Travelweb.com: A Little too Basic for Me
Written: Jul 12, 2002 (Updated Jul 12, 2002)
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Travelweb.com is a basic travel web service that is used mostly to search for lodging accomodations. This site is a little more limited than other travel services, offering just hotel lodging, flights, and car rentals. You won't find any cruises or an extensive selection of other travel featires. It offers just a few of the most critical services, leaving the rest up to the traveler.
What Does This Site Offer?:
This site emphasizes a few specific hotel chains: Hilton, Hyatt, Mariott, Six Contents and Starwood - and hotel technology provider Pegasus Solutions. Reservations can be made at several other hotel chains too, but these are the primary places of lodging that the site places special emphasis.
The hotel search function operates from the main page. You can conduct a simple search, indicating just the days that you are traveling and the destination where you need lodging. Or, if you have more specifics in mind, you can identify the desired amenities that you would like, along with a price range to search (less than $75, $75 to $149, $150 to $250, or greater than $250) or you can just let this default to all prices.
The search results page will show the hotels that have the greatest number of matching amenities first (assuming that you utilized the advanced search function) and those with the fewest matching amenities last (Note: it will show you the number of matching amenities, like "6 out of 8", but it doesn't tell you which specific ones that it has. You have to look at the details page, to find out). If you want to see more, you can click a link to see more details; view photos; or check availability for your chosen check- in date.
After you indicate the number of travelers, bed preference and smoking preference, you will then be presented with a list of rooming options, showing the daily rate. If you want to find the total price, including taxes, you have to book the room and enter your personal data. Only then will you be able to view the bottom- line price for your lodging.
Other Travel Services:
Travelweb.com also allows you to book flight and to make a car rental. However, these two features are nothing more than links into another travel service, www.orbitz.com. Travelweb.com doesn't offer these services itself. It concentrates solely on lodging.
The only other service offered here is an e-mail alert system. If you elect to sign up for this, Travelweb.com will send you an e-mail whenever there is a special discount offer on lodging.
Pricing:
For many people, the ultimate reason for choosing or rejecting an on- line travel service is the prices that are offered. Even if a site is unattractive, difficult to navigate, or awkward in any way, most of us can overlook the faults if the prices are low.
Unfortunately, Travelweb.com does not offer very good pricing. I have checked hotel rates in this site, and then quickly checked around to a few other well- known travel services, and I have found that Travelweb.com is priced about 5 to 10 percent higher, for exactly the same room. This seems to be especially true for the higher- priced chains, like Marriot or Hyatt Rengency. The difference in price is much less when comparing a budget hotel, like Motel 6 or Days Inn. Travelweb.com still costs a little more for these budget inns, but the difference is negligible, like say $40 per night using this service vs. $38 per night from a competitor.
Final Thoughts:
Travelweb.com is not the best travel web service I have ever used. It doesn't rank dead last, but it definitely ranks in the bottom half.
Most lodging services have more to offer than Travelweb.com, in terms of photos and other helpful tips. This service usually shows just a few photos, and many of them are not that enticing. For example, I have looked up some photos in this site that showed just a top view of the outside of the structure. You couldn't even see the ground- only the top ten floors of the building. I don't see how this type of photo would assist many people in selecting a hotel.
Another way that this site could be improved would be to include a rating system and a place to leave consumer comments. I have found that it's very helpful to read comments that other travelers have posted, and it's also nice to at least be able to see a "star" rating for a hotel. Travelweb.com offers neither.
I don't mind that this service offers just lodging, but if they are going to do that, then they should refrain from promoting themselves as a "full- service" travel site. I don't consider links into another travel service to be indicative of a full- service site. This is really just a service that helps you find a place to stay.
On the positive side, the site is easy to navigate and the pages load quickly. They also have a toll- free customer service line that you can call if you have any questions.
Overall, this is a weak service. Selection is minimal; prices are slightly higher than average; and there are no additional features to help you make a lodging decision. It's a site that would be adequate if you wanted to stay at the Motel 6. But if you're looking for more than that, then you should avoid Travelweb.com. It's just a little too plain and simple to recommend.
Recommended:
No
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About the Author
Member: Bryan Carey
Location: Houston, TX
Reviews written: 3885
Trusted by: 1565 members
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