Q:
Have you ever searched for rates and/or booked a hotel through Travelaxe? If so, what did you or didn't you like about it? [Note: You may check more than one box.]
A:
1986 Total Votes
| I’ve never heard of Travelaxe. What is it? |
|
| I think I’ll get a better rate booking direct on the hotel’s own Web site, so I always do that. |
|
| Travelaxe is OK. Sometimes I’ve found cheaper hotel rates on there but it’s not consistently the cheapest, so I don’t always use it. |
|
| I don’t trust third party booking agents. I’m sure they must be getting a commission at my expense, or else I’ll show up at the hotel to find they’ve never heard of me! Plus, I worry about getting refunds if something goes wrong. |
|
| I’ve found cheap rates on Travelaxe but when I’ve come to actually book the room, the rate has changed and was more expensive. That’s really annoying. |
|
| Travelaxe is great -- I’ve consistently found cheaper hotel rates on there than other booking Web sites. It’s my favorite hotel search. |
|
| Other: Please email us your comments and experiences. |
|
| I don’t know if Travelaxe is good or not. I don’t use it because I find the interface confusing. (If so, please email us why.) |
|
| I like the convenience of being able to book everything in one place (room, shows, rental car etc.), so I prefer to use sites like Vegas.com, even if they might be more expensive. |
|
Analysis
Interesting results to this latest poll. A good reason many of the respondents have never heard of Travelaxe is because we’ve tempered our promotion of it over the past year. In a nutshell, Travelaxe is an online room-rate search engine (not just for Vegas or the U.S., but worldwide) that compares the offers of multiple travel Web sites and identifies the lowest rate—something akin to Kayak or Sidestep, but not quite.
When we first came across it in 2002, we thought it was the best thing since steamed broccoli and we made it available for our customers on the Web in a download version, but it didn’t really catch on. Over the years we’ve heard lots of good and bad about it, and have come to better understand its flaws. But overall, we’re still high on the service’s potential, especially now that it's available in a more user-friendly Web version, and we’re trying to determine the best way to incorporate it into our travel offerings. Hence, this poll.
Truth is, we wanted to get input straight from you, and with over 70 submitted email comments in addition to the straight votes, we got a lot of it. For example:
- "I have used it as a reference point for price comparisons, but have found that if and when there's a problem at the hotel with the room etc. on an Internet booking, they are less than accommodating. More than once I've been told at the front desk (at a hotel on the Strip) that essentially I got what I deserved and with a low-cost Web booking, can only expect a less desirable room that's ineligible for any upgrade."
- "I usually stay in comped rooms, but on several occasions I've used Travelaxe to find and book a room at a good rate. For example, last summer we stayed at Main Street Station for several comped nights, but I used Travelaxe to book one night at the Golden Nugget, so we could experience the new pool area. We had a great time and it didn't cost much at all -- less than booking through the Golden Nugget's Web site!"
- "The biggest problem is that you have to pay for your entire trip when you book it [with Travelaxe]. Also, your money is non-refundable. When you book directly with a hotel, you need only put down one night's deposit and your money is refundable."
- "I tried Travelaxe several times. It was too difficult -- crashed a lot and was really slow. I always find better rates by booking on the hotel's Web site and get treated much better when I arrive."
- "Not only is Travelaxe the best hotel booking site, but it includes all the taxes and fees up front ... We've never had a problem with checking in, though we were once sent to another hotel because they were overbooked. We were given a better room at the other hotel. If you have dial-up, Travelaxe is really slow, however."
- "I took a break from Las Vegas last May and went to New Orleans. I wanted to stay at a small boutique hotel near Harrah's, but its Web site stated that no rooms were available. I searched on Travelaxe and got a room at that same hotel and with a very good rate."
- "I like the display of hotels and prices that Travelaxe uses."
- "I have used Travelaxe a couple of times for actual reservations and several times for just checking rates. The problem with using the 'axe for reservations is that the type of rooms reserved are always the worst rooms in the hotel and apparently, there's nothing that can be done about that ... If there was a way to indicate room preference, it would be more valuable."
- "We never actually booked through it ... as I usually have a mail comp lying around for Las Vegas, Tunica, and Biloxi. But it would probably be good if I were traveling elsewhere."
- "I used Travelaxe last summer. I wound up booking the rooms through the hotels' reservations themselves, but I got the best rate listed on Travelaxe without paying the fees. I called the reservations departments of Harrah's (where
No part of this answer may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the publisher.
