Hotel Reservations and Services

Shopping for a deal on hotel rooms has never been so easy--and so difficult.

On one hand, the proliferation of hotel booking services means that travelers can easily get help finding a room--often at a discount--in every metropolitan area in the country. On the other hand, the abundance of choices raises a difficult question: Which service should I use?

The answer lies in good, old-fashioned price comparison. Hotel brokers, also called consolidators, often offer the best deals. When some hotels have a glut of vacancies or can’t sell out at full price, they unload blocks of rooms at steep discounts to brokers. The brokers in turn resell these room to the public, often at rates far lower than what you would pay if you called the hotel directly.

Other booking services, sometimes called room finders, don’t necessarily offer special rates but can locate other discounts--AAA, senior, weekend and the like. They also can find vacancies when space is tight.

Both types of services maintain toll-free numbers. Most also allow customers to book online.

Regardless of the service you use, keep these caveats in mind:

* Brokers don’t always get you the biggest discounts. Price breaks for seniors and military personnel, for example, may be higher. Shop around, and be sure to call the hotel directly; it may be able to offer the best rate after all.

* Most brokers offer a limited selection of lodgings. They won’t list every hotel in a city.

* Most of these services handle downtown hotels in major cities. Options in small cities or suburbs are more limited.

* Deals are often confined to midprice or upscale properties.

* The biggest discounts may not be available until the last minute, when hotels are sure they won’t book the rooms on their own.

* Bargains will be hard to find in popular tourist and convention locales, such as San Francisco (although such services can be a huge help for finding elusive vacancies on popular dates).

* Some of these companies require prepayment in full. You may be charged if you have to cancel or change your plans. Policies vary widely, so ask before you book.

* It’s often hard to tell the difference between a broker (with special rates) and a room finder (without such rates). Ask if the company contracts with hotels to receive special discounts.

Additional companies, including Priceline (https://www.priceline.com) and Expedia (https://wwwexpedia.com), let customers specify their destination, travel dates and price range; when a room fitting those criteria opens up, the customer is booked. These services come with their own caveats. You have less control over the hotel you get, and you have no guarantee you’ll get a room at all.

The following list is a non-comprehensive sampling of booking services--examples of the many choices now available to consumers. They are divided into two sections: services that provide substantial listings for at least two metropolitan areas, and companies that specialize in one region.

U.S. Multi-City Brokers

Listed in alphabetical order:

1 800 USA Hotels, 860 Wyckoff Ave., Mahwah, NJ 07430; telephone (800) 872-4683 or (201) 847-9000, fax (252) 331-2021, Internet https://www.1800usahotels.com. Maintains listings for 15,000 properties in 1,500 cities worldwide.

Accommodations Express, 801 Asbury Ave., 6th Floor, Ocean City, NJ 08226; tel. (800) 444-7666 or (609) 525-0800, fax (609) 525-0111, Internet https://www.accommodationsexpress.com. Covers about 20 cities, including San Diego, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, Philadelphia, New York and Boston.

California Reservations, 1169 Howard St., Suite 202, San Francisco, CA 94103; tel. (800) 576-0003 or (415) 252-1107, fax (415) 252-1483, Internet https://www.californiares.com. Covers cities in California, Oregon and Washington, as well as Atlanta, New Orleans, New York, and Vancouver and Victoria, Canada. More locations available later in 2000.

California Riviera 800, 1400 South Coast Highway, Suite 104, Laguna Beach, CA 92651; tel. (800) 621-0500 or (949) 376-0305, fax (949) 497-9077, Internet https://www.calriv800.com. Covers coastal cities from San Francisco to San Diego. Includes hotel, B&B; and vacation rental listings.

Central Reservation Service, 220 Lookout Place, Suite 200, Maitland, FL 32751; tel. (800) 555-7555 or (407) 740-6442, fax (407) 740-8222, Internet https://www.roomconnection.net. Covers San Francisco, New Orleans, Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Boston, Washington, Miami/Miami Beach and Orlando, Fla. Staff is bilingual (English/Spanish).

Hotel ConXions, 25 W. 45th St., Suite 1502, New York, NY 10036; tel. (800) 522-9991 or (212) 840-8686, fax (212) 221-8686, Internet https://www.hotelconxions.com. Covers Los Angeles/Santa Monica, San Diego, San Francisco, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Ariz., Las Vegas, Dallas, San Antonio, New Orleans, Chicago, Miami, greater Orlando, New York, Philadelphia and Boston.

Hotel Reservations Network, 8140 Walnut Hill Lane, Suite 800, Dallas, TX 75231; tel. (800) 964-6835 or (214) 361-7311, fax (214) 361-7299, Internet https://www.hoteldiscount.com. Covers more than 50 cities, including Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Tahoe/Reno, Phoenix, Denver, New Orleans, Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Boston, Phoenix, Washington, D.C., Miami, Orlando, London and Paris.

