HotelChatter

OpenThread / Hotel Deals / Booking Tips / Michelle Higgins / → All Tags

Have You Ever Haggled With The Front Desk for a Better Rate?

When it comes to finding a hotel deal, nowadays more than ever, thanks to the proliferation of third-party booking sites, private sale sites, Twitter discounts and Facebook fan codes, you can't just settle for first cheap deal you see. You must comparison shop.

After all, wouldn't it just kill you to know that your friend paid only $10 more than you and got a suite with free WiFi while you suffered in broom cupboard with a miserly internet signal?

So shopping around is our first rule. But how you shop is another matter. We prefer to do things online but if we see a hotel that offers a "Best Price Guarantee" meaning they will match the rate another website has put forth, then we're not too shy to get on the horn with a human and make the hotel lock in that rate.

Yet Michelle Higgins of the NY Times recently wrote about another way to comparison shop--negotiating with the front desk at several hotels.

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Hotel Opening Rates / 10 Hot NYC Hotel Openings / Quikbook / Booking Tips / → All Tags

Book The Strand Hotel For $249 on Quikbook For Stays After November 16th

Where: 33 West 37th Street [map], New York, ny, United States, 10018

Last week when we checked in on The Strand Hotel we learned the place was opening either "any day now" or on November 16. But having just received our latest Quikbook.com newsletter advertising rates of $249 for the new hotel, we assumed it was open now. But we must have pulled out our "Jump to Conclusions" mat by accident.

Rooms were not available for tomorrow night on Quikbook.com. However, November 16th was open for $249 a night for a standard king with complimentary breakfast. The hotel's website is also not showing rooms open until November 16th. So we think you can guess what we recommend for booking this hotel--wait until November 16th. But book through Quikbook.com. Their rates are $40 cheaper per night than the hotel's website.

Miami Hotel Mambo / Hotel Deals / Luxury Hotels / Booking Tips / → All Tags

How To Get a Room at The Setai For Less (Hint: Book in Advance)

Where: 2001 Collins Ave [map], Miami Beach, fl, United States, 33139-1913

Summer is barely over, but it’s already time to start thinking about fall and winter getaways. Maybe you’re into leaf-peeping, roaring fires, and snowboarding for your cold-weather escapes. Or maybe you’re a Snowbird and want nothing more than warm sun and cold cocktails.

Winter is, of course, the high season in hot places like Miami. But if you start planning your getaway now, you won’t have to pay exorbitantly high rates. Well, not quite as exorbitant as usual, anyways. Case in point, The Setai in South Beach.

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Tablet Hotels / Hotel Booking Sites / Booking Tips / Family-Friendly Hotels / → All Tags

NewYorkology Gets a Family Suite in Prague

Where: Prague, Czech Republic, 118 00

Everything worked out for our girl Amy at yesterday as we and she knew it would. Tablet Hotels was able to get her into a family suite at the Alchymist Grand Hotel, after her initial hotel missed its opening date.

Here's what is inside a family suite :

These two level Rooms are the ideal combination of two deluxe rooms, especially for families. The Family Rooms feature a two separated bedrooms with one queen size bed and two twin beds on the upper level.

Each bedroom has air-conditioning, LCD TV with premium channels, DVD and CD player, safe, mini-bar and high speed internet access. Family Rooms have two separate bathrooms, one with shower corner only and one with a shower, bath-tub and bidet. The size is 60 square meters or 650 square feet."

Awwww, that's the kind of happy ending we like to see!

Gas Packages / Holiday Inns / Booking Tips / Hotel Deals / → All Tags

Gas Package Spotted: Holiday Inn Sacramento Northeast

Where: 5321 Date Avenu [map], Sacramento, CA, United States, 95841

You know how your local news is always rounding up the cheapest and the most expensive gas stations in your area? We're doing the same thing except with Hotel Gas Packages. Seen a gas package? Let us know.

This gas package was found by HotelChatter reader Steve at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Northeast which is right off the I-80. A convenient place for a gas package indeed.

AAA GASOLINE PACKAGE: Enjoy a deluxe guest room and receive one 25 dollar gasoline card for every night that you stay with us.

72-hour advance reservations are required. AAA card must be presented upon check in. Name on card must match the name on the reservation.

The gas package cannot be combined with other offers but it is valid way beyond summer until December 31. If you're not a AAA member, don't sweat it. The hotel is also offering a Free Gasoline package which is the same deal as above and the $25 card is good for Shell gas stations.

However, buyer beware. The rooms under the AAA package start at $149 a night, while the "Free Gasoline" packages start at $164 a night. We definitely failed math more than once in our lifetime but we think that difference is about $15 right? So it's really only about a $10 savings on gas if you aren't a AAA member. Regular room rates start at $126 a night. Tricky Holiday Inn.