In the Budget Travel Game, Persistence Pays Off

Travel Blog  •  Eva Holland  •  03.25.09 | 9:57 AM ET

Photo by Kamoteus (A Better Way) via Flickr (Creative Commons)

I know, I know—awhile back I said that the real key to successful budget travel was to be informed. Well, here’s another absolutely critical element in the cheapskate traveler’s makeup: tenacity.

Last week I was contemplating a quick trip to Atlantic City, and while browsing hotel websites I came across a great web-only deal: $39 per night, for a premium room. But when I tried to book two nights—at $39 each, plus about $10 in taxes, coming to a tidy total of $88, right?—the total showed up as $114, with no explanation of where the extra $26 was coming from. Puzzled, I tried rebooking as “2 adults,” in case it was a hidden single supplement, but no dice. I tried opting for a standard room, also listed at $39, in case I was facing a hidden upgrade fee. Again, nothing changed.

I called the reservations line for Harrah’s, the hotel’s parent company; they directed me to call e-Harrah’s, who sent me back to the main reservations line again. On my fourth call, a sensible-sounding woman told me to call the hotel directly and ask to speak to someone at the front desk—only when I reached a front desk staffer, she said she had no control over reservations. At that point, I asked to speak to a supervisor, and when I got one on the line I explained to him (politely and calmly) that since his hotel’s website was faulty—because those hidden fees had to be a glitch, not deliberate policy, right?—I was going to make my reservation, through him, over the phone, and that he was going to honor the advertised rate, web-only sale or no. And sure enough, he did.

It was a reminder of how often “saving” money on the road is really a matter of spending time and energy. Did I spend more than 26 minutes saving that $26? Sure. But since I have more time to spare than money, it was a worthwhile exchange. Plus, