Travel portals are known for their witty advertisements. Hotels.com is no exception with Captain Obvious who has lots of, well, obvious sayings that can be helpful to the oblivious traveler and make the seasoned traveler chuckle. Despite all the marketing, this review of Hotels.com examines if Captain Obvious is the best person to guide you to saving money on hotel rooms.
What is Hotels.com?
First off, Hotels.com is an affiliate of Expedia, the same parent company which also owns Trivago, Orbitz, Travelocity, and its namesake, Expedia. They show prices for international chains, resorts, local "mom and pop" hotels, and beds & breakfast for U.S. and international destinations.
They also claim to offer over 20,000 last-minute deals that are accessible by visiting their website or using their app.
Hotels.com Rewards
One reason why you might consider booking your hotel stays with Hotels.com is for their rewards program. You get one free night after booking 10 nights. That's not bad, but some hotel cards give you one free night a year for just holding their card.
The program is free to join and your 10 nights do not expire. There are no blackout dates for the free nights and they can even be used at more expensive hotels and resorts. All you're on the hook for are the fees and taxes.
Secret Deals
As a Hotels.com Rewards member, you have access to Secret Price fares that the non-rewards members will not see. This can make it cheaper to book a night than directly through a hotel as well.
According to Hotels.com, the Secret Deals can save you about $32 on an average stay.
Silver and Gold Rewards Membership Levels
If you book more than 10 nights a year, Hotels.come will upgrade you to Silver membership. Benefits of Silver status include guaranteed room availability, price guarantees, priority customer service, and early access to special offers. Staying more than 30 nights a year bumps you up to Gold status where you will receive exclusive Hotels.com offers.
Travel Deals
You can enter your destination and travel dates on the Hotels.com website and it will populate with a list of hotels based on popularity, price, or proximity.
Underneath the search box is a section where you can find featured deals that can be daily specials to select destinations or seasonal sales.
The search results also show the TripAdvisor user rating for each property and it shows the average nightly rate for a room. This price is often the prepaid rate and there can be more expensive rates if you want a flexible cancellation policy or want to pay the hotel at check-in.
Hotels.com has a wide footprint of quality hotels to choose from.
Marriott.comHotels and Flights Packages
You might also be able to save money by bundling your hotel and flight into a single purchase. The only downside is that the hotel nights do not count towards your rewards nights. But, the better deal can be worth delaying your progress for getting the free night. After all, Hotels.com says you can save $603 on an average trip with their package deals.
Doing a quick search from Atlanta to Prince Edward Island in September shows one person can fly and get a room for one week for as little as $736. Select hotels will show that you can get one night free when you book a package deal. This can offset the one free reward night if you were to book a hotel only through the Hotels.com reward program.
A similar search from the Trivago and Expedia sister sites showed similar prices for the same deals.
How Does Hotels.com Compare to Other Booking Sites?
So you can save some money traveling by getting your 11th hotel night free and getting a flights and hotel package. But, is Hotels.com really the cheapest place to stay?
Directly From Hotel
Doing a quick search in Orlando for a single room in August, Hotels.com offered a room at the Sheraton Suites Orlando Airport for $125 per night plus taxes and fees. The same room was $108 plus taxes and fees. You get to save almost $20 a night by booking directly from the Sheraton/SPG website.
Other Third Party Sites
Doing the same search on Expedia (Hotel.com's parent site), was $110 a night for the same room plus taxes and fees. It was $15 cheaper to buy the same room from Expedia, but, still not as cheap as directly from Sheraton.
Using the Kayak travel portal search engine to quickly compare the prices of the other third-party booking sites showed that several others priced the same room at $110 per night while another (Amoma) was higher at $134 a night.
Review of Comparison
As a second test for the same dates, Hotels.com also had limited availability for some hotels. For example, the Holiday Inn Express Orlando Airport couldn't be reserved through Hotels.com but was available for $93 a night from Expedia and $89.59 per night directly from Holiday Inn Express.
Hotels.com can be a good option for booking non-chain hotels, but, it seems that unless you can get a secret deal, you are better off booking directly with the hotel.
Booking with Hotels.com can still be good if you want to earn rewards points from any hotel stay, regardless of the brand or if you prefer to stay at local places first and national brands as a last resort.
Pros of Hotels.com
Here are a few reasons you might like Hotels.com
- 11th night is free as you only pay fees and taxes
- Secret Deals can save you money over other booking sites
- Flights and Hotel Packages can potentially save you money
- Access to local hotels that earn Hotels.com rewards
Cons of Hotels.com
Here are reasons you might not like Hotels.com
- Can be cheaper to book directly from hotel
- Some international brands don't award loyalty points for third-party bookings
- Sometimes limited availability
- Other booking sites are sometimes cheaper
- Cannot earn reward nights for hotel purchased in a travel package
Summary on Hotels.com
While Captain Obvious might be full of wisdom, deals at Hotels.com aren't always so obvious. Their rewards program and secret deals can add value. Booking with Hotels.com is best if you like to stay at local places and are not loyal to a particular chain. Hotels.com is competitive with their pricing since they are owned by Expedia, but, they don't always have the best deals overall. Before you book a hotel make sure and do your research so you get the best price available.
