Are Expedia and booking.com Gouging Customers

[Franky]

price fixing ?

Then again any switched on hotel owner, could easily say to any direct callers, pay $1 more & we'll give you free "stuff"

That's the rub, it's been said that these OBAs often call a pub on a fishing expedition posing as a Joe Blow to try and catch out the owner doing side deals. Perhaps one way around that would to communicate with your pub of choice by email or SMS?

 

[wandering_fred]

Wishful thinking on future travel means I go back and check the 3* hotels from last year's trip to Argentina. The OLAs have a fixed exchange rate built in to cater for the international audience. At least in Argentina the direct hotel web sites are now substantially less expensive than the OLAs. And the discount when I had to stay an extra night was "largish". The one international chain I will use typically offers a better "overall package" sometimes at better prices than the OLAs.

Happy wandering
Fred

 

[Frequent boarder]

We book all our snow stays with an Australian agent who freely admits you might find similar condos online for a few dollars less but

"we can give you incredible deal on lift tickets like kids free & 80% off the price at resort website or actually in the resort. "

Have yet to see any online site that offers any sort of deal on lift tickets.

So if you book online, the lift tickets could cost you way more than the accomodation

 

[k_sheep]

We book all our snow stays with an Australian agent who freely admits you might find similar condos online for a few dollars less but

"we can give you incredible deal on lift tickets like kids free & 80% off the price at resort website or actually in the resort. "

Have yet to see any online site that offers any sort of deal on lift tickets.

So if you book online, the lift tickets could cost you way more than the accomodation

That's something I'd never considered. Care to share your agents details?