I stopped booking hotels through aggregator sites and saved $50 a night last month in Portland

Look I know everyone swears by Kayak and Hotels.com for deals but I tried something different. I found a motel I liked online then called them directly. They matched the aggregator price and gave me a coupon for the diner next door. Aggregators tack on service fees and you never get perks like late checkout. Has anyone else tried calling places direct or am I the only one who thinks this is smarter?

2 comments

2 Comments

jessica7074d ago

Wait, you're saying you actually called a MOTEL and they gave you a COUPON? Like a physical coupon? That's wild to me. I mean, I've heard of people booking direct with bigger chains and getting loyalty points or whatever, but a mom and pop place just handing out diner coupons? I'm genuinely shook. Last time I called a motel direct I got put on hold for ten minutes then quoted a price that was like double what Expedia had. But maybe I was just unlucky. Your mileage may vary I guess, but that coupon thing is blowing my mind a little.

carter.joseph3d ago

Has anyone thought about how calling direct also keeps your data out of the third-party booking systems that sometimes get hacked and leak your credit card info? I know a guy who got his identity stolen after using a sketchy aggregator, and the hotel wasn't even able to help because his reservation wasn't in their system properly. So besides saving money and getting extra perks, you're also cutting down on your personal info floating around out there.