Booking Hotels on line

Once I have decided on the best flight for me, but before I book, I check if there are any relevant package deals, for flight and hotel. This can save a lot of money. Travelocity has this option, and several airline sites do as well. If no package is relevant I go on to my favorite hotel booking sites, Booking and Agoda.

I like Booking.com because of the attractive and easy to navigate graphics, but for me Agoda wins hands down. If you are missing the human touch of a travel agent, in handling small complicated details, or in handling computer glitches, or complicated cancellations, well Agoda has a live chat, where you are chatting to a real person in real time. The other advantage of Agoda is that you can accumulate points and then get discounts on your next booking within the same year. I recently got a $25 discount! But the real plus point is that their prices are unmatchable.

I also check out the hotel's web site. Sometimes these are hard to find in amongst all the booking sites, but get to the actual hotel's own site, then compare prices.

Just before I finalize my hotel reservation I read reviews about the hotel on

Trip Advisor. This has often made me change my mind about a hotel. I pay attention to reviews that refer to the physical condition and location of the hotel, more than to those that complain of grumpy staff or a broken T.V. as these are things that could be a one-off. You can also ask other travelers specific questions on the Trip Advisor forum.

Phot of the Glo Hotel in Helsinki, THE best hotel I have stayed at.