Traveling to Sicily in Fall for 16 days. Have all of our accommodations picked out. Is it better to book directly with the hotel or are the discount sites like Expedia, Priceline, Hotels.com reliable. I found a better rate for our hotel in Palermo on Expedia. Don't want to get to the hotel and have no reservation.

contact the hotel directly and compare rates - phone calls are cheap and internet is even cheaper. Most often I have found the discounters the same or less, but not always.

also mention you want to pay cash for your room and see what they say.

I always book directly with the hotel. Email or call them and tell them you can get a better rate on expedia and ask for the same.

I don't have any experience with that particular place, but Expedia is such a major company, it is certainly acceptable that you would book through them if it really saved you a lot of money. I wouldn't do it for no reason. Lots of hotel booking sites are reliable, the ones you name are very major companies that a lot of hotels deal with. I've only used them a couple times as I never do it unless I save a lot of money, but I have never had a problem with reservations when I have done it. I'm sure some people can have some problems with that, but I"ve had problems with reservations when I booked directly, also. I've also had hotels refuse to match a price I found on a website when I wanted to book directly, so I did use it.

I always like to know where I'll be staying and that there will be a room. At least in the beginning of a trip.
With Expedia and the others you pay up front, sometimes months in advance.
I do not like getting get a big hotel bill, along with the other charges, after the trip.
Buying damned Euros is expensive so I do not want to have to pay "cash" and the conversion charges twice.

Always book direct if you can. Third party vendors really add no value.

I don't like having a third party involved in my reservations. I take a copy of the email thread with the hotel so that there are no misunderstandings over my request and the hotel's confirmation. I prefer email over telephone so that there's a written record.

Having said the above, I have used hotels.com a couple of times without problems. I don't pursue rates that require advance full payment unless I'm willing to walk away from the money if I need to cancel within their penalty period. One night I can usually handle; multiple nights, no.

What Bob says.

I have used Priceline, Hotwire, Hotels.co,, etc. to book all over Europe. Never had a problem, and with Priceline, I have gotten wonderful rates. Movinpick in Amsterdam for $80.00 per night, for example on Priceline.

Buying damned Euros is expensive so I do not want to have to pay "cash" and the conversion charges twice.

Boy I agree, but the point of cash is that you will get a better discount

I used Bookings.com for most of my hotel bookings in Sicily last fall.It really worked out well especially when I had planned on staying a few days in one city and was so bummed about how far the ruins and city were that I just emailed Bookings.com and they cancelled it for me.
I usually use several sites to get the best prices and agree that dealing with the hotel directly works best.

You cannot do better than contacting the hotel personally.

Telephoning is far and away the best way to go. You can ask all your questions, get all the details on the different rooms that a 3rd part site can never give you, and develop a personal relationship - calling again a little before you arrive. You'll be treated better and they will find the best room for your needs and wants. This is especially true of smaller hotels.

Also they will usually match a price given by th 3rd party sitre they farm rooms out to.

I *always* book directly with hotels myself. I have no proof it is a better method (but also have never had anything go wrong in many trips). I simply feel I have more power should something go wrong then if I'd paid thru some internet travel site or middleman. I even try to strike up a conversation when possible by phone or email with one of the hotel front desk staff, so I have someone's name when I arrive. Make little special requests, like a quiet room, or the highest floor in my price category, for example.

I have had numerous times in the past with calling a hotel directly and getting someone who doesn't understand English very well OR after arranging the reservation over the phone they still want me to go on their website and fill out all of the information. I have also sometimes gotten rooms cheaper on the website than with the hotel on the phone?

I have scored tremendous bargains over the course of many trips by booking with Expedia, etc. They sometimes have contracts with hotels that allow them to sell at deep discounts.

I always email the hotel directly but IME they did not matched the rates I was able to book with the discount sites. We stay in 4 star hotels most of the time and have saved well over $100 per night on many occasions. Florence is a city where I have very rarely found it worthwhile to book direct. My most recent score was the Hotel Aethenauem in Florence which I booked for $132 USD per night including taxes and breakfast - we stayed one week and were given a wonderful room. The best rate on their website was more than double that and an email to the reservations department did not provide any additional rate break.

I always reconfirm with the hotel directly and make my requests. I have never had an issue.

I think that could be the issue -- a lot of hotels don't want to be haggling individually with every person to discount room rates, and it sort of gives a bad impression if they do that. Also, it may be reservations clerks who answer the phone don't have the authority to discount room rates. But if they have a contract with a website and offer a discount to them, that's just a regular deal for them and the way they operate and it isn't the same as giving the impression that all you have to do is whine over the phone and they'll change the rate for you. I think from an accounting or even tax point of view, it is easier if they have more standard methods of pricing rooms, and have their own rate and then may have a different rate for deals with certain vendors, but that is indicated in the booking. I know one hotel refused to book me directly at a special 3-day rate I could get on their own website and said I had to book it through the website (which was a contracted third-party software operator who handles bookings for lots of Parisian hotels).

I make special requests if I want even when I book through a website, there is always a way to do that (whether on the booking form itself, which is common) or by contacting them later for re-confirmation).

oh, BTW, I don't usually use websites where I prepay, though, there are plenty of ones where you don't. I might if I got a really good deal for prepayment, though, as I've actually never cancelled a trip or changed my itinerary that way. Sometimes you can get a real good prepayment rate because you prepay, and you can compare directly what that savings amountws to.

Just reread my last post and apologize for the poor sentence construction.I had major tooth surgery yesterday and was on pain killers so wasn't playing with a full deck. Yikes!(How do those Hollywood stars take those things and function?) Sorry Rose-

Dutyfree, hope your tooth is better.

I actually decided to book directly with HOTEL AMBASCIATORI in Palermo since it is our first destination and we will be exhausted. I don't want any problems when we finally arrive at the hotel. Even though Expedia had a cheaper rate online, the hotel explained that the rate is a NON refundable reservation. And the rate wasn't that much cheaper to take the chance.