Hi,

I'm planning a trip and looking at booking at Hotels.com on Sept 11 to Sept 12 near Miami, FL. We plan to drive down to Key West and book another hotel on Sept 12 to Sept 13. After that we're head back to Miami, FL and stay two nights from Sept 13 to Sept 15.

I'm planning to use Topcashback to get 7% CB unless you guys know any other CB website that offers something better.

Also used Orbitz and Rentalcars.com for my 5 day rentals.

Looking to save as much on Hotel stay as possible so 2.5* hotel is fine with me.

I already used my Aeroplan miles to book the flight from Toronto to Fort Lauderdale and only cost my about $125 for the taxes which was great.

If there are any promotions to some free stay that can save on my hotel stay that would be great as I can using the savings to spend on dining and other activities.

I'll probably be planning another trip to Florida in a few months since my gf lives there so maybe 4-5 times a year. I was thinking of signing up a rewards Hotel group and stay with them during my stay to earn some free stay or rewards. Just not sure what would be best for me since I'm still pretty new to this forum.

There are numerous online travel agencies, hotel booking sites and hotel price comparison websites.

Booking through Hotels.com would provide a 10% rebate (buy 10 nights get 1 night of same value free), assuming you will book 10 nights. Add in TCB of 7-10% that gives you a ~20% rebate off the Hotels.com headline price.
However, another OTA may provide the same hotel room for 25% less directly, or for 15% less plus a further 5% cashback through TCB or similar.

There are also Secret Hotel or 'Name your price' options, including Hotwire and Priceline which may also provide a lower price.

See: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onlin...-agencies-204/

If you are not loyal to a particular hotel brand then Hotels.com is quite good, however you may find the same room cheaper elsewhere.

There are plenty of promotions that run throughout the year across the hotel brands.

Also note that unless you book directly through the hotel/programs website, you won't earn status or points with that hotel/brand. For example if you book a Hilton hotel through Hotels.com you would not earn Hilton points or be eligible for any Hilton promotion.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

I would also look at Hotwire's opaque rates, and Priceline's Express Deals. Might also consider Priceline's bidding option.

thanks for the suggestions fellas.

I've tried Hotwire and Priceline name your price option before. Priceline isn't really an option since I'm looking for free parking and free internet which isn't guaranteed when bidding. Hotwire is a good option. I did look at it before but not sure why I didn't book with it. I think because of the no cancellation with it. It's a good option at Hotels.com since I've already cancelled a couple of reservations based on more research on planning my trips. Glad I was able to cancelled for free and not be stuck with it.

Now that I kind of got my plans I might cancel my current booking at Hotels.com and book with Hotwire to save a few bucks. It's good that Hotwire you can see the amenities like free parking and free internet.

Not all Hotels.com bookings can be cancelled for free, some reservations may be completely non refundable, have a cancellation penalty or otherwise.

Also make sure you are comparing the Hotels.com price less any cashback and Hotels.com free night value (10%) to the Hotwire rate.

I second hotwire and priceline if you're particularly budget conscious. Also, its too late of notice at this time, but in the future I would look into using floridavacationauction.com. From what I understand, they're the funding affiliate of visitflorida.com, but rather than charging for ads, advertisers have to give vouchers to be auctioned off by the site.

We've had mixed results with them, but the savings have been worth it. We stayed at the Sheraton Vistana Villages in a 2-bedroom suite for $50/night this Spring, although this was after we had to cancel one because they didn't have our dates available. Just something to keep in mind for the future.

Free parking is seldom an issue. Wifi can be spotty in most 2.5*s, Room location in relation to modem is important.

Priceline also now has "Priceline Express". Quite similar to Hotwire, in that it is a fixed rate and some amenities are shown. Might be worth looking at when you check Hotwire.

Romelle

Watch your areas if you are doing the opaque or auction route. Some areas are rather sketchy.I f you can, try Coconut Grove. It is lovely .We often stay here. There are several nice hotels all situated around a shopping /dining structure.Also near the water .Also a Choice hotel regularly has a BRG in Doral. Seems like it is always available.I think it was Comfort Suites. Check the blogger who reports on BRGs. Good luck with the Keys. It is very spendy unless you want a sketchy place away from all the action. I always use points and stay at one of the Sherations. Make sure to check reviews on Tripadvisor. Have fun!

Welcome to Flyertalk matryx.

As this is about Florida [destination], we're relocating your post to that forum.

~beckoa, co-moderator Information Desk