Best hotel booking promo at the moment?

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Jul 9th, 2020 7:44 am

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Jul 5th, 2020 9:57 am

naticom [OP]: Deal Addict; Oct 8, 2015; 2117 posts; 1908 upvotes

Jul 5th, 2020 9:57 am

Best hotel booking promo at the moment?

In the past couple of years I took advantage of booking.com referral program a lot.

Basically many bloggers used to post their referral link on the Internet and a simple Google search would take me to those pages Usually I can save ~40USD each night through the link.

However, I don’t know since when but booking.com had ended the referral program.

Is there other websites that also provided such great promo or referral program that we can use? Right now I only know priceline‘s deal breaker or express break.
Thanks!

5 replies

Jul 5th, 2020 11:37 am

PointsHubby: Deal Expert; Feb 7, 2017; 19278 posts; 16933 upvotes; Eastern Ontario

Jul 5th, 2020 11:37 am

Not a Referral, just a Tip

I gave up on 3rd Party Resellers a long time ago as I now find the best way to book is to book direct from any of the chain hotels as a a Loyalty Member

Here’s a reply I did for another recent thread, where the traveller was going to BC

hotel-deals-2386385/

PointsHubby wrote: ↑ Good selection in Kelowna
https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Hotels-g1549 ... otels.html

I would start by checking ratings & availablity there on TripAdvisor
Then I would join the Hotel Loyalty Program for whichever one I am interested in

Then surf around to see the best deal I can find
(Including members rates on the hotel’s own website ... may have to log in to see them )

Lastly ... if the hotel website is competitive ... but still not the lowest
I would phone the hotel’s direct line to the front desk
Talk to someone there (NOT the central booking for the chain)
And tell them the deal you found
And ask them if they can meet or beat as you are a Loyalty Club Member

Most times a hotel will do that ... if you are booking thru the front desk

Then you get to enjoy the deal, the perks, and the points.
(Points Programs have improved greatly in the last 24 months ... many are now useable for a lot more than just hotel nights )

FYI ... advantage to booking with a Hotel direct during Covid, and being a member ... is a far more generous cancellation & refund policy (even often on NON REFUNDABLE RESERVATIONS ... see their websites for more info. Booking thru a 3rd Party like Expedia, Travelocity, TripAdvisor, Booking.com etc... and you don’t usually get that. You can lose everything ... lots of complaints during Covid to be found about 3rd Parties in the RFD TRAVEL FORUM ... where the RFD Mods will likely move this thread to

And another great advantage ... that during these very uncertain Covid times ... Hotel Cancellations & Refund Policies are extremely generous for Loyalty Members

Lots of threads here on RFD where people have not encountered the same experience with 3rd Party Booking Sites ... they tend to say “too bad so sad” and keep your money

So as the saying goes ... it ain’t a bargain ... if it ends up costing you a lot more in the long run either in cash, time or grief
(Time = grief ... spent trying to get your money back successfully or unsuccessfully)

Jul 6th, 2020 6:50 pm

webshark: Deal Addict; May 22, 2016; 2390 posts; 614 upvotes; Ontario

Jul 6th, 2020 6:50 pm

Agree with above post. Loyalty is the best way to get deals or subscribe to emails from hotel. Staff seem to be so much nicer and offer free upgrades too.

Jul 8th, 2020 12:42 am

Paulie1RFD: Sr. Member; May 24, 2017; 953 posts; 679 upvotes; GTA

Jul 8th, 2020 12:42 am

Expedia sometimes has deals. Back in February when I was traveling through Whitehorse I was looking for a hotel. Found one that was decent price ($99/night). I then thought let me check Expedia. Sure enough, same hotel had rooms for $89/night. So I booked it through Expedia.

Jul 8th, 2020 2:52 am

perryalbert: Newbie; Dec 3, 2017; 33 posts; 5 upvotes

Jul 8th, 2020 2:52 am

I have also been waiting for a referral program on booking.com for many days, but no new update has been published.

Jul 9th, 2020 7:44 am

wysiwyg: Deal Addict; Nov 2, 2002; 1947 posts; 702 upvotes; Toronto

Jul 9th, 2020 7:44 am

Use the usual booking sites (hotels.com, booking.com, trivago, Agoda) to search and compare prices and then once you find a hotel you like, go directly to the hotel’s official page to check their prices and book directly. Chances are it will be the same. It’s worth waiting until last minute as hotels are empty these days and will usually have rooms as people are just so afraid to travel and lack of international visitors. Be sure to select a refundable rate no matter where you book. Most offer this these days. Check every day as rates just keep on dropping.

Celebrating 19+ years on RFD!

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