Then, scroll down to read in-depth summaries of each or click to jump to a particular site. If you’re trying to figure out how best to search for cheap hotels: First, scan this quick list of the best hotel search sites, in no particular order. Don’t forget to check the cancellation policy as the best hotel booking site is one that has a flexible policy in case your plans change. Hotels sites will also offer package deals-bundled amenity inclusions and the like-that aren’t shared with third-party sites.īottom line: Whether you search with a hotel site on this list or a preferred hotel search engine of your own, always check the hotel’s actual website as well, or call its reservations line, to make sure you really are getting the best hotel deal. The Best Hotel Booking Sites for Comparing Pricesįor most travel planning, the best overall strategy is to compare prices from multiple sources including the hotel’s own website, as it will sometimes offer deals not shared with third-party sites, or offer the same rates as third-party sites minus pesky booking fees. Some of the links featured in this story are affiliate links, and SmarterTravel may collect a commission (at no cost to you) if you shop through them. But when doing your search, deciding which hotel booking sites to compare should depend on how often they offer the best hotel deals, and how you prefer to view and filter search results. From metasearch engines (aggregator) that send you to company sites, to bookable OTAs (online travel agencies), to corporate hotel sites, the options for the best hotel booking sites can be overwhelming. We used the plain “non-member” rates for all our tests.As with the best flight booking sites, there’s no shortage of resources available when you need to book a cheap hotel room. Aggregator member savings are more sporadically available, and on the order of just 1% to 2%. Whenever you find a result for a company you’ve never heard of, do a quick search for its name and the words “review” or “scam,” and also check out its reputation on the Better Business Bureau ( BBB.org) before giving them your money.Īs a side note, membership sometimes has its privileges, at least at some OTA sites where signing in can often net you 4% to 6% in savings. Warning: Many aggregators will discover a number of booking sites that have amazingly low prices-but often sketchy track records. You’d think their results would be at least as good-but we found they weren’t. In fact, in our latest survey, the site that found the most hotels was actually an OTA, and not an aggregator that supposedly canvasses it. Why include smaller OTAs at all when there are aggregators that check them? Well, some aggregators aren’t nearly as good as they should be at combing through those booking engines. We tested both OTAs and the aggregators that search them. There are basically three types of websites we use to find hotels: OTAs (online travel agencies) the hotels’ own websites, which may offer deals OTAs can’t match (and you should always double-check yourself before booking) and aggregators, or meta-search engines, which don’t actually handle reservations-they trawl both OTAs and hotel sites to return a compendium of results, then send you to your choice for booking. First, it helps to understand the playing field.
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