Who do you "book" with???

[jeepgirl]

Okay, I have a place/hotel I want to stay at for a weekend in a couple of months, and I need to "book" the nights. I could book through the hotel, but wondered if it might be cheaper to book through a "service" - like hotels.com, or travelocity, or something.

Anyone use those? And, if so, which one?

[Asha]

i usually check around to see who has the best price.

[Sonicstef]

Same as Asha. I check everything and book with the best offer.

[Adaya]

I surf around through kayak, expedia, travelocity, travelzoo, and so on. Then I go from there. Sometimes the hotel sites may have some really good promos, so I'll check there too. Give travelzoo a try. They usually keep a good list of all the good deals out there.

[PG-rated]

I don't use travelocity anymore after a bad experience with their online booking, but I usually check the others, plus the hotel's site, and book with whoever has the best deal.

[IrishMeg]

I book through my mom because she is a travel agent. She always finds me the best rate.

[ejs]

I always book directly with the hotel. I like being able to make specific requests about the room location, etc.

I've heard travel experts say that you shouldn't book rooms through consolidators because they're usually given the poor rooms. So you might get a room for $79, but it will be the noisy room near the elevator.

[MrsSmith]

I've gotten great rooms with hotels.com. They also send coupons to save on my next booking, so it really makes it worth my while.

[kindermom]

I have had the best luck going directly to the hotel. The web places are great for finding hotels and general prices. I take that information and start calling hotels directly to see if I can get a better rate. I have always gotten the best rate throughthe hotel (they will usually match or beat the price).

[Sami]

I usually compare the major places (travelocity, orbitz, expedia, priceline) to get a good average on the price, then call our travel agent directly to see whether she can beat that price and/or give us a worthwhile upgrade. Worth the extra leg-work, in my opinion. Also, I have to rave about tripadvisor.com, which is my go-to site for candid traveler opinions. Without a doubt, there are always those chronic complainers who find fault with perfection, but again, it's good to get the average perspective on the place.

Enjoy your trip!

[jeepgirl]

I ended up booking through expedia.com - they had the best rates, including better than booking online directly with the hotel. However, since doing that, I'm wondering about this:

I always book directly with the hotel. I like being able to make specific requests about the room location, etc.


And then the comments some of you made about calling them to see if they can match the rate of the "consolidator." Hmmm... I guess its too late now! :(

Wish the best for me! Its for my 30th birthday... getting away for a weekend with friends, at the beach!

~ j.

[Lilla]

I think you'll be fine. I prefer to book directly with the hotel also, but I have booked with other websites (like Expedia) before because they had the best price.

If you want to make a specific request, like room location, I'd take the hotel confirmation number they give you and call the hotel directly. Give them the conf # and ask them to note your request. This should work because even when I've made a reservation through a non-hotel site, I've gotten a confirmation number that is recognized by the hotel - as opposed to an Expedia specific confirmation.