Hello! Normally I travel around places couch surfing or staying at hostels. But I want to plan a nice trip with my parents that doesn't require rental cars germany backpacking. Does anyone know a fast and easy way to book hotels online? I need some recommendations for sites where I can book hotels at my convenience for several upcoming trips.
If you want to get some idea of what hotels are available in the places you are going, you can take a look at some of the hotel booking sites (e.g. hotels.com , orbitz, expedia, etc.). But, like happytrailstoyou, I would suggest going to the individual hotel's website to actually book as you will probably get cancellation policies and equal or better rates. (In fact, many hotels will let you cancel up to 6pm on the day of your arrival.)
Finally, I like to look for properties that include rental cars germany some sort of free breakfast. Some hotels have better breakfast offerings rental cars germany than others, but sometimes just a little juice, coffee and muffin is enough to get me going in the morning and you can always eat a more substantial meal later.
rental cars germany Same as both above, I always book with the hotel directly. I feel I have the most control that way. I research using Trip Advisor, Fodor's, Expedia, rental cars germany searching rental cars germany the internet. When I find the place I want, I email them directly. And then book with either by calling their front desk, or online at their website (often you can find internet specials).
What everyone has said and be sure when you cal, you call the property directly, not the 800 number for the chain. The location itself will give you better information on what they have/do/what you can find in the area and are sometimes willing to give you a better price or room upgrade that the chain does not know about.
rental cars germany I like to book directly on hotels' web site because that way I can receive copies of my reservations via e-mail, print them out, and have them in hand when I check in. Similarly, if I cancel a reservation, I can request and receive a copy of my cancellation. In this way I have avoided misunderstandings that sometimes occurred years ago before it was possible to book on line.
I go one step further, before I book on the hotel's website I email in a few specific questions, and hope for a human to reply. I can usually find someone to 'chat' back forth with me ("what is your quietest room", rental cars germany "may I request the highest floor of the hotel within my price category", "do you have laundry facilities", rental cars germany etc. etc. Then I ask them if I should book thru them, or the website, or call the front desk. I can't prove it is related to my method, but I've often gotten room upgrades when I arrive.
We have found Holiday Inn Express rental cars germany to be the most reliable of the inexpensive chains, and next in line would be La Quinta. You can book through rental cars germany the websites of both. One warning, if you opt for the lowest price offered for HIE through Priority Club, you cannot cancel and get a refund.
I have learned to research hotels through rental cars germany AARP/expedia and view ratings by guests. Out of a 5.0, I will not stay in one rated under 4.0. I also use freetrip.com to find hotels along the way so I can plan where to stay based on the mileage I want to drive.
Best Western rental cars germany is often the best place to stay in smaller towns. They are usually good but less consistent in what they offer compared to Holiday Inn Express and Hampton Inn. Some are much better that HIE and HI while others are inferior.
In the June, 2010, issue of a national consumer magazine, these moderately priced motels received ratings of 80 or higher: Drury Inn, Wingate, Hampton Inn, Fairfield Inn, Holiday Inn Express, and Comfort Suites.
It also depends the TYPE of trip we're talking about. rental cars germany I would use a different approach (and care a LOT more about which hotel I choose) for a two week stay at the beach in Hawaii or Mexico, than I would for a place to sleep 1 night to get off the highway on a roadtrip in the mainland rental cars germany U.S.
Thanks for all the advice folks, I really appreciate it! I've stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Virginia once and I liked it, but I really enjoyed my stay at La Quinta in Memphis, TN. But I didn't book those rooms myself, which is why I'm looking for recommendations. I usually rental cars germany do a lot of backpacking and roadtripping, but this time around I want nice and relaxed trips where I get to stay in great hotels withing putting a hole in my wallet.
I've been looking around on sites like hotels.com because I like to compare ratings and prices all on one page, but I also want to make sure I get good customer service if I happen to make last minute changes. I've heard nightmare stories from friends about trying to cancel reservations or make changes over the phone...
Have any of you heard about HotelRooms365.com ? An acquaintance of mine suggested it to me and I checked it out and it seems very easy to use. The prices look great too. Has anyone booked rental cars germany through them before? What about Hotels.com and Hotwire.com ?
