School me on discount travel websites...

[pixiedustaholic]

Trying to plan a trip to D.C. for my family and can't bear paying the prices listed on the hotel web sites. However, I have no idea how to use any of the discount travel web sites. I am afraid of hidden fees, not having enough beds when we arrive, etc. I would prefer to know which hotel I am booking prior to giving them any money. Can someone please direct me to a previous thread or resource that will help me? My search skills are obviously not up to par. (I also realize that I will have to pay parking fees at the hotel.) Thanks in advance!!

 

[MarthaJr.]

Well there is a lot to know. You need to decide if you need a reservation that can be cancelled without penalty or decide that your dates are set in stone and be willing to lose your money if you have to cancel (via priceline or hotwire).

Here is what I do if I need to have a ressie I can cancel:

First I narrow down where I would like to stay (try to do this at least 60 days prior to your trip.)
Next pick out several hotels you would like to stay at to "watch". Decide what rate you would be comfortable paying.
Here is where it gets tricky:
Check the hotel websites and keep a log of what their going rate is for your travel dates.
Then check the rates on Kayak.com to check what the lowest rate is that they show. (Kayak searches multiple travel sites ie. expedia, orbitz, travelocity and checks their prices for you.)
I usually also look at the chamber of commerce site for the city I am traveling to as they often have links to accommodations and discounts/deals.

After all of that I check travelzoo.com and look for "deals" in the city I am interested in.

I also frequently use bookit.com with quite a bit of success. They have a lot of specials and no hidden fees. (Make sure the hotel you choose doesn't charge add on resort fees because that won't be included in your book.it total. I would say the one drawback with them is you can cancel the reservation 48 hrs. prior to the stay for usually a $20 fee and any closer to your date and you'll pay one night as well.

I try to check everything at least once a week and strike when I find a price I can live with.

All that being said, using priceline or hotwire is a whole other ballgame and you need to do a ton of research before you bid. Some good sites to use to research are biddingfortravel.com and betterbidding.com both of which I have used with a lot of success in cities that I know pretty well already.

Hope this helps..Good luck!

 

[CowboyCO]

I'm a big fan of Hotwire. I like being a sleuth to figure out what hotel it will be. I use betterbidding.com to figure it out if I can. I've always been very happy with the rate and quality of the hotels.

 

[Sandy321]

I'm a big fan of Hotwire. I like being a sleuth to figure out what hotel it might be. I use betterbidding.com to figure it out if I can. I've always been very happy with the rate and quality of the hotels.

I use Priceline but only for 4* hotels and by using betterbidding - if its a smaller city - then I do go with Hotwire - I absolutely hate Extended Stay America Hotels -

I read somewhere that Hotwire, etc also has Hotels.com so I always check availability and price ranges on hotels.com - then with the info on betterbidding, bid about half that!

 

[lastminutemom]

It sounds like you are travelling with a family, so you do need to be worried about the right number of beds. With priceline, etc, you don't get to specify the number of beds.

If the hotel is full, you very well might not get the number of beds you need. (It happened to me before with Priceline.)

 

[pixiedustaholic]

It sounds like you are travelling with a family, so you do need to be worried about the right number of beds. With priceline, etc, you don't get to specify the number of beds.

If the hotel is full, you very well might not get the number of beds you need. (It happened to me before with Priceline.)

That is what scares me!! Yes, it would be for myself, DH, DD, DS so I need at least 2 beds.

 

[sherreis]

You could stay right outside DC and if you have easy access to Metro station, you could take the Metro downtown to see all the attractions. If you stay in D.C., don't forget to see how much the hotel charges for parking.

 

[CowboyCO]

That is what scares me!! Yes, it would be for myself, DH, DD, DS so I need at least 2 beds.

you can specify # of people on hotwire.

 

[SeattleRedBear]

Even though with Hotwire you can specify the number of people, you still have no real control over number/size of beds...it is up to the hotel to offer you what they have available. If number/size of beds is a concern for your family, then it makes more sense to use a service like TravelZoo to identify specials that a hotel is offering and then book directly with the hotel. If you're driving, another option is to go ahead and book the cheapest you can Hotwire or Priceline, but bring along an aerobed so that just in case the bed situation doesn't work out, you have an option. My partner & I have done that on occasion when Priceline puts us in an Extended Stay America (that has hard, relatively small beds...one of us sleeps in the bed and the other in the aerobed).

And I would agree that it makes great sense to stay at a hotel which is convenient to a suburban metro stop (as service is typically frequent, it's cheaper than staying downtown and you'll likely have free parking). Although the cost of metro fares has gone up in recent years, a 7-day short-trip pass is $32.25 (which works out to less than $5/day). If you take a trip during rush that costs more than $3.25, then you'll have to pay an additional fare, but just schedule your time so you're not going in/out of the suburbs during rush hour.