Hawaii: Testing TravelWorm’s hotel deals on Oahu
I use TravelWorm all the time for checking room rates in Las Vegas and other casino cities. The site almost always finds me a super-cheap deal at Stateline, Nevada (my back-up plan for busy weekends on the Strip). But I’ve never tried using this discount travel website for hotel rooms in Hawaii. Can TravelWorm save me money on a trip where I’m not going to do any gambling?
Deal: I tried booking a hotel room on Oahu for a long weekend in mid-October (Oct. 16-20, 2007). TravelWorm search results returned many of the same deals that hotels themselves were offering, for example, a 4th night free at the Waikiki Beach Marriott, and free parking for multiple night stays at select AQUA Hotels & Resorts.
But I hadn’t known about the Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki’s 2-for-1 room deal, where if you book one room at the rack rate, you’ll get the 2nd room free. If you book directly through the hotel, you’ll pay $419.85/night for both rooms, including taxes and fees. The total cost for booking through TravelWorm was $431.58/night. Even though TravelWorm wasn’t the better deal this time, it did point me in the right direction.
What’s your experience been with TravelWorm? Rant and rate the site in the Comments section below.
Caveat: Always compare TravelWorm’s quoted prices to the cost of booking directly through each hotel’s website, to make sure you’re getting the best deal.
Why Go: If you’re looking for a rundown of some of the best hotel deals available, check TravelWorm first.
Why Not: Of course, TravelWorm doesn’t list every deal available from all hotels in your desired destination.
Critique: TravelWorm bookings are typically pre-paid, which means that the hotel must be careful not to double-charge guests. Once, when I made a hotel reservation using TravelWorm, the hotel also charged my credit card for the stay, so I paid twice for my hotel room. It took multiple phone calls and more than a week to clear this up with the hotel’s billing department and get the extra charge taken off my credit card statement.
Contact: TravelWorm, (888) 700-8342
Related Los Angeles Times links:
Hawaii: Aloha Airlines’ 3 fall airfare sales
Hawaii Superferry sails again: Oahu-Kauai, not Maui
Oahu: Daily spa treats at Hawaii’s Aqua hotels
– Sara Benson, L.A. Times Travel Deal Detective
[Photo: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times]
8 Comments on “Hawaii: Testing TravelWorm’s hotel deals on Oahu”
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October 2nd, 2007 at 10:47 pm
I used Travel Worm to book a hotel in Vegas one weekend last summer…we arrived at our hotel and were told that the hotel had no rooms available and that sometimes discount sites continue to sell rooms that aren’t available. Needless to say, we were livid and when trying to reach Travel Worm customer service came to the conclusion that it is a one or two man operation running out of a dorm room. We ended up sleeping in our car that night. Thanks, Travel Worm!
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:12 am
Dear tooshay:
Thanks for being honest. Has anyone else out there had the same bad experience? I, too, have had trouble getting through when I had to call TravelWorm directly. But I’ve never been stranded without a room. Has anyone else?
– Sara Benson
P.S. Tooshay, was your experience at Stateline, by any chance?
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:52 pm
Hey Sara,
Is Stateline a hotel? Now I can’t remember the hotel we didn’t get to sleep in that night : ) I know it was on the Strip, but not one of the newest ones. I’d be curious to see if anyone else had a similar experience…we had driven from LA to Vegas, and had our car with us…I cannot imagine the panic I would’ve experienced had we not had our car–it was a big weekend for conventions and there was not a room to be had in any hotel in Vegas–not even the seedy places in the cruddy parts of town–and trust me, we spent hours on the phone trying to find one. UGH.
October 4th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Hey again, tooshay:
If the hotel in question was on the Strip, then it wasn’t one of the casino hotels at Stateline on the California/Nevada border, which I’ve had overbooking issues at before (not via Travelworm, though).
Does anyone else have good tips for turning up in Vegas without a room, either due to a reservations mix-up or because it’s a spur-of-the-moment trip? I’ve stayed in Boulder City before, and also at the Motel 6 properties off-Strip that have Wi-Fi access. Not glamorous or cheap, but better than sleeping in my car, I figured.
–Sara Benson, L.A. Times Daily Travel Deal Detective
January 8th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Hi Sara and Tooshay,
My name is Wanda and I would like to address your concerns in behalf of TravelWorm.
First of all, let me offer my sincerest apologies. Our call center is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada and is staffed with over 40 people. If you would be so kind as to explain the particulars of your problem with the call center, we could perhaps address the issue with more specificity.
Secondly, we never sell rooms we don’t have, and only make bookings on rooms that our hotel partners have assured us are available. We would really love to know with which hotel you had booked.
Lastly, we pride ourselves on our service and low prices. If you see a rate that beats ours, or is equal to ours, we encourage you to call us (1-888-700-8342). We put a very high value on the satisfaction of our customers and will always make it a point to ensure that they come away with the satisfaction of knowing they have the best deal around.
Sincerely,
Wanda Yang
Content Manager, Travelworm
January 26th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Hi,
I need to say that I had a horrible experience with TravelWorm. I paid for 5 nights at the Riviera in Las Vegas through Travelworm last May, and when I got there, the Riviera wouldn’t house us the first two nights due to plumbing issues so they sent us to the Frontier–The Frontier, which was a dump and a dive, (for which they had paid a fraction of the price). I was told by the Riviera that they were refunding the money to all their guests, and giving the Frontier rooms complimentary. That’s why I accepted them. Riviera told me, Since you booked throught Travelworm you have to take your refund up with them, but when I phoned Travelworm that same night and said I was being put up in a dive for two nights and not receiving the $185 per night rooms at the Riviera that I paid Travelworm for, the guy said, You have a roof over your head, what’s the problem? I insisted this was unacceptable and asked to speak to his manager, whom he said wouldn’t be in until the next day, and he’d let him know. I said, Don’t you want my phone number? I knew then that I would never hear from them, and I didn’t. The marquis outside The Frontier said $42 per room, when I had paid $185 per night. Visa contacted Travelworm for me, and long story short, I was forced to lose that $371. What a ripoff. When VISA researched the case, Riviera lied about what they told me, and between Travelworm and Riviera, I lost $371 and a day and a half of my vacation time moving back and forth. Neither company would refund my money. Riviera argued I take it up with travelworm, and Travelworm argued that I had been accommodated and accepted those accomodations, so I had no valid complaint. I will never never do business with Travelworm, and should anyone ask me about them, I have not one good thing to say.
Shafted,
Gay Atmajian
Dissatisfied Travelworm Former Customer
January 1st, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Booked a hotel in SF with Travel Worm in October 2008. They charged my credit card but never paid for the hotel. Upon check-out, I paid - again. Never did get the promised refund from Travel Worm, despite phone calls, emails, complaint to BBB. Will steer clear of this company and encourages others to do the same.
July 15th, 2009 at 10:24 am
ok here’s the problem with this place Travelworm….they–like many others—sell you a room and you pay for it in advance. Then, travelworm doesn’t pay the hotel for which your reservation is at. So the hotel charges you when you stay…and rightfully so!!! it is not these hotels fault people. it’s these low life wholesalers like TravelWorm. They sell a room, then you get stiffed twice!! book direct or use a reputable travel agency such as expedia/hotels.com