Travel Trends :: Online Auctions

[trip style = adventure]

Going once, going twice, SOLD to the lady in the red hat. Have you ever used a travel auction site? I used Sky Auction a few years ago to bid on and win a week's stay at the Villa Vera Hotel & Racket Club in Acapulco [pictured above].  I paid around $300 usd for the week, which worked out to a decent savings off the $115 usd nightly rate [see my review on Trip Advisor].

For the Risky at Heart Although travel auction sites have been around since the advent of internet-enabled travel booking, they've been making a comeback with the launch of the newest auction site Off & Away. I call this trip style adventurous because it's not for everyone; booking travel on auction sites involves time, research, strategy and a quick finger to win the deal you have your eye on. At its core, the concept isn't much different from any other type of travel booking, but hey, it's one way online travel companies differentiate themselves.

Travel Auction Sites Luxury Link The oldest, if not wisest site in the travel auction mix has been auctioning off travel since 1997.  Focusing on elite getaways, they offer the largest selection of vetted luxury hotels, resorts, cruises and tours on the web. They're also enterprising; like we talked about last Thursday, they recently partnered with Travel + Leisure to create Vacationist.com, a members-only private travel sale site.

Sky Auction Almost as ancient as Luxury Link, Sky Auction has been around since 1999 and has over 966,550 auction winners. Offering the Ebay-like ability to bid or buy now, the site offers auctions for hotels, flights, packages, cruises and attractions.

Off & Away The newest online travel auction kid on the block is a little more niche, offering suites at 4- and 5-star hotels. But there's a catch, each bid costs $1 usd, and if you don't win your auction, you can apply your used bids towards another room.

My Take Like I mentioned above, I've used Sky Auction to book an auctioned-off vacation. Although it's not my preferred booking method, I would consider booking travel through an auction again. Similar to my advice for booking on sites like Hotwire or Priceline, if you like taking educated risks, do your research and go for it.

Tips Before you Bid

• like pizza or ice cream, travel auction sites can be addictive, so use restraint and the same common sense you would when bidding on eBay
• once you win a bid, you'll only be able to travel on the hotel's specified dates - which are clearly published during the bidding phase
• when you see a property you like, research the heck out of it, so you know what you're booking
• even if the price seems to good to be true, always check it against other sources
• read the fine print and make sure you aren't going to have attend a mandatory presentation or the like

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Related Content Private Travel Sales Hot for Hotwire Priceline Like a Pro Secret Hotels

Hot for Hotwire

This month we've devoted a few posts to blind booking sites like Hotwire and Priceline, as well as a few other newcomers like Travelocity's Top Secret Hotels and Last Minute Vacation's Undercover Hotels.  Poor Hotwire was lacking some dedicated Trip Styler love, so here are a few of our hottest Hotwire tricks-of-the-trade, but first, a little background: Hotwire Hotwire is a leader in the 'Undercover' travel booking genre, in fact, according to Tnooz (via hitwise), each month it's always jockeying for the leading position in the web's top 10 travel agencies.  The site provides two booking methods: traditional, and blind.  Cars, flights, vacations and cruises fall into the traditional category, and hotels the blind category.

Hotels When 3- and 4-star hotels have unsold rooms, they use Hotwire to fill them. The result? Hotwire makes money and you spend less.  Here's how their hotel bookings work: traveler searches a hotel for the star class and amenities they want, yet can't see its exact location or brand. See example below searching for a hotel in Wailea, Maui for a stay this week: Once you find the hotel selection you're happy with, you book it and find out the name and exact location after you've confirmed the purchase.

Not a Risk Using Hotwire is not a risk, it's an educated risk. Since Hotwire launched some 10 years ago, sites like BetterBidding.com and BiddingforTravel.com have minimized 'the blind' risk by providing Hotwire (and Priceline) enthusiasts the opportunity to enter their 'win' details so that others can figure out what hotel they are probably going to get in that city/area.

