Hotels.com appears to offer some great deals. However, customers have had their problems with cancellation fees and not having control over their reservations. In addition, the great deals offered are date specific so, if you're seeking a bargain and it's not available on the date requested, contact the hotel directly to see if you can get a better deal directly with the hotel.

The main customer complaint revolves around who's "in control" of your reservation once it is made though Hotels.com. Who owns the reservation (for lack of a better term) seems to be the big question. If you make a reservation through a travel booking engine, you may not be able to make changes to your reservation or cancel the reservation directly with the hotel as the travel booking engine owns your reservation and you're their customer.

The real problem occurs through communication. If you make your reservation through any travel booking search engine, read the fine print! Who are you required to contact if you have to cancel your reservation or make a change? This is the big question and in many cases, you must contact the reservations center where you confirmed your original reservation to makes changes.

Travel booking engines are very helpful in reviewing specific hotel properties, resorts and destinations however, you may wish to use them to check availability (only) and rates. Contact the property directly to double-check rates and availability. Also, check the cancellation and/or refund policy with the property directly prior to offering your credit card information.

The following are the most recent Hotels.com comments received.

Hotels.com offers some great deals however, if you have to change your reservation, you have to contact them directly as they OWN your reservation. In other words, if you contact the hotel to make any changes or need to cancel, they will refer you to Hotels.com for those changes. This is where the fun can begin as you get caught in a loop and no matter what - you're at the mercy of Hotels.com and their representatives.
Ray K - United Kingdom

I made one reservation through Hotels.com and then needed to cancel due to family illness. The response I received from their toll free customer service center was that I had not canceled within the stated timeframe and was subject to a cancel fee, which was NOT waived due to a family illness. I even called the hotel and they told me there was nothing they could do. They referred me back to Hotels.com for help.
Janice Peterson - Orlando

Hotels.com is about as good as the other online travel search engines. They offer various come-on deals and the deals offered always seem to be on the dates when you're NOT traveling:-) I have use Hotels.com to search for the deals but, contact the hotel property directly to book my reservation.
Greg W.

Read the fine print!!!! If you cancel your reservation they make money! Yeah, they'll try to work with you to cancel or change a reservation but, if it's out their control due to hotel policies, you'll be subject to charges. I wonder, does Hotels.com still receive a commission in such a circumstance?
Mark Scandura

All of these travel search engines are just a pain to deal with. I don't care who's toll free number you call, you are on-hold way too long and they really don't know the hotel as well as they should. If I call Sheraton directly, I'm on hold less than one minute, get the room and floor I request and get a great rate. I think these travel engines are just over rated and pull you in with last minute deals, which are rarely available.
Ronald W.

I have used Travelocity, Hotels.com, Expedia and HotWire.com and find that the "deals" vary from site to site. However, the cancellation and refund policies seem to differ as well. They appear to allow changes and cancellations if within the stated timeframe. When I've had problems with any of these travel companies, I always ask for a supervisor and explain my situation.
George Spirakis

I don't care what anyone tells you. Never book a flight through these travel sites as you will regret it! If you need to change your flight you have few choices without paying extra fees. Need to cancel your flight? You just may have to deal with the terminal on-hold status offered by these travel website's. Best to contact the airlines directly as you then have total control over your reservation.
Cindy J.

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