A Little Aprehensive ....

[JandMinJA]

I was going to ask if you could directly contact the hotels to see if they would price match...may try that the next time.

I do this every stay. I've had wild success with one, fair results with others, and some that just aren't interested. A lot of front desk don't know the ins and outs of the online contracts or their hotel's overall profitability isn't really on their minds - and who can blame them - they're not paid to run the place, just to check people in and out and listen to the dozens of requests and complaints that come day in and day out (which I assure you is an underpaid job here and there.) But if you can get to a manager, they're the ones that will usually be more than happy to help because they know it's in their best interest. Better trained front desk know this, too, but don't always have the authority to make the call. All depends on how much their manager has empowered them. I've found that if they say they can't, a polite request for them to run it by their manager whenever is convenient to them and get back to me does the trick.

[JandMinJA]

Trivago is legit. Ive used it before. The prices go way down at night and during the morning and afternoons the rates are reasonable.

Trivago and Kayak are both heaven sent for us compulsive rate searchers. They search other major third party sites and provide the various rates listed on them. They make their money on click-thrus, ads, and commission splits. But when you book, you don't actually book through Trivago or Kayak, you book through the site they re-direct you to or at least in my experience. They are just a go-between for the go-betweens they redirect you to.

[love2travelchic]

Wow GREAT info! as I was just about to post asking are there any deals out there for Coco in Aug..

[JandMinJA]

Wow GREAT info! as I was just about to post asking are there any deals out there for Coco in Aug..

There's a really good one on booking.com as we speak but I haven't been able to get ahold of anyone at Coco. They have a contact form instead of an email address and it's almost impossible for me to make a phone call during any sort of business hours. If you or anyone else has an email for them, please share!

[love2travelchic]

The booking says that Coco will charge my card directly for 2 nights and then the rest is due upon arrival. I will wait a couple of days to see if anything goes through on my card and go from there. I'll keep you posted.

I just went to book CoCo for Aug and they had all these addt'l fees that are not added to the total...what are they anyone?
10% VAT
USD 2 city tax per night
1% service charge

[goldilocks]

Thanks JandMinJA, excellent info! I've used third party booking before, but always print out confirmation to carry with me and copy/paste it into an email directly to the hotel. I did arrive once and hotel had no reservation, but they accepted the confirmation that I carried with me. Would hotels be offended if we call them direct and ask for the bargain price we found on a third party site? I would rather just pay them cash directly if it helped them out more.

[JandMinJA]

Thanks JandMinJA, excellent info! I've used third party booking before, but always print out confirmation to carry with me and copy/paste it into an email directly to the hotel. I did arrive once and hotel had no reservation, but they accepted the confirmation that I carried with me. Would hotels be offended if we call them direct and ask for the bargain price we found on a third party site? I would rather just pay them cash directly if it helped them out more.

Speaking for the 3 hotels I'm a part of and all the hoteliers I deal with at brand conventions, etc., the answer is an emphatic NO! Not at all offended. In fact, we PREFER it. It's just smart business for us to match any rate you see. Now are folks in Jamaica offended? I can't answer that. I always feel like I'm being a bother when I ask (I am NOT good at haggling), but at the same time, I know the facts, and I know it's better for them and me if I book direct. For that reason, I can't imagine them being offended. On the other hand, maybe there's a cultural taboo I'm not aware of... Maybe a few vets around here could chime in on this one...

[rjonsun]

I'm not a prolific price checker, but when negrilonestop couldn't get a better rate than $98 per night (including taxes and contintental breakfast) I booked a longer stay one the west end (cliffs) and decided on a week in Treasure Beach for the beach segment of our stay.

Regards,
Bob

[JandMinJA]

I should state for the record, NegrilOneStop seems to have the least 'fine print' and consistently great deals. I do not know what arrangements they have with hotels and do not necessarily consider them as a "third party" (although they are obviously a go-between); my comments can only apply to sites with which I have direct experience which are all the national and international booking sites, not area specific sites like NegrilOneStop. Didn't want to step on anyone's toes. I've heard nothing but great things from folks that book thru NegrilOneStop.

[rinakim]

There's a really good one on booking.com as we speak but I haven't been able to get ahold of anyone at Coco. They have a contact form instead of an email address and it's almost impossible for me to make a phone call during any sort of business hours. If you or anyone else has an email for them, please share!

This is the email that I have used when dealing with them in the past: reservations@cocolapalm.com
I have emailed them today to confirm that they received my reservation from booking.com but haven't heard back yet.
I do know that when emailing them while planning the wedding, sometimes it took a day or two for response.

I just went to book CoCo for Aug and they had all these addt'l fees that are not added to the total...what are they anyone?
10% VAT
USD 2 city tax per night
1% service charge

Those are typical charges when booking a hotel in Jamaica.
Value Added Tax = 10%
10% Service Charge = Is either added to or included in when booking a hotel.
New tax brought in last year (I think) of $1 per person per night.

Speaking for the 3 hotels I'm a part of and all the hoteliers I deal with at brand conventions, etc., the answer is an emphatic NO! Not at all offended. In fact, we PREFER it. It's just smart business for us to match any rate you see. Now are folks in Jamaica offended? I can't answer that. I always feel like I'm being a bother when I ask (I am NOT good at haggling), but at the same time, I know the facts, and I know it's better for them and me if I book direct. For that reason, I can't imagine them being offended. On the other hand, maybe there's a cultural taboo I'm not aware of... Maybe a few vets around here could chime in on this one...

I too prefer to book directly when dealing with small locally owned properties, saves them some money. We have tried to book directly with Coco before quoting prices found elsewhere but there was no willingness to match those prices.
I love Coco but it was beginning to get out of our budget zone, but at this price we can afford to stay there.