Because I'm the family's computer savvy member, I often get phone calls asking if I can find a great hotel or flight. I, myself, am a seasoned traveler as well.

What I've found is that, booking a hotel through a "discount" site i.e. hotels.com or priceline.com, is NOT always the cheapest route.

I guess because the discount sites have to pay the bills too, they charge fees that sometimes end up making the room more expensive than if you just book directly with the hotel. Especially if you're looking to travel during a peak time or special event, i.e. 7/7/07 in Vegas or Daytona Beach, Fl during Speed Weeks, the discount sites don't offer much of a discount to begin with.

Discount sites are great if you want to read customer reviews. In fact, I encourage looking at both discount sites and individual hotel sites for the most information possible. Discount sites are also wonderful for mapping the hotels' proximity to venues and places to see.

But if you want to get the best price available, you should always go to hotel's site and check their rates. The best part about booking directly with the hotel is that your deposit is refundable and you don't have to pay the entire amount right away. Some of the discount sites don't offer refunds or charge a fee to change the dates of your trip. For the "lowest price" on some sites, you may have to pay the full price before you get to see what hotel you've just booked and it's non-refundable! How crazy is that?!

Definitely shop around and read the "terms of service" before you input your credit card info and make an online hotel reservation. And if you're not opposed to speaking with a real-live person, call the 800 number of the hotel you're deciding on. It takes the fear away if you're not used to booking online.

Learn more about this author, Jacqueline Garrett.
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