HotelsOnline.com, P.O. Box 6811, Bridgewater, NJ 08807; tel. (800) 919-7473 or (973) 443-9600, fax (419) 791-5562, Internet https://www.hotelsonline.com. Tens of thousands of listings worldwide. Majority are in the U.S., Mexico (Acapulco, Cancun, Cozumel, Guadalajara, Huatulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Los Cabos, Mazatlan, Merida, Puerto Vallarta and others) and the Caribbean (Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and others).

Quikbook, 381 Park Ave. S., 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10016; tel. (800) 789-9887 or (212) 779-7666, fax (212) 779-6120, Internet https://www.quikbook.com. Covers Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, Seattle, Denver, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Chicago, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Miami and Orlando.

RMC Travel, 424 Madison Ave., Suite 705, New York, NY 10017; tel. (800) 245-5738 or (212) 754-6560, fax (212) 754-6571, Internet https://www.rmcwebtravel.com. Covers hundreds of properties across the U.S. and Canada, including San Diego, Palm Springs, San Francisco, Phoenix, Tucson, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Seattle, New York, Orlando and Key West; plus Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, British Columbia.

SDHR (San Diego Hotel Reservations), 7380 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Suite 218, San Diego, CA 92111 (satellite offices in Palm Springs and Phoenix); tel. (800) 728-3227 or (858) 627-9400, fax (858) 627-9405, Internet https://www.savecash.com. Books rooms for San Diego, Palm Springs and Phoenix/Scottsdale.

Travelscape, 8951 W. Sahara Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89117; tel. (888) 335-0101, fax (702) 735-4320, Internet https://www.travelscape.com. This company isn’t limited to hotels; it books air-hotel packages, cruises and car rentals, too. Hotel-only listings are available, though, for properties across the U.S. plus some destinations in Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas. It says it’s the largest broker of hotel rooms in Las Vegas.

Turbotrip.com, 1112 N. Rampart St., New Orleans, LA 70116; tel. (800) 473-7829 or (504) 522-9234, fax (504) 529-1948, Internet https://www.turbotrip.com. Formerly Room Finders. Bulk of listings are across the U.S.; more than 100 destinations worldwide are included, but many have only a few properties listed.

Single-Destination Specialists

Organized in alphabetical order:

BOSTON

Central Reservation Service of New England, 300 Terminal C, Logan International Airport, East Boston, MA 02128; tel. (800) 332-3026 or (617) 569-3800, fax (617) 561-4840, Internet https://www.bostonhotels.net. Formerly Meegan Hotel Reservation Service. Focuses on Boston hotels, with special contracted rates also available for some New York properties.

CHICAGO

Hot Rooms, 1 E. Erie St., Suite 225, Chicago, IL 60611; tel. (800) 468-3500 or (773) 468-7666, fax (312) 649-0559, Internet https://www.hotrooms.com.

FLORIDA

Yeehaw Travel Center, 5827 Caravan Court, Orlando, FL 32819; tel. (800) 446-1617 or (407) 363-0031, fax (407) 363-7780. Covers Tampa and Orlando plus all points south.

LAS VEGAS

Las Vegas Reservation Systems, 8951 W. Sahara Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89117; tel. (800) 233-5594, fax (702) 792-4450, Internet https://www.lvrs.com. Now a division of Travelscape.com. Says it books more than 300,000 hotel-room nights a year. Also serves Laughlin, Reno and Tahoe.

Reservations Plus, 2275 Renaissance Drive, Suite A, Las Vegas, NV 89119; tel. (800) 805-9528 or (702) 795-3999, fax (702) 795-8767, Internet https://www.resplus.com. Also arranges show tickets for Vegas and books rooms for Laughlin, Reno and Tahoe.

NEW YORK

Express Reservations, 3825 Iris Ave., Suite 200, Boulder, CO 80301; tel. (800) 407-3351 or (303) 440-8481, fax (303) 440-0166, Internet https://www.express-res.com. Limited listings for Los Angeles.

SAN FRANCISCO

San Francisco Reservations, 360 22nd St., Suite 300, Oakland, CA 94612; tel. (800) 677-1550 or (415) 227-1500, fax (510) 628-9025, Internet https://www.hotelres.com. Offers preferred rates for more than 180 hotels in San Francisco, plus properties in Silicon Valley.

WASHINGTON

Capitol Reservations, 1730 Rhode Island Ave. N.W., Suite 1210, Washington, DC 20036; tel. (800) 847-4832 or (202) 452-1270, fax (202) 452-0537, Internet https://www.capitolreservations.com.

Washington D.C. Accommodations, 2201 Wisconsin Ave. N.W., Suite C-110, Washington, DC 20007; tel. (800) 554-2220 or (202) 289-2220, fax (202) 338-4517, Internet www.dcaccommodations.com.