Are third-party hotel vendors risky?

While I’ve never had a problem after I booked a hotel room through a third-party vendor (Hotwire, PriceLine) for a really great rate, a night auditor who works for a hotel in a major American city warns against doing so.

This anonymous blogger suggests most hotels will match the lowest price on a third-party site because they would rather have some of your money than pay a commission. However, I know a few people who have tried this with very little success. What’s more, sites such as Hotwire and PriceLine will only let you know what hotel you’re staying in once your booking is complete, so there is no way to haggle a hotel down to their very low room rates beforehand.

This blogger also says that should you run into a problem and require some kind of refund, you will have to deal with the site you booked your stay with, but booking with a hotel directly might result in comped nights or room upgrades. Booking with a hotel also offers more flexibility should your plans suddenly change.

I still think that budget-minded travelers might want to opt for the better prices available on third-party sites, and if you keep all your booking information and check your reservation before you leave, there should not be any problems. I was able to snag a Burbank, California hotel room for just under half price through Hotwire this week, and found an amazing packaged trip (airfare/hotel) to Las Vegas the week before. I was also able to get a free upgrade for my Vegas accommodations (a deluxe room in a newer building) following a tip I saw online that suggested most front desk hotel clerks will happily move you into a better room or suite for a $20 gratuity.

Calculate cab fares with TaxiWiz:

TaxiWiz is a very cool and powerful resource if you find yourself in cabs often, or if you’re wondering what the fare might be in a city you’re planning to visit.

The site has a database of just over 20 cities (including New York, Chicago, L.A., Boston, Montreal, Toronto, and Paris) that you can choose from. Simply select your starting point and your destination, and TaxiWiz will let you know the approximate cost of your fare and even calculate an appropriate tip.

For example, the cost to go from JFK Airport in New York City to Grand Central Station is $45 USD (or $52 USD with a 15 percent tip). The site also lets you know the journey is 17.4 miles long, and that cabs in New York charge a flat fare from the airport.

The cost of a Montreal cab going from the Bonaventure Hilton to Au Pied de Cochon (one of my favorite restaurants) costs about $9.70 CAD (or $11 CAD with a 15 percent tip).

This very interactive website also has a mobile version, and lets you pick your destinations using a Google map.

Pick your next hotel room with TripKick

TripKick is a new site that launched last May that does for hotels what SeatGuru did for airlines. 

Their site is designed to make your next hotel stay a pleasant one, as they provide little-known facts about specific hotel rooms, including: which floors have limited views and what views are available on a hotel’s north or south side; which rooms have oversized bathrooms; and which ones tend to be quieter, away from elevators and ice machines.

The information is cleverly organized so you can find hotels by city, personality or amenities. They also suggest which rooms you should request, offer visitors to their site to share their experiences, and even provide local transportation information for getting there.

At the moment, they only list hotels in 20 or so U.S. cities (Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles are among them).

Keep track of flights with Flight Arrivals:

Flight Arrivals has been around for a long time, but I am always surprised when people say they’ve never heard of it. This easy-to-use website lets you check departure and arrivals for flights within the U.S. and Canada, and also keeps you posted about delays and airport weather conditions.

The information is always current as it is updated every four minutes or so, and you can search for information by airline, city or flight number.

Finding travel deals with Hotwire:

Have you ever used Hotwire? This website lets you find deep discounts on hotels and flights, which is great if you are looking for a last-minute deal, or want to extend your travel to include a visit to a nearby city. And while you can sometimes get close to 50 percent off current hotel room rates, the only catch is you don’t know where you are staying until you’ve already paid up in full.

I used it for the first time last week for a recent trip to New York City with somewhat mixed results. I got a great deal on a hip “boutique” hotel in midtown Manhattan on a night that rooms were scarce and somewhat overpriced. That said, the room was only slightly larger than the futon-style double bed it held, and the teeny-tiny furniture that accompanied it.

Hotwire connected me with the Hudson Hotel for a little under $135 USD a night instead of its regular $265 USD a night rate.

This 3.5-star hotel was conveniently located (practically) across the street from the Time Warner Center, and a few blocks from the Apple Store on the cusp of Central Park, and a number of stores ripe for Christmas shopping. A couple of 24-hour diners and delis were also just down the block.

The hotel itself was funky place, often placing style over substance and functionality.

A long escalator leads up to a lobby that feels like its covered by a forest canopy (minus the trees or nasty bugs).  The elevator leading up the rooms plays 1980s alternative and college radio hits instead of Muzak. The room wasn’t horrible – it was very smartly decorated, but very small and very basic. The private bathroom was what it was: a shower and tub, a sink, and an industrial-style toilet. Nothing more. Nothing less.

There are several bars, lounges and restaurants on the premises, and each floor has its own “hang-out” lounge area where you can grab a snack or drink from the vending machine, or fill up your ice bucket. It is clear why the staff spends so much time orienting you to all these areas within the hotel, as they definitely are more comfortable than hanging out in your cramped room.

While I didn’t take any pictures, one British traveler documented his travel experiences in a similarly-sized room on YouTube.

Overall, this hotel was a good value for the money, with rates in New York City running between $300 USD and $400 USD in nearby Times Square.

The next time I use Hotwire, I will likely use it in a city where I am already familiar with the hotels they work with, and I will definitely refer to a companion website like Bidding for Travel.