Why You Should Be Cautious Booking Hotels Online
Don't Trust Every Online Hotel Booking
Yes this happened to me, as I was booking my family vacation, I ended up paying for a hotel for one night, for nothing. I'm a planner and I like to be prepared when I go on vacation. I plan my hotels and then plan activities around, where I stay.
My family trip to the Redwoods and my tour of Highway 101, has abruptly come to a halt. I thought I was getting a great deal, I booked a Ocean Side hotel for Easter Sunday, at a great price.
The thing of it is, I didn't notice that my travel dates were changed, from the dates that I had entered. The Hot Deal that I was offered and accepted, through Hotwire, weren't on my travel dates.
I accepted this offer, I had booked through Hotwire before and never had this problem. I called the hotel and was told, there was nothing that they could do for me. I could pay for the nights again, I originally thought that I had booked.
This is for me, was a huge disappointment in Best Western Hotels. I wasn't asking for a refund from Hotwire or Best Western Hotels, I was asking for a room on my intended travel night, that was for the following month. Neither Hotwire or Best Western, was willing to work with me.
I still had three nights to book, for my upcoming vacation. It's safe to say, I will never use Hotwire again or Best Western Hotels. Here are my tips when booking a vacation online.
1. Call the Hotel immediately, to confirm the travel dates and be sure that the reservation and payment are for the amounts, you think that you paid for.
2. Be cautious when booking the "Hot Rate" specials.
3. Confirm your travel dates and prices before, entering your card information.
4. Shop around, compare all sights, to be sure that you are getting the best price.
5. Use a sight that does not make you pay up front, to make a reservation. Then call the hotel to confirm the reservation, price and travel dates.
My family vacation, that I intended writing about, has now been cut short by one day. It's not easy to recover financially from errors like these.
I will be sharing my journey of the Best Hotels, Rates and places to see, along the famous Highway 101, the Oregon Coast, from the Washington border, to the Redwoods. In the mean time, I hope that I can prevent someone else, from making the same travel mistake that I have made.
