Hotel Selection

[billkohl]

I am new at this. Can I bid for a specific hotel or do we have to take what comes out of the search bid process?

[thereuare]

Start here: I'VE NEVER USED PRICELINE or HOTWIRE.

THIS COMPANY is also making a big push into the opaque and non-opaque market... some of their deals are quite noteworthy (and beat Priceline/Hotwire) while others are not attractive at all. Their 'off the record' properties (the name for their opaque selections) can often be figured out and we can help with those as well.

[Senoreit]

I must say, their opaque product is the strangest thing I've ever seen. I did a search for Chicago and the identities all of the "Off the Record" properties that I checked out were blatantly obvious. Some of the listings contained names of hotel restaurants, which is a giveaway. One "Off the Record" listing, under "room type," listed a "Fairmont Room." Gee, I wonder if it could be the Fairmont! :) Another "Off the Record" listing actually contained the brand name of the hotel, I kid you not: "Then the sound of falling water leads you to the W Living Room. A mahogany-lined grotto designed to soothe your mind and stir your imagination, this is where the W experience really begins." Some of the descriptions, at least parts of them, seem to be taken verbatim from descriptions that can be found on non-opaque sites.

Now, being able to easily identify the properties is good for the consumer, of course, but from what I understand, hotels that participate in these opaque services at least like for it to be remotely challenging for people to be able to identify their listings or target their property. So I wonder if any changes will be made...

[WillTravel]

LastMinute.com also has some opaque bookings that are blatantly obvious. They show the pictures, name the hotel restaurants, and so on.

[billyblaze]

I don't think the hotels mind that it is obvious. They are trying to protect thier " best rate" that they sell on thier hotel website. As long as the hotel is not named, they don't have to match the price or " double the difference" as other websites promise.

[swag]

Start here: I'VE NEVER USED PRICELINE or HOTWIRE.

THIS COMPANY is also making a big push into the opaque and non-opaque market... some of their deals are quite noteworthy (and beat Priceline/Hotwire) while others are not attractive at all. Their 'off the record' properties (the name for their opaque selections) can often be figured out and we can help with those as well.

Thereuare, what am I missing? Used your link to easyclicktravel, but I don't see any opaque offers, just regular lists of hotels.

[thereuare]

If you scroll down the list you'll sometimes see an orange icon instead of a hotel picture, and where the hotel name should be it will say "Off The Record"... this is their opaque product.

For example, here is a direct link to one of them that may be of particular interest to you (The Astor Crowne Plaza):

Off The Record example.

[swag]

I must say, their opaque product is the strangest thing I've ever seen. I did a search for Chicago and the identities all of the "Off the Record" properties that I checked out were blatantly obvious. Some of the listings contained names of hotel restaurants, which is a giveaway.

...

Now, being able to easily identify the properties is good for the consumer, of course, but from what I understand, hotels that participate in these opaque services at least like for it to be remotely challenging for people to be able to identify their listings or target their property. So I wonder if any changes will be made...

I've got a theory on this. Some of these hotels are part of chains that have their own lowest-rate guarantees for booking online at the chain website. By making ECT rates technically opaque, they avoid having to make good on guarantees for folks booking the higher rate thru the normal channel.