LateRooms.com

Then this is the site for you! I am about to go on holiday and needed a hotel near Gatwick airport as it is quite a trek, and with an early flight it was easier to stay nearby. I searched the web for hotel deals using most of the hotel/holiday search websites listed on Ciao. I’m not really fussed where I stay, just as long as I could leave my car at the hotel for 2 weeks…..and this was my main problem! Parking charges at most hotels were extortionate! Even B&Bs were charging around £4 a day. Add this to the cost of the hotel and we’re talking about paying at least £100 for one nights accommodation with 2 weeks parking (this was at a B&B or 3 star hotel). Then, I came across this gem of a website!

The Purpose
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The site provides a last minute bulletin board for hotels wishing to literally ‘flog’ their rooms at cut prices – a kind of pull em’ high sell em’ cheap service for hotels!! But they don’t just deal with hotels, there are also holiday properties, B&Bs, guesthouses and Inns. They also deal with rooms in virtually any country you can think of!

Layout
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The first page asks you exactly what you want – a holiday property or a hotel, and in what country. You are then taken to the next page which asks you to define your location – you can either enter a town or a region at this point. If you are looking for somewhere to escape to, but aren’t really bothered where – the bottom of the page lists a few of the current offers available.

You are also asked for details of your arrival date (this can be up to 3 weeks in advance), number of people in party and length of stay (this can be up to 7 days).

I have found the search facility to be excellent – it seemed to recognise all of the places that I tried. You are then taken to the page of results. The results aren’t listed in any particular order (although I feel it would have been nice to be able to sort by price). Prices are given for a room per night over the next 7 days (and the usual price is shown on the left for comparison). The price reduction varies – there was a 5 star hotel in Leeds charging only £80 a night per room (normal price £160!). I got a room in quite a nice 3 star hotel for £50 (+£10 parking charge for 2 weeks). I consider that to be quite a bargain! Reduced prices are always shown in orange.

How to book
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This is the strange bit! Even though the site is run by Laterooms, they have nothing whatsoever to do with the booking process. Once you have seen a price/room you are then taken to a page with the hotel’s telephone number and given a reference code. Then all you need to do is book directly with the hotel and given them the code for the reduction – very easy! The site provides you with a link to the hotel’s website (if they have one), weather at your chosen location and facilities at the hotel (a map is also available).

The site also provides you with the next step which is to e-mail a confirmation to the hotel. This is not a requirement only a recommendation. The form is on the site and all you have to do is fill in basic information and then send. It really is that simple!

What I like
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If you don’t really know where you are going, the site provides some ideas. For instance you can look at rooms available that are:

• Near airports
• Child friendly
• Hidden gems (whatever this is!!)
• Walking/rambling
• Seaside resorts etc etc…..

You can also specify more about what type of accommodation you would like, for example:

• Big savers
• Best deals
• Budget deals
• 4/5 star hotels etc etc……

I also like the fact that you deal directly with the hotel itself. Therefore you get the information ‘from the horses mouth’. You get to look at the prices BEFORE you book. If you have any particular requirements because you speak to a member of staff at the hotel – you are more likely to get your request than going through a third party.

The site is clear and very easy to use. I like the fact that you can book accommodation in virtually any country – so if you find a bargain flight from another website, you are guaranteed with this website to find an excellent deal on a hotel.

Niggles
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Not many! I would like to be able to see what the reduced price includes. In most cases I think it is room only – although the site does state that it can include breakfast. I would like to see the option of possibly adding meal options (breakfast, evening meal) and parking (at airport hotels) without having to ring the hotel first.

I would also like to be able to sort by price or location. When I looked for a hotel near Gatwick I didn’t really know which ones were closest to the airport. It would be helpful if the hotels were ‘lumped’ together by location, as mixed in with the Gatwick ones were also hotels in Brighton.

Conclusion
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I think the site is a very useful resource when looking for a last minute hotel deal. Its no good using this to plan for a break weeks in advance as deals are only listed for the next 3 weeks. It is great to use for that last minute dirty weekend (yes, Trampus – this site is for you!) and for airport hotels. I didn’t really look at the holiday homes section but if the choice of hotels is anything to go by, I would say it is excellent. Can’t fault it yet….will let you know in a couple of weeks time whether I ended up in Faulty Towers!! Bon Voyage!

© moose