I never use 3rd party/discount sites to book hotel reservations. There was an article in Budget Travel awhile ago called "Confessions of a Front Desk Clerk" in which the author stated that hotels do not like 3rd party bookings because they don't make much money off of them. The writer states "As a result, guests who reserve directly with the hotel receive far better service. When things go wrong--we've run out of rooms with king-size beds, or the hotel is overbooked because some guests extended their stay--the manager's first question is, "Do we have any Internet rental cars germany reservations?" The folks who reserve through discount sites are at the bottom of the food chain." I also don't use these sites because they often have stricter cancellation policies/fees than the actual hotel. I think that you can always do as well, if not better, by actually booking online or by calling the hotel directly. And don't forget to use any discounts you or your parents are eligible for--AARP, AAA, state or federal government employee, etc.
I checked out hotels on tripadvisor and then called the hotel directly. They emailed confirmation of my reservation. Some even emailed a reminder. Then they emailed to thank us for staying with them.
We happened to stay 4 nights at different Homewood Suites. They have a good breakfast rental cars germany and also a light dinner. They even served free beer and wine with the meal. One night we had ravioli, salad, breaksticks etc. We had Italian hamburgers, tortellini (sp?) and one night bratwurst. Our room had 2 bedrooms, small kitchen living room with fireplace, 3 TVs, 2 bathrooms and for 4 adults the price was between $150 and $170.
On our recent trip (I had to book 10 hotels for 16 days) I used Expedia, hotels.com , the hotel directly.. If you book with Expedia and hotels.com you have to pay upfront.. if you book direct you don't.. some places (Bellagio) asked for 50% payment as deposit...
It all varied, sometimes the hotel site had internet specials... other times I booked hotels.com because they had the price guarantee rental cars germany that if the price dropped I would get the difference, even though I guess that didn't happen...
Also, if you are staying mostly at one or two chains, sign up for their "frequent stay" program where you receive points for your stays...Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites are both Hilton properties (HHonors Program), Marriott has Courtyards and Fairfield Inn and Holiday Inn Express, Intercontinental, etc. all have such programs. Sometimes being a member entitles you to free upgrades or breakfast. And joining is free. Even if you don't think you will ever use the points you earn for free room nights, most of the programs offer the opportunity to use points rental cars germany for merchandise, gift certificates, etc.
Should I just call all these hotels up? And I think I might sign up for the frequent stay program. Has anyone seen "Up In the Air" with George Clooney? I'd like to book a million rooms in one chain And then receive some sort of exclusive cryptic club card haha
I use www.kayak.com rental cars germany to compare hotel prices and look for discounts. I put in my dates and do a quick check. I prefer to book on the hotel website but have gotten very nice rooms at a discount, by booking through third parties. I always check the cancellation policy.
I also use Hotwire and Priceline when I stay in large cities, I bid 4 stars and have always been happy. I do check www.biddingfortravel.com and www.betterbidding.com to see what hotels are showing up and the amounts of the winning bids.
You don't need to call up "all" the hotels. I narrow it down by doing research on the internet, then contact just the 2-3 finalists. I don't stay at chains so have never been part of a 'frequent stay' club.
No I've never been to Alaska (no interest). I like places with beaches and palm trees myself! rental cars germany You might want to start a separate thread with that question, since the title of this one is only about booking hotels
Since you are traveling with you parents, have you considered renting a condo instead of a hotel room. You can view the individual units, price them, check availability, rental cars germany and book the unit online over the web very simply. www.ExclusiveGetawaysHawaii is a good site for multiple islands and is very functional.
Since you are traveling with you parents, rental cars germany have you considered renting a condo instead of a hotel room. You can view the individual units, price them, check availability, and book the unit online over the web very simply. www.ExclusiveGetawaysHawaii.com is a good site for multiple islands and is very functional.
After reading everyone's opinions on booking hotels rental cars germany online, I did a little research and came across this bizarre site called victimsofexpedia.com . It's all nightmare stories on how folks were scammed! I'd like to believe that this doesn't happen frequently, but it sounds like it does. I think I will indeed book directly through the hotels to be safe
I always book directly with hotels, have for years, in Europe, Hawaii, Mexico. It's not that I hate or do not trust Expedia, I have simply never seen any benefit to using them. And potenti
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