Booking seperate hotel and flights

slinga

photome wrote: »

DIY is the way to go!!

swot we always do.
And not hotels anymore but apartments in cities or gites or villas or houses outside cities.

Over 15 years we've only had one bad experience with a lousy owner and that was in Chessy for Disney.

peachyprice

One more tip: when we stay in hotels we always book fully cancellable accommodation but a few days before we go I check whether pre-pay is cheaper, if it is I cancel the flexi and book the pre-pay.

blindman

peachyprice wrote: »

One more tip: when we stay in hotels we always book fully cancellable accommodation but a few days before we go I check whether pre-pay is cheaper, if it is I cancel the flexi and book the pre-pay.

Good avice as even with the flexible price, the hotels do not tell you if the price has gone down!

SW17

jonnyb1978 wrote: »

Getting a wide variety of quotes in for a 2 week holiday next year.
I found the cheapest quote from a reputable independant agent but i have also found doing them seperate gives the largest saving.
Hotel through Expedia and flights directly through the company saves around £700 from cheapest overall package.

Whats are the disadvantages of this. I know I will have to purchase flights all in one go, but would i be still protected etc.
Hotel part offers free cancellation up to the time of holiday.

Any advice on booking seperate.

The above advice to have insurance from time of booking is essential if booking independently, and make sure that the insurance covers financial failure by a holiday provider and its effect on the rest of your bookings.

That aside, the only difference with DIY is that if things go wrong you have to sort them out yourself and then claim on insurance, rather than passing that to the company you booked with. Of course everyone places their own value on that, but £700 is a substantial saving and for most people would be more than worth any possible inconvenience from DIY if anything went wrong. Good insurance should also cost a lot less than £700.

Nothing wrong with using an agent/tour operator, and they can add value, but in your case I'm not sure it would be £700 of value, unless the total holiday cost is massive. DIY sounds like the way to go here.

queen_of_cheap wrote: »

There's a place I go to where it would be at least half the price if I booked the same as a package, but direct bookers get free transfers, air con and safe.

Doing it independently means that the hotel owners get all of the money at the time if your stay rather than waiting until the end of the season to get the pittance from the tour operators. In places like Greece with the financial situation as it is, every little helps :cool:

Hmm, so you pay double to get "free" transfers, a/c and safe...

Your comment about tour operators is misleading. They do of course sometimes pay at the end of the season (more commonly a number of days after the guests have travelled), but also often pay substantial deposits at the start of the season, cash flow which the hotels need desperately in beach resort areas at that time of year. As to the rates they pay, the discount reflects the distribution costs that hotels do not incur by selling rooms down his channel, sometimes including a guarantee of production at the property.

While it might in theory be desirable, outside the likes of Travelodge and Premier Inn few hotels are prepared to take on the risk/cost of trying to take most of their business direct, especially if a lot of their business is international.

PompeyPete

blindman wrote: »

Good avice as even with the flexible price, the hotels do not tell you if the price has gone down!

Often there are different quality rooms within the same category, and while the price might have gone down so to might the quality of the room.

The one at the cheaper price might be next to a lift or staircase, at the wrong end of a corridor, be close to the bar or entertainment. All sorts of reasons.

blindman

PompeyPete wrote: »

Often there are different quality rooms within the same category, and while the price might have gone down so to might the quality of the room.

The one at the cheaper price might be next to a lift or staircase, at the wrong end of a corridor, be close to the bar or entertainment. All sorts of reasons.

No, the lowering of the flexible prices has to do with supply and demand.

Months ago when the Flexible price was booked the hotel forecast it would be full so would charge a high price.

Nearer to the time they re-asses and find they will be less full so lower the price.
They just do not tell the early bookers

Allocation of rooms is done at check-in and "desirability" is down to

1. How may rooms are left
2. How well you treat the receptionist!
3. Possibly status with the hotel chain.

Bottom line, is check the price a short time before you check-in to see if you can get a lower price.

MacMickster

If going for DIY and outside of the main holiday season, car-hire can be cheaper than coach transfers.

Just like with hotel room booking, if you book a car early, but with free cancellation, keep checking the price closer to your holiday then cancel and rebook if you find cheaper. Out of season you can sometimes hire a car for very little money, with the hire company hoping to persuade you to upgrade or take out their insurance to get money from you.