Which site would you recommend for building a ten city northern Italian tour? There is no shortage of information. Each site features certain hotels. Who is doing the best at providing the best in the 3 star and or ($100) area?

Hi

I suggest www.venere.com.

Although I have used Travelocity for airfares with satisfactory results I have always got better room rates by dealing with the hotels directly. After checking out their website, I routinely send an e-mail to the hotel describing the type room I want and request their best price and after receiving their reply I make a counter offer that is very often accepted by the hotel and beats the booking services.

Larry J

For hotel choices you are at your best source--just use the search function by location and book direct.

Larry, Are you saying that you bargain with them for the room price, and they often accept? I have never done that, but only because I never thought of it. How successful have you been doing that? Are there certain types of places that are more likely to bargain than others?

Most hotels get a considerable part of their business from booking companies like Expedia, Venere, Logis de France etc. and therefore get much less than their rack rate so why not be your own booking agent. I am self employed and travel extensively throughout the eastern USA. My client's pay my expenses but I like to control those expenses as much as possible to benefit my client and make myself a more attractive person with whom to do business. I often walk into an upscale hotel, ask the price for a room and then offer maybe $20-30 less saying that my per diem only allows x dollars for a hotel room. It works about 75% of the time. It's usually after 6 pm and the room may very well go unused if they refuse. For leisure travel thoughout Europe I make a lower counter offer by e-mail if the area I want to visit is expensive, I plan on staying several days and I know there are a lot of hotels in the area. In September I was in Sweden and Norway. Hotels are very very expensive in Stockholm, Oslo, Bergen etc. I wanted to stay in Bergen for 5 nights so I offered the hotel about $30 per night under their asking price and promised to stay 5 nights. They accepted. I did the same in Oslo to the extent of about $20 per night saved. I don't always do this but if I feel I have a strong bargaining position such as a willingness to stay a long time, there are a lot of competing hotels in the area and it isn't an especially busy time for the hotels I will try it. I suppose it works about 65%-70% of the time when the above conditions are in place. Don't be ashamed about asking for a better price; you most likely work hard for your money and it is better in your pocket than in the pocket of someone else. The less I spend the more often I go.

Larry J