Travel Desk; Section 5
HOTEL CHECK-IN: T-1 LINES AND BATH BALMS
Finding a room with a few clicks
By Bob Tedeschi
The New York Times, 12/03/2000, Page 12, Column 1
c. 2000 New York Times Company
Of the $69 billion that consumers will spend on hotel accommodations this year, according to PhoCusWright, an online consulting firm, just 3 percent will be spent via Web sites that offer real-time reservations -- that is, direct access to the hotel's room inventory, and the ability to make immediate bookings. That percentage is growing, though. Following are some of the more comprehensive sites that can be used to make such reservations.
Hoteldiscount.com Owned by Hotel Reservations Network , this site has only 2,300 hotel properties to choose from, but it can be valuable when lodging is scarce. HRN buys rooms wholesale from hotels in 80 markets in the United States, and resells them at a discount of 20 to 30 percent off the rate the hotel charges corporate travelers. Because HRN brings the hotels steady business during the year, the hotels return the favor in the form of available rooms during peak seasons.
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