Trying to book a hotel at the best price? Here's what you need to know
BOSTON - Summer is a popular time for travel. However, many of us don't necessarily enjoy planning the trip.
So we talked to an expert on how to lock in the best hotel prices.
"It does seem like there's a ton of competition out there for our travel dollars," Kevin Brasler of the non-profit Consumers' Checkbook told WBZ-TV.
Priceline, Booking.com, Expedia and Trivago are just some of the travel sites vying for your attention.
But how different are the prices at a travel booking site compared to the hotel's website?
"Especially for hotel rooms, you won't find differences if you shop-'til-you-drop online, looking for the best rates," Brasler said.
His organization checked rates for 75 different stays and 24 different hotel booking sites, as well as the hotel websites themselves.
Overall, he said the prices didn't vary much.
The reason?
"Hotels and all of these big different booking sites have agreements in place that say, basically, they're not going to compete on price. The hotels don't want to get undercut by these third-party bookers," Brasler told WBZ.
But, he said there are still some ways you can save:
- Don't limit yourself by sticking to a specific hotel or chain
- Be flexible with your dates and destination
- Book a non-refundable room which can save you between 8% and 12%
And if you're not afraid of taking a little risk, there is another option. You can save consistently by booking what's called a "mystery deal."
"With these mystery deals, they'll show you a hotel property, they'll give you its stars score, how it is rated by past customers and different amenities. And they will give you a price," Brasler said.
But here's the catch - You don't learn the actual name of the hotel, until you've booked it.
"On average, we found they saved us about 28% off the prevailing rates. It doesn't seem like a lot of money, but when the prices you're being quoted by other websites are the same, that's actually considerable savings," Brasler said.
And if all of this just seems too consuming, consider booking a travel agent. They will charge you for their service, but Consumers' Checkbook said they can often waive booking fees when making your accommodations.