is making our own reservation better and cheaper than going thru a travel agent?

Answer 1

Yes booking from the official hotel is ALWAYS cheaper or the same as booking from travel agents. Travel agents cannot give you the promotional prices that the hotels give out.

Use a promotional code to book and get lots of free gifts and also a reduced price. Almost all the hotels on the strip give them out.

Here is a collection of all available codes:
http://www.smartervegas.com/hotels.aspx

Hope this helps ;)

Answer 2

Up until five years ago I always used travel agents. Now I only use the internet to purchase directly. Found out that you do not get good deals with travel agent. Went to an agent and they did not tell me that the airlines I wanted to use had a promotion of buy one get one free. When I questioned her about that promotion, she said it was only for adult and child and a lot of restrictions. I did not believe her and went online and bought eight roundtrip tickets for my family and got the BOGO free. All were adult fares. I saved over $1,000.00. This was a very large agent that I will not mention except they have three of the same letter in their name.

So look around for deals unless the agent is related are a real close friend. They are there to make money but ripping me off totally uncalled for. If you don't know anything about where you are going then the travel agent will be helpful.

Answer 3

Sometimes it is and sometimes it is not. It depends on what kind of trip you are taking and how good you are at looking stuff up online. One advantage a travel agent does have over booking on your own is someone to be on your side and help you if there is a problem with your flight or hotel; if your flight is cancelled due to weather, the travel agent is going to try harder to get you on another plane than the airline is, because they have a smaller number of customers and have a more personal connection with you than the customer service people at the airline. So if you are flying through a notorious weather trouble-spot, like Denver in the winter, the East Coast during February, or the Caribbean during hurricane season, the travel agent is the way to go.

Answer 4

Sometimes. Today there are a lot of travel sites like Expedia so making a reservation on your own is a lot easier. You can also just call the hotel and do it yourself. You will likely be quoted a base rate and then the prices usually go up from there depending on the view, etc. If you have AAA, don't forget to ask for that discount. You can also ask for a business traveler's discount, etc. Make it up depending on the area. Good luck.

Answer 5

Depends on where you are going. You may want to just consult with a travel agent about seans/weather, etc... and then do some researche on your own. You can get vital info from the travel agent and then book your own if you feel comfortable enough. Make sure you use reutable travel sites if you go it on your own. Good Luck & Happy Travels!

Answer 6

I agree with what "dcgirl" had to say. "Generally" using a travel agent will get you information & expertise. The problem with LV is that 99.9% of travel agents know little or nothing about LV. The reason is, money of course, the vast majority of those going to LV want 2 or 3 nights and want to go as cheaply as possible.

>The commission on LV trips is so small(generally) that there is very little incentive for travel agents to spend time gaining expertise and gathering useful info.

If you're willing to do a little research and be flexible with your LV travel you can save a bundle.

Ways to save money on LV travel
>Go Sunday through Thursday
>Avoid special events & large conventions.
>Stay off the strip & or downtown.
>Either book through the hotel or through a discount travel service that will allow you to change your reservation with no charge or penalty.
>Many LV hotels will "price match" the best rate you find on line for their hotel.
>Book as far in advance as possible then keep checking once a week or so for a better deal.

>That's just ways to save money on the reservations, there are many more ways to save money on a LV trip.

These are the sites I use to research LV room rates
http://www.travelworm.com
http://www.hotels.com

I compare those rates to the hotels web site
http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/referenceguide-hotels.cfm
You can access every hotel/casino in LV from this site >This is a very useful site for LV info

For reviews I like the above site but also these two
http://www.cheapovegas.com >Don't let the name fool you, they do a good job of covering LV
http://www.tripadvisor.com

If you have a Q, feel free to send me an anonymous e-mail through YA.

~Jack~

Answer 7

Yes and no.

On a single leg flight between major airports, I figure I can get a better deal/survice from online websites.

But last Xmas, when I flew Phoenix->SF->Aukland->Christchurch & Queenstown->Aukland->Tahiti->SF-Phoenix I saved about $1500 by using a specialist travel agent (thank you Down Under Answers http://www.duatravel.com/).

Answer 8

It sue is.
Go to http://www.cheapovegas.com
They list all the major casinos and have links to each ones own website.
They also have a section where users can post other deals they have found.
Check it out.