Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies - Any Difference between Orbitz and Expedia?

I'm booking a trip to Hawaii in March & finding virtually identical rates for hotels on Orbitz and Expedia. Is there anything better / worse about either site that would give it the nod for booking my reservation?

IMHO, no big difference in either.

Just IMO, but you might try the hotel directly and ask them to match the price; that way you have a better cancellation policy and are not dealing with a 3rd party.

Just IMO, but you might try the hotel directly and ask them to match the price; that way you have a better cancellation policy and are not dealing with a 3rd party.

This is a good idea and would be a nice advantage. Have you had success with them matching to these online booking sites?

Are they owned by the same company?

Are they owned by the same company?

No. Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity are all their own companies.

The differences most often are evident in negotiated discounts. Orbitz may have a flight+hotel+car deal that is better than Expedia, or vice versa, due to the agreements with airline, hotel, and car company for a trifecta rate. Using discounts and "Shop Discover" rebate at 3-4 weeks out, I once booked 3 seats on American (ORD-PHX) + 5 nights in an awesome 4-star Hilton resort in Phoenix for an effective price of $1,122.88 TOTAL (January 1-6, 2010). No one else was anywhere near this rate, so it presumably had to do with a hotel deal Orbitz had negotiated with the Hilton. Using AA's website, the same flights alone would have been in excess of $1,000 for the 3 of us...and within $100 of the total effective rate paid for the flights plus 5 nights in a 4-star hotel.

Also, it is worth checking flexible dates if you are flexible. The total price paid was a couple hundred dollars LOWER by staying until the 6th versus returning on the 5th.

Just IMO, but you might try the hotel directly and ask them to match the price; that way you have a better cancellation policy and are not dealing with a 3rd party.

I find it interesting that your perception is that the on-line price is BETTER than what you could get booking directly, and that you would have to ask the hotel to match it. The reality is the best rates are going to be found on the hotel sites, that is if you are booking any of the major chains. They have to have rate parity between them. The OTA's are NOT allowed to sell the rooms for less than what is displayed on the hotel sites. The hotel sites may also have package deals not found on the OTA's. The exceptions are going to be idependant hotels with limited distribution channels. They get fleeced at gunpoint by the likes of Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity who charge huge commissions.

If you are going to stay with major brands like Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, Westin, etc. skip the OTA's and book directly with the hotel. You will get the same if not better value. There is no reason not to unless you're trying to get some promo like a free gift card or something.

The differences most often are evident in negotiated discounts. Orbitz may have a flight+hotel+car deal that is better than Expedia, or vice versa, due to the agreements with airline, hotel, and car company for a trifecta rate. Using discounts and "Shop Discover" rebate at 3-4 weeks out, I once booked 3 seats on American (ORD-PHX) + 5 nights in an awesome 4-star Hilton resort in Phoenix for an effective price of $1,122.88 TOTAL (January 1-6, 2010). No one else was anywhere near this rate, so it presumably had to do with a hotel deal Orbitz had negotiated with the Hilton. Using AA's website, the same flights alone would have been in excess of $1,000 for the 3 of us...and within $100 of the total effective rate paid for the flights plus 5 nights in a 4-star hotel.

Also, it is worth checking flexible dates if you are flexible. The total price paid was a couple hundred dollars LOWER by staying until the 6th versus returning on the 5th.

The hotel "deal" with Orbitz is going to be the same "deal" as Expedia and Travelocity. Hilton provides the same rates to all three. If they tried to give Orbitz an advantage, Expedia and Travelocity would cut them off as far as distribution goes.

I'm booking a trip to Hawaii in March & finding virtually identical rates for hotels on Orbitz and Expedia. Is there anything better / worse about either site that would give it the nod for booking my reservation?

They are both bad. Book directly with the hotel. If it's one of the major chains, the rate is going to be the same as Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz. The major chains give the same rates to all three, so you won't find any difference. You may, however, find a great package deal on the hotel's website.