Beware Unsold Hotels From Flash Deal Sites

Websites like Groupon and LivingSocial may be lighting up your inbox with enticing 24-hour sales that seem too good to pass up. You may see unsold hotels practically giving rooms away for free or at discounts of up to 90 percent off. The perk of using LivingSocial is that you get the deal FOR FREE if you can convince three of your friends to sign up for the same offer. You can imagine what a great savings this could mean on unsold hotels.

Can You Use It On Weekends Or Busy Periods?

However, it’s important to remember that “the devil is in the details,” as they say – and the fine print can be pretty limiting when unsold hotels deal with these flash deal sites. Many people who buy deals through Groupon and LivingSocial end up feeling like second class citizens when they learn about the availability of their offers. For instance, they may think they can use their voucher at any time, but come to find out that they can’t use it on weekends or during busy travel periods.

Are You Billed For Extra Hotel Room Costs?

Typically, unsold hotels only offer a set number of rooms at the lowest tier rate for any given night – and once those rooms are used up, you’re bumped to the next pricing level. Furthermore, many flash sites have a very narrow window of time when you can use your voucher, so you’ll need to pay close attention to the deal expiration rate. You may also believe that your deal includes all taxes, fees and surcharges  -- only to find you’re billed for those extra costs when you arrive at your destination!

Another point to consider is that the deals for unsold hotels can be misleading on a flash sale site. For instance, they may claim you are saving “50 to 75 percent off;” but perhaps that’s what you’re saving off the rack rate and, in fact, you can find the same deal on a travel site that offers little to no stipulations as to when you can or can’t travel.

Be careful about buying into overinflated advertisements. You may think, “Wow, I’m saving 75 percent off a suite at the Ritz Carlton!” Yet, you’re not really saving if you would’ve normally been happy with a much cheaper room at the Hampton. Other deals may say you need to spend a certain amount to save a certain amount, which is good if you were definitely going to be spending that money anyway. However, if you have to dig deeper into your pockets to splurge unnecessarily, you aren’t actually saving. (It’s sort of like the “Buy 2 Get 1 Free” coupons at the supermarket. It’s only a good deal if you truly need 2.)

For better, more reliable deals on unsold hotels, visit www.Unsold-Hotel-Rooms.com.