Hotel rates - booking tips

[mitchja]

I've had my SYD trip booked now since last year. I booked most of my hotels direct with the hotels web-site either late last year or early this year. None of the rates I've booked are advance-purchase and all my bookings allow changes.

Something I've noticed on going back into my hotel bookings and re-checking the latest room rate available, is that nearly all of them have dropped. One of my hotels (airport hotel in SYD for the first night) has dropped by over Au$50.00 for the same type of room [8D]

The only hotels which have increased their rate since I booked is the Hilton in KUL and the Shangri-La in SYD (I do seem to have got a really good rate for the Shangri-La as their latest rates are no way near the rate I've got [y]).

So if you do have hotel bookings already made (and they are not pre-purchase rates) it might be worth going into your bookings and searching for another room rate. Most hotel booking systems do allow you to go in and change your bookings upto to 48 hrs before your arrival.

I bet I've saved well over £200 by just keeping an eye on hotel room rates from time to time. This could be because Australia is now in 'low' season but it's still worth checking.

Regards

I too have done the same thing - I booked some Japan hotels at the end of last year for this July and have recently cancelled and re-booked two of them because the rates had gone down.

[mitchja]

With a lot of hotel booking systems now, you dont even need to cancel first - you can just amend your existing room rate and/or dates as required.

Hilton, MO, Stamford and Shangri-La all allow you to do this, as I'm sure, many others do as well.

Regards

I on the other hand wished I did that back in February, although I know arrival date, dunno departure date (either a 3, 4 or 5 night stay, before onward travel based on other peoples as yet unmade plans) & I now cant get a reasonable priced hotel in Manhattan for June (all ones i had been looking at are now $500 minimum) & am weighing up the Hyatt Regency in Jersey City, no idea about the hotel but the views of Manhattan look great, as does the transport links - its still $100 dearer than I couldve had it back in Feb, but for the price I couldve had "better" hotels booked for already.
Oh how i`ll learn from this mistake , wouldve been cheaper to book the 4 nights I might need & to have either cancelled one or paid extra for one *grr*

Originally posted by williestott
I on the other hand wished I did that back in February, although I know arrival date, dunno departure date (either a 3, 4 or 5 night stay, before onward travel based on other peoples as yet unmade plans) & I now cant get a reasonable priced hotel in Manhattan for June (all ones i had been looking at are now $500 minimum) & am weighing up the Hyatt Regency in Jersey City, no idea about the hotel but the views of Manhattan look great, as does the transport links - its still $100 dearer than I couldve had it back in Feb, but for the price I couldve had "better" hotels booked for already.
Oh how i`ll learn from this mistake , wouldve been cheaper to book the 4 nights I might need & to have either cancelled one or paid extra for one *grr*

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