Travel Tips

Travel Tip: Opaque Hotel Booking

The idea of opaque hotel booking sites has been around for a while, but there are some new developments in this technology. So here’s how you can maximize your savings.

Priceline has a new option in its booking engine. Along with the traditional Name Your Own Price, there’s also an Express Deals tab that lets you search by city and star rating.

What you get are discounted prices and general locations, but not the actual name of the hotel.

his option is similar to Hotwire’s Hot Rates model, Travelocity’s Top Secret Hotels and Expedia Unpublished Rates Hotels. The catch is, of course, that you have to pay in full, which is non-refundable, to take advantage of the deal.

So how can you get the best hotel for a discounted rate? You have to do your due diligence about the properties in the areas and what amenities they offer. That way you get a sense of which hotels you’re actually dealing with and how much they normally cost.

In some cases, there are only a couple of four and five-star hotels in that area, so you can be confident that you’re coming out on top with a great deal.

For more information, visit the Hotel archives.

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