The Best Hotel Booking Sites for Comparing Prices
WHERE TO FIND SECRET DEALS
How to Book the Cheapest Hotel Possible (Updated 2020)
Best apps for booking last-minute hotel rooms
The best room, rate, service and stay come right from booking with the hotel directly. While third-party booking sites can be a useful starting point for researching what hotels are available in certain destinations and at what price points, that's probably the extent to which they should be used.
Though it's best to phone ahead, you can negotiate on arrival. If you walk in without a reservation and are unhappy with the rate you are quoted, tell the desk clerk and ask if there is a lower rate or offer a rate that you are willing to pay. Always wait until the desk is not busy.
The hotel may need confirmation of your actual identity but they will adhere to the name that you have registered in when booking your room. Whether you book your hotel by telephone, online or in person, it is possible to remain anonymous. Choose a pseudonym, a name that is anonymous and would not really be noticed.
You can find your hotel in three easy steps.
Both Hotwire and Priceline hide hotel names—a practice called opaque pricing—which enables hotels to sell rooms at hidden, lower prices. ... Hotels that sell rooms on Hotwire and Priceline accept a lower price in return for guaranteed revenue and the possibility guests might turn into loyal customers.
Hotwire is much easier. Look up the deals, check with betterbidding.com to see if you can figure out the hotel, and purchase. Priceline is almost always cheaper than Hotwire for hotels. In my experience I have beat Hotwire's prices by around $20-$30 per night, sometimes much more, and Hotwire's fees are higher.
For high-end hotels and resorts, the cheapest rates are offered online. The highest prices are quoted to walk-in guests. In terms of room prices, it's much better to book ahead than to simply show up. ... Online, prices for budget and mid-range rooms can actually be higher than they are when showing up in person.
When you book through an official website for a hotel or hotel chain, they keep most or all of the money (minus a small fee if the hotel uses an outside processing system). So if you book a hotel online or just walk in with cash or a credit card, the hotel stands to make more money if you pay the same room rate.
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