Booking accommodation
The Escape Club
Are you about to start booking accommodation? It can be very daunting as you prepare for a trip or holiday. What do you do first?
I always start with Google and Google Maps to look up the names of hotels near where I want to be, then head over to Wotif.com to find out how much it might cost and if there is any availability. I wanted to go to Sydney a few months ago and there was literally nothing available so I didn’t waste my time ringing around. I also check out booking direct with the hotel and always consider:
- What’s the best deal?
- Do I have coupons or rewards to use?
- What hotel is the best value for money?
- How can I save money?
- What extras do I want or need?
It can be overwhelming making a decision and finding the best value for money. I’ve started using a guest reward program to help me get the best deals called The Escape Club. I pay to be a part of this program and it’s saved me money.
I’m going to the Gold Coast in November and I decided to book using my membership with The Escape Club. It took a little while to get in contact with them as my times available to ring them didn’t match theirs however, we managed to get into contact today.
I had Mitch to help me and he did a great job. I asked Mitch about the hotel I wanted to look at booking accommodation with, was given a price and then was asked to wait on hold. Mitch returned to advise me that the hotel was totally booked out for the days I wanted and he was unable to help me, however he could find me rooms at a hotel close by. I did a quick google check and it seemed a nice hotel, however it was not the one I wanted.
I had checked out Wotif first to see what the prices were like at the hotel, if there was availability for the days I wanted and what the rooms were like to provide me with a comparison between what The Escape Club could offer and what Wotif could do so I was a bit surprised by what Mitch had said.
I asked Mitch if the hotel was booked out, why was Wotif showing rooms available? Mitch was surprised to hear that so put me on hold again and rang the hotel I wanted. He returned to advise me that he had organised a room for the days I wanted and at a price I am very pleased with. I made the booking, paid via visa card and voila, I have my room booking done and confirmed for my holiday in November.
When booking accommodation make sure you do your research, know what you want, don’t take no as the only answer, ask questions and be prepared with a Plan B. The other hotel Mitch had recommended would have done nicely however I wanted to stay at the hotel I selected.
Has anything like this ever happened to you and what have you done when you can’t get the accommodation you wanted?
Tania Shipman
Interested in Anything and Everything
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{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Nice Post, Tanny.
In my experience while working for RACV, much of the booking volume for many Accommodation venues comes from online source like wotif and lastminute.com.au. So sometimes they leave blocks of accommodation available to online bookings.
You can get some great deals online, but sometimes it is nice to call to sort the finer details.
Belinda recently posted..Internet Marketing Program of the Year – Review
Thanks Belinda, great to know why there was rooms available. Thanks for the comment.
Tanny
Hi Tanny,
I think you hit the nail on the head with your booking accommodation tips. Do your research and don’t accept a phone call or an online site to be the be all and end all. I typically look up wotif.com to check what’s available, then go to the website directly to check how similar the prices are (they are usually the same). However sometimes when I’ve called I’ve been offered a cheaper rate than advertised. Another tip is to try and find patterns in Wotif setting ‘red hot rates’ for certain days of the week. Then you can be ready for the next sequence.
David Moloney recently posted..Finding Free Images For Commercial Use
Hi David,
More great tips. Human contact can make a big difference. I hadn’t thought about the patterns in Wotif, I’ll keep that in mind for my next trip
Hi Tanny,
You’ve provided some great advice for anyone wanting to book accommodation online. as this can be quite frustrating. Your personal experience is a great example of why travelers should persist and not take the first “no” as the final answer. Sounds like you received some great customer service too which can be hard to come by!
Caroline
Caroline recently posted..Backing Tracks – A Great Accessory for Singers
Hi Caroline
Thanks for your comment. It’s always nice to be able to show wins and great customer service.
Tanny
Hi Tania,
This is a great article. You’ve covered it well, and if you were to follow it, should get you the accommodation you’re after. Good guide for those not sure where to start.
Thanks, Carolyn.
Hi Carolyn
Thanks for your comments. Glad that you found my post a good guide for people
Tan
Hello Tania,
Great post. I love how you were determined to stay at the hotel you wanted, and searched on whatif.com – we have used that sight many times and found them so much cheaper then going throgh the hotel direct!!
Once I needed a hotel in Brisbane for one night. Again whatif.com showed me a hotel at a great price near where I wanted….ringing the hotel to see if I could book that way was a difference in money, and wanted two nights instead of one night! So Booking Accomodation does take time/and shopping around…great to hear that you are happy with your help from Mitch and the internet.
Cheers
Lisa
Lisa Wood recently posted..Way To Happiness
Hi Lisa
I did want to stay where I ended up and using Wotif.com meant I could see rooms were available. I’ve had a similar experience to you where the hotel said nothing available or minimum of 3 days stay and wotif allowed me to stay overnight much cheaper. Pays to look around.
Tan
Hi Tanny,
You are exactly right with your post. Whenever I need to book accommodation I usually do a lot of searching online and tend to find different prices for the same hotels on different sites. Thanks for your information, it really does pay to shop around and not take no for an answer.
Jackie Stenhouse recently posted..First Stages of Pregnancy
Hi Jackie
Doing research for anything can save you time and money. Glad you enjoyed my post.
Tanny
Hi Tanny,
Great article, makes me realize I better go and book for myself for November other wise I will be sleeping in my car.
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Hi Rita
Thanks for the comment. Time to book indeed or that car might be wear you do end up sleeping. I’m glad it’s prompted you to take some action to stop that happening.
Tan
I was watching Carly Crutchfield on The Secret Millionaire the other day. She was saying she stays in hotels that charge her $3000 per night. I think she should get her staff to go through The Escape Club when booking accommodation for her and get her a better deal.
Wal Heinrich recently posted..Make Money With A Granny Flat In Your Back Yard
Great Idea Wal. Hopefully she will read this and learn
Hi Tanny,
A great post, very topical and timely for us at the moment. I have never used whatif before so you have passed on some great information to me here, thank you. Love your site too.
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Wotif.com is a great site as it gives you a starting idea of what’s available where you are heading and if you book, it can be all done online. It’s still worth a call to the hotel to see what they can offer but I don’t travel anywhere without checking what’s available first on Wotif. Thanks for the comment about my site
I book all my accommodation online, after researching thoroughly. One thing i’ve tried my luck at but never been happy is the mystery deals where you only get a description but don’t find out the hotel until you buy. I’ve almost always been able to “work them out” and feel like a detective, but I usually get one of two things – great service but a hotel room that feels a little “tired” an in need of refurbishment, or an amazing hotel and horrible service. Then maybe that’s why they are mystery hotels – if all was perfect they wouldn’t need to go down this path!
Anyway, enough of my rant, and thanks for the good read.
Matt
Brand Police recently posted..Railway Sleepers Sydney – A case study in SEO
Hi Matt
I’ve never tried the mystery deals, maybe others have tried them and could comment.
Tanny
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