V-Flyer

Evening all
Just having a look at hotels in Boston for dec again , I booked the loews a few weeks ago but still check from time to time in case better deals pop up and stumbled upon a Travelbag.co.uk which is coming in some £250 cheaper , it' appears that when comparing other hotels in Boston they are coming in vastly cheaper aswell .
Not being a very trustful person it just seems odd to me they would be so much cheaper or am I reading too much into it ?
So I'm just wondering if anyone on here has used them or if there are hidden snags I'm not aware of .
Thanks

Never used them Blacky but they get very mixed reviews online.

Main gripe seems to be they take your booking then contact you to say actually there's no availability at the quoted price and they need more money.

That does seem to be more an issue with flights than hotels but it's worth checking that the room rates they're quoting are confirmed and not just an estimate.

And check it includes all taxes and fees.

As with most things in life if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is!

gumshoe wrote:Never used them Blacky but they get very mixed reviews online.

Main gripe seems to be they take your booking then contact you to say actually there's no availability at the quoted price and they need more money.

That does seem to be more an issue with flights than hotels but it's worth checking that the room rates they're quoting are confirmed and not just an estimate.

As with most things in life if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is!

Thanks for info gumshoe , doesn't sound too clever does it ,one thing that bothers me aswell is that the room descriptions don't really match that of other sites

It's difficult isn't it. I'm doing the same scanning for better prices for my trip in a couple of weeks, but it's hard with sites I've not come across before whether to trust them. So I'm sticking with the sites I know and trust.

That said, the Loews has shot up considerably for my dates, which I know is peak Fall Foliage blah blah and some other event to do with the universities. So I'm glad I've got a confirmed rate. A number of hotels are going up and down, but little cheaper than what I've got. The Revere is coming up now though at approx. same price as I've got confirmed for the Loews, where previously it has been much higher. I'm tempted to give the Revere a go, but the main deciding factor is only that it's got a swimming pool and I do like a dip, but it's not crucial. Decisions, decisions and first world problems and all that

Bretty wrote:It's difficult isn't it. I'm doing the same scanning for better prices for my trip in a couple of weeks, but it's hard with sites I've not come across before whether to trust them. So I'm sticking with the sites I know and trust.

That said, the Loews has shot up considerably for my dates, which I know is peak Fall Foliage blah blah and some other event to do with the universities. So I'm glad I've got a confirmed rate. A number of hotels are going up and down, but little cheaper than what I've got. The Revere is coming up now though at approx. same price as I've got confirmed for the Loews, where previously it has been much higher. I'm tempted to give the Revere a go, but the main deciding factor is only that it's got a swimming pool and I do like a dip, but it's not crucial. Decisions, decisions and first world problems and all that

I use booking .com most of time and never had a problem with them so as you say maybe its best to stick with them ,

Try hotels.com as well - sometimes cheaper and you currently get 6 miles per £ (though I've seen 12 in the past) if you book via Shops Away on the VS website!

Also have a look at laterooms.com, and try trivago.co.uk which is a price comparison site for hotels.

Maybe travelbag don't actually have their own allocation of rooms unlike the big hotel booking sites. They basically seem to be a London-based travel agent with an online presence.

gumshoe wrote:Try hotels.com as well - sometimes cheaper and you get 6 miles per £ if you book via Shops Away on the VS website!

Also have a look at laterooms.com, and try trivago.co.uk which is a price comparison site for hotels.

Maybe travelbag don't actually have their own allocation of rooms unlike the big hotel booking sites. They basically seem to be a London-based travel agent with an online presence.

Thanks for the tips gumshoe , I shall have a look when all the junior blackys have gone up to bed !

gumshoe wrote:Try hotels.com as well - sometimes cheaper and you currently get 6 miles per £ (though I've seen 12 in the past) if you book via Shops Away on the VS website!

Grrrrrrr...I wasn't aware that I could do my Hilton bookings - including as far as I can see putting my company TA code in - via Shops Away. Oh how many miles I have missed

gumshoe wrote:Try hotels.com as well - sometimes cheaper and you currently get 6 miles per £ (though I've seen 12 in the past) if you book via Shops Away on the VS website!.

We had 12 miles to the £ on a stay last month! Couldn't believe the amount of miles we had for that stay!!!

Have you tried Priceline, haven't used them personally yet, still planning for our trip next year. Have been on to compare prices and for some hotels, compared with Expedia and booking. com they were considerably cheaper. It's such a minefield as some include taxes others don't. Every state or region seems to have different taxes, I am going to sit down with a piece of paper to compare many sites we have seven hotels to book for our Canada to Yellowstone trip next May.

Also don't forget the cashback sites depending whether you want air miles or cash? Linda

I'm just looking again at The Revere in Boston, which is coming in at roughly the same price as I've got confirmed for The Loews. Difference is The Loews is for a king room at 31.5 square metres, and The Revere is for a suite with separate lounge total size 48 square metres. There's a few pounds difference but I think this is going to be a no brainer innit? And I get a swimming pool thrown in. #FirstWorldProblems

Bretty wrote:I'm just looking again at The Revere in Boston, which is coming in at roughly the same price as I've got confirmed for The Loews. Difference is The Loews is for a king room at 31.5 square metres, and The Revere is for a suite with separate lounge total size 48 square metres. There's a few pounds difference but I think this is going to be a no brainer innit? And I get a swimming pool thrown in. #FirstWorldProblems

I'm likening the look of it myself john , for £100 less I can get a junior suite , book that it in the morning I think

It the junior suite I'm looking at, and there's about £50 difference. I thin I have to.

Think you have convinced yourself Bretty, it certainly seems like a no brainer. Lin

In the past I have been on the "hotel Booking Sites" for the cheapest prices and then contacted the hotel direct. You can sometimes get a better deal direct with the hotel and know all the extras like taxes, don't forget the hotel booking site has to take a cut too.

Have booked the revere , a suite for even less on Expedia ,some £140 cheaper than the room at the loews but still like the loews a bit more I think , both can be cancelled so I think I'll wait and see what Bretty chooses for his forthcoming trip and get some feedback from him .
Over to you john , no pressure !!

Just booked a hotel in barbados with them ,cheaper than others by a margin ,same room and dates

Well I booked the Revere too, it's also a cancellable rate and was a little more than I was paying for the Loews but on the other hand I'm going at a peak time and I'm getting a huge room compared to what the Loews was offering. So we'll see.

I did check the hotel direct rates, and they were the same as via Hotels.com but the bonus is I'll get almost 14000 FC miles for using the agent and my Amex.