the time, inclination, effort, or bloody mindedmess to try and find £20 back.

I spend some time looking around for the right type hotel (or other accomadation) at a price I am happy with.

If the hotel is good then the price was worth it. If it wasn't, that is a seperate issue and not a pricematch. Why spend so much of life chasing something that will not have made the stay better or worse. More to life than looking for a tenner or 2. In my mind that us no different to walking round the site after a fair has been there. You might find a few coins, but so what .

I hate it when people tell me they found somebody who could have done the job cheaper than me after it has been done. I won't do that to others. If you are too dear (hotel, plumber, mechanic, retailer) for the deal in comparison to others at the same quality level then you don't get my business. A partial refund afterwards just means I didn't research well enough, or wasn't concerned enough to save enough to buy another beer with.

Spending too much (within reason) is part of life. Spending too little is much worse. Better to live and enjoy than to not live but be better off financially. How many £20's would you have to claim back to make a substantial difference to your life, versus the time and effort involved.

Easier to spend £20 less whilst out. Same total saving.

[Thankyou4calling]

Agree with the above.

Can’t abide people who desperately hunt to save £2.

If I’m in a hotel I want to enjoy it not make sure I’ve paid the absolute rock bottom. This kind of mean spirited ness makes you a laughing stock with the staff as you carry your KFC up to the room stripped of toiletries.

[COLONEL_SMITH]

I contacted our hotel in San Diego last year when we started to plan the trip. They matched the rate BA would have charged me(which was over $50 a night cheaper than the hotels website) and also agreed to waive the resort fee($38 per night) & parking($36 per night). We were spending 10 nights so $700 saving. They also upgraded our bungalow so we ended up in a $350 a night room that cost us $140.
It is well worth asking direct, an email costs nothing and we saved a fortune. They even called me when it came to booking so I didn't have to spend a fortune calling the US on my mobile.

[captain_cynic]

RicksAlfas said:

My tip is to contact the hotel and ask for a price direct. It's often similar to the comparison websites and I feel (with no evidence to back it up whatsoever!) that if there was a problem with the room or the booking you would be looked after better.

This.

Booking via third parties instantly puts you at the bottom of the list for upgrades and extras. I've been given free upgrades simply for booking direct. Of course a business is going to look after people who make them more money and booking direct is an easy way to be that person without costing you more money because now they aren't paying comission.

Hotels are often happy to give you the same price as comparison websites because the T&C's of these sites prohibit them from advertising a cheaper price direct... But not from offering the same or cheaper price.

All you lose by asking is 5 mins of your time.

[The Leaper]

I always book hotel rooms direct. Invariably they are no more expensive that on comparison sites, and if you look at the detailed quotes on the latter the price is often to be paid at the time of booking and on a non refundable basis, whereas booking direct means that you get a price that is either payable a day or two before arrival or on departure from the hotel. Also, frequently using the same hotel means you can request the room that you prefer and sometimes get special deals.

R.

[Shaoxter]

COLONEL_SMITH said:

I contacted our hotel in San Diego last year when we started to plan the trip. They matched the rate BA would have charged me(which was over $50 a night cheaper than the hotels website) and also agreed to waive the resort fee($38 per night) & parking($36 per night). We were spending 10 nights so $700 saving. They also upgraded our bungalow so we ended up in a $350 a night room that cost us $140.
It is well worth asking direct, an email costs nothing and we saved a fortune. They even called me when it came to booking so I didn't have to spend a fortune calling the US on my mobile.

Interesting! I'm looking at some hotels in California which have the ridiculous $30-40 "resort fee" and the same again for parking. Must admit I've never bothered booking direct as the prices are the same as the ones on the comparison sites, and you don't get to collect free nights from hotels.com for example.

[Mr Pointy]

Shaoxter said:

COLONEL_SMITH said:

I contacted our hotel in San Diego last year when we started to plan the trip. They matched the rate BA would have charged me(which was over $50 a night cheaper than the hotels website) and also agreed to waive the resort fee($38 per night) & parking($36 per night). We were spending 10 nights so $700 saving. They also upgraded our bungalow so we ended up in a $350 a night room that cost us $140.
It is well worth asking direct, an email costs nothing and we saved a fortune. They even called me when it came to booking so I didn't have to spend a fortune calling the US on my mobile.

Interesting! I'm looking at some hotels in California which have the ridiculous $30-40 "resort fee" and the same again for parking. Must admit I've never bothered booking direct as the prices are the same as the ones on the comparison sites, and you don't get to collect free nights from hotels.com for example.

But they aren't really free are they if you could have paid less by booking direct. It's a loyalty gimmick just like supermarket points to keep you coming back to Sainsburys or wherever.

