I need to make a quick trip back home this weekend to visit a sick relative. I just spent the last hour looking at Travelocity/Yahoo Travel and Orbitz trying to find a flight. The thing is if I just buy the airfare, it is in the $550 range. If I get one of the package deals, the price drops to $440ish.
Thing is, I have a place to stay, so I thinking of buying the package and not bothering to check in at the hotel. I’ve looked thru the restrictions/policies on all of the sites and didn’t see anything that required me to check into the hotel. Does anyone know if there is some hidden print somewhere that says I must check in to the hotel. It would be a pain to check into the hotel and then check out prior to my flight out, but I could do it if the fine print says I have to.
The whole package including hotel is cheaper than just the flight? That sounds weird. Can’t figure out who would stand to gain by that, except maybe there’s a deal between the hotel & airline to draw volume.
I don’t have experience with exactly what you describe. Nonetheless, if it’s a package deal, it’s package deal. If you never check into the hotel they will figure it out and you could get billed for the full air fare. You could always call the travel service and just ask what their policy is.
I have in the past bought a round trip ticket even though I was only going one way, because it was cheaper than the one way ticket. It’s all a supply/demand thing. I did it at the suggestion of a travel agent to get from Madrid to Lyon. “Just tear up the return coupon.” Bizarre. But airlines have caught onto this and will charge you if you don’t use the return trip.
strange as it seems, it is the truth, at least on yahoo travel and travelocity - with out a hotel it was $550, and then they have a screen that pops up that says, if you add a hotel your price is $417. I guess I will swing by the hotel and check myself in, maybe go up to the room and throw some towels around, make the hotel feel like they got their money’s worth :smack:
Or bring your sick relative (or tired caretaker) to the hotel for a turn in the spa or hottub! You can often get great deals on massage if you ask at the front desk. (Check with doc in the case of the sick relative - some conditions would make such a thing a no-no.)
Careful. One more basic thing to check out: many of these deals are based upon a double occupancy, so in reality you’re going to be paying $834. Better go make friends that don’t mind paying their own way.
These deals are real. I have flown to London and stayed in a hotel for 4 nights for less money than a ticket on that very same flight would have cost if purchased alone.
You are not obligated to check into the hotel. I’ve bought these packages through Expedia, and you have to pay in advance, so someone, somehow, has already got their money.
Unfortunately my grandmother just checked into the hospice, so she won’t be able to enjoy much of anything. But like she said, “I’m getting tired of going in and out of the hospital, I’ve lived a good 85 years, time to go.”
I just took a look at the hotel, and they do have a indoor pool and spa/hot-tub, so I will probably go ahead and check in swim a few laps.