Hotel.com Cityclub don't use them! Manhatten New York

1) You need to shop around, and part of that shopping around should DEFINITELY include calling the hotel directly. To ease your search for the lowest rate, there is a program (free download) called "Travelaxe." Travelaxe will search a slew of hotels in a given city, and list the prices from multiple websites, usually including the hotel's own website.

2) Check Hotwire and Priceline. Most times they will find you the lowest rates. The only problem with these guys is that you don't know wxactly which hotel you will be staying at until you pay for it, but you will know the star rating, amenities, and location.

3) If the hotel's rate is lower, the same, or not much higher than what you have found elsewhere, go with the hotel. Otherwise, go with the best deal you've found.

4) In my experience, things are just as likely to go wrong whether you deal with the hotel directly or with a third party. Hotels will give a reserved room away regardless of whether the room was reserved through them or an outside source. Hotel websites are just as likely to be misleading as other sites. The only real benefit of going through the hotel directly, based on my personal experiences, is that it's easier to deal with one party insetad of two. If your reservation gets loused up and you made it directly with the hotel, it is usually much easier to resolve than if you went through a third party.

This is why you have to perform a sort of risk-benefit analysis. If you find a substantially cheaper rate on an outside website, go ahead and take it, but realize that the risks involved are greater. Just make sure you go through a reputable site, and not something that you've never heard of before.

People have different experiences. If I had yours I'd be really mad too. I used hotel.com for our trip out to NM and was totally satisfied with their service. I got printouts from them of all the prices, and room reservations, including confirmation numbers. I first checked with the hotels themselves on the web, and by phone, and in most cases, but not all, HC was less expensive. At La Quinta, per night, HC was about $30 cheaper. Some of the clerks weren't too happy with the discounts. Did you receive a room confirmation number? If the hotel over booked, and gave away your room, that's not HC's fault. I also called the hotels to verify my reservations the day before. I didn't want to get stuck out in the middle of no place without a room.

People have different experiences. If I had yours I'd be really mad too. I used hotel.com for our trip out to NM and was totally satisfied with their service. I got printouts from them of all the prices, and room reservations, including confirmation numbers. I first checked with the hotels themselves on the web, and by phone, and in most cases, but not all, HC was less expensive. At La Quinta, per night, HC was about $30 cheaper. Some of the clerks weren't too happy with the discounts. Did you receive a room confirmation number? If the hotel over booked, and gave away your room, that's not HC's fault. I also called the hotels to verify my reservations the day before. I didn't want to get stuck out in the middle of no place without a room.

People have different experiences. If I had yours I'd be really mad too. I used hotel.com for our trip out to NM and was totally satisfied with their service. I got printouts from them of all the prices, and room reservations, including confirmation numbers. I first checked with the hotels themselves on the web, and by phone, and in most cases, but not all, HC was less expensive. At La Quinta, per night, HC was about $30 cheaper. Some of the clerks weren't too happy with the discounts. Did you receive a room confirmation number? If the hotel over booked, and gave away your room, that's not HC's fault. I also called the hotels to verify my reservations the day before. I didn't want to get stuck out in the middle of no place without a room.

they make about 20% off you! my suggestion is to book directly with your hotel of choice. do not book through websites! you can get a cheaper rate directly with the hotel or atleast be sure you have a room! certain websites raise the rate that the hotel is offering so your actually paying more! read some of my previous posts about these 3rd party websites and you will see the whole "deal"