Cheap Hotels guide discussion

Former_MSE_Sally

Hi folks,

We'd like to hear your feedback on our Cheap Hotels guide.

If you've tried the tips mentioned in the guide, were you successful? Are there any tips or hotel booking sites you'd add, or if you work for a hotel, have you any insider tips? Please let us know by poisting below.

Thanks for your help!

MSE Sally

richardw

No mention of the Tesco clubcard hotels.com catch that could cost you more, research this and update the guide asap.

Blue264

Just scanned through and can't see any mention of Sunday night discounted rates for UK and European city hotels. For business class hotels, Tuesday is often the most highly booked and most expensive night of the week, whilst Sunday is the cheapest.

Chriswmids

Hi, just booked through Hotwire.com in London. I accepted an additional £35 fee on top of the booking as it seemed a good deal, and had a pool, which I know the children would love. I found out after I had paid that I will have to pay an extra £10 per day to use the pool!! As you Soon as you pay, you are committed, no get out. Would never use them again, as feel very misled. No mention of pool fees in description, and as it was a 'secret' hotel, I couldn't check the hotel first. On looking on the hotel site afterwards, I only save £30! (Not 50% as advertised). Feel like this is a big con, not a way to get better deals, but to tie you into rubbish ones!

pogofish

Chriswmids wrote: »

Hi, just booked through Hotwire.com in London. I accepted an additional £35 fee on top of the booking as it seemed a good deal, and had a pool, which I know the children would love. I found out after I had paid that I will have to pay an extra £10 per day to use the pool!! As you Soon as you pay, you are committed, no get out. Would never use them again, as feel very misled. No mention of pool fees in description, and as it was a 'secret' hotel, I couldn't check the hotel first. On looking on the hotel site afterwards, I only save £30! (Not 50% as advertised). Feel like this is a big con, not a way to get better deals, but to tie you into rubbish ones!

err....?

The guide warns you explicitly about Hotwire and their hidden charges.

So are you trying to set a forum record for a derail/hijack, or are you just blindly and impotently thrashing about without any concept of what and where you are posting?

No wonder Hotwire took you for a sucker.

eta - your first post found the appropriate thread, so this one is just spam! :mad:

TaleQuale

Not sure if it has been mentioned before, but booking.com has a "refer a friend" scheme where when a friend (or family) books a hotel through a link you provide them, they receive £15 when they're back from the trip and you receive £15 (booking.com has a cap of £150/year).
We used it with my wife and we booked the hotel through her account using my reference link so we both got £15 a couple of weeks after our stay at the hotel. Not bad

vegasvisitor

ebookers have their bonus+ scheme, giving money back to spend on hotels and also free lounge passes. Expedia, who I believe are owned by the same company, have a similar scheme but with different benefits.

JennyP

I've always assumed that hotel comparison sites were cheapest but have just booked two weekends in London for my mum at different hotels and both were cheaper bookiled direct.

In one case the comparison sites wanted £99 and £113 per night without breakfast and with no option to cancel. Going direct, I got 3 course dinner, bed and breakfast with parking for £169 for two nights.

Natalieharris

very nice article. helpful

zilla6

I booked a hotel thru booking.com and found they are based in Amsterdam, so when I paid for the hotel to booking.com by credit card, it was classed as a foreign transactions and I got changed bank fees.
I googled hotel.com and found they are a US company, so would the same thing apply/

stevie11

zilla6 wrote: »

I booked a hotel thru booking.com and found they are based in Amsterdam, so when I paid for the hotel to booking.com by credit card, it was classed as a foreign transactions and I got changed bank fees.
I googled hotel.com and found they are a US company, so would the same thing apply/

I don't usually use booking.com but when I did I got caught with the same issue as yourself, not a big deal as I tend to use a transaction free credit card.

Now I have used Hotels.com on many occasions and the costing depends where the hotel is based I.m.o.. Plus if you pay on arrival at an overseas location you will probably pay in local currency. Never had an issue with transaction fees for UK reservations as far as I know. For info hotels.com are a sister company of expedia and also hotwire if I remember correctly.