Like anything new, they will have kinks, and they will learn as they grow. I am keenly interested to see which/what OTA HotelSlash will be using for the new service. You would think the hotel locations along Internationl Drive or over in Lake Buena Vista would be less, but oftentimes, Hertz passes on the facility fee they have to pay the hotel…no dice. I still check rates to make sure that location is in the ballpark – sometimes rates change upward at a location, then go back down. The past few rentals, I’ve been picking up at Orlando Toyota Hertz HLE, adjacent to the I-4. Since it is Orlando, Hertz and some of it’s competitors have a great number of local locations – or as Hertz calls them, HLE’s where by renting from those smaller facilities, I can save 20 to 30% from the rates at MCO. I do all possible to pick-up at MCO because of the pesky fees and surcharges. Where I find I do better on my own than with AutoSlash is in Orlando.
Would I give up free breakfast and/or other perks such as premium Wi-Fi (I can’t believe hotels have a category for this), free parking, etc? – it would depend on the length of stay and the chain/property being booked.
Now that I self fund business travel from my own cash flow, any additional tool that’s reliable is great. However, I have found AutoSlash to be fairly reliable, and I am always able to use my elite benefits with Hertz regardless of the rate. This post first appeared on Your Mileage May VaryĪs you have rightly pointed out, YMMV. Whether you’ve read our posts before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
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Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and get emailed notifications of when we post. With this one, it looks like Your Mileage May Vary with the value of using HotelSlash. Just make sure that the benefits you’re giving up (like free internet or breakfast) aren’t worth more than you’re saving. Since hotel chains do limit the amount of loyalty benefits on bookings through third party websites, this service will be best for those with no status with a hotel chain or if you’re staying away from your primary hotel program. I’m still excited about this development and I hope that HotelSlash ends up working as well at their auto rental site to save money for travelers. Can I tell from this how much HotelSlash can save on a hotel room in all instances? Of course not, especially since the website is still in beta testing. This is a single data point at an inexpensive hotel booking several months in advance. If I had to give up lounge access or a lucrative promotion, there’s no way I would book through them unless the savings were extensive. That’s at a hotel where there are no other perks for loyalty and I’d be willing to trade the points for a lower price. With the hotel I was looking at, I would earn more than $12 worth of points from the reservation. It would also depend on how much HotelSlash can save you. Is that worth it? I guess that depends on which hotel you’re looking at and your status level with that hotel chain. While earning loyalty points on your booking is not guaranteed, it’s certainly worth asking the hotel if they will add your member number for you.
While it’s not possible to enter your hotel loyalty program member number at the time of booking, many hotels will accept it at check-in or check-out time. Here’s what HotelSlash says about entering your hotel loyalty number for bookings made through their website.
That means that you’re likely to not get any loyalty points for the booking, nor will you get any of the perks of your status. I’d imagine these reservations are treated like any other OTA (Online Travel Agent) booking. When I went to book a room, I had to do so from the HotelSlash website. They found a similar room for $525, but that booking was non-refundable. The HotelSlash rate at the same hotel was $552. My original rate for a four-night refundable stay booked through the hotel website was $564. Within 12 hours of me sending them an email, I received a reply.