If anyone uses Hotels.com

[Pacolovestacos]

Not sure if anyone uses this site to book their hotels but I do. Amazon having a special sale of $50 gift cards for only $40. Pretty good deal.

 

[low-key]

I have but the owners sold it and started anohter company and I found them a bit better in prices otel.com

 

[NFLDERS]

We have in the past, and with success to mean "no surprises" when we got to the Hotel. One booking we had to cancel, and found their cancellation policy to be great, and without having to pay +$$ for a Cancellation rate in the first place.

 

[bcla]

I've looked up prices on them, but once I have a place and a starting price I'll check a hotel's (or chain's) website to see if the price is the same or better. Unless I'm getting a great price, I prefer to book directly because it's one less thing to go wrong.

My preference is generally to check Priceline for hotel rates. I've actually gotten some pretty good deals with them - typically extras, and even better with opaque booking (which can be risky).

 

[sonnyjane]

I've looked up prices on them, but once I have a place and a starting price I'll check a hotel's (or chain's) website to see if the price is the same or better. Unless I'm getting a great price, I prefer to book directly because it's one less thing to go wrong.

My preference is generally to check Priceline for hotel rates. I've actually gotten some pretty good deals with them - typically extras, and even better with opaque booking (which can be risky).

I book directly with the hotel because they don't award loyalty card points if you book through a discount site.

 

[bcla]

I book directly with the hotel because they don't award loyalty card points if you book through a discount site.

I don't have enough brand loyalty for point to really matter. I had some Hilton points that expired. My big thing is that a third party booking can get "lost" or if they're overbooked a third party booking may be more likely to get walked. And if you're looking on Priceline for regular hotel rooms, it's not necessarily at any more of a discount than a hotel might have directly.

I've never had a bad experience with an opaque booking on Priceline, but I've had some great ones. Like $40 for a 3-star hotel that was about as nice as if I'd paid $150.

 

[Pacolovestacos]

I don't have enough brand loyalty for point to really matter. I had some Hilton points that expired. My big thing is that a third party booking can get "lost" or if they're overbooked a third party booking may be more likely to get walked. And if you're looking on Priceline for regular hotel rooms, it's not necessarily at any more of a discount than a hotel might have directly.

I've never had a bad experience with an opaque booking on Priceline, but I've had some great ones. Like $40 for a 3-star hotel that was about as nice as if I'd paid $150.

Yes correct, unless you're staying with hotels for at least 20 nights per year, the loyalty points and the loyalty benefits are pretty meaningless. I'd rather get the cash discounts on Hotels.com. You can stack various discounts as well. In this example, you're already getting the gift card at 20% off. Hotels.com also has a rewards program and after booking 10 nights, you get 1 free night for the average cost of your 10 paid nights.

And 90% of the time, Hotels.com has the same low price that all the other discount booking sites have. And if not, they have a best price guarantee.

 

[bcla]

Yes correct, unless you're staying with hotels for at least 20 nights per year, the loyalty points and the loyalty benefits are pretty meaningless. I'd rather get the cash discounts on Hotels.com. You can stack various discounts as well. In this example, you're already getting the gift card at 20% off. Hotels.com also has a rewards program and after booking 10 nights, you get 1 free night for the average cost of your 10 paid nights.

Some hotel chains do have partner programs though for airline mileage plans or other stuff. Hilton gives options for "points and points" as well as points and partner points. I had problems trying to set up Hilton to get me Amtrak points. However, I've gotten Amtrak points for rental cars as well as staying at other hotel chains where I set up my hotel website account with my Amtrak loyalty program account number.

 

[tasha99]

Yes correct, unless you're staying with hotels for at least 20 nights per year, the loyalty points and the loyalty benefits are pretty meaningless. I'd rather get the cash discounts on Hotels.com. You can stack various discounts as well. In this example, you're already getting the gift card at 20% off. Hotels.com also has a rewards program and after booking 10 nights, you get 1 free night for the average cost of your 10 paid nights.

And 90% of the time, Hotels.com has the same low price that all the other discount booking sites have. And if not, they have a best price guarantee.

The one caveat is that if hotels are overbooked, they drop their 3rd party reservations first. We got bumped that way once, and I didn't think the hotel we were moved to was comparable. I called hotels.com to complain, and they refunded my money completely--so it was a free night, though in a kind of crappy hotel.

I stay in hotels a lot, so it's worth it to me to try to get the points. We don't actually usually care about upgrades, but I always get excited if there's a 2 person jacuzzi in the room.

 

[Pacolovestacos]

The one caveat is that if hotels are overbooked, they drop their 3rd party reservations first. We got bumped that way once, and I didn't think the hotel we were moved to was comparable. I called hotels.com to complain, and they refunded my money completely--so it was a free night, though in a kind of crappy hotel.

I stay in hotels a lot, so it's worth it to me to try to get the points. We don't actually usually care about upgrades, but I always get excited if there's a 2 person jacuzzi in the room.

If you stay in hotels a lot, it's probably worth it but only if you're staying with the same chain (i.e. Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott/SPG, or IHG). If you stay 20 nights per year and you're doing 5 nights with each brand, the points you receive from those 5 nights won't be enough for a free night, or if it is, it'll be for one of their lowest tier properties. If you spend the 20 all with the same chain, I agree that's probably the way to go.

Fortunately, I've never been bumped, I usually send an email to the hotel a couple days before confirming my reservation and print it out for posterity. Obviously if they want to still bump me, not much I can do about it but I'll give em' hell.

 

[Pacolovestacos]

Some hotel chains do have partner programs though for airline mileage plans or other stuff. Hilton gives options for "points and points" as well as points and partner points. I had problems trying to set up Hilton to get me Amtrak points. However, I've gotten Amtrak points for rental cars as well as staying at other hotel chains where I set up my hotel website account with my Amtrak loyalty program account number.

The problem with Hilton, and I'm actually a Hilton diamond so I have the most incentive of anyone to stay there, is all their devaluations. And they're not alone. Year after year, hotel points become less and less valuable. Example would be the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Ca. I was thinking about staying there this summer. Hilton is charging 60,000 points per night but the cash cost of the room is only about $250. So each Hilton point is worth less than half a penny. Just not worth it to me.