Hi, I could be doing something wrong, but it looks like Asiarooms has declined substantially since I used it a few years ago.

For example, the only 5* hotel listed for Shanghai is "Grand Metropark Jiayou Hotel."

A few years ago I found a lot of options for Shanghai and Beijing. (I think I booked Peninsula Palace in Beijing with them.) Has something changed in the interim? Which websites do people use these days?

Thanks!

In my experience, all of the discount reservations sites vary in what hotels they have from time to time. I don't know when you are going, but I've had the experience with asiarooms that if I try to book too far ahead, it won't show many/any hotels. Take a look at agoda.com I've used them several times recently.

I was checking for availability for random dates next week. But I also checked some more random notes and some Beijing hotels were listed even though they were listed as full.

It seems like that the website is significantly worse compared to when I checked it a few years ago. Plus I dislike their new interface also.

topping just in case anyone has any more suggestions. I haven't checked agoda yet. Thanks!

oddly enough, Priceline has hotels in Asia available. I could not tell if the prices shown were real or a gimmick, but I guess I will find out in a week or so when I try to book a hotel in Beijing.

I used agoda for JW Marriott in Shanghai. It was a little cheaper than the website. However it's annoying for a couple of things. First my credit card company blocked the initial transactions (I had this issue with easyJet once). Then agoda wouldn't let me book two rooms under my name with the same dates. And it'd not allow a booking where the guest is different from the credit card holder. But it's possible that I misunderstood the second restriction. I was doing it really late at night and I was leaving in the morning.

So I ended booking one room with agoda and one with Marriott directly.

There definitely seems to be some variation for China hotels. I booked the Grand Hyatt in Shanghai on Expedia, which had the cheapest, non-refundable rate. I didn't check exhaustively but just checked a few and compared them with the hotels' own websites.

many of us are finding that booking directly with the hotels often yields substantial savings

China is an interesting market. When I was about four years ago, I definitely thought that asiarooms.com had really good deals (like the one for Peninsula Beijing). But now it seems more fragmented, and the more upscale hotels don't seem to be available so cheaply anymore.

I think that third-party websites can still offer a good deal. Expedia gave 20% off for the Grand Hyatt in Shanghai and the cheapest room was under $200 a night -- I couldn't find this price on the Hyatt's own website.

I'd written about my frustration with the air tickets on a separate thread.

Most serious hotels (including The Peninsula) *guarantee*, and indeed say so on their websites, that you'll get the lowest price on their own website. If you believe you have found a lower price on a 'discount' website for the identical product take it up with them. They will usually match or beat the lower price you've found, BUT this almost never happens because either the 'discount' website is running a bait-and-switch and when you try to book the room it isn't really there, or in fact you are not comparing like with like: the room on the hotel's website has been refurbished while the 'discount' one is still waiting; there are different views; the rooms are on different floors; breakfast is included with one rate but not the other, and so on.

For Chinese-run hotels of unfamiliar brands, the rates on the discount websites (and here only the Chinese-run discount websites really matter) are only an indication of exactly what you'd be able to get for yourself or beat over the counter. The published rates are merely a positioning statement, only naive foreigners pay them, and you should never book using the hotel's own website.

Peter N-H

That's interesting. I never called the hotels to verify.

By the way, I've booked one night at Ramada Hai Hua using the hotel's website. Do you think this is one I can potentially find something cheaper somehow?

In case you're curious, you can still replicate difference in the pricing for Grand Hyatt Shanghai. For example, try the hotel's website here:

http://shanghai.grand.hyatt.com/hyat...escription.jsp

Input the dates 10/3 to 10/6. The website's cheapest room is 1350 CNY (which doesn't include the 15% taxes), as you will discover if you click through.

If you try Expedia, the advance purchase rate is $158.40. The type of room could be different, but the point here is that Hyatt's website doesn't list anything below $200 before taxes.

Well I'll see what happens at JW Marriott Shanghai, where one room is booked through Agoda. I think I theoretically saved about $10 per night or something through Agoda, but if I knew how annoying it'd be, I don't think I'd have bothered.

For this one, Agoda's rate is about $177 all in. JW Marriott's cheapest is 1288 CNY (1120 CNY + 168 taxes -- the Chinese love 2s and 8s in their prices, I've noticed).

Another somewhat odd thing I noticed -- at Raffles Beijing, a single is slightly cheaper than the double in their advance purchase rate. I've never seen this happen before in these kinds of hotels, but I think it's the breakfast as the rate includes breakfasts.

Typing this kind of thing is perfect when you're jet lagged at 5 am in Beijing.

P.S. The Ramada is in Hangzhou.

P.P.S. Actually now that I think about it, the cancellation policies for the Hyatt and JW Marriott are different. So technically it is correct that it's not apples-to-apples comparison because you can cancel the ones on the hotels websites up to day of arrival.

Expedia is non-refundable and there's a cancellation fee for the one through Agoda. But still, I think that the websites should list non-cancellable options if third-party websites offer them.

is it sane, or is it insane to use the words "Raffles" and "Cheaper" or "Slightly cheaper" in the same sentence. Do you have any idea of what the intended market ws for true luxury hotels? Well, of course Gov. employees & people spending others' money (business), but if you have to whine about the price of Raffles there must be a Super 8 nearby that would be more appropriate to your style and place.

This sentence seems perfectly reasonable and sane to me: "at Raffles Beijing, a single is slightly cheaper than the double in their advance purchase rate."

And where/how did I whine about the Raffles? I commented that the single is slightly cheaper, that's all.

What's wrong with people on Fodor's? (or you?)

For China, you might doublecheck with China-based site www.sinohotel.com--often they have better rates than anybody else, and usually they have more options than the main well-known international hotel booking sites, and particularly in the under-4* category. They are reliable as far as servicing and advanced booking goes.

Peter, your advice has been fabulous of late...very informative. Thank you so much. Can you please confirm what you are saying in your latest advice above? It sounds like you are saying that Chinese run discount websites can have discounts that approximate what you would get if you show up at the hotel. Is that right? If not, by about what percentage do you think they are overstated? I know Ctrip. What other sites do you know of that are Chinese run? I don't intend to make too many reservations before I get there, but it would be nice to know what to expect on discounts. Thanks you again.

Mainstream foreign-brand hotels: Check websites for guarantee of lowest prices.

Chinese-run hotels: Check Ctrip (eLong, others) for 'discount' prices which are in fact, for the most part, about the same as you'll do for yourself over the counter (no need to book with them, though, as complications sometimes arise, bookings disappear, etc.)