HotelChatter

Hotel Booking Sites / Quikbook / Hotel Websites / → All Tags

Quikbook's New Website Pulls Up Hotel Deals Quiker

There's been a steady slew of hotel booking sites that have launched in the past few years but our tried and true fave is still Quikbook.com which has long been offering cool, boutique hotels that you would actually at for great rates. And now Quikbook's gotten even better, thanks to a site redesign.

Don't worry, nothing has drastically changed. Quikbook is still offering its secret sales, invitation-only rates and its standard policy of not charging any booking fees or requiring pre-payment or even cancellation/change penalty fees. But the site is easier to navigate--the buttons are bigger, the photos are more plentiful and there's even video tours of select hotels.

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Priceline / The Negotiator / William Shatner / Hotel Booking Sites / Hotel News / → All Tags

Priceline Chops The Negotiator (In Other News, William Shatner is Looking for Work)

Scroll to the bottom of the story for an update on the Negotiator mobile apps.

For several years The Negotiator, aka William Shatner, had been the face of Priceline.com chopping his way through TV commercials and magazine ads showing off victorious defeats in cutting down hotel rates. But recently, the Negotiator himself got chopped.

Priceline is doing away with the Negotiator persona but fortunately, they are not doing away with their Name Your Own Price feature which we love so much. Instead, Priceline is putting their money energy into spotlighting the site's published rates. In the Wall Street Journal today, Priceline's chief marketing officer, Brett Keller, said the company wants the public to know "that you don't have to negotiate to save money on a hotel at priceline.com."

With that in mind, we decided to do a little look-see on Priceline.com today for a hotel in New York. We found the four-star Waldorf-Astoria for $261 a night for February 3-5. We found that same hotel on the same weekend at Expedia.com for $262. The hotel's website, meanwhile, was offering rooms for $299 a night. Although, there was an advance purchase rate for $239 a night offered as well.

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Hotel Booking Sites / Public Hotels / Hotel Sales / Room Rates Gimmicks / Chicago Hotels / Hotel Woes / → All Tags

The Public Was Failed By Public Chicago's Online Reservation System

Where: 1301 N. State Parkway [map], Chicago, IL, United States, 60611

OK. It happened. The Public Chicago's $1 sale came and went in the blink of an eye, and by the end of it (five minutes later), we were left still clutching our measly dollar, and cursing the hotel gods above. But it eases our conscience—slightly—to know we weren't the only ones duped into thinking we were actually going to score a $1 hotel room yesterday.

So what was going on? Well, just like with any place that gets inundated with too many customers all at once (eBay, Ticketmaster, Missoni for Target), some people simply got lost in the shuffle. Of course, some actually did end up scoring reservations. And hooray for them. But understandably, we were a little curious to know how—three times in a row—one minute we managed to snag a room, and the next, it was gone. So we spoke with a Public Chicago manager to find out her take on the whole melee. See below to read her response!

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Hotel Booking Sites / Kayak / HotelTonight / Chicago Hotels / Hotel Deals / → All Tags

So You're Stuck in the Chicago Snow and Needing a Hotel?

So you're stuck in Chicago today, hm? Or perhaps stuck trying to get to Chicago. The Windy City is currently the snowy city, with conditions canceling flights across the board. Indeed, Southwest Airlines has nixed all of their flights from Chicago-Midway for the day.

This is your seasonal reminder to beef up your trip booking apps to take advantage of last-minute deals and most likely save you from sleeping on the cold, tiled floor of a strange airport.

Three apps we recommend you have updated and on deck:
· Kayak (Blackberry, Android and Apple)
· Jetsetter (Apple)
· HotelTonight (Android and Apple)

Those rates you see listed above are direct from HotelTonight, for Chicago-area stays TONIGHT. Jump on that Hotel Felix one; we've done it, we approve and here's the proof. Safe travels!

[Screenshot: HotelChatter]

Hotel Booking Sites / RoomKey / Hotel Websites / Hotel News / → All Tags

Big Hotel Brands Join Up to Create Their Own Booking Site, RoomKey.com

Hotels have long had a love-hate relationship with third-party booking sites--they need the wide reach of the booking sites, but they hate losing out on revenue. Yet now a few hotels must have decided, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Or rather, join together and take the third-partying booking sites on ourselves.

The WSJ reports that Choice Hotels, Hyatt Hotels, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Marriott Hotels and Wyndham Hotels have bonded together to form their own booking site---RoomKey.com.

We gave the site a brief try this morning and didn't mind at all what we found.

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Hotel Booking Sites / London Hotels / Hotel Rooms by The Hour / Hotel Sex / → All Tags

Could More London Hotels Open Their Rooms Up For Afternoon Trysts?

That's what a new website from a group of Parisien hoteliers is hoping.

The Daily's Mail Travel Blog recently featured Day-UseHotels.com, a website that is attempting to convince London hotels to open their rooms up for a block of hours so guests can have a place to take a nap, freshen up or yes, get randy without having to pay a hefty overnight rate.

