Question re prices on hotel.com and expedia.com

On websites like hotel.com and expedia.com, some of the hotels say that they are 40% off and have the old prices crossed out with the special prices in red. Some just say ';Best Price'; with nothing crossed out. My question is, might those %26#39;best price'; establishments still reduce their prices further, or is that price likely the best that I am going to get?

Question re prices on hotel.com and expedia.com

With hotels.com you have the option to cancel your reservation and rebook just like if you book directly through the hotel. If you see a price you like on hotels.com I would book it now. You always have the option to cancel and take the lower price if it becomes available.

Question re prices on hotel.com and expedia.com

Those ';40% off'; and ';low price guarantees'; are totally misleading, especially Expedia ';special rates';.

The ONLY way to know the ';best price'; is to search this forum for rate/promotions/discount codes and diligently shop all possible resources. Believe me, you can save a bundle and stay at the same properties.

For Las Vegas, generally speaking, the very best rates are by booking directly with the hotel, and finding discount/promotional codes to use when booking directly. If rates go down (which they do more often than not) you can have yours lowered with a phone call. And, rates do fluctuate, up and down, so it%26#39;s prudent to check regularly once you%26#39;ve reserved.

Thanks for the tips. The rooms I am interested in specifically say ';non-refundable';, that%26#39;s why I want to make sure they are not likely to be reduced before booking (actually, I think I am supposed to pay upon booking).

Cheeky, as others have said you definitely want to do your research. In this econoomy depending on your timing there%26#39;s a very good chance that prices will trend down.

Some of the ';sales'; on Expedia and Hotels.com are legetimate (sp?) and some marketing hype. Read the terms and conditions and cancellation penalties carefully. I%26#39;ve used both on ocassion and have had no problems. Got a free cabana at Hard Rock for instance through Expedia so I definitely include these sites in my research.

Downside as you say is you pay 100% upfront, vs 1 night room deposit by booking directly. Last I recall Expedia has a $25 cancellation fee and Hotels.com $0 unless the specific property has their own cancellation fee which they pass along.

I know I had a fantastic rate through Hotels.com for the Tuscany for my Dec 2008 trip. Then I got a really good promo rate direct from the Rio and I went that route. Cancelled the Hotels.com booking and it was refunded fully.

I would say go through the hotel. Very rarely does Expedia offer a price that you can%26#39;t get by booking directly with the hotel anyway. So if you know where you want to stay try booking with the hotel and let them know the price taht Expedia are offering and they should match it. Also prices in Vegas are changing frequently at the moment so by booking with the hotel you can then ask for new rates if they change. Also you can cancel most direct bookings up to 72 hours before hand without charge.