United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Call to get the best hotel rate
How do you get the best hotel rate? Believe it or not, by calling the hotel directly.
A check of 11 online travel service Web sites found that a traveler who booked the same hotel online would spend $4.50 to $17.33 more a night, compared to calling the hotel directly, according to the Wichita Eagle.
“Any time you book online, you should expect to pay some cost for the convenience,” said Bill Carroll, a senior lecturer at the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University in New York.
But he told the newspaper that things have gotten increasingly dicey since the big travel sites, in an effort to compete with each other, have signed on thousands of “affiliates” — essentially miniature travel agencies that largely make their own rules and add extra charges.
“What you’re seeing there is the tip of the iceberg and there’s a lot of ugliness under the ice,” Carroll said. “It’s caveat emptor (buyer beware) in the wild hospitality west.”
Online travel industry officials say they provide a valuable service for travelers and that the fees on users are how they get paid.
Online reservation systems “require and have required millions and millions of dollars of investment,” said Art Sackler, executive director of the Interactive Travel Service Association, a Washington-based group that represents and lobbies for online travel services.
The online services’ fees “represent a return on the investment in the service and some sort of reasonable return,” he said.
Report by David Wilkening
David
Tony from Gatto’s Pizza on Columbus’s Unique Pizza Trail
Sophia Hyder Hock on Global Social Inclusion in Tourism
Sustainable Tourism: Don Welsh on Community Values and Global Collaboration
Jane Cunningham: Enhancing European Engagement in Tourism
Kristin Dunne: Navigating Destination Strategy
Revolutionizing Mobile Connectivity: Boris Bijlstra on HUBBY eSIM
Capturing Glasgow’s Vibrancy: An Interview with Susan Deighan, Chief Executive of Glasgow Life
Lebua Hotel & Resorts: Rajan Khurana on Hospitality and Bangkok’s Charms
Sustainable Tourism and Growth: Insights from Chiravadee Khunsub from Tourism Authority of Thailand
Revolutionizing Travel: SmartSIM USA’s Dale Takio Unveils the Power of E Sims
TravelMole Interview with Hishan Singhawansa, Deputy CEO of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, Sri Lanka
Unveiling the Essence of Magari Tours: A Dive into Authentic Italian Experiences
Abercrombie & Kent hails $500 million funding boost
British Airways passengers endure 11-hour 'flight to nowhere'
CLIA: Anti-cruise demos could cause itinerary changes in Europe
Gatwick braces for strike
Co-pilot faints, easyJet flight issues ‘red alert’