I found I got the best rate booking directly with the hotel.
When I checked the other sites, like Expedia, I got a much higher rate. I like dealing with the hotel directly. I don't like the idea of prepaying for my stay in case there is a problem.

has anyone used Octopus.com? I've used Orbitz, Expedia and travelocity but booked a hotel in Interlaken thru Octopus as they had the lowest rate for the hotel I wanted when I used the quick check on trip advisor.