What is your favorite / favorites hotel site(s)

I'm curious what hotel site(s) you like for LAS is it Priceline, Trivago, Kayak, Vegas.com or something different ?

 

I usually just contact the individual hotel I want to stay at.

 

I use every avenue I can. To me it's fun. Even after I book I keep looking for a better deal. I start by going to the hotel site and logging into my account. I spread my play around so I don't get many comped rooms but I always get some kind of a discount just for being in the players club. Then I check the usual travel sites listed above. I'll also check out the Southwest vacation packages when I book my flight. Sometimes you can get a better deal. Sometimes Travelzoo offers a good deal at a particular hotel. Sometimes LVA has some decent deals, you can access them on the LVA homepage.

 

I direct book. Those travel sites may save you money, but you are at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to room assignments at the hotel. You will also be the first bumped off of a flight.

 

Good point, your chance at an upgrade is less when you book through a third party site. And you have to be careful, many of them have less flexible cancellation policies. Some offer no cancellation if you choose the lowest price. Some make you prepay all of your nights instead of just the first night. All things to consider.

 

I usually look at kayak first. That way I can check on flights, cars and hotels (something that you can't do on trivago). But I don't really book on kayak, kayak usually sends you to other sites for bookings. I also check the hotel web site to see if they offer a similar price. As others have mentioned, better to book through the hotel if possible but sometimes the better prices are found on the third party sites.

If direct hotel prices are high I will try to book using booking.com because many times they don't require you to pay for your stay upfront. If anything they will ask for the first night's stay but many hotels also do that. Many times booking.com will just ask for your credit card but won't charge anything until you get there. Booking.com (and other sites) are also good because they have a price matching guarantee, if you find a better price elsewhere after booking they will price match it. Cancellations are also easy with them.

Booking sites like Kayak and hotels.com (and the other major search sites) require you to pay for your stay upfront and while their cancellation and refund policy isn't that bad I would rather not have to pay until I actually get to the hotel.

Since I usually stay at the "lower" end hotels (el cortez, etc.) I don't worry about upgrades or the possibility that they could upgrade me but places like the El Cortez can also upgrade you from one of the vintage rooms to a vintage suite even if you book through a third party site.

 

I never book air through third parties. I don't want to lose control on my flight and I've never seen enough price difference to do also. Another reason is that I've been flying SW for a couple of years and they offer more than third parties on changes.

For rooms I try to stay with the hotel itself. I don't gamble enough to warrant free rooms on checkout, so third party booking doesn't matter much to me. I have booked third party and received decent locations most every time. If the price is quite different I will book with one. Which one depends on price.

For cars, I've used third party almost exclusively for the last three or four years. Reason is that pricing is almost always better than booking direct. I've also used companies like Payless and E-Z where in the past Dollar was always my choice. Prices are better and not the hassle it used to be. When the agent starts asking about coverage I tell them firmly I have full coverage and will sign all the waivers. Only once did an agent persist and I asked to speak to a mgr about it and the matter was solved, then I was on my way. I used to love Dollar Express, but in planning trips the last few years, Only once did I see their rates that were not through the roof.

Good Luck!
Ric at Joes

 

Even when I worked for one of these booking sites, I would always prefer to book direct. Too many horror stories of the reservation not being found or getting a bottom of the barrel room. Plus you don't earn points or loyalty if it's through a 3rd party. Negating the benefit.

 

I never use third party sites anymore. I book early enough that I get just as good or better deals in air/hotels if I book direct. There is also way more flexibility booking direct.

 

I am not recommending this site for reservations (have never use as such), but for some different research, office time Vegas reading and a decent comparison chart try www.cheapovegas.com.
The Kid enjoys!

 

since I don't get free rooms very often I usually book through the third party sites, esp for cities like San Fran. I usually find better rates using the third party sites over the hotel sites a lot of time. I do check with the hotel sites regularly to see if I can a similar or better rate, lots of times they will drop their prices for me to book through the hotel but at least I have a confirmed reservation somewhere.

For cars I usually look at a number of sites, starting with Kayak to see if the prices drop. I also look at Costco, previously they usually had the lower rates but not as much nowadays. I also check with the individual sites like dollar because they have "vegas special" rates that are sometimes lower than the standard searches. Advantage also has code DCCLICK with gives you a 10% discount that you won't see with the big third party sites.

while I prefer to book direct I also book using third party sites. When I book through third party sites I usually will verify the reservation with the hotel to make sure that I'm not surprised when I arrive there. If anything I will catch the problem before I get to my destination.