FedRooms vs. Expedia and Trivago: A $5.7 Billion Difference

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Booking a hotel in today’s technologically advanced world has never been easier, and yet more confusing at the same time. 

A traveler going on a business trip, for instance, may decide to conduct a quick Google search to see the best rate that they can find for their preferred property. When doing so, low rates from third party sites such as Expedia, Trivago, and others pop up on the screen. These rates are all for the same property and room type, but may vary slightly in price, protections and included amenities.

While some of these rates appear lower than those found via the traveler’s preferred booking tool (E2 Solutions, ConcurGov or DTS), they do not include the FedRooms rate guarantees and protections offered to government travelers on official business. This means that the third party rate is often more expensive and restrictive than the rate the traveler would find by booking the FedRooms rate.

New research from the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) in conjunction with a study conducted by Morning Consult and Kalibri Labs suggests that online booking scams along with fraudulent and misleading travel websites continue to misdirect and confuse consumers. Chip Rogers, president and CEO of the AHLA, explains, “in addition to third-party websites that mimic hotel websites and call centers, but are not actually affiliated with a hotel, costing consumers’ time and money, this new research shows just how big of a problem deceptive advertising is on some online travel agency websites.”

The study also found that in 2018, 23 percent of consumers report being misled in some way by third-party booking sites, translating to around $5.7 billion in online booking scams. In addition, 77% of American consumers agree that the government should make it a higher priority to enforce consumer protection against third party hotel resellers.

Our goal at FedRooms is to ensure our government travelers receive the best value for their booking, including:

-  Competitive rates at or below per diem

-  Unparalleled flexibility:  4:00 p.m. day of arrival cancellation policy (domestic), 24 hours before arrival cancellation policy (international), no early departure fees and no minimum stay requirements

-  No additional fees (i.e. resort, booking, etc.)

-  Collect your hotel brand reward points

-  Complimentary in-room WiFi

-  ADA compliant and FEMA certified properties within the US and US territories

Avoid third party sites when booking official travel to ensure you are protected by the FedRooms rate guarantee.

See the full article at Fedrooms