How To Book Your Hotel Online — and Save Big

As a former Travel Deals Editor, I was always torn between using hotel homepage sites to book my travel, or just scanning the aggregators. Since I worked for an actual aggregator, it seemed in my best interest to use them, know them, understand how they worked and why they save money… but in the back of my head, I was always sure that if I checked the hotel’s actual website, I’d be able to score a better deal.

These days I no longer spend my time aggregating hotel prices, and have a less loyal, more broad range of what I trust when it comes to booking and I’ve learned this: if you are searching for the bells and whistles, chocolate and strawberries, in-room bartenders, and luxe amenities to-boot, check your hotel’s site. However, if you’re an average joe just looking for a nice room in a sweet hotel, aggregators are the best way to save a buck. Here’s why.

1. It’s an area issue. Unless you are very familiar with an area- or have points piled up at a specific brand-new resort- you probably don’t know exactly where you want to stay. Many aggregators offer the chance to scan cities and regions for a list of hotels. By seeing these hotels side by side, you can compare nabe’s, amenities, transit, and all the other important things.

2. Aggregators compile leftover rooms on last-minute stays. Checking out a last-minute booking at the hotel of your choice could end up costly. Brands often jack-up those dollar signs on days they see as busy. However, aggregators are offered a certain number of unbooked rooms on these last-minute days, and it’s in their best interest to get rid of them. This means plenty of bargain prices and rates dropping all the time.

3. When hotels run deals, aggregators follow. Sure you might normally get a better deal on your agg’s, but what about those sale days? When a hotel runs a lower price as part of a promotion, the aggregators do, too. So, you’re not missing out on anything by booking without your resorts site. In fact, occasionally, aggregators will offer sales on competing hotels in the same region, to run against large brand hotel deals.

4. The proof is in the booking. High powered search sites scan all the best aggregators AND hotel websites, so you aren’t missing out on a single way to save a dollar. Plus, if there is a better deal with a nearby resort, you’ve got all of the information in front of you in one place- no searching around.

If you’re tired of the old standbys and are looking for some new shiny aggregators, try Hotels Combined and HotelGuide.com, which both offer super fast results among a myriad of top-rated sites, in a fresh, clean format that’s uncluttered with roaming gnomes or flashy bulletins.