Best way to get best price on Rome hotel?
May 30th, 2009, 11:58 AM
#1
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Best way to get best price on Rome hotel?
Wondering what this site's preferred method of booking is to get the best price on a hotel. Wouldn't want to use Hotwire or Price Line on this first trip to Rome.
May 30th, 2009, 12:26 PM
#2
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Slow Travel has a lot of hotel reviews.
http://slowtalk.com/groupee/
http://slowtalk.com/groupee/
May 30th, 2009, 12:54 PM
#3
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I like Trip Advisor's multi-site searching capabilities. (Kayak.com has something similar.) Pick a few hotels in your price range that are well reviewed there and have it compare the rates at different websites. When booking travel in Italy two years ago, I sometimes found cheaper rates on one booking site vs. another. Also, if you read the reviews themselves carefully, sometimes the reviewer will mention how they got a good deal on the place. A tip like that led me to a great website for booking a hotel in Waikiki a few years ago at a great rate, something I would never have stumbled upon myself.
I used Venere.com a lot for comparing hotel rates for Italy, though I don't think I wound up actually booking anything with them. A helpful reference, though.
FYI, I am a frequent Priceline hotel user but didn't use them at all for Italy. They don't seem to have great deals there unless you are booking 5-star hotels which even at discount are way out of my price range. So you're right to discount Priceline/Hotwire for Rome.
If it helps, I stayed in some apartment/boarding houses in Italy as well as some hotels. I used the site www.cross-pollinate.com to find places in Venice, Florence, and Rome and was satisfied with what I got; I found these places better values than hotels in some cases, if you'd be open to one.
I used Venere.com a lot for comparing hotel rates for Italy, though I don't think I wound up actually booking anything with them. A helpful reference, though.
FYI, I am a frequent Priceline hotel user but didn't use them at all for Italy. They don't seem to have great deals there unless you are booking 5-star hotels which even at discount are way out of my price range. So you're right to discount Priceline/Hotwire for Rome.
If it helps, I stayed in some apartment/boarding houses in Italy as well as some hotels. I used the site www.cross-pollinate.com to find places in Venice, Florence, and Rome and was satisfied with what I got; I found these places better values than hotels in some cases, if you'd be open to one.
May 30th, 2009, 01:57 PM
#4
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If contacting the hotels directly, first have them quote you a price and then ask if they will discount for cash payment. We were recently in Rome and two hotels discounted our rooms for cash payment. You could save around 10% that way.
May 30th, 2009, 05:25 PM
#5
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Try www.otel.com and booking.com. You can book with out fearand cancellation policy is fine. Otel.com you will prepay but I have cancelled and received credit on next bill. Booking .com just needs credit card # and it is easy to cancel. --usually the cancellation policy is up to about 3 days before arrival.
May 31st, 2009, 09:54 AM
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And I suggest that you will not be posting to advertise your own apartment for long holidayrome as you are breaking Fodor's rules against advertising on their website. You have done a lot of advertising since you registered here today.
May 31st, 2009, 09:58 AM
#7
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I have used this Italian booking agency for 2 different stays in Rome. They offer some very good hotels at a discount from the rate offered at the hotels' website.
www.reservationitaly.com
www.reservationitaly.com
May 31st, 2009, 04:32 PM
#9
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We booked half a dozen places in Italy using Venere.com. I can't say that we surfed madly for the cheapest prices, but Venere worked well enough. It is, of course, a booking chain, so there would be lots of places that are not on Venere. We have stayed at the Pace Helvezia in Rome a couple of times, and it was OK.
