The Gnome vs the Negotiator

[news flash] The Gnome and Negotiator are going head-to-head!

I'm surprised it took this long, but on Monday of this week, Travelocity added "top secret hotels" to its suite of travel booking products in a move to directly compete with 'blind-booking' travel giants Priceline and Hotwire.

Expedia, Travelocity, Hotwire and Priceline are constantly ranked within the top 10 travel 'agency' websites and always jockeying for the top position.   With this in mind, it  makes sense that Travelocity would attempt to take market share away from two of its biggest competitors, offering a similar service.

I'm sure Travelocity plans on beefing up this service, but at present, you can only book 'top secret hotels' in 34 US cities (expanded from 18 earlier this week) and 3 Canadian cities--and this doesn't even include Vancouver, a city basking in the Olympic spotlight.

In the past I've written about how to determine what hotel you're going to get when you book with Priceline and Hotwire via BetterBidding.com**. Although I like the element of surprise, I also like the logic behind Better Bidding's ability to predict your hotel 99% of the time.  Unless Travelcity is using the same back-end as Priceline and Hotwire, because of the infancy of Travelocity's top secret hotel service, I won't be able to guesstimate what hotel I'll get with accuracy.

Moral of the story a) understand why travelocity is trying to compete with priceline and hotwire b) for now, would prefer to stick with sites who have been perfecting the blind-booking business model for 10+ years unless travelocity has significantly better savings or some other incentive to switch c) i love using betterbidding.com to figure out my hotel; can't do that with travelocity's new service because it is too young

How Travelocity's 'Top Secret Hotels' Works - search hotels rates already discounted up to 45% - choose a date and location - browse hotels that fit search criteria showing price and star-rating - book what works for you - hotel’s name and details provided after payment is given

*Traveolcity notes that their 'top secret hotels' are backed by their guarantee, which could be in the consumer's advantage in the event of a dispute.  Earlier this year, I booked an airport hotel in Milan via Hotwire.  Although the hotel was only two miles from the airport in a straight line, the roads from the hotel to the airport were convoluted, resulting in 20+ mins of travel time.  This is not acceptable for an airport hotel, and when I disputed the matter with Hotwire, they would not change my booking.

**Note that BetterBidding.com is working on demystifying results for Travelocity's Top-Secret Hotels just like it does for Hotwire and Priceline.

Travel Like a King for Peasant Prices

Many people think travel is too expensive, but if you know when, where and how to book, you can travel like a king for peasant prices!

Fave Booking Sites I'm always able to find what I want, when I want with the following websites. Kayak - use this metasearch engine to research flight, hotel, cars, vacations, cruises and more. When you find what you're looking for, you're taken to the travel co's site to complete the booking process. - note that kayak does not include some discount carriers like allegiantair.com Hotwire.com - book a hotel/flight/car/cruise in the geo area you want with the amenities you want for a discounted price. The catch?  You see the price but not the hotel/flight name.  You find out your specific hotel or airline once the booking is complete. - what most people don't know: there's a science behind hotwire's results.  With the help of betterbidding.com, 99% of the time you can predict the 'result.' Priceline.com - book a hotel/flight/vacation/car/cruise just like you would on expedia or travelocity. The catch?  You can go one step further and bid on the geo area and star rating you want.  If your price gets accepted, you're told the name and details of your hotel, car or flight. - also look to betterbidding.com for insight into how much to bid and what selection you'll likely get for the area & star rating you want.

Low-Season = Great Price If you want to travel like a rock star on a roadie budget, think 'low season.' For example, travel to: - ski destinations in nov, april or may - sunny destinations in spring or fall - europe in late spring, late fall or winter - Canada or US urban cities in mid-to-late sept - Australia in 'our' summer (their winter)

Escape Winter with Kayak's Private Sale

Feeling lucky? Can't decide where to go on your next trip? Kayak's recently launched Private Sale might have the answer. Travel deal seekers beware, you can only access it if you're a Kayak registered user, so if you're not already, you might want to get on the bandwagon. Private Sale hasn't entered the market without criticism.  Some feel is it a departure from Kayak's original metasearch business model, while others feel excitement over Kayak's potential IPO may take away from the online travel co's capacity to negotiate the best deals.  I don't agree. The more Kayak posts Private Sale deals, the more the consumer and hotels win.  Win-win.

How it Works Each Thursday, hand-selected properties are posted based on search trends. The heavily discounted rates are only offered for one week or until the offer is sold out. One cool feature is the booking calendar.  Rather than noting 10 date restrictions in mouse-print below the offer, the arrival calendar auto-populates days and/or months when the deal is applicable, making it easy to view and book the dates you want. Also, like Priceline and Hotwire, Kayak's Private Sale has an eire of 'feel good booking.' Once you select a hotel and enter your dates, it tells you the total price, as well as your savings compared to the hotel's best available rate.

Current Deals - Snake River Lodge & Spa. Jackson Hole, WY. Reg $275, Now $165 - Paradise Point Resort & Spa. San Diego, CA Reg $179, Now $119 - Bryant Park Hotel. New York City, NY. Reg $420, Now $325

*If you want to search a wider variety of properties, check out another new Kayak feature: Luxury Auctions.

Kayak Auctions

Wow, Kayak has been busy lately adding Luxury Travel Auctions to its ever-growing arsenal.  Partnering with Luxury Link, Kayak is able to offer another and perhaps slightly more risky/exciting way to book travel versus the regular: search flight/hotel listings > book a trip. In the online travel booking space, two auction sites share the biggest amount of traffic/recognition:  Sky Auction and the aforementioned Luxury Link.   I used skyauction.com 4 years ago to book a week at 5-star The Villa Vera Hotel & Racquet Club in Acapulco, Mexico.  I paid $300usd for an entire week, which proved a significant savings off regular high or low season rates.

Although booking travel through an auction site can seem scary, it's all about educating yourself: peruse the deals; read the details, terms and conditions carefully; and place a bid you're comfortable with at the last minute.  Online travel auctions have been around since 1999, but perhaps Kayak partnering with Luxury Link is a sign of the times.  Are the masses ready to adopt this type of travel booking?

How Kayak's Luxury Travel Auctions Work

• listings are posted to the luxury auctions page
• each listing details
  • hotel name & description
  • location
  • current bid price
  • savings off retail rate
  • valid travel dates
  • time left
• research your preference (location, number of stars, type of property, dates, terms and conditions)
• place your bid (hint: do so at the last minute if it's something you really want a chance of winning)
• monitor your bid
• win or lose bid

Making the Most of Kayak Auctions

• closing soon: peruse the closing soon auctions if you want the best deal possible
• geo area: you can also search by the geographic area where you'd like to travel.  Narrow down your search, choose your preferred hotel, bid and start saving!

Will I use Kayak Auctions in the near future?  Probably not.  Kayak is providing a great service, but since it's in the luxury travel space, I can still find other semi-luxury properties on priceline or hotwire.  To each their own.  Check it out!