Expedia
 

Has anyone used it? Can you trust them? Do you end up in the worst part of town?

I've used them, and priceline and such, for flights but not hotels. They work pretty well.

My only experience is also with flights and not hotels for work related travel. I only dealt with the booking, but that was very convenient.

I've used it for flights and hotels...haven't had any problems...so far;)

I only use Expedia. I recommend it. Just be patient and pay attention to what you're paying for.

Just be careful with third party booking, because getting a refund can be impossible if there is a problem. Or at least it was for us. We used travelocity to book a hotel for a mini-vacation in Kissimmee, and it was shown to be a Ramada, and was very nice looking.

When we got there... not so much. The lobby was nice, but the room we were put in had no towels, hair all over the sink (tiny hairs like from when a man shaves), and it stunk. Hubby went down to complain, and they were going to put us in a room that smelled like cat urine. While he went downstairs, I discovered FECES on the WALL.

We left. We did end up getting 1/2 of our money back, but got tired of fighting for the rest. As the hubby said "It was worth the money to just not stay there." So we ended up at what is now one of favorite hotels.

I have only used for flights (along with travelocity). For hotels, I use hotels.com. But with the flights on Expedia, I've never been disappointed and I've been using it several times a year for years.

I have used Expedia in the past and haven't had problems, but I personally prefer to book my flight and hotel from the official websites, just so I can make sure I'll be able to get my money back if there are any issues. I fly Southwest a lot, and they aren't connected with any other websites so I have to buy my plane tickets separately anyways.

Expedia no longer shows American Airlines flights, so you have to look on aa.com if you wish to compare.

I've never used Expedia, but have used most of the others. I could be wrong, but I prefer hotels.com for hotels, as they seem to go into more detail than others. An example would be that a hotel normally offers a free breakfast (continental or otherwise), but not to hotel.com guests. We stayed at a simply amazing Radisson last summer for one-fourth of the price, and for that, we could afford our own breakfast!

If I'm about to book through one of these services, I always go to the hotel's real website, and compare the prices & perks. It's well worth the time! Also, be sure to read former guests' comments on the place - there are a lot of deal breakers aomng them!

I use Expedia for all my travel booking. So far, I have had excellent results. I have booked not only flights, but also car rentals, transportation to-from airport, and hotel rooms.

I had tickets for international travel purchased for me via Expedia, and everything went fine. I use Expedia to look for cheap flights but since most of my travel is served by Alaska and Alaska Horizon (used to be Horizon) I can always get cheaper and more direct flights directly through the Alaska Airlines website.

For hotels I often get a great deal using AAA, but I have also found deals through the official website of such hotel. For conference travel more often than not I can find a cheaper and better room on my own than for conference rates, and Alaska Airlines has often had great hotel deals through their site.

I also have a travel agent friend who helps me out.

Expedia is a ticket broker, just like Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotels.com. It was started by Microsoft, but now it's its own company, actually the largest online travel agency in the world. What it's really good for is getting the occasional great vacation deal, and researching deals that airlines may be running.

Priceline and Hotwire are negotiating sites. Good for last minute deals and for when you aren't really picky about the time of day you fly or the exact hotel to sleep in.

Best site for researching flight prices and options across the board is Kayak.com.

Tripadvisor is THE best Web site for honest reviews and photos of the hotels, hotel rooms, views, location, etc. Also the things to see/do in the travel destination.

I flew more than 50,000 miles last year, and every ticket I purchased was either through my corporate travel agency or the airlines' websites. Airline websites almost always have the best deal. Check out the deals on Expedia, Orbitz, etc., but purchase your tickets on the airline's website for a deal that is generally $10 or so cheaper than the booking sites.

Love Alaska. I'm a MVP Gold with them. I had to fly on SWA for the first time since college recently and it was hellish. Totally different experience in every way from Alaska or Delta.

I've used Expedia with no problem. I like that you can use your frequent flier accounts with them. I also use Hotwire, but only for hotels. I don't mind not knowing the name of the hotel but I want to choose the star rating, which you can do. I also use Orbitz and FareCompare.

Not much beats MVP Gold and hanging out in the Boardroom when it comes to air travel.

