Subject, hotels. A couple of things have come up and I wanted to share them with the group. David Haun posted on apps he uses which prompted this posting. Recently I went into a Days Inn, or something of that class hotel. The person in front of me on line walked up and was cited a rate. I walked in with my Hotels.com booking and his rate was actually lower than mine. I was perplexed. The counter person said they often have a rate cheaper than hotel.com since they make a bit more on the room? Next, we walked into a similar hotel at midnight in West Virginia. I paid a $100 per night rate, higher than I was anticipating. When I checked the bargain Priceline last minute discount app and the hotels.com app. both offers were well $20 above what I paid?
I use hotels.com because you can shop hotels and still get credits toward any hotel room. I have friends on the circuit who use La Quinta for example and build up points toward stays at a particular hotel.
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Orbitz just got caught testing a new feature that checks to see whether you're on an Apple or a PC. If you're on an Apple they move the more expensive hotels towards the top of the results list. You can eventually get the same data but it may take some digging.
Jacki, I use one credit card for cash rewards, great idea though. Colin, thanks this is great. Will look into it.
I shop hard for deals in every town when planning to attend an art show. For example this weekend, we are in Bloomington, IL for the Sugar Creek show. I started looking at rates last weekend. The "bargain hotels" were over $100--- are you kidding me? I had stayed at a La Quinta in Bloomington for around $50. I checked their web site ... same rate; Hotel.com same rate. I checked Hotwire.com (no hotel names given until after you book) ... the lowest rate was around $70. I checked on-line last night and the rates had come down to around $70 for the "bargain hotels". I then got out my CLC Card (Corporate Lodging Consultants: http://www.clclodging.com). La Quinta was $42.50. I called the hotel direct and reserved the room. Life is back in balance! CLC is not always the best deal, but it does come in handy. It does not cover all hotels; there is a one-time fee ($11) and per use fee ($4-ish). Still a good deal.
Paul, I use a Choice rewards visa. Every time I use it to pay for anything I rack up points toward free rooms. Over the years I have gotten many free rooms. We all have to use credit cards, you might as well use one that will give you something you can really use and will save you some money. They also have specials through the year, like book 2 nights and get a third night free. Well, you can probably take advantage of that several times over working shows. I have had it now for several years and I love it. I think I have gotten more use out of that credit card than my sister has from her frequent flier miles.
I used to travel all the time for work and racked up frequent points everywhere I went on the company's expense. I didn't pay for hotels, air travel or rental cars for years even when traveling for fun. Unfortunately after I left my corporate job I used up all of my backlogged points over 2-3 years and now I have to pay like everyone else. (I've kept 200K Delta miles stashed for one big time trip to Europe or Alaska.)
I would definitely recommend picking one of the inexpensive hotel chains (like La Quinta or maybe Choice Hotels which has several inexpensive brands) and signing up for their frequent guest program. Just 2-3 nights paid can often get you a free night. So even if you sometimes pay a little bit more to stay at your "frequent" chain, the points you build up for subsequent free stays can make it a better deal. And it doesn't cost anything to enroll in frequent guest programs so you might as well sign up for all of them.
Also if you know anyone who works for one of the large hotel chains, most of them offer "friends and family" discounts that will vary depending on where/when you use it but can sometimes be very good deals.
Thanks Barry, that makes sense. Do you travel? We do 20+ shows a year. I was wondering if hooking up with a chain like La Quinta makes sense using their frequent guest points thingy.
I was in the hotel development business for many years. Without getting into the specific details, a hotel can make more money selling a room directly for less than what you might pay on any of the 3rd-party internet sites like Hotels.com and Priceline. For example, the hotel will set aside a limited number of rooms to be available to Priceline and other 3rd party sites. When you book the room from Priceline, they pay the hotel a pre-negotiated rate of $50 for a room and then mark it up to $70 to sell to you. The hotel can do better by selling the same room directly for $60 and still beat the internet price. They use the 3-party sites as backup to fill otherwise unused rooms but they make less money on each room sale. A savvy hotel manager will gladly beat the 3rd-party price if you call the hotel directly but you may have to ask for the general manager or sales manager.
I have also been hearing people say it is sometimes cheaper to call the hotels and compare the price to on line hotel services. Paul, I don't know if this has happened to Geoff or not but twice I had a priceline room only to arrive and find I had no room. I guess you need to call and make sure the room is really there. I also complained to Priceline and they told me if that ever happened again to call them and they will dicker with the hotel. Priceline did give me $100 this past spring because I complained after walking into a hotel and was told they didn't have a reservation for me even though I had a confirmation number. That happened to me two times in Nashville and I finally complained about it after the second time.
My latest strategy for booking hotels:
* Between shows, on multi-day trips, I drive as far as I can, then exit the interstate at small towns. Lots of those type of towns exist pretty much for the traveler trade, and they are very competitive, posting rates on their sign posts the way gas stations do. Before I walk in, I check priceline.com and see if I can get a better rate there. If I can, I book it on my smart phone, then stroll in the door. I have stayed at one-stars for as little as $29 / night that way. (Note: Beware of signs that say "as low as $x.xx", or $x.xx and up.) Lots of times there are only a couple of rooms at that rate; the rest are a bit more expensive.)
* In show towns, I book ahead as much as possible. I use Priceline.com name your own price if it appears that I won't be stuck with a 40-minute commute (reminder: this option doesn't let you pick the specific hotel, just the price you want). Otherwise, I just sort Priceline by lowest cost, check the location, and choose the one I can live with.