can i ask about a specific hotel booking website?

[bethaniesmom]

was looking at Hotel Rivoli Ramblas on their own website, and got a qiuote that required prepay for the two day stay. then got to looking around at reviews and found a hotel booking website that did not require prepay for the same hotel, same days, etc. but I do not know of booking dot com. hs anyone else used them? i am a little leary of getting to Barcelona and having no hotel!

 

Beverly

[riffatsea]

I have not used the web site BUT it is owned by Priceline which I have used many times so I would say it is reputable.

I usually prefer to deal directly with the hotel if I can.

Is it important that you stay only at that one hotel??

IF you prepay on the hotel web site is it refundable when you cancel or non refundable??

 

[riffatsea]

I have not used the web site BUT it is owned by Priceline which I have used many times so I would say it is reputable.

I usually prefer to deal directly with the hotel if I can.

Is it important that you stay only at that one hotel?? There are sooo many other possibilities that I'd probably find one where the price looked good and I could just book on the hotel site with a credit card that is not charged until I got there.

 

 

[financialgrl]

I'd rather deal directly with the hotel than working thru a third party if possible. You have more options and can usually designate any special requests. Most hotels last year when I was booking only asked for a CC to "hold" your reservation. Most had liberal cancellation policies UNLESS you have selected a nonrefundable rate.

 

Policies can always change so send an email to your specific hotel and ask them directly. Another thing - some hotels allow you to cancel and rebook the reservation if the price comes down (stayed at Hotel Jazz and they did) and once again, at that hotel as long as you hadn't chosen a nonrefundable rate you could do that and not get charged until check out. Doing so would be more of a pain if you have to work thru a 3rd party.

[bethaniesmom]

the rate from the hotel was almost 100 Euro more than from the booking site and was nonrefundable! I have found alot of hotel websites that didn't show occupancy of 3 but the booking site did.

we had a hotel chosen when there were just two of us but now that there are three it seems we have fewer hotel options.

i saw that priceline owned the website i was looking at, that made me feel a little better.

still looking!

 

Beverly

[riffatsea]

Bethanies mom, You might like to use the European web site:

http://www.venere.com You can put in your dates/price/AND no. of people in one room and they will show availability.

You do not have to pay up front but can use your credit card to just hold the res.

You can also read the reviews right on the site of people who have stayed at the hotel.

I have used it several times when the hotel's web site was not to my liking!!

You can also go the hotel web site after finding something on Venere to see if you can book directly.

[financialgrl]

Needing a room for 3 changes things. Last year took my niece with me on a Med cruise. Just the two of us and trying to find a room with 2 beds was also difficult. I requested two beds at all our pre/post hotel stays. We laughed - two beds meant two twin beds pushed together - only thing making it really two beds was that each had their own set of linens and they didn't separate. It was more like a larger queen or smaller king option. That way in our Barcelona, Venice and London rooms.

 

Check around, some hotels (ours also) offered a Junior Suite or Triple but I don't think there were many of those rooms available. We stayed at Jazz and loved it. Make sure you read the reviews on many different sites to see if any problem encountered may be a dealbreaker for you. I know in Jazz, it sits right on the Metro line - you can feel the rumble when the train is running. Some people didn't like that but it did eventually shut down for the night and it never bothered us but neither of us is a light sleeper. Also hope someone here that has actually stayed in a room for 3 can offer you help or at least give you other options to check out should your hotel not have availability.

[bethaniesmom]

thanks for all the good advice!

 

Beverly

[manateemike67]

was looking at Hotel Rivoli Ramblas on their own website, and got a qiuote that required prepay for the two day stay. then got to looking around at reviews and found a hotel booking website that did not require prepay for the same hotel, same days, etc. but I do not know of booking dot com. hs anyone else used them? i am a little leary of getting to Barcelona and having no hotel!

 

Beverly

 

Hello Beverly

I have used this company twice before for booking rooms. Never had any problem with them. Just checked my emails and it was February and March last year, so not a new fly by night website.

[John Bull]

was looking at Hotel Rivoli Ramblas on their own website, and got a qiuote that required prepay for the two day stay. then got to looking around at reviews and found a hotel booking website that did not require prepay for the same hotel, same days, etc. but I do not know of booking dot com. hs anyone else used them? i am a little leary of getting to Barcelona and having no hotel!

 

Beverly

 

I frequently use www.booking.com (not to be confused with bookings.com), they seem to list most if not all hotels in the places I've stayed.

I find their website very informative, incl photos, maps, reviews. I always use their website to choose a hotel, then check the same hotel/dates on a few other websites before booking - I've not found a hotel/dates cheaper on other websites I've checked, including hotels' own.

I've used them in europe and the far east. I've never had to pre-pay.

A big advantage is being able to cancel without penalty up to three days before the date.

Each time I've paid when checking-out.

The only problem I've experienced is that they've quoted currencies which are acceptable to the hotels, and on two occasions (in one case sterling & in the other USD) the only cash they accepted was local currency.

 

John Bull

[bethaniesmom]

ok...so i appreciate everyone's help. we did book with this company. the confusion was my fault, we did not have to prepay!

so, we have a hotel...now we just need air!

 

Beverly