Tulips

We use guidebooks/internet for planning what to do and see. Booking.com/tripadvisor for finding hotels - which we then either book direct or through booking.com.
For just a one night stay, I'd probably use booking.com. For a longer stay I'll contact the hotel directly - see if they will throw in a free breakfast, upgrade. If they have the same rate as booking.com, I book directly with them.


I know a TA who is very knowledgable on Asia, knows lots of local tour guides, has great recommendations for hotels and restaurants and has traveled extensively in the area - I would use her to book a trip there.

Wether you, as a guest, pay a commision to either a TA or Booking.com does not have an impact on the rate; only on the hotel's profitability. It was the same in the pre-internet days. TA's got a commission - if the guest booked directly with the hotel then that's the hotel's gain. And they did use booking engines, even then - they were just not visible to the customers. From working for a hotel chain in the 80s I know that TA's who booked a lot of business did get awarded for this with free stays and trips.

scrb11

A destination has to be popular in the first place to have guide books written about it.

PegS

Yes, this is silly. Hotels can also choose not to take credit cards if they don't want to pay the fees. They just need to figure out if the potentially smaller customer base is worth it.

IMDonehere

A destination has to be popular in the first place to have guide books written about it.

Really? I don't think that is one of the criteria or shouldn't be.

scrb11

Because the author and the publisher of the guide books want to sell books.

So you're going to see more guide books on Paris than say Bordeaux.

Or say some obscure smaller town in Romania.

kja

Hmmm... The National Archive in Zagreb is not a "popular" place, but it is an extraordinary building. How did I know of it? Because it was covered in a guidebook. Hiking the Poqueira Gorge is not a "popular" activity, but was a wonderful experience. How did I know about it? Because it was covered in a guidebook. The Panagia Church in Thronos is not a "popular" site, but it very special. How did I know about it? Because it was covered in a guidebook. I'm glad I continue to use guidebooks. To each his/her own.

scrb11

Those places and activities were obviously popular enough to merit someone writing guidebooks.

Not only about themselves. Obviously guidebooks would be written about Zagreb in any event.

IMDonehere

Places are popular that does mean restaurants and hotels were popular BEFORE they were listed.

Every experienced traveler on this board has eaten at a restaurant they accidentally found that was not listed and was fabulous and went to a place found in a guide book that was awful. Same for hotels.

IMDonehere

Post Script

When you move away from Little Ricky, Fodor's and Frommer's and to Michelin Green, Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, and Cadogan, there is a whole world of small towns that are only known to the more adventurous travelers and famous to few.

kja

Exactly, scrb11 -- that's the point. There are things that are covered in guidebooks that you probably won't learn about them without a guidebook.

Edward2005

"The idea that if you book directly with a hotel you will get an "upgrade" or free breakfast just for booking directly is absolutely not true..."

I worked for me this year in Vevey.