venice in july

[norwegianwife]

So, here is the deal. I was doing research to prepare my bidding strategy for Venice this summer. I was checking various websites to see what the average rates were for mid july, when i stumbled across this little gem: Ai Mori d'Oriente Hotel. It's a 4 star hotel (3.5 according to tripadvisor) and 4.5 star reviews. Prices on the hotel website for our nights are 150 Euro for a standard double. On Hotels.com we can get the superior room for 150 Euro or the standard room for 121 Euro. It is described as being out of the 'hustle and bustle' and a supplying a 'real taste of Venice'. Perfect in my book. There is not alot of bidding history for Venice in the 'Other Countries' section. Do you all think I should just go ahead and book this hotel, which 99.9 percent of ALL people RAVE about, or take my chances and not pay much less on Priceline? It seems as though Europe, and especially Italy, dont have the GREAT deals US and London have.( with the exception of Milan, where some really cheap PL rates have been posted for 4 and 5 star properties.) So, I don't know, just wanted to hear everyone's opinions. It just seems like there are some great deals to be had in Europe on websites like Hotels.com....thoughts?

[WillTravel]

I saw that hotel in Venice, and I think it's exactly as described. It would be a great place to be in July, when Venice will be overwhelmed by tourists. I'd check into the air conditioning particularly, though. You will have to walk about 20 minutes to Piazza de San Marco, or else take a vaporetto, but that's hardly an imposition when in Venice.

[LoneStar]

I certainly wouldn't count on priceline to deliver a "fantastic" hotel deal for you in Venice. Indeed, I've never seen a bid accepted for under $100, and most go for considerably more than that (especially when you have to add in the VAT and priceline fee).

I don't know this hotel, but if the online reviews are THAT favorable, it's probably a winner. And I like the idea of being a little off-the-beaten-path in Venice. God knows, there's very little of that left, and the tourist hordes are probably the worst thing about the place. :)

As Willtravel notes, AC could be an issue. I guess there's a breeze in Venice, but I personally try to avoid Italy in summer because it really IS hot! I'd be reluctant to stay anywhere in Italy in summer without AC. So you might want to check on that before booking.

As final advice, I'd make sure you can't beat that Hotels.com rate. From my experience, Hotels.com is the cheapest less than 5% of the time. I think Venere is still the big hotel consolidator in Italy, http://www.venere.com/, but there are lots of players in that game.

[norwegianwife]

Yes, they do have an AC! That was one of the first things I checked! I was actually amazed by the overwhelmingly good reviews on TripAdvisor. Most of them are 5 out of 5 consistently. Lonestar, TripAdvisor also has a hotel checker that checks available rates through Hotels.com, venere, Expedia and like 5 others. Venere was actually really high compared to Hotels.com. But i agree with you about being thorough when looking for the best rates. I think we will go ahead and book the room for a couple of nights. That many people can't be wrong!

I wonder if it might be nice to have a section to put hotel deals we get on sites other than priceline and hotwire?? It could be useful and we may begin to identify some patterns over a period of time. What do you think Thereuare??

[blindman]

This has been posted before but this Hotel Comparison web-site saves a lot of searching for the bets price.

[thereuare]

It could be useful and we may begin to identify some patterns over a period of time. What do you think Thereuare??

You mean like the OTHER DEALS >> HOTELS section of the board? :)

Remember that we are also affilaites of Hotels.com (i know you know, but stands repeating for others)

[norwegianwife]

OF COURSE I was talking about the OTHER DEALS >> HOTELS section of the board, Thereuare!!! Just trying to keep you on your toes!!! :) I will keep you all updated on the Venice decision!!!

Thanks for all of the input!

[LoneStar]

BTW, in comparison shopping, don't forget to contact the hotel directly. Once you get above the lowball prices of priceline, sometimes the property itself can beat a site like Hotels.com. I might even tell the hotel what you found "out there." Nothing like eliminating the middle man!

Also, I vaguely recall that Hotels.com offers rebates for multi-night stays. Maybe it was through entertainment.com. Not sure. Look around, or maybe somebody else who has done this has the info.

[norwegianwife]

Yes, you are right Lonestar. Hotels.com offers a 15 percent discount when you book 2 nights or more. So that is a nice little bonus! In order to support the board do we access Hotels.com through Savingsbarn? i don't see a link there for it. Anybody know??? OH, also, does anybody know about the canals stinking in July in Venice due to the heat??

[norwegianwife]

regarding my Hotels.com question...yes, I WAS referring to the 'help support betterbidding' section where it is clearly listed as a link....

so i am a little slow to look around....

but i still want to know about stinky canals in july...

[WillTravel]

I haven't been to Venice in July, but everything I've heard and read indicates that stinky canals may have been a problem 30 years ago or more, but generally it is not a problem today. You will get a whiff of the ocean periodically of course. I've seen numerous threads discussing this - people who have been there in the summer say there's no problem.

[LoneStar]

How do you get that extra 15%? Is it a special promo or does it just price that way?

In your case, taking another 15% off would take you to a very good rate that even priceline (on its best days!) would have difficulty matching in Europe.

[norwegianwife]

It seems to be factored into the price quoted. If you enter in a stay with multiple nights, you will see the normal prices with a slash through them and then the Hotels.com rate is in green. It is 15 percent off the second night, not the first. But they average it all and give you a per night average. Also, I don't know if it varies from property to property or if it is a blanket Hotels.com thing. I will look further into it!!

[norwegianwife]

Well, we have just booked the Hotel Ca'vendramin Di Santa Fosca in Venice for 2 nights in July. It is a breathtakingly beautiful bed and breakfast (ranked number 11 in all of venice out of 173 according to TripAdvisor!) I was offered the 2 nights DIRECT from the hotel for 130 Euros a night. This was about 20 Euros less than the cheapest offer I found online, which was Hotels.com. Expedia, TravelNow, and Venere were higher still. The rate includes breakfast and taxes. Just goes to show that sometimes the hotel can beat the discount folks!!!

if anyone wants to see the hotel check it out:

http://www.hotelcavendramin.it/en/location.htm

And it's off the beaten path. Very cool. We are pleased!

[WillTravel]

That place looks great and that's a very good rate.

It's very near to the nice hotel I stayed at just over a year ago (I'll add it here for future reference in case anyone is looking):

http://www.laforcolahotel.com (which has great off-season offers, but not sure about the rest of the year).

[LoneStar]

It sure looks nice, and the price seems more than fair.

I don't really remember Venetian breakfasts (I think I never had one included in my room rate). I'd guess they're minimal, in the French tradition (as opposed to the "eat enough to avoid lunch" spreads you get in the Germanic world.

[norwegianwife]

Lonestar, you had asked in the 'Venice in July' thread about the discount offered by Hotels.com, I have been on the website again, and it looks as if the discounts vary from property to property. It can go up to 15 percent off a night (for mulitple night stays)...but there are several with 10%, 6%, 8%...random discounts. And of course, some with none. It appears as if the individual hotels choose whether or not to offer discounts!!! But it is worth a look, because any amount off is GOOD!!!

So, I hope that answers the question about Hotels.com discounts.