Does anyone know if the hotel rates on Expedia or Travelocity ever change? For example, I'm looking at rates for Arizona in April, and they are all very high right now on both sites. If there are lots of rooms still available, will Expedia lower the rates as it gets closer to the date, or are those prices pretty much set in stone?

Also, many, many hotels say "no rooms available for those dates". This is for hotels like the Hyatt Gainey Ranch and the Pointe Hilton properties. I find that hard to believe 4 months in advance. It said that 4 months ago when I first checked. Does that mean that maybe Expedia/Travelocity just hasn't negotiated the rate yet, and they will become available?

I'm just trying to see whether I should wait and see or start trying Priceline. Thanks.

I *think* what you're finding is that most resorts in that area anticipate being able to sell at rack rate or close to that during April. That's their season--no need for negotiated rates and I doubt it will change, at least in the case of Gainey Ranch, as you get closer. That hotel picks and chooses. If you check its website for April you'll find there are rooms available, but they start around $400. They occasionally come up on Priceline, but I've only seen it happen during the summer.

Yes the rates do change as the previous post mentioned based on availablity. Expedia often has hotels listed as unavailable that you can find on other websites and lately the rates on expedia have been much higher than other travel sites. I recommend trying orbitz.com, quikbook.com and hotel websites for lower rates. April is a very busy time in the Phoenix area. When I am traveling at a popular time I book a room that I am able to cancel at the best rate I can find and then periodically check the rates as it gets closer to my travel date. That way if the rates go down I can still take advantage of it and still have a place if it is busy. You can try priceline and hotwire also.

You should always also check the rates on the hotel web sites, by calling the 800 number and also direct hotel number, also ask (they don't always offer info) about any specials, AAA rates, etc. they do sometimes offer different rates from different sources. I've had pretty good luck with expedia but always check the other sources as well. We used Priceline for tucson and scottsdale and got some good deals. if you want to give it a try, check out biddingfortravel.com.

The hotel availability is not created by travelocity or expedia. The availbility is determined by the hotel company and is constantly updated.
Both of these websites pull content from major travel distribution systems, the same ones used by travel agents.
They also have additional content provided by hotels.com or other merchants. Some websites do have negotiated rates with hotels but again, this data is loaded and maintained in the Global distribution system by the hotelier, not the website.
While you may find rooms at another site, it is highly unlikely most of the time... unless the hotel has made a mistake and closed inventory to one channel and not to another.
I know all this because I work in the hotel automation department of one of the websites above.

I agree with Cathy - make a reservation you can cancel, and then you can wait till last moment! Yes, the rates may change but there is no guarantee they will.