A CBC News investigation revealed that consumers acting independently may be able to find their own best accommodation deals by simply picking up the phone and calling the hotel.
The CBC sought out rates for rooms with a two-person occupancy and a queen-sized bed, and found that, in a survey of 20 hotels across the country, rooms were requested for the July 6 weekend and for the week of July 6 through 12.
The investigation found that "calling the hotel's front desk yielded the best - or tied for the best - rates, 13 times out of 20." It notes that "booking through the hotel's website netted the second-best results," which was "followed by reserving through a travel agent and using internet travel sites Expedia.ca and Travelocity.ca."
The CBC quotes a November 2006 Statistics Canada study of online shopping trends, which found that "arranging travel services, including booking hotel reservations and car rentals, were the most popular type of online purchase."
"Canadians purchased 228,000 travel packages online last year while 778,000 booked hotel rooms," according to a June 2006 Conference Board of Canada report. The same study says "...while many consumers prefer using travel agents for their expertise, fewer people are using agents to book vacations. In the summer of 2006, 49% of travellers said they planned on booking through an agency."
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