[djc206]

The Leaper said:

I always book hotel rooms direct. Invariably they are no more expensive that on comparison sites, and if you look at the detailed quotes on the latter the price is often to be paid at the time of booking and on a non refundable basis, whereas booking direct means that you get a price that is either payable a day or two before arrival or on departure from the hotel. Also, frequently using the same hotel means you can request the room that you prefer and sometimes get special deals.

R.

You do miss out on cashback though. Invariably one of the comparison sites will offer as much as 12% cashback with Quidco and counter to your claim we nearly always book free cancellation pay later deals through those sites.

[Sheepshanks]

RicksAlfas said:

My tip is to contact the hotel and ask for a price direct. It's often similar to the comparison websites and I feel (with no evidence to back it up whatsoever!) that if there was a problem with the room or the booking you would be looked after better.

I tried that with a Radisson Blu in London that was much cheaper on one of the online places, but the hotel had "guaranteed lowest rate" thing. However they wouldn't take my booking at the lower price, they wanted me to book at full price, then submit a claim.

Booked through the online agent and it worked fine.

[Ultuous]

captain_cynic said:

RicksAlfas said:

My tip is to contact the hotel and ask for a price direct. It's often similar to the comparison websites and I feel (with no evidence to back it up whatsoever!) that if there was a problem with the room or the booking you would be looked after better.

This.

Booking via third parties instantly puts you at the bottom of the list for upgrades and extras. I've been given free upgrades simply for booking direct. Of course a business is going to look after people who make them more money and booking direct is an easy way to be that person without costing you more money because now they aren't paying comission.

Hotels are often happy to give you the same price as comparison websites because the T&C's of these sites prohibit them from advertising a cheaper price direct... But not from offering the same or cheaper price.

All you lose by asking is 5 mins of your time.

I always start with the hotel first too - for all the reasons above, but originally driven by various cock-ups going through comparison sites where each party has blamed the other!

[bolidemichael]

I like the convenience of booking.com. The ease of use, rating system and consistent results make it very easy to use. I suppose that it's a matter of time and effort, but for convenience, it's a great website/service.

[Who Me]

bolidemichael said:

I like the convenience of booking.com. The ease of use, rating system and consistent results make it very easy to use. I suppose that it's a matter of time and effort, but for convenience, it's a great website/service.

Sorry cant agree, used the same provider for a stopover on my way to family holiday in Florida, the room was booked for 4 but only had 1 double and 1 put up bed, went to reception who said hotel is full that night, it was already late and flying the next day so we made the most of it and went on to enjoy our holiday.
On contacting bookthing.com once home I was told I should of contacted them that night, and questioned why I had left it 2 weeks to try and resolve !!!. Then tried to blame the hotel and said I need to raise it with them. Last time they ever got used by me and like others say, use them for price checking then call the hotel direct.
Like most places / services you only see their true colours when trying to get an issue resolved.

[virtualm]

Well sounds like some of you have money to burn, so what if I found my hotel £20 cheaper, I also found my other hotel for 1 week which was £80 cheaper elsewhere after I booked it. So that's £100 back in my pocket...

[surveyor]

Who Me said:

Sorry cant agree, used the same provider for a stopover on my way to family holiday in Florida, the room was booked for 4 but only had 1 double and 1 put up bed, went to reception who said hotel is full that night, it was already late and flying the next day so we made the most of it and went on to enjoy our holiday.
On contacting bookthing.com once home I was told I should of contacted them that night, and questioned why I had left it 2 weeks to try and resolve !!!. Then tried to blame the hotel and said I need to raise it with them. Last time they ever got used by me and like others say, use them for price checking then call the hotel direct.
Like most places / services you only see their true colours when trying to get an issue resolved.

I'm away usually at least 2 nights a week. I normally use Hotels.com and am gold. Unfortunately gold with them does not mean the same as gold with a chain, so few upgrades etc.

I do get a special number though, and can usually cancel reservations that are non-refundable. Also when things go wrong they will do what they can - most recently a Holiday Inn express which put me in the wrong room type in a st part of the hotel (right next to the bar / reception). Holiday Inn would not do anything at all - hotels.com gave me a night voucher.

[abzmike]

I generally use hotels.com. They are usually the cheapest (I’ll do a quick check on Trivago) but even if they are not they are effectively 10% less anyway as you get a credit of 1 night in 10, so basically 10%. They will price match of the rate changes after booking too. Never had any cock ups with them either.

[Puggit]

Book through quidco - I get some massive rebates from IHG, and it's still booked through their site, so I still get my platinum benefits and the points.