Travelocity.com: Here's the Keys to Your Room!
Written: Oct 05 '01 (Updated May 16 '05)
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The Bottom Line
Travleocity.com Hotels is a good search function for lodging, but it would be better if it was a little more speedy and if there were more pictures.
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Today’s world wide web is loaded with travel and lodging web services. There are a few small differences among them, but they all have the same primary goal: to assist the would- be traveler in obtaining the lodging services that he/she needs, at the lowest price.
Travelocity.com is one of the premier web services in the area of travel. This service offers vacation services across the board. This Epinion will focus on the lodging services of Travelocity.com
How Does it Work?:
When you first logon to Travelocity.com, you will see a tab at the top of the home page for lodging. You need to click here, to begin your search for hotel accommodations.
The next screen will display three different search options. You can search for lodging near a specific address; near a specific airport; or near a well- known point of interest. After you decide which method to use, you then need to enter some basic information, like your desired check- in and check- out dates, the total number of travelers, and the total rooms needed.
To narrow down your selections even more, Traveloctiy.com has a few more options that you can utilize. One is the option to define the maximum distance (from the starting point, that you defined in the first step) that you wish to search for lodging. Travelocity.com will then list only those hotels that are within the desired radius, and this can be defined from 3 to 24 miles, in 3- mile increments.
Your next option will be to select the rates that you want to search for. You can search only for Travelocity.com Goodbuy Rates (special deals that Travelocity.com affiliates are offering at the time), corporate rates, government/military rates, or just default to search for any rates. You then can choose to narrow down your search results to only specific hotels (Holiday Inn, Econo Lodge, Days Inn, etc.), or select “no preference” to search for all. The last selection that you can enter is an optional one: You can select up to three amenities that you want your hotel to include, like swimming pool, tennis, restaurant, pets allowed, etc. Your final step is to click the search option, to view your results.
The Results Page:
Travelocity.com will list the results in order of proximity from your starting point that you defined on the proceeding page, with the closest one listed first. Each hotel lists a price range, showing the maximum and minimum charges for a room at that particular hotel. The address of each hotel is shown, along with a legend of symbols indicating the amenities. Some hotels also show an outside view of the premises.
If you want more information on prices, you can then click the icon to the left that says “select”. The next page that pops up will show all the different room options (like ֿ king bed”, or ׀ double beds”, etc) and prices. You will also have the option to click a box to add extras, like a rollaway bed or crib. You can then “book now” to get a summary of your selection and the total cost for your stay.
Back on the results page, there’s also an option to view more detail on the hotel. This option will allow you to look at all the features of the hotel. Perhaps you’re wondering how many rooms the hotel has; what attractions are nearby; or what the cancellation policy involves. All of this information can be found in this screen.
Booking Your Room:
If you decide to go ahead and book, Trevelocity.com will require that you establish a user account first. This is a requirement for any Travelocity.com purchase. It’s free to setup an account, and there are no strings attached (except for possible spam e-mail), but it would be nice if they didn’t require this.
If you’re having troubles, you can always call one of the toll- free numbers, listed in the Travelocity.com web site, to get quick assistance. You can also use these toll- free numbers if you don’t have a PC, or if the idea of booking on- line intimidates you, or if you simply don’t want to give out your credit card number on- line.
Other Features:
Travelocity.com has a few other lodging- related services to assist you with your travel needs. There’s a help menu that will show you the weather at your destination site; maps and driving directions; a summary of the various legend symbols for amenities; etc. There’s even a place to enter a review of a hotel, if you have already been there and want to share your experiences.
Final Thoughts:
Travelocity.com offers a good, user- friendly way to search for and book a hotel. I like the different search options. They make it very easy to zero- in on a particular location where you need to find lodging. For instance, let’s say you’re planning a business trip, and you know the exact address of the company where you will be spending your workday. You can easily use the option to search for a location near an address to obtain a list of hotels in the general vicinity. This can really come in handy, on a business trip. By knowing the exact distance from the hotel to your place of business, you can easily plan your transportation. You might be able to find a hotel so close to the business that you won’t even need a car.
Besides helping business travelers, these search options are also good for family trips. If you’re planning a trip to, say, a national park site, you can simply enter the landmark, using search option #3 (Search near a point of interest), and obtain a list of hotels that are closest to the desired tourist area.
On the negative side of things, Travelocity.com’s search function is a little slow. I timed it, on my PC, and each search took about 15 seconds. The other Travelocity.com search functions (flights, cruises, etc.) are also a little slow.
One other bad thing is that the hotel listings don’t include very many pictures. Only a few have any pictures at all, and those that do usually include only an outside view of the building, and maybe one picture of the inside of the rooms. This pales in comparison to some other lodging sites that I have used, which sometimes include full, 360- degree views of the rooms, pool areas, restaurants, etc.
Overall, though, this is a very good service to use, to search for hotel lodging. It may not offer much in the way of visual stimulation, but it will find you a wide range of hotels to choose from, with a price to suit your needs. I give Travelocity.com hotels a thumbs- up!
Be Sure to Click the Links Below to Read More Reviews of Other Popular Travel Web Sites:
American Express Travel
Cheapairlines.com
Travelnow.com
Cheaptravel.com
Hotel Discount.com
Bestfares.com
Hotwire.com
America’s Vacation Center
Expedia.com Flights
Expedia.com Hotels
Expedia.com Cruises
Travelocity.com Flights
Priceline.com Flights
Priceline.com Hotels
Vacations To Go
Vacationspot.com
Flycheap.com
LowestFare.com
Mytravelco.com
Placestostay.com
Orbitz.com
Cheaptickets.com
Recommended:
Yes
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