Wow, Kayak has been busy lately adding Luxury Travel Auctions to its ever-growing arsenal. Partnering with Luxury Link, Kayak is able to offer another and perhaps slightly more risky/exciting way to book travel versus the regular: search flight/hotel listings > book a trip.
In the online travel booking space, two auction sites share the biggest amount of traffic/recognition: Sky Auction and the aforementioned Luxury Link. I used skyauction.com 4 years ago to book a week at 5-star The Villa Vera Hotel & Racquet Club in Acapulco, Mexico. I paid $300usd for an entire week, which proved a significant savings off regular high or low season rates.
Although booking travel through an auction site can seem scary, it's all about educating yourself: peruse the deals; read the details, terms and conditions carefully; and place a bid you're comfortable with at the last minute. Online travel auctions have been around since 1999, but perhaps Kayak partnering with Luxury Link is a sign of the times. Are the masses ready to adopt this type of travel booking?
How Kayak's Luxury Travel Auctions Work
- listings are posted to the luxury auctions page
- each listing details
- hotel name & description
- location
- current bid price
- savings off retail rate
- valid travel dates
- time left
- research your preference (location, number of stars, type of property, dates, terms and conditions)
- place your bid (hint: do so at the last minute if it's something you really want a chance of winning)
- monitor your bid
- win or lose bid
Making the Most of Kayak Auctions
- closing soon: peruse the closing soon auctions if you want the best deal possible
- geo area: you can also search by the geographic area where you'd like to travel. Narrow down your search, choose your preferred hotel, bid and start saving!
Will I use Kayak Auctions in the near future? Probably not. Kayak is providing a great service, but since it's in the luxury travel space, I can still find other semi-luxury properties on priceline or hotwire. To each their own. Check it out!