I'm wondering if you experienced travelers have an opinion regarding booking reservations directly with a hotel or through some sort of internet booking site? Do you think an internet guest gets less service or a less desirable room? We're off to Alsace and Paris in April/May and I'm doing a combination of both. Just wondering what is smart...

I've done both. The customer service seems to be better when using the hotel site. The replies seemed to be more prompt and there is often a 24-hr phone help line as well. I have also found that the hotel sites often offer the best deals as well. Of course, I have never used Priceline since I want to know exactly which hotel I am getting. I have heard people with great deals by going through Priceline and other similar sites. Others have reported that the extremely cut-rate rooms at hotels booked through internet booking services can be the worst rooms. I have never experienced this.
If you book through a hotel site, it pays to join their customer loyalty club (if free) and let them know your a member. The hotels you are looking at may be partners or in the same hotel family as many of the US chains. Not only do you build up points towards free stays (or get airline miles) but you may receive a free room upgrade. (I've benefitted from this.) The internet booking sites usually don't offer or are not eligible for the loyalty schemes. If there is a problem with the booking, the problem can usually be resolved at the desk if you used the hotel site but usually must be done through a third-party (the internet booking site) which can be difficult to reach or take time to resolve (like after the trip is over). So far, I've leaned more towards using the hotel sites, esp if I have any special requests or for special occasions.

We've booked through France.com and through the Logis de France web site for years and never had a problem. With the Logis web site, we do send a letter and a deposit in the form of a check. When we are checking out, they return our US check and take our credit card or cash depending on their policy. (France.com takes a credit card number so there's no need to do that.)

We've never tried Priceline or anything like that so I can't comment.

Enjoy your trip.

I've done both also, although I don't think torgerhome is talking about a generic booking site necessarily -- it's not clear from the post? Torger, you ask if "internet guests" get treated differently versus "direct" (in your heading).

Some of the responses are comparing a hotel's internet site to a bigger booking site, so both would be "internet guests". I don't think a hotel treats you differently if you book by internet than if you do it by FAX or phone, at least I've never felt that way. I've booked everyway you can think of -- by phone, by FAX, by email, by actual hardcopy letter (rare, long time ago), by a hotel's own website and by a bigger hotel website (like Utell or Londontown).

Actually, I've been treated pretty much exactly the same by all of them. Booking by internet doesn't save you money necessarily so I wouldn't expect to get a different room or service--the exception might be some discount hotel site or Priceline, etc, and that's another question, but is that what you really mean? I would expect to get a less desirable room if I booked through Priceline, but there isn't really any less service than you can exactly give a guest. I only get my hotel room cleaned anyway, and occasionally a bellhop (whom I tip) so there's not really any service to take away.

I have always chosen a hotel and then dealt with them directly (either via fax or email). This has always worked out beautifully, but I have never tried one of the booking sites to make a fair comparison.

Right or wrong, I feel more in control when I book my flights direct with the airline and my room with the individual hotel's management.

I've often used the internet sites such as france-hotel-guide, 123france, venere, etc and had good results. Sometimes small hotels don't have their own web site and this is the only way, although more and more even little hotels now have their own sites. I usually find someplace and then check it out on their own site, and several of the multi-hotel sites to see what the different prices are. Just today I booked a hotel in Italy that had it's own site, but had a lower price on one of the multi-hotel sites. I was able to find the hotel's own email address (often the email address given is through the big site) and asked them if they would match the special price and they did. But sometimes you really can get a better price on a big site. You have to keep checking around. Regardless of how I find the hotel and book it, once it's been confirmed I then do future correspondence (like re-confirming the week before I go) directly with the hotel. I have never noticed any difference in treatment.

I've always favored booking directly but in the last several months have had good luck using hotels.com to book. My fears were that I'd be given nasty rooms, told I had no reservation when I showed, hit with unexpected charges or otherwise treated shabbily, but none of that happened. The prices I found there were the best available - including those offered by the hotel itself - and they guarantee that if you find a better rate within 24 hours of reserving they will match it or refund. I also liked that they have toll free numbers in Europe - never had to use it, but it's nice to know it's there.

I run a small hotel in a major tourist city in the US and I always book directly with the individual hotel. Online services-Expedia, etc. buy rooms at wholesale and then add on appx. 30% to their price. Call the hotel and speak to the GM (if a small hotel) or the Reservations Manager or Revenue Manager or the Manager on Duty. Explain that you understand they will meet or beat those prices online. Hotels have suffered a lot since 9/11 and we are all competing for a limited market. If they will only meet those prices ask for an upgrade, a AAA discount, AARP, etc. Will you get a better room? Probably.

Thank you all for your responses and thoughts. I have traditionally booked directly with a hotel, thinking the rate and the service would be optimal. However, in planning this trip I was able to secure a reservation with www.fastres.com for the Le Regent Petite France in Strasbourg for $199 vs. 243Euros direct with the hotel. I wanted the savings, but was concerned with the possible implications. I wish I would have asked them to match the rate like many suggested. But, now I know as I still have a hotel to book for Paris. If I could only decide between D'Aubusson, Hotel Buci and Le Madison?! Thanks, all! -- Torger

Good evening, have for many years used
the internet to determine what hotel, we wished to use. Emailed for availabilty, price, dates and etc. and
then confirm. a reservation for those
days. Also get a fax number which is used to forward a credit card number to
be used for a deposit. This is accomplished abvout a month or two before departure. about two weeks
before use the e mail to reconfirm the
reservation and etc. Has worked excellant inmany trips..
Richard of LaGrange Park, Il.

In my personal experience, it's always best to book directly. Nearly all hotels these days have someone who speaks English to take care of phone bookings, and the "internet rates" are nearly always higher. And, it's really best not to bother with "third party" bookings.

HI
We just returned from Italy and I booked the hotel directly with the hotel via e-mail. I have never used 3rd party services so I have no experience in that area. We were pleased that the hotel responded back quickly. We checked several 3rd party services and the price was close and one charged more. I made hardcopies of the confirmation e-mails in case there was a problem. We had no problems and would do it again.

I have been booking with HOTELS.COM for several years now and the service I have received is great! I've used it for New York, Florida, Dublin, London, and now Paris and Normandy, France. When I arrive at my destination all they request is my Visa card that I used on the internet to charge the room and my rooms are ready.

I booked rooms directly with a Chateau in Normandy in January of 2003 for this June 6th, the 60th anniversary of D-Day. I emailed her again 2 weeks ago to re-confirm my reservations and they wrote back that they were told that high security visitors from the United States were coming over and the Secret Service has requested the entire Chateau and that my one year reservations secured with a $200 deposit was no longer valid!! And on top of that, they couldn't find us any rooms for June 4,5,6, 2004!!.

So I am sticking with Hotels.com. These companies buy out a block of rooms in each hotel and even the hotel cannot sell them. They can only be released by Hotels.com. So even if we get bumped, hotels.com will put us up in another of their hotels.

Booking on the internet is safe, convenient, and fun. I highly recommend it.

Bailey554

I shop for prices on the internet, and then contact the hotel. Usually the hotel will match or better the internet price, but not always. Haven't had any trouble when we have made reservations on the internet, usually using www.hrs.com. It's the hotel reservation website the German railway web site uses.

I found an Internet price for the Hotel des Mines for 90 Euros. (This hotel is of interest because it says it has air conditioning.)

I emailed the hotel directly, not telling them about the site, and they quoted me 109 Euros for a twin room with a shower, overlooking the courtyard.

Anyway, I probably won't take either option, but there sure is a difference in price. Now I would feel strange asking them to drop their price by 19 Euros because of the Internet rate.