Alright, let’s talk about how I tackled comparing hotel prices across multiple websites. It was a real headache saver for my last trip, so I figured I’d share what I did.
The Problem: Too Many Tabs, Too Much Time
So, I was planning a trip to Vegas (yeah, I know, cliché). I wanted to find a decent hotel, but I didn’t want to get ripped off. My usual routine was to open like five different booking sites – Expedia, *, *, the hotel’s own website, you name it – and manually compare prices. It was a total time suck, and I always felt like I was missing something.
My (Somewhat Clumsy) Solution: Spreadsheets to the Rescue!
First, I started by making a simple spreadsheet. I listed all the hotels I was interested in down one column. Then, across the top row, I put the names of all the booking websites I wanted to check.
- Hotel Name 1 Expedia * * Hotel Direct
- Hotel Name 2 Expedia * * Hotel Direct
- Hotel Name 3 Expedia * * Hotel Direct
Next came the grunt work. I went to each website, searched for each hotel for my dates, and painstakingly copied the prices into the spreadsheet. I made sure to note the room type (e.g., “Standard King”, “Deluxe Queen”) because sometimes they weren’t exactly the same across websites.
Dealing with the Details: Taxes, Fees, and Sneaky Add-ons
This is where things got tricky. Hotel websites love to hide extra fees until the very last step. So, I had to click through to the final booking page on each site to see the actual total price, including taxes and those annoying resort fees (ugh, Vegas!). I made sure to note all these fees separately in my spreadsheet, usually in extra columns, so I could get a true comparison.
My Spreadsheet Columns Example
- Hotel Name Website Room Type Base Price Taxes Resort Fees Total Price
The “Aha!” Moment: Sorting and Filtering
Once I had all the data in my spreadsheet, the magic happened. I sorted the spreadsheet by the “Total Price” column to see which website offered the best deal for each hotel. I also used filters to narrow down my choices based on price range, room type, and other criteria.
Realization: Hotel Websites LOVE Cookies
Also you MUST remember this, hotel websites use cookies or something that increase the price if you keep visiting them. So you better clean your cookies before compare the prices.
Was it Perfect? Nope. But it Worked.
Okay, my method wasn’t exactly high-tech. It was manual, it was a bit tedious, and it definitely wasn’t foolproof. But it gave me a much clearer picture of hotel prices across different websites than just flipping between tabs. I actually found a deal on the hotel’s own website that was significantly cheaper than any of the third-party sites.
What I Learned (the Hard Way)
- Direct Booking Can Be Cheaper: Don’t always assume that third-party sites have the best deals. Check the hotel’s website directly.
- Read the Fine Print: Always check for hidden fees and extra charges before booking.
- Be Flexible with Dates: Sometimes, shifting your travel dates by a day or two can save you a ton of money.
- Consider Package Deals: Bundling your hotel with flights or other activities can sometimes be cheaper than booking them separately. I tried it, but didn’t work for me this time.
Could it be Better? Absolutely!
I know there are probably fancy browser extensions and websites that automate this whole process. I looked into a few, but they seemed kinda sketchy or required signing up for something I didn’t want. Maybe I’ll try one of those next time. But for now, my spreadsheet method did the trick. Happy travels!
