Using wotif.com for booking
 

Hello there,
I am hoping to get advice regarding use of the website wotif.com for booking lodging. I have never used this website. My family and I (5 altogether) will arrive in Sydney on 29 June. The website wotif.com seems to offer very good rates and reasonable cancellation fees, but considering I have no experience with it nor have any friends who have used it I wondered if this community could please advise? Also, I notice that the website offers lodging in the blue mountain area and hope to use it for that portion of the trip as well. Thank you in advance, Lisa

I have used Wotif.com many times both in New Zealand and Australia. We have had some great deals and never had any problems. You can check the Wotif ratings, and then go to Trip Advisor and check the reviews on there as well.

I am from Italy and used wotif.com many times for Australian and also for Italy !!! It's a prepaid service, your credit card is charged imemdiately when you complete the payment process.
There is a non refundable booking fee of AUS$ 4.95 and a $ 25.00 administration charge for any cancellation or change. Check the cancellation policies, different for each property. I like wotif.com very much !!!

I've used Wotif, GoStay and Expedia, they are all fine. Just make sure you check with the hotel as well, as more often than not, the hotels are offering the same rate without the booking fee and with better cancellation policies.

Susan7 is spot on LisaFa. I had found a great deal on wotif for some hotels in New Zealand however, the days I wanted for one ended up being sold out. So I emailed the hotel direct and they matched the wotif deal without the fees and conditions that Susan mentions. The other hotel also ended up offering a better deal once I had communicated directly with them.

The other times I have used wotif have been completely hassle free and no problems experienced.

I've used wotif several times and have never had a problem. Just be sure to read the fine print as cancellation policies vary.

I sometimes feel a little guilty using wotif as a reference point and, like S7 & S above, frequently contact the property direct. Avoids cancellation & booking fee and can sometimes eliminate the 2 or more minimum night requirement.

Never had a problem using wotif ether; I just don't like paying in advance for anything if I can avoid it.

I am in the US and have used wotif.com several times for hotels in Sydney and Europe. Have never had a problem.

Thank you all very much for your advice - now I will feel much better about booking through wotif.com. I will also be sure to check directly with the property - it would be great to have a more lenient cancellation policy. Thanks again, Lisa

I purchased a "wot hotel" mystery deal last year. I could tell what the property was by its description (number of stars, list of amenities, and googling the property description came up with an exact match on its own website). Checked the tripadvisor advice. So a couple of days before the stay I prepaid (nonrefundable) and got a low price at the hotel.
Buying these sorts of deals is like buying through Hotwire or Priceline, so you don't know for sure what hotel you are getting, but you can make a good guess sometimes.

sometimes wotif is even better than the official hotel website. We are a family of 4 and could book one room with 2 double beds at Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn in Kakadu Nat Park in Australia with wotif.com while the Holiday Inn hotel chain website does not allow to book 4 guests in the same room, even though bedding configuration of 2 double beds allow it ! The system said number of guests exceeded the room capacity... or something like that. With expedia or other services it was also not possible for the same hotel, so great value for wotif !

Like the others, I've used wotif quite often. It's usually my first port of call when looking for a hotel - the descriptions and location map gives a fair idea of where things are and what you get. I may then trawl around to see what other prices I can get.

Of course, it's a good idea to check with the hotel directly.