The Secret(s) Hotels with whom Hotwire maintains relationships are not random, but predictable. Whether it's a 3-star in Austin, Texas or a 4-star in Vancouver, BC, chances are, there will be precedent indicating the selection you're likely to get. Also, keep in mind that Hotwire tends to work with larger hotel groups, so if you're looking for a boutique hotel, you'll need to book elsewhere.

My Super Hotwire Wins One of my recent Hotwire 'super' wins was in Venice this past fall.  I selected a 4-star hotel for around $100 and got the Hilton Molino Stucky, complete with a lovely room, roof-top pool and water shuttle to and from St. Mark's square.  I know the hotel retailed for MUCH more than we paid.  See the review I posted to Trip Advisor here.

People Who use Hotwire - Is it Right for You? People who like their ducks in a row, aren't always fans of this 'blind booking' travel site because they'd prefer to know their hotel and its exact location on-demand.  Fair enough.  On the other end of the spectrum, suspense-loving, risk-takers don't mind---even enjoy--- the hotel surprise at the end of the rainbow.  I'm somewhere in the middle. Over the past 7 years there are times I've used Hotwire and times I haven't depending on the nature of the trip.  Are you willing to take the educated risk?

Priceline Like a Pro

The Negotiator got the best of me 5 years ago. Multiple trips, hotels and car rentals later, I'm still a fan of Priceline. Here's how to get the best price and accurately predict your hotel with this popular travel booking site...

How Priceline Works Priceline.com offers online travel enthusiasts two ways of booking: 1) Traditional online travel booking: enter your dates and destination, browse listings. 2) "Blind" Booking: 'name your own price' for cars, hotels and flights. The catch? You get a great price, but don't know the airline, car rental or hotel until your price is accepted.

Priceline Tricks of the Trade I've used Priceline's 'name your own price' feature so many times that I was even willing to risk it a few months ago for a stay starting the next day in Maui. Why? Because I was 99% sure I knew what hotel I was going to get. 1) When you bid for cars, hotels or flights using the 'name your own price' feature, you can save up to 50% 2) When bidding for hotels or resorts, you can predict your selection most of the time by cross-referencing the dates and destination with BetterBidding.com or Biddingfortravel.com

How to Use Priceline like a Pro 1) Research. Using the hotel example below, go to betterbidding.com and enter your dates and destination. This will give you insight into the hotel/resort and price range. 2) Season. Keep your season in mind: don't bid too much in low season, or too little in high season. 3) Sign up for a Priceline.com account. 4) Priceline has two booking formats: traditional and 'name your own price.' Get the deepest savings with the latter. 5) Knowing your destination and dates, start bidding. 6) Bid strategically: bid within the range you're comfortable, starting lower and increasing the price from there. 7) If you don't have much time: - for car rental: go in with your best price and be willing to bid on multiple vehicle segments (ie - economy, mid-sized, convertible) to get what you want in one sitting. - for hotels: go in with your best price, and start with a small geo area which you can expand if your first bid isn't accepted. Note that if your bid price isn't accepted, you need to wait 24 hours to bid again.

Example

• Destination: Wailea, Maui. Dates: May 12 - 16, 2010
• Go to BetterBidding.com and navigate to the Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins
• Enter your dates and destination, click submit
• Click on the bolded "Wins" shown on each calendar day
• On Wednesday May 12th you'll see someone 'won' the Wailea Marriot for $120/night
• Now you know the 'secret' Priceline hotel selection AND bid range for your destination
• Go to Priceline.com and click 'bid now' for 'name your own price' hotels
• Enter your city, dates and number of rooms
• Reconfirm where and how you want to stay: "Wailea - Makena" in a "Resort"
• Enter how much you want to bid per night, reservation name (legal) and click "next"
• You'll then be taken to a confirmation page showing your dates, number of nights and rate for your potential stay. Write your initial at the bottom of the page, click next.
• Finally, if your price is accepted, your booking will be confirmed. If the price isn't accepted, you'll either be told how much more you need to bid for the price to be accepted, or "try again."

