There’s no place like home for the holidays, but if you’ve been bitten by the travel bug (or if you’re travelling to see family or friends elsewhere) then you’re in for a holiday of travel. Here’s the hard part: Figuring out where you’re staying, and booking that sweet reservation!
Holidays aside, no matter your reason for travel, discovering that perfect hotel can be a challenging, irksome, and tedious business – especially if you’re travelling on a budget, won’t have transportation, or are just plain finicky. Luckily we’ve got four websites that will make your job much easier and much less stressful. Check them out!
4 best websites for booking hotels
1. Can’t be simpler than Hotels.com
The name of the website says it all: You want hotels fast and easy? You got hotels fast and easy. As soon as you open the page, there’s a prompt right up top that lets you write where and when you’re going, how long you aim to be there, and how many people you’re looking to room. Click the blue search button and let hotels.com work its magic.
We also like this site for more than just the holiday season, and if you’re a frequent traveler this could be your new favorite thing; you can use the Rewards system to eventually accrue points towards free nights, and secret prizes, which could save you a lot of money, depending where you go. Hotels.com also has new deals pretty frequently, ranging from package deals to timely holiday sales.
2. Bidroom.com is tailor-made for return guests
What makes Bidroom so great is that it offers sweet deals to members – another great resource if you’re a frequent traveler. If you’re looking for that one-shot trip to grandma’s for Christmas then you’re probably better off with hotels.com, but a membership with Bidroom will save you more money in the long run:
Join the Bidroom membership community and you’ll not only get a huge variety of location and lodging choices, but you’ll also save up to 25% on every booking! Bidroom scouts for all the lowest available rates on the biggest hotel booking websites and then compiles them, leaving you with a discount on those prices. It works similarly to Chrome’s Honey extension, but specifically with room booking. Their slogan? “Same hotel. Better pricing.” You can even start a free trial!
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Read Now ►3. Booking.com gives more options
Booking.com finds you hotels just like our previous two options, but has an extra advantage: They’ll offer you lodging besides just hotels. Want a resort in Italy? They’ve got it. A cabin in Denmark? They’ve got that too. Cottages in France, Motels in Las Vegas, this website has a ton of style options to choose from, and it’s all on one intuitive website. Ocean City alone has over 880 vacation rentals! Is it better than hotels.com? Check out this video and decide for yourself:
More options mean more decision-making, which can be really daunting for some people. That’s why Booking.com also has a number of travel articles to help persuade/dissuade you. There’s a food lover’s guide to southern France, top 5 hiking spots in Germany, and even a list of pet-friendly adventure locations. If you want low prices and want to meet specific interests while indulging in unique lodging options, this is probably your best bet.
4. Reservations.com has hundreds of thousands of choices
If you’re looking to cast the net wide, but still want options to pinpoint that perfect fit, Reservations.com offers you the niche versatility and a variety of filters that will help narrow that search down to the best choice for you. Like hotels.com, Reservations has a super simple UI that lets users pinpoint destinations, check-in/check-out, and rooms, and you’ll instantly have access to over 250,000 choices. But the difference here is that right below the search portals you’ve also got options to set filters – popular options, luxury, or cheap. That helps you narrow down the type of lodging you’re most interested in reserving (we recommend “popular”).
Reservations also has a number of holiday deals (perfect for this time of year), an instant confirmation policy, customer reviews, 24/7 customer support, and secure checkout options that’ll get you booked in just a few minutes.
Let us know which option you’re going to be using this season! Sure there’s no place like home for the holidays, but when finding hotels is this easy, that travel itch can sure be convincing!