Day-UseHotels.com also says that the arrangement helps hotels too as they can at least make a little change on what would have been empty rooms.

While we know our virgin readers are assuming the rental by the hours will be used for naps, showers or even a quiet place to get some work done, Day-UseHotels.com says 95 percent of their traffic in Paris is for people conducting affairs. Only 5 percent is used for work. But interestingly, most of the bookings are made by women and not surprisingly, almost all of the hotels accept cash payment.

The booking split is forecasted to be less romantical in London--about 80 percent for pleasure and 20 percent for work.

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Hotel Booking Sites / Room 77 / Hotel Concierges / → All Tags

Will Room 77's New Booking Service Make Guests Too Demanding?

We've had success before with Room 77. Back in May, we took their advice to stay on the twenty-second floor of the Eventi Hotel, and definitely had a positive experience. But as much information as we were able to glean, we still had to make our physical reservation elsewhere.

Now, guests who use Room 77's profiling technology can simultaneously pull up rates and book the room right there on the same screen. Room 77 announced today that its 500,000 browsable rooms can all be booked directly through the site, and will even allow guests to request which rooms they want to stay in through a digital Room Concierge.

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Guess the Hotel / HotelTonight / Mobile Booking / Hotel Booking Sites / → All Tags

Guess the Hotel We Booked on HotelTonight for $69

Hump Day is here and we're feeling playful—playful enough to challenge you to Guess The Hotel! This week we've got a snapshot of a very very comfy bed we snagged for a steal using the mobile hotel booking app HotelTonight. Of course we used the $25 sign-up bonus everyone gets for registering on HotelTonight, so the total was even cheaper really.

As always, the rules for Guess the Hotel are the same--we throw down some hints, you ante up your guesses and we do the reveal the following day (tomorrow). So cheers and good luck!

· It's in the center of a major US city enjoying a lot of hotel buzz currently
· Eco-friendliness is the name of the game. The hotel is certified LEED silver.
· The hotel's name kind of means "happy," and we were really happy about the free WiFi.
· We booked it via the HotelTonight app while in a cab from the airport to the place, for $69 plus $11 taxes/fees for a total of $80. Score.

Think you know what hotel we're hinting at? PUT YOUR GUESSES IN COMMENTS BELOW!

[Photo: HotelChatter]

Expedia / Hotel Booking Sites / Facebook / Hotel Website / → All Tags

Expedia Taking Hints from Facebook with Real-Time Booking Updates

We still aren't crazy about the new updates that Facebook put out the other month but we're slowly getting used to the real-time feed on the right-hand side that tells us what our "friends" are doing at that exact moment whether it be changing their work information, commenting on status updates, making new "friends" or uploading photos from their latest vacation.

And it looks like Expedia hopes we will like their real-time updates too.

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Hotel Booking Sites / Flash Sales / Jetsetter / London Hotels / UK Hotels / Hotel Sales / → All Tags

Flash Sales For Our Monied Cross-the-Pond Friends: Jetsetter U.K. Launched Today

Safari flash sale, anyone?

Belonging to the gilded family of flash sale sites that is Gilt Groupe, Jetsetter capitalizes on the mildly frugal habits of its largely monied clientele. The same shoppers purchasing Nina Ricci and Valentino at a "bargain" (typically meaning prices in the hundreds rather than the thousands) turn to Jetsetter for deals on some of the world's most desirable hotels and resorts.

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Budget Hotels / EuroCheapo / Hotel Booking Sites / San Francisco Hotels / → All Tags

EuroCheapo: Not Strictly Euro But Still Cheapo

The other week we helped out a tech reporter looking for a hotel room under $200 in San Francisco's Union Square.

But if you're in need of a hotel room for even cheaper (like under $100 or even under $50) then consider the ultimate cheap experts--EuroCheapo.com which just launched a San Francisco budget hotel guide. Yes, despite their name EuroCheapo has branched out beyond Europe to New York City (that guide launched a few years ago) and now to EssEff.

All of the 25 recommended hotels (including B&Bs and hostels) in EuroCheapo's San Fran hotel guide are not just wallet-friendly but they've been snuffed out by the site's editors with in-depth write-ups and best of all, their own photos so you can see just exactly what you're getting for your $100 or less.

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Hotel Booking Sites / HotPads / Hotel Booking Apps / → All Tags

Another New Hotel Booking App: HotPads

There is no shortage of hotel booking sites or apps these days. Somedays it seems like everyone on the internet is getting in on the travel reservation game, including Google but the latest app we've discovered is not like the others.

HotPads.com is a map-based real estate site and app that helps users find places to rent or to buy in the U.S. In fact, it's slogan is "The Place to Find Your Place." Yet while we've been a near daily user of HotPads for the past few months in trying to find a new place to live, we also noticed the site has a "Hotels" function as well. Yes, not only can you find the house of your dreams on HotPads but the hotel of your dreams as well. Or at least one that fits your location and budget needs.

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