Well, I hope everyone had a terrific holiday season, but then, we’re on our way to a bunch of stuff aren’t we? Valentine’s Day,  St. Patrick’s Day,  Apil Fools and Easter.  I guess we have to keep the floral and candy businesses busy huh?

I thought I’d write a little about booking hotels and resorts because there are some misconceptions out there about DEALS and how that could affect your loyalties to certain brands.  There are popular sites like Expedia, Travelocity, Trivago, Booking.com and many others and you have to ask, how do they get such great rates?  Are they always lower than booking directly through the resort or hotel website? Can you earn loyalty points or gain access to the attractive perks your loyalties offer as a member? Is it worth it to take a DEAL? It depends on how important the price or perks mean to you personally, to tell the truth.

As a travel adviser, I can tell you that each client has preferences about that and I hope to let you know how important it is regarding HOW you book and your own personal needs and wants.

Some clients really like the SEAMLESS travel experience.  What I mean is, they like to have the air, transportation between an airport and the hotel and have included other stuff (breakfast or other meal plan) as part of the package that isn’t available any other way. The convenience is one thing, but there are also other advantages. Tour operators have a big advantage since they contract with various air-carriers, hotel/resort chains and transportation outlets and pass any savings on to their clients.  Another advantage with the tour operator (that what they are called by the way) is that they block space and don’t have to return unbooked spaced until generally 30 days prior to arrival.  Sooo, as an independent traveler, you can try booking directly with the hotel but there won’t be availability.  This can be frustrating if particular dates are needed. I will try to contact several of my vendors to see who might still have availability for my clients, sometimes that works well. This is an advantage to clients who may need a particular date and want to lock something in.  It doesn’t work sometimes for HIGH EVENT DATES, a celebration or whatever, for example New Year’s Eve in NYC, or significant sports events, college graduations dates and the like. Most smart hoteliers will have black-out dates when they can charge prime rates. The price is then up to you. Is it worth it?

When booking through an online agency, directly with a travel advisor OR in a package, you are not going to earn those perks you generally receive as a loyalist with Marriott or Hilton etc. The tour operator might have built in an attractive bonus for booking through them though, like, late departures or free parking or waived resort fees that is really worth it to you in the long run.

I think it is important to know that the Expedia’s and Trivago’s and others, get their rates lower because of their contracts. They can include a least attractive room location, as an example. They say you get what you pay for, but sometimes it is attractive, if only for price! I personally prefer VALUE over PRICE.

As an advisor, it is important to me that the client thoroughly understands what they are buying. I don’t want a client returning from a trip upset that they didn’t earn some points or get their free upgrade or whatever their loyalty level may have offered.

What do I mean by VALUE vs PRICE? I want the biggest bang for my buck PERIOD! I might pay a little more bucks get a great deal in exchange. I think of PRICE ONLY as an example of the bargain hunter, the cheaper the better, no matter what.  The true budget traveler.  But, I like deals like: Pay for an Inside Cabin and get an Ocean View on a cruise for the same price OR an Ocean View room with a balcony rather than a Garden or Mountain View room at a resort. It is the experience that makes the VALUE a good or bad one.  When it comes to spending a lot of money on a vacation, maybe a tad more than you were planning one, think of it this way: What do you want to do or accomplish or Feel about the trip in your planning? Do you want to experience the culture, food, luxury or whatever?  Don’t expect to do so on a budget as your driver.  Most people return from their trip, not remembering what they paid, but how the trip made them feel. If you’re talking a one or two night stay, no big deal, however, I think it makes a difference if you are staying in a place, room, resort of whatever, AT LEAST EQUAL OR BETTER than your home.  You work hard to play hard right? At least that’s how I think.  It is important for you to know what your expectations are and that they meet with those of your traveling partner(s).  If earning points is more important than grabbing a DEAL, do what works for you.

I have a story to tell you, to give you an idea of what I mean by all this.  I had a couple contact me years ago to go to Cabo for a week, looking at a package. They asked for the best deal at a best price.  That’s a relative term but I gave it my best shot.  I found this resort that had just been taken over by a different company,  They changed the name of the resort and wanted agents to get the word out.  We were offered a special time-limited deal from the vendor. I was excited about it and told the couple…the pricing wasn’t the deal, it was the offer.  A 5-star hotel was offering a 7-night stay for the price of a 5-night stay. What made it especially attractive, they offered an Ocean Front accommodation for the price of a garden view.  So pricewise it was a GOOD DEAL, but the experience was going to be more special than staying at a 3-star property that was within the couples price range. Needless to say, they were thrilled. A big bang for their buck, literally. HOWEVER, they asked someone to join them, and that couple wanted BUDGET.  Price was all that mattered, so the deal was passed up for a location that wasn’t on the water and the establishment had a curfew, WHAT? You read that right. Soo, they got the week for very CHEAP but it was only a couple of hundred more for a LUXURY BARGAIN, unbelievable me thinks!!!! Maybe you personally would agree with the one couple, but TO EACH HIS OWN…..I look for the best I can get (value) for the best price.

I’ve written this all to get you guys thinking. What is your style of vacationing? Is it a spoil? Or Not? Do perks matter to you if you can get an outstanding special, time-limited DEAL?  Just remember, those great deals with the online agencies, for a stand-alone room, may not be all it is cut out for.  Maybe booking directly with your preferred hotel is the best way to go.  I do that personally when booking pre/port hotels to a cruise for example. No big deal. But, if we’re talking VACATION, several days….I expect to be very comfortable and know that I got a ‘killer deal’ for something special…points or no points HA….I guess, the older I get I’m not as active as I once was and do a lot or relaxing at the resort and the immediate surrounding.  Whatever makes it special to me is worth it, but a total bonus if I get some perks to make that vacation experience memorable – in a good way. It doesn’t have to be expensive, I’m not that spoiled, but it has to be worth more than I paid if you get the drift. HA.