I will never fly Southwest unless there is no other option and my life would fall apart if I didn't get on their plane. People are such beasts in an airport and on a plane having self selecting seating is a nightmare I am not interested in, especially making connections from smaller airports, as I often do. The whole seating issue is what really gets to me, and though Alaska Airlines charges for bags, not if you're MVP or first class (which is easy to do once you're an MVP). Alaska has also been quite forgiving with my bag weight since I fly to and from Alaska and they get it about luggage and are probably happy I have real luggage and not coolers or cardboard boxes ;) Luckily everywhere I have lived has been served by Alaska/Horizon and Southwest is either not an option or an expensive one. Had a few shady experiences with delays on American and United flying back east and to the midwest, but even Alaska serves major cities in those areas and I can avoid feeling like a herded animal.

Love, love, love tripadvisor.com! That's where hotels.com connects to for comparisons.

If anyone is going for over a weekend or more than 4 days, try extendedstayhotels.com. They're not connected to any of the aforementioned sites, but the prices goes down by how many days you plan to stay. The last time I stayed there was for 7 days, and with the discounts, it was as if two days were free. The husband of a friend of mine spends 1-2 weeks in Chicago at a time, and they turned me on to them. They're suites, too.

Well, we made the reservations and I'll let you know if the hotel was a dive. Though nothing can compare to a place where we stayed in Beaumont, TX many years ago--it didn't look like a dive from the outside but...

Has anyone ever used that Expedia feature where you choose a hotel sight unseen for a huge discount?

NO! I had a friend who was really ticked when she decided to try that "just once". On the other hand, a couple I know do that a lot. I'd just be too nervous to try it.

Flights are fine obviously. You might have to specify no connections though.

I don't know whether it's expedia, priceline, orbitz, etc. which of those is the one that DOESN'T tell you the name of the hotel but that is what I'd be wary of. I would never book a hotel without knowing which one it is.

Also for these websites with good deals/packages, I'd use it only if you're absolutely sure you don't want a refund.

Yep, I can fly pretty much anywhere now on Alaska or one of their codeshare partners. And Alaska has the best airline partners. Southwest is usually more expensive flying out of Seattle, and I'm with you - I hate the unassigned seating; the chaotic check-in, boarding and seating process; RUDE flight attendants; and messy planes. I like that SWA has an all-Boeing fleet, but so does Alaska, and Alaska takes way better care of their planes. I don't trust SWA maintenance, especially knowing how much those planes fly.

So here's what happened. We drive up to the motel and notice that there are tons of motorcycles out front and lots of loud music playing from a club attached to the motel. We go into our room, which smells like cigarettes, and notice that no one has cleaned the bathroom. We go scope out the pool, which is emerald green. A movie scene flashes into my head--when the 2 kids from "National Lampoon's Vacation" run up to the motel pool and it's green and ducks are quacking in it and I fall apart laughing. At this point, however, we have to make the best of it and leave for meetings.

First night: bikers are zooming around in the courtyard. They finally get kicked out.

Second night: we return to a courtyard concert that's so loud that when we close the door, the sound is as loud as ever. This concert ends in about 10 minutes but another one starts an hour later. Soon afterwards, the cops show up and motel guests can finally sleep.

We may be visiting this town again but we know where we won't stay--:eek:

Did you know the name of the hotel when you booked it or just the amount of stars?

What was the description or name of the area where the hotel was supposedly located?

Motel?

I have never had a problem with booking flights through expedia/travelocity, and for the most part have not had trouble booking hotels. However, one time I did reserve a non-smoking room, at a specific hotel, that was part of a chain that I was familiar with. Due to some huge event in town that night, hotel rooms were booked up everywhere.

I arrived with my 12 month old son, who had already been hospitalized two different times for asthma in his short life. We were placed in the skankiest, smelliest, smokiest room I have ever experienced. I took my printed reservation that stated that I had reserved a non-smoking room and was told by the manager that third party sites can't guarantee smoking vs non-smoking rooms. Because the entire hotel was booked, as was every other hotel in town (CMA weekend in Nashville) we were stuck.**

So, I still am not sure whether expedia or the hotel was at fault, but I am now wary of purchasing hotel rooms through third-party sites. I just stick to the chains' websites so that I can ensure non-smoking rooms.

**They moved us to a less smelly smoking room, did change all the bed linens, and washed down all the walls, which helped.