So many of the questions I see with regards to finding hotel rooms are really very specific (and, of course, some too vague). As I search for places to stay for my upcoming trip, I have found myself wishing that I could preform a search to narrow down the results.

I know there are tons of ways you can narrow it down now, but wouldn't it be nice to find not just 3* hotels in Venice, but ones that have a canal view AND a balcony? Or not just a hotel in Siena, but to be able to specify - within the city walls AND with Tuscan countryside views?

I know, I know...I want it all!

Gees, what did we ever do before the Internet? ha ha. We took the guidebooks for their word and had faith. ...Or, we just got to where we were going and stopped in to see if there were any vacancies. Ah, the romance of it....???

What would be on your search wishlist?

Well, accurate prices would be nice. I get so tired of seeing something like "85 to 110 euro", checking for availability and finding the cheapest room is 225 euro.

Yes, location is also difficult. I can't believe how many sites you can click onto a Tuscan town and it lists a dozen places as being in that town, and it ends up the closest one is about 10 miles away. I even find this when the site has a whole separate category for "country" inns or something like that.

But the biggest wish of all. I wish every site that listed hotels (including our own dear Fodor's hotel site) would include the websites for the hotels.

YES, Patrick.
I'm pretty adept now at researching on the web, except when it comes to finding hotels' own official websites.
When I do Google searches and such I get lost in the maze of booking services and discounters, but have a lot of trouble finding the website/email that belongs to a particular hotel.

Yes and don't you love it when you google a hotel name? It gives you an agency site. You go to that site and enter the hotel and they have nothing to do with it, or just tell you not available? Often they are "discount agencies" that don't even handle any hotels in that town!!!

But I do have to eat my words. I was trying to find the website for Renoir Hotel in Cannes today. I got nowhere with a direct website on Google. But through trip advisor, I clicked on the Fodor's recommendation for The Renoir, and lo an behold, there was the official website address! Maybe something new they are adding?

I love the idea of searches with more specifics! (My number one wish would be: Only show me hotels with multiple pictures of the hotel INCLUDING several pictures of the rooms!)

Fodors has listed websites for hotels for a couple of years; not all, but some - I prefer this feature, too.

To try to find the hotel website on Google, you can improve your search results (eliminating many of the discounters), you can search with the hotel name in quotes, and then add a minus sign before key words that the discounters use (which blocks them from your search).

For example:

"hotel paris" florence -discount -hotels

The above search returns the hotel's website as the fourth link; without the -discount and -hotels, it's not even in the first two pages. It doesn't always work (didn't work for the Renoir Hotel when I tried it), but it can help!

a lot of the reason for large booking agencies (like venere or parishotels) not supplying a hotel's website is simply that if you contact the hotel directly, they lose their commission.

that said, i've used venere several times and never have had a price discrepancy or a missing reservation. they are the lazy man's booking source of choice.

subcon
venere? Have you the web address?

www.venere.com

jon jon
thanks- I must have mistyped as I tried that first and got nothing.