how do you shop for hotels?

standing by the rue de rivoli, looking west towards Le Meurice

If you had the choice, how much would you prefer to pay for one night in a Superior Room at Le Meurice in Paris?

     A. 690€
     B. 678.77€
     C. 621€

These are the actual rates that came up this morning for a comparison search that I ran this morning using Travelocity and Orbitz vs. the rate available to a Virtuoso travel consultant. The date of stay was November 15 for one night.

Contrary to popular opinion, the online travel agencies cost you more and give you less.

B. Orbitz — $879.82 = 678.77€. This is a pre-paid rate for room only. Orbitz will charge your card $879.82 at the time of booking.

A. Travelocity — 690€. This booking is 11.23€ more but requires only a credit card guarantee. It's also for room only.

C. Virtuoso — 621€, also requiring only a credit card guarantee.


Your Virtuoso travel consultant can not only get you a better price, you get better value for your money.  My clients receive the following when I reserve their room at Le Meurice.

• Daily American breakfast for two in the restaurant or via room service
• A bottle of French wine and home made petit fours in room on arrive
• Upgrade to Deluxe Room, if available

Moreover, like most luxury travel consultants, I will personally contact management at Le Meurice to VIP your stay. More often than not, my clients get upgraded to a Deluxe Room!

(And don't take my word for it... here's the actual Sabre listing. Double-click to see it full size.)

Over 975 luxury hotels around the world are part of the Virtuoso network, offering free breakfast for two every morning, room upgrades when available, and additional amenities that differ by hotel - usually at the hotel's best available flexible rate (and sometimes even lower). If you've been booking luxury hotels with online travel agencies, you've probably left a lot of value value on the table!


Virtuoso travel consultant (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2012 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website. .