North America Travel Tips - North America Travel Guide

More and more you can get some fantastic deals for rooms on the Web, but you have to be careful or else you could find yourself out of a lot of money with little recourse.

Refunds

The Problem: Receiving a refund can be difficult. The deeper discount you get, the harder it is to get a refund.

The Solution: Keep printouts of the confirmation number and all transactions, as well as familiarize themselves with the refund policies of the agency and hotel where you reserve.

VizTravel.com spokeman, Dunstan Ireland, says that travelers concerned about recouping their money should consider travel insurance. "It's important to be aware of the circumstances under which the insurance company will help you get a refund," he said. "But if you qualify, they will save you from a major headache."

Properties/Rooms

The Problem: The amenities of the room you booked online, and the hotel itself, are substandard.

The Solution: If you don't like the room you're assigned, request another one. Pronto. And it never hurts to have a backup hotel in mind, particularly for long trips.

Also, the rating systems used by most of the online agencies can be helpful. Travelocity uses AAA ratings and in-house inspectors for some properties.

Secondary sources are usually more objective. Start with guidebooks; the AAA and Mobil guides, which inspect many properties and rate them, are good resources. Fodor's, Frommer's and Lonely Planet often have reliable hotel reviews, too. Check Web sites such as Tripadvisor.com and HotelShark.com, which offer independent reviews by former guests.

Rates

The Problem: After booking, customers sometimes find they could have snagged a cheaper room at the same property from another Web site or directly from the hotel.

The Solution: Always comparison shop before booking. Check directly with the hotel and ask for specials or the cheapest available room. If the hotel is a chain, use both its toll-free number and Web site.

Got chutzpah? Connect with a hotel manager or other person of authority and bargain. The site www.biddingfortravel.com, in which travelers say how much they paid for rooms on Priceline, offers a rough guide of how low a hotel might go.

List of Travel Discounters ...

• Hotels.com
Service desk: 800-219-4606 (8 a.m.-1 a.m. daily),
800-364-0291 (1 a.m.-8 a.m. daily)
E-mail: care@hotels.com
Mailing address: 10440 N. Central Expressway
Suite 400, Dallas, Tex. 75231

• Orbitz.com
Service desk: 888-656-4546 (24/7)
E-mail: customerservice@orbitz.com
Mailing address: N/A

• Travelweb.com
Service desk: 866-437-8131 (24/7{rcub}
E-mail: customerservice@travelweb.com
Mailing address: N/A

• Quikbook.com
Service desk: 800-789-9887 (Monday-Friday 9 a.m-
8 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.)
E-mail: res@quikbook.com
Mailing address: 381 Park Ave. S.
New York, N.Y. 10016

• PlacesToStay.com
Service desk: 866-224-9765 (24/7)
E-mail: custserv@worldres.com
Mailing address: WorldRes Inc.
1510 Fashion Island Blvd., Suite 100
San Mateo, Calif. 94404

• Lodging.com
Service desk: 888-563-4464 (daily 8 a.m.-11:30 p.m.)
E-mail: customerservice@lodging.com
Mailing address: 4805 N. 30th St., Suite 103
Colorado Springs, Colo. 80919

HOTEL CHAINS: For links to the major chains, check www.hotelstravel.com, an online directory of hotel and other travel-related Web sites.
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North America General Tips

North America General Tips

Visiting North America?

Visiting North America?