Hi!

How good is it to use Hotels.com for London and Amsterdam? I have found some good prices, but wanted to know if there were any positives or negatives to using their site?

I used hotels.com for booking our hotel in London last November. I knew the hotel I wanted and found the best rates with hotels.com.

I had no problems. Just be sure you read the small print and details. The total amount was charged to our credit card immediately upon booking (I'm not sure if this is standard or only for some hotels). Know the cancellation policy. There is a $25 fee for reservation changes.

Another website I've used for London with good results is londontown.com. You pay the hotel directly when checking out and there is no booking fee.

Up ...

when using these US based sites for UK hotels keep in mind that they often will not include taxes (17.5%). this is sneaky because it is accepted practice to include the tax in all hotel quotes in the UK.

when you compare to the cost quoted by the hotel itself (and most UK hotel sites) you should be aware that this price will almost always include tax (VAT).

londontown.com tells you upfront that their price does not include the 17.5% tax.