But my views and opinions are specifically from a hoteliers perspective. Hotel Deals In Las Vegas Nv What’s interesting to me is that many people don’t know some of the key changes and challenges, frankly that have happened over the course of the past couple of years in the hotel industry, and how the “big shots” of on-line travel have manipulated the landscape.

For example, did you know that most of the time (Its upwards of 95%) the franchise or brand website (i.e., Hilton, Marriott, Choice, Holiday Inn, etc) is cheaper or exactly the same price as booking through Hotels.com, Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, or even at times Hotwire? Also did you ever notice that line in your hotel reservation, called Taxes & Fees? The “Fees” part is how the “big shots” also make their money (I’ll share more on how they make more of their money later in this article).

Or how about when you try to cancel or change a hotel reservation because you had a change in plans that were unforeseen and you had to pay! How ridiculous is that? Or the best part, which I love the most, is that they actually charge you for your hotel stay at the time of reservation! I don’t know about you, but I would rather have my credit card charged to me when I actually go to the hotel and complete my stay (normal hotel practice, but yes they may ask for a credit card to simply hold the room but they don’t charge unless you don’t show up). And for those of you really familiar with the hotel industry, yes, “Advance Purchase Rates or Buy Now and Save 15%” offered by the franchise or brand website also charge your credit card and have certain restrictions (like non-refundable, etc), ONLY if you book that type of reservation. Otherwise you have the ability to select a different type of reservation which gives you the flexibility that you may desire/need.

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Also are you one of the millions of people in the US who belong to one or more of those nationally recognized clubs/organizations like seniors, government employees, veteran/military personnel, or the auto club? Ever notice that you CANNOT use that club/organization membership benefit of discounted lodging with the “big shots”.  Finally, the one last thing that really annoys me when I see it happen, is when the “big shots” promise you a room or room type that we, the hotel clearly don’t have available for your dates of stay! That not only hurts our reputation, but more importantly it negatively impacts your guest experience. Who wants to sit at the front desk during check-in after a long flight, or with the kids screaming, etc?

The other part that I have to mention given my background, which may not mean much to you, but I think it’s worth letting you knowing about it. If you book a room through one of those “big shots” the hotel is only getting a portion of your reservation money. Meaning, the “big shots” charge hotels a premium for bringing that reservation to them, to the tune of 15% – 40% the original reservation. So what does that mean? If a reservation you make on one of those “big shot” websites is $100 for one night, the hotel is only getting anywhere between $85 to as little as $60. That’s a pretty big cut for the “big shots”. So what’s the big deal, right? Well if you look at it the less money the hotel gets for your patronage, the less there is to go around for let’s say renovations, more of those little goodies available in your hotel room, nicer, bigger TV’s, etc. As hoteliers, we do not hold properties for a short period of time, we hold onto them and are proud of them (or at least want to be). We enjoy and want to provide a great guest service experience to you, our guest. But as economic conditions worsen and more people book with the “big shots”, we stand less of chance to do so, and that my friends impacts all of us, and especially your guest experience.

Now I will admit, you can get some good prices with the “big shots” if you are able to be extremely “flexible”. For example, paying for a hotel room first without knowing where exactly the hotel is and or what area it’s in? Any guesses as to which “big shot” operates that way? If you guessed Hotwire, you got it. I don’t know about you, but I like to see what I am paying for, before I actually pay for it. And the best part is if you are an individual who is typically organized and plans ahead for your upcoming trip, ever notice that you have to pay when you make your reservation? That’s another one that still baffles me. Why should some other individual/company have the right to charge me that money that far in advance? I should only pay when the services are provided or closer to my stay.

The moral of the story is that I strongly recommend that you either check the brand/hotel website before making a reservation to ensure that you are getting the best price available and available amenities.  Or call the hotel directly and ask to speak to the front desk. Sometimes you can negotiate with them even further.  For a couple of extra minutes that may put more money in your pocket, it’s worth the time.

I have said my peace, and hope that you found this not only educational, but also worth a few minutes of  your time to read.  Maybe I will see you around in a hotel and hope that you have took into consideration some of my points.  Either way, I wish you well and safe travels.

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Help answer the question about travel hotels deals

Finding the best travel deals?
Me and a friend are trying to plan a trip somewhere warm for our reading week. We are both in college and are trying to find the best deals because money is tight in school. So far, this is what we've found…
Club Bucanero, Cuba, 7 days in February, and we found a package for $830. This includes flight both ways, hotel paid for, meals and alcohol paid for, and most hotel activities. We think this is a pretty good deal, and we've checked out the place, it's 3 stars and seems very nice.
We've been contacting travel agents to see if theres any better deals out there for a warm getaway, but we haven't had much luck. It's a pretty good deal on its own, but if theres anything better out there that you know of, please let us know!! Thanks in advance!
We are in Ottawa and would hope for a flight from there, but we can go from Toronto as well.

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