hobo13

YourRoomKey.com got mentioned on a blog lately as being a great deal. But there is extremely little information about it, and the blogger is not answering questions about the site. Worse, you have to register to find out anything.

So, anybody used it? Know anything about it?

Boddingtons

A while ago I registered and they had some great rates.

Then my login went down. Maybe they had some problems? I dunno.

But what you are booking is essentially distressed passenger rates. Even though the site doesn't seem to mention it, that is my understanding, so be careful.

IC ORD for $55 and the like.

carwag25

I recently joined and compared a few hotel rates. On average, they were about 17-20% cheaper than other websites.

MrHalliday

well, apparently you have to e-mail them to register.
Strange.

...but I sent them a message.

abcx

The rates I got were typically more expensive. Like IC Michigan Ave. was more expensive.

El_Duderito

I successfully signed up and started looking around. For 12+ nights I have planned for January I could not find a single place that was cheaper than what I have - but then I used IC F&F, IC BOGOs, ... quite heavily so it would be hard to beat/match those prices.

Based on the FAQ they have business travelers in mind (third parties, travel coordinators, group bookings, ...).
I've added them to the list of my websites to check when looking for deals for now and guess they might get a piece of my travel budget on US trips (the IC ORD sounds great).

swag

I'll repeat here the questions I asked on the blog.

- What are the requirements for membership?
- What dates can be booked? Can I book a week-long stay for next year, or is it limited to tonight, or to one night stays?
- What are typical cancellation policies? [Blogger] mentions no charge until check-in, but even typical direct-booked reservations have 6pm or day-before cancel deadlines.
- Are the hotels opaque, or can I tell which property I am booking?

acker

Wow, I'm surprised to hear that you guys couldn't find any good rates. My husband will be staying at a Hyatt near DC this Thursday (not airport location) and the yourroomkey.com rate is less than half of what I've found at hyatt.com (even using a code or two). I'm a happy camper.
Does it cover every hotel? I don't know yet, but the hotels I use a lot - Hilton, Hyatt, some Priority Club - are all listed in the cities I tend to go to.
I'll report back on Friday after I get the lowdown from my husband.

Sheryl

I think it is very odd that if they are legitimate, they have nothing about themselves on their website. Their site is also not very professional looking either.

lo2e

I found their signup page by poking around in the source code of the site's homepage: https://www.yourroomkey.com/SignUp.aspx

I just used a dummy name/email and it was enough to get me access to hotel rates.

I tried several different cities for New Years Eve, and YRK couldn't come close to what I could find on Travelocity (I wouldn't ever book through Travelocity, only using them as a price comparison here). For example: Hyatt Regency Downtown Boston, Travelocity $239, YRK $299 ($239 rate also verified on Hyatt's website). Every other hotel in Boston was lower priced on Travelocity than on YRK, and there were only six selections, all mid/high scale (a couple of Holiday Inns, a couple of Hyatts, a Sheraton, and a Marriott). Seems as though they're trying to cater to business travelers.

jetsetter

Hi,
I think Your Room Key is part of Airport Accommodations which primarily provides rates for airline employees, crews, airline vouchers, and distressed passenger rates. They do provide other services for businesses and others involved in travel, etc.

It doesn't surprise me that there is not a lot of information on their web site. I am curious also about their operations, but I am just curious because I'm a curious person. This curiosity is not related to whether I will have trouble staying, its just that I'm curious about how things work generally under the hood.

But also if you get a good rate, you should take it, and not ask a lot of questions, or go nuts trying to figure things out especially since I don't think the rates are prepaid.

Clearly yourroomkey.com does not want to be akin to Expedia or hotels.com. It is a site that probably 99% of Americans no nothing about, and 99% of Americans would not recognize the brand or the company.

It may be good this way, if the company and service get too big, they will probably have the watered down not so good rates and lots of restrictions like say hotels.com.

They are probably trying to control access to it somewhat, and e.g. not going on the Today Show to announce it.

If too many people start asking questions publically etc., it may also raise red flags.

Again it seems like its primarily targetted at the airline industry, and you should consider yourself fortunate (as I do) if you are able to get an account and use it. Again, they don't want to be Wallmart or CVS. in terms of mass market adoption or use.

I don't really care how "legitimate" it it is if I get a good rate that I can use. The only person/entity I might be "harming" is say the hotels profitability, and I really dont' feel sorry for the hotel not making more $ on my dime.

LinBros

Let me try to answer your questions:

1. The only thing opaque about our website is our membership requirements.

We are focused on travellers who self manage their hotel bookings and are looking for visible hotel rates with few if any restrictions beyond those which a hotel applies to most if not all of their guests.

2. Any dates within the normal booking window for a hotel can be booked.

This typically is at least 12 months out. Length of stay is again based on a property's standard policy. Our user typically book stays not exceeding 5 days but longer stays are available.

3. Cancellation policy for YRK bookings mirrors standard practice for the propertry booked. While many hotels have standardized on a 6 PM day of arrival cutoff, other hotels are moving towards a 24 hour in advance cancellation rquirement.

4. Hotels are very visible.

Two other points worth mentioning.

1. YRK rates are eligible for loyalty program point accruals.

2. Member credit cards are not charged in advance.

Hope these answers helped.

Will be around to answer other questions.

Safe Travels and all the best.

YRK Insider

LinBros

Sorry you couldn't find a good rate for your New Years Eve requirement.

While YRK won't always have a lower rate than Expedia, we do have very good rates at ATLK, IAD, LAX, MIA, ORD & SFO especially near the airport.

We're primarily a U.S. based enterprise, but in 2012 we'll be looking to add a number of select international locations .

BTW -- If you were looking for a room in Boston near Logan International Airport (BOS) for 11/30, you would find YRK has the Hyatt Harborside for $117 versus Expedia at $289.

Sheryl

YRKInsider, can you tell us a little bit about your company and why there is no About Us or contact info. on your website?

LinBros

YourRoomKey.com was formed by three former airline employees who believed that the discounted rates typically available to airline employees would be of great interest to other folks who self-managed their travel. We were also interested in targeting small and mid sized businesses who were already serving the airlines and whose business travel would bring them to hotels located near major airports.

Our business partner provides hotel rooms for so called airline distressed passengers. Because of their volume and associated relationships with hotels located near major airports, we have partnered with them to expand their business to handle folks who self manage their travel whether as an individual or as part of a small or midsized business.

Access to our website is either by invitation or screened application.