TIL booking through a hotel's direct line saved me $100, not cost more

So I have always defaulted to booking hotel rooms through the big travel sites like Hotels.com or Expedia because I figured they had the best deals. But last month I was trying to book a room at a small inn in Asheville, and the price on their website was $20 higher than the travel site. I almost clicked buy on the travel site but decided to call the hotel front desk just to ask a question about parking. The lady on the phone casually said 'oh if you book directly with us tonight, we take $40 off the room rate and throw in free breakfast.' I ended up saving $100 total compared to the travel site price after she applied a weekend special they do not advertise online. Now I am wondering if this is a fluke or if hotels actually reward you for calling direct. Has anyone else tried calling instead of booking online and gotten a better rate?

2 comments

2 Comments

evan_dixon6718d ago

Honestly, a whole $40 off plus free breakfast just for calling? That's wild.

morgan31618d ago

$40 off plus free breakfast is insane @evan_dixon67. I called a hotel once for a room and they threw in a free upgrade to a suite just for asking. The breakfast part is the real kicker though, most places charge $15 a head for that cold scrambled egg buffet. I bet the phone line people have a secret stash of deals they never put online. Makes you wonder how much other stuff they're hiding if you don't pick up the phone. I'm honestly tempted to call a random hotel just to see what they'd offer me.