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Can I tell you how much I hate that new Trivago commercial?
You know, the one where all the football fans are at the breakfast buffet and everyone swears they booked the very last room? Then, Trivago Guy, wisely tells them that hotels pressure people into booking rooms by telling them that there is only one left when that's not really true. The commercial also implies that you will actually get a better deal by waiting and booking closer to your travel date. He certainly did.
I beg, you please don't listen to Trivago Guy!
Are there hotels that do this? Yes, of course, but most do not and by listening to Trivago Guy you could end up actually paying more for your vacation.
One great example is Sandals and Beaches Resorts. I book a ton of these properties for my clients. They are very popular resorts and room categories often sell out.
The other day, I was pricing rooms for a client who needed two rooms in the same category for her adult children. When I was checking availability, I noticed that there were only TWO rooms left in that category for her travel dates. When I told her this, she gave me a bit of a side-eye and, at first, I was confused. Then, I realized she was envisioning Trivago Guy and his silly commercial. I assured her that when Sandals and Beaches says there are two rooms left, there are really two rooms left. In the end she believed me and we booked the rooms.
Do you know what happens if you search for those travel dates now? THOSE ROOMS ARE GONE. There are zero rooms left in that category.
The only rooms still available for her travel dates are several hundred dollars more expensive.
Had my client listened to Trivago Guy, she would have ended up paying a whole lot more for this trip than necessary.
Now, I can't say that some hotels don't lie about availability There are always game-players in any industry. However, many hotels are 100% honest about their avaialble rooms.
How can you tell whether the hotel you are looking at is telling you the truth?
Well, I would recommend working with an experienced travel agent who knows which hotels are truthful about the number of rooms left and which ones might be fudging.
Or you can listen to Trivago Guy and hope really hard that you guess correctly.
Just be sure to budget for that extra cost if you guess wrong.
Happy Travels!