Localizing Travel with a Home Exchange

[trip style = budget]

There's something romantic about the idea of exchanging homes with a tuscan farmhouse and living like Diane Lane in Under the Tuscan Sun. Equally enticing is the idea of escaping to an English country home like Cameron Diaz in The Holiday--assuming you're OK allowing someone to live in your home.

Localizing Travel What I love about the home exchange trip style is how it catapults and engages you in local culture.  Not being cooped-up in a hotel or touristy area allows for a deeper immersion in the tastes, sounds, activities and lifestyle of a local. It's an experience that compels you in a walk-in-someone-else's shoes way of life and directs you with out-of-the-way advice, suggestions and tips you wouldn't necessarily get from a concierge.  The whole experience is oriented toward embracing the normality of an area versus the sometimes abnormal sense of place overly touristy activities can create.

Top Home Exchange Sites HomeExchange.com - popularized by movie "The Holiday" (actual website referenced in the movie) - 35,000 listings in over 130 countries - since 1992 - insurance option provided by Lloyd's of London - cost $9.95/month for 1-year unlimited membership or 3-month membership for $15.95/month

HomeforHome.com - major focus on listings in Europe with additional listings in Canada, the US and select countries in South America - free

HomeExchangeVacation.com - significant presence in North America, Europe, South Africa and Australia - offer feedback function for added accountability - good FAQ section and website usability - cost: basic membership is free, full membership is $29 for 3-months (need full membership to email other property owners, so if you're serious, you need the full membership)

HomeforExchange.com - 13,500+ listings all over the world, including places like French Polynesia & Mauritius - cost: 1-year $59, 2-year $88, 3-year $110.

iehv.com - International Vacation Home Exchange - touted as "the" luxury home exchange option - mentioned in multiple publications - founded in 2003 - focus on non-simultaneous exchanges and credit system to exchange with variety of properties - cost $179 - $375/anually depending on membership level

Obsession with Airline Seats

Airline seat assignments have always been something we get picky about. Why wouldn't we? When we're traveling like sardines, the little things start to count: aisle vs window or visa versa, near or far from a toilet, front of the plane vs the back, sitting in an exit row, etc...

Ever since booking travel became something everyone could do, seat assignments have become even more top of mind. Sometimes it seems like it's the only thing left that's customizable--yet some discount airlines now charge for assigned seats, while Continental has started a naughty trend of charging for exit row seats. Wow.

Either way, based on our obsession with choosing the right airline seat, sites like seatguru.com, seatexpert.com and airlinequality.com have sprung-up to help consumers pinpoint the best seats for their plane type. These sites are so granular that they'll even tell you about misaligned windows, exact leg-room measurements and seats that only partially recline.

Example Seat 25J on a Hawaiian Airlines 767-300 v2 Class: coach Seat Type: recliner & exit row Power: no Video: no Seat 25 J has a bit of extra legroom, but does not recline due to the exit behind. The tray table is in the armrest, making the armrest immovable and reducing the seat width. There is no floor storage during takeoff and landing. The close proximity of the lavatories can be bothersome.

Become an Airline Seat Expert Seat Guru I love the user-friendliness of this website. The example above is taken from this site--it's level of detail is astonishing.

SeatExpert Offering a similar service to Seat Guru, Seat Expert goes about providing seat information in a different, 3-step way. 1) enter airline, flight number and date of departure (don't worry if you forget all those details, the form even auto-completes). 2) multiple segments? no prob, you will be taken to a page where each leg is listed. Select the leg on which you are flying. 3) review the seat maps to see which are the best and worst seats on the plane. *If you know your flight number and departure date, this site is great for initial research, but make sure you also visit Seat Guru because in some cases, the information can be more detailed.

Airline Quality Like Trip Advisor, this website is completely user-generated with the world's largest selection of independent airline, airport, lounge and seat reviews for over 620 airlines and 645 airports.  Because the website is still growing some airline lounge reviews only consist of one or two contributions, but it's still helpful to browse.