MAKING HOTEL RESERVATIONS ONLINE

STEP 1: As an example, we are looking for a hotel in New York City from June 20 to June 24, 2005. First we go to Orbitz and input New York City and the dates we want. After the input of the city and dates, we click on Find. Scroll down these example pages and pay attention to the purple notes. Only images of pages are shown. You do not actually click on these pages.

STEP 2: After clicking on Find, a list of choices appears. Scroll down to see the suggested hotels. In this example only a small portion of a long list is shown.

STEP 3: Choose, for example, a nonsmoking queen bed room at Ramada New Yorker Hotel by clicking on Select as shown above. The next page gives the cost. Note the total cost and the hotel policies.

STEP 4: Use GOOGLE to find the website of the hotel. You may also find the hotel using one of the hotel chain websites. In this example, we have found the New Yorker Hotel website and are using it to find the hotel rates. We visit the site and input the dates of the stay and click on Search as shown below. Be sure to continue until the total price including taxes is shown. If you cannot find the website for a specific hotel, just use another of the hotel search sites mentioned above.

STEP 5: A list of hotel room rates is given. Scroll down and select a room. In this example, we select a nonsmoking king bed room.

STEP 6: Double check the room information and note the taxes and fees. In this example, we need to calculate the total price as shown below.

STEP 7: We use another hotel search to compare prices. In this example, we go to hotels.com and input the city, dates and number of room guests as shown below. Some search sites allow you to input the hotel of interest by name.

STEP 8: A list of hotels is presented for the city. Scroll down the list until the hotel of interest is found. Click to select the rates at that hotel. If you do not find the hotel of interest, put the hotel name and city in google to get some other possible search sites.

STEP 9: After you see the hotel information, click on Book It, as shown below. This will take you to a page that gives the total price.

STEP 10: As shown below, we now see the room description, dates and total price.

STEP 11: We now have three prices to compare. The prices are similar but the hotel site gave a slightly lower price. In this case revisit the hotel site and book the room. Often you will find a lower price using a search site rather than the hotel site. We recommended that you book the hotel with the hotel site or one of the more popular and reliable sites. Sometime after making a hotel reservation, call the hotel to confirm your room. Be sure to request a nonsmoking room if that is your choice.

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SUMMARY OF THE STEPS USED TO MAKE HOTEL RESERVATIONS ONLINE

1. Use some of the more reliable sites like GLOBAL DISCOUNT RESERVATIONS, TRAVELOCITY, EXPEDIA, ORBITZ, VENERE, BOOKINGS or TRIPADVISOR to find possible hotels or to price a specific hotel. You may also want to use specific Hotel Chain sites or other hotel search sites. It is recommended that you use one of these more reliable sites or a Hotel Chain site to book hotels outside of the U.S.

2. See if you find the hotel on any of the review sites, such as TRIPADVISOR. Alternatively, use GOOGLE to search for: reviews hotel name and city.

3. Use GOOGLE to try to find the website for the hotel. Put the hotel name and city in the GOOGLE search. Alternatively, use the online yellow pages or use a specific Hotel Chain link to find the hotel. If you find the website, check the online rates offered directly by the hotel. Be sure that you know the total price including taxes. Some hotels give rates equal to or better than search sites and offer better cancellation policies. You can also phone the hotel reservation desk and check the room prices. Mention the lowest rate you found online to see if they will offer a better rate.

4. Visit PRICELINE, HOTWIRE or CHEAPTICKETS to see what bargains are offered for hotels in your city of interest. Be aware that your choices are limited and reservations made on these sites are sometimes difficult to change.

5. Reserve the hotel room using the site that gives you the best rate. However, even if you find a slightly higher rate using one of the reliable sites listed above in Step 1 or the actual hotel site you should consider booking with that site. Be sure that you understand the cancellation policy.

6. Travel with copies of all relevant reservation materials, confirmation numbers, a hotel location map and local phone number. Before you leave on your trip e-mail yourself copies of information or leave copies with friends or relatives.

7. Before you leave on your trip confirm your reservation by checking the reservation site or by phoning or e-mailing the hotel. It is best if you confirm your reservation using the hotel phone number or e-mail address. Request an e-mail response. Make sure that you have reserved a nonsmoking room if that is your choice and inform the hotel if you plan a late arrival.

MAKING FLIGHT RESERVATIONS ONLINE

An example of making an online flight reservation is described below. The example, shows images of webpages and gives the step-by-step process of a flight price search. Start a flight search by using a common search site like Kayak, Sidestep, Mobissimo, Qixo, Global Discount Reservations, Travelocity, Expedia or Orbitz. One or more of these sites will give you a start on you search for a good price on a flight. Scroll down for the example steps in a typical search. There are 7 steps shown in this example. A summary of the online reservation process is given after step 7.

STEP 1: As an example, we are looking for a flight from Los Angeles to London departing September 6 and returning September 27, 2005. First we go to kayak.com and input the airport codes and dates. Scroll down these example pages and pay attention to the purple notes. Only images of pages are shown. You do not actually click on these pages.

STEP 2: A list of possible flights is shown. Check the dates and times. The first flight on the list looks good, so we check the airline site (American Airlines in the example).

STEP 3: At the airline site we input the airport codes, dates and number of passengers. Also select the listing of flights by fare.

STEP 4: A flight list is shown. Check the flight dates and information. Note the total prices of the flight. Do not book at this time.

STEP 5: As a final check, we search another site. We use Orbitz in this example.

STEP 6: The search gives a list of possible fares for price comparison.

STEP 7: We now have some prices to compare. The prices are similar but the airline site gave a slightly lower price. In this case revisit the airline site and reserve the flight. Sometimes you will find a lower price using a search site rather than the airline site. At a later time call the airlines to confirm your flight, get seat assignments and choose any special meals. A few days before leaving confirm the flight and flight times. When you leave take copies of all important papers and phone number related to your flight.

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SUMMARY OF THE STEPS USED TO MAKE FLIGHT RESERVATIONS ONLINE

1. Find the airport codes of the airports you will be using. This saves you from typing in the name of the city. Keep in mind that some cities have more than one airport. For example, New York City is served by Kennedy International, JFK, La Guardia, LGA, and New York-Newark, EWR.

2. Search for possible flights using search sites, such as, GLOBAL DISCOUNT RESERVATIONS, KAYAK, SIDESTEP, FARECHASE, MOBISSIMO, or QIXO. Note the prices and airlines. These sites do not search all possible airlines. Try more than one site if you do not find a possible flight. If you can be somewhat flexible with flight days, try other days. Keep in mind that some domestic airlines like Southwest and Jetblue only reserve on their websites or by phone.

3. Also consult some of the reliable search sites like GLOBAL DISCOUNT RESERVATIONS, EXPEDIA, TRAVELOCITY or ORBITZ. Most sites allow you to book flights and hotel or car rentals as a package. If you consider this option, be aware that you are restricted to a limited choice of hotels.

4. When you find a possible flight, go to the actual airline site and check the online price offered by the airline. Make sure that you know the total price. You can also call the airline to discuss the details of the flight and the price offered over the phone. It often costs more to book over the phone.

5. Visit PRICELINE, HOTWIRE or CHEAPTICKETS to see what bargains are offered for your flight. Be aware that these sites limit your choices but can offer bargains. Furthermore, making changes in such reservations may be difficult.

6. You can also check with a travel agent for a price on a possible flight. Be sure you know the total price including any extra fees.

7. Reserve your flight using the site that gives you the best price. However, even if you find a slightly higher price using the actual airline site or one of the reliable sites listed above in step 3, you should consider booking with that site. Make copies of the flight information, e-tickets, and reservation confirmation numbers. If you want a paper ticket you need to request it when you make the reservation. You may have to pay an extra charge for a paper ticket. Many airlines only offer e-tickets.

8. A few weeks before your trip, phone the airline to confirm your flight reservations, get or change seat assignments and request special meals. Many airline sites allow you to select your seat assignments online using the airline site. Since meals are not offered on some shorter flights, be sure to plan ahead. A few days before your flight confirm the flight times.

9. Travel with copies of all pages you print from the site on which you booked your flight. Also, be sure you have any relevant phone numbers. Often you use the airline site to print boarding passes about 24 hours before your flight. Check the site of your airline. Just before you leave you can e-mail yourself copies of the e-tickets and other information or leave copies with friends or relatives.

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