Travel Sites vs Booking Direct?

Hello,

Thanks to everyone%26#39;s tips, we now have a very good idea of where we would like to book. One suggestion I received, was to book directly with the hotel rather than through a travel provider (Expedia, Travelocity) as the hotel will honour lower rates if they post them.

The rates just dropped a touch at the hotel we were planning to book, but the deal through Expedia (where we would book both air and hotel through) is still $300 cheaper.

What other advantages are there in booking directly with the hotel? I am a Players Club member (and we will stay at an MGM-operated hotel) and do intend to enjoy the casino while I%26#39;m there (not a high roller but certainly partake), if that makes any difference.

Thanks again!

Travel Sites vs Booking Direct?

Oh - I should clarify - the $300 cheaper is in TOTAL (we are staying 5 nights) ... so it would work out to being $60 cheaper per night.

Travel Sites vs Booking Direct?

Living in Toronto, you should seriously consider flying from Buffalo. Airfares typically are significantly less than from TO. Parking at airport is not expensive, about $13 a day.

If hotel rates are the same, between travel site and booking direct, the difference has to be in the airfare. Keep digging. I have never found it to be cheaper using expedia or travelocity.

What hotels are you targeting and what dates?

i would be very surprised to find a $300 difference, even spread over 5 nights. it%26#39;s fine to book your flight through a travel site (though some airlines, like southwest, don%26#39;t offer flights through travel sites) but the hotel is almost always cheaper directly with the hotel. most hotels also have a price matching policy. call the hotel and tell them that you found a package on expedia where the hotel will cost $X for those nights and ask if they will match it. expedia is already eating up a lot of their profits, so they will usually be more than happy to match the rate and keep 100% of the fee themselves.

Hi again,

We%26#39;re looking at The Mirage (just a Deluxe Room) for July 16 - 21 (we%26#39;re fine if the flight leaves late on the 21st and we end up home early on the 22nd).

Thanks for the tip on Buffalo flights - last I looked, it was tough finding direct flights for those days ... and the cost difference, while there, wasn%26#39;t really all that much in total ...

If you keep your eyes out for promos as the date gets closer it%26#39;s likely that the rates offered will be lower than what you book at now (and much lower than booking through a third party site). Booking direct with the hotel allows you to take advantage of these changes. Plus, other hotels might offer a deal you can%26#39;t pass up that you can take advantage of instead. A good example was our trip last November, we were booked at TI for $79/night but then Venetian had a deal for $129/night, it was more, but a screaming deal for the Venetian. The liberal cancellation policy allowed us to take advantage of the Ventian deal and cancel TI. Also keep in mind that most third-party sites charge a fee to book, usually $15-25.

Check out fatwallet to see the promos as they come out. They%26#39;re starting to show ones for this summer.

ok... for your trip (based on 2 people):

flights

from expedia: $1068 on usair

from usair website: $1043

expedia package at mirage: $1870 (hotel portion = $802)

hotel direct with mirage: $834

total for booking hotel and air direct: $1902

booking with expedia saves you $30. if you decided to spend the extra $30 and book direct, you would gain the ability to keep watching the hotel rates and changing to a lower rate if one comes up. this far out, i would expect rates to go up and down some before your trip. you also only have to pay for the first night up front, rather than the whole stay. booking direct increases your chances for upgrades and getting some of your expenses comped.

Hi Chrispina,

Wow - thank you for doing the leg work! :)

I get different figures ... keeping in mind that I%26#39;d be booking through Expedia.ca (CDN $) with flights from Toronto ...

BOOKING ALL WITH EXPEDIA:

Expedia.ca Package includes WestJet flights, Mirage stay, WITH cancellation insurance = $2090.73 (includes all taxes)

SEPARATE BOOKINGS:

* Same Rooms at Mirage, through Mirage website = $833.85 US (exchanges to $967.98 CDN).

* Cheapest Direct Flight through Expedia with Cancellation Insurance (US Airways) = C$1,363.62

OR

* Direct Flight through Expedia using WestJet (preferred): C$1,422.98

TOTAL: $2331.60 CDN (US Airways) or $2390.96 CDN (WestJet)

have you priced the westjet flight directly with the airline?