recently I visited the hoteldiscounts.com site and found many reasonably priced rooms at some fantastic hotels. The only thing that I makes me doubt the site is that the site asks that once you make your reservation through them, you NOT call the hotel, as they will not have a reservation record for you personally. Has anyone had any experience (good or bad) with this site?

That would raise a red flag with me - plus I know some of those discount hotel sites require a deposit which is nonrefundable if you decide to cancel the reservation.

The policy is that the broker (website) makes a deal with the hotel to sell a number of rooms, for which the broker is given a deeply discounted rate (whether the broker pays the hotel in advance or simply agrees to sell as many rooms as possible and payment is settled after each month of business, varies).
The broker takes care of all reservations and booking hassles (saving the hotel money and time). The broker bills you. The broker pays the hotel (less than you paid the broker).
The broker notifies the hotel on the morning of arrival regarding each of the reservations they've taken for that day. As such, the hotel will typically have no record of your reservation until the day of your arrival.
It's all legitimate. Just more of a hassle for you, the traveller. And that's part of why you get a discount.

And one other thing...I've actually used the company you mentioned (once) and asked lots of questions since the whole thing seemed 'fishy' to me. Everything was as advertised, and it worked out fine. Got a room at a Four Seasons for $119 a night just as they said I would.

I have used them many times and they are legit. The one problem is your are popped 50 bucks for cancelations. Make sure you know what you want. I love their prices. I use them everytime I'm in New Orleans.

I've also used this site to book rooms with no problems. As the others have said, just be aware of the $50 non-refundable fee if you cancel your reservation. Also, when you go to other travel sites like Travelocity and Expedia, you'll notice their "special" rates at some hotels with the same terms (e.g., $50 cancellation fee). They get these rooms through the same broker.

I have used them lots and lots of times without a single problem. HOWEVER, it pays to shop. You can often get the same or lower rates at other hotel booking sites or directly through the hotel's website without having to prepay. AND, if you have a particular hotel in mind, book your room elsewhere with whoever has the best rate, then check hoteldiscounts from time to time. The rates go up and down. Last Christmas, their rate at the hotel where we stayed fluctuated dramatically from day to day within the week before we left. When it dropped to $50 lower than the most frequent rate (and the one we got directly at the hotel's website), we grabbed it.

If you book over the net, you will get a confirmation page or confirmation email from the company you are dealing with. It is good policy to print out that page/email and take it with you on your trip. I just posted on another thread about how my reservation was supposed to include breakfast, but the check-in clerk said it wasn't coded as such. I pulled out my confirmation which clearly stated breakfast was included, she then showed it to a manger and i was given my breakfast vouchers (which i never would have gotten if i didn't bring the confirmation page with me).

I've used them once without any problem. However, I much prefer to use quickbook.com. In my experience, quickbook often has better or similar rates. The big advantage of quickbook is that, unlike hoteldiscount.com, your entire stay is not charged to your credit card at the time of booking. With quickbook, you just pay your bill at the front desk at the end of your stay as you would with a normal reservation. Additionally, there is no cancellation penalty with quickbook if you cancel within a certain amount of time (24 hours prior to arrival I think).

I discovered that in many (or even most) cases hoteldiscounts.com quotes the price that you could get directly with the hotel and thereby save $50 fee in case you need to cancel. Therefore, I twice used that website for reference and then booked the room by calling to the hotel directly - in Miami Beach and
Amsterdam.
I've never booked hotels with hoteldiscounts.com.

Please whatever you do, take our advice and shop around. We used hoteldiscounts one year with no problems whatsoever, the second year we called the hotel directly and their price was $100 cheaper. When I informed the guy at hoteldiscounts this, he became quite upset. not with me, but with the hotel.He stated thatthe hotel was not supposed to do that. Whatever, all I care about is getting a great room at a great price. The hotel was Caesars Palace. One other thing when we did book with hoteldiscounts, we called the hotel about 2-3 days before we left home and the hotel did have a reservation for us. I think that the company doesn't want you to check to far in advance.

Thanks alot guys! I am feeling much relieved about booking and discount sites on the web. I will definately try some of the other sites you all have mentioned for my next trip. Thanks again!

BUSTED!

All right Ed--that's proof positive!

Though I have to wonder, what even made you think to go to google to check it out???

Gotcha!

KA-BAM!!

SPLAT!