The Plum Deluxe philosophy is that life is worth savoring. Every day brings the freedom to slow down

That being said, they are likely to be on as many booking sites as they can. In a perfect world, there would be " rate parity, " meaning all sites and the hotel would quote the same rates and discounts. Since we are not in a perfect world, the differences you see are a result of the conditions of these particular sites. For example, some websites have a " no cancel " policy. The rates they quote may be lower, but you will not be able to get out of that reservation. There are also fees and commissions associated with booking on these sites. If a site charges the hotels higher baby travel system fees, the hotels will likely pass that increase on to guests through higher rates.
A : This is likely due to training; and that reservation agent is doing exactly baby travel system what they were trained to do get top dollar! baby travel system Most desk clerks and reservation agents are trained using a " top down " method of quoting rates. This means they start at the top of the rate structure, rack rate, when quoting rates. If the reservationist detects resistance, they may point out some features at the property that makes that rate a good value. If you're still not biting, they may then try to close the sale by offering a discount. baby travel system Since hotel rooms are a disposable good, if they are not occupied on a particular night, they can never go back and re-sell it. So, it's in the hotel's best interest to take a hit on rate instead of letting a room go empty.
Your best chance at getting a discount when calling the hotel direct is to call at a more convenient time of day for the staff. If it is peak check-in/out time, they are more likely to route you to a call center. Some hotels use these centers for most, if not all, reservations. Those are professional reservationists; you're not likely to get as good of a discount. But if you call at an off-time and ask to speak to someone in reservations at the hotel you should have better luck politeness baby travel system counts!
baby travel system A: There's no definite answer to this, because frankly, deals do fluctuate. Most hotels have a certain amount of rooms they allot for discounts. When they reach that threshold, the deals shut off automatically. To that end, it is good to book as far out as possible to get a deal.
On the other hand, rates have a lot to do with supply and demand. If it's last minute and there isn't much demand, baby travel system hotels can't reduce their supply. Now it's basically a fire sale to get as many rooms sold as you can. If you know the date you're looking to book is a busy day, book as soon as possible and don't expect a deep discount. If it's the middle of the slow season you may be better off holding out and calling the hotel direct.  Good luck!
Roxanne ("Roxy") is the easily distracted, multi-tasking right brain of Fresh Air Lodging . After twenty plus years on the front lines of the hotel industry, she is now in search of socially responsible hotels and other businesses.
The Plum Deluxe philosophy is that life is worth savoring. Every day brings the freedom to slow down, embrace quality, baby travel system and make thoughtful, deliberate choices. baby travel system Our mission is to share all the little ways today can be celebrated.