One of the fastest growing internet resources in recent years has been the hotel accommodation websites. There are now a vast number of these sites that permit you to book accommodation in the hotel of your choice through the internet, from the comfort of your own home. Many of these sites indicate that they offer the best price deals available to you. At first glance, you can often access a bargain hotel stay from one of these comparison websites. However, it is not always the case that using such a site will guarantee you a good deal, particularly during peak times.

Hotel comparison sites form a relationship with the hotels that they market, with the hotel paying a fee to the site. Naturally, the bottom line for any business is that its expenditure, of whatever nature, will have the impact of reducing its net operating profit. Therefore, if the charge for a guest to stay at a hotel is reduced by the amount paid to the comparison site, the profit of the hotel falls. Some hotels and hotel groups take the view that I is preferable to have a hotel that is full than one that is not, albeit that the guests are paying more per head, after the deduction of the website’s fees. However, some hotels will offer a cheaper accommodation charge if you contact them direct because, in that case, they will not be paying any amount to a third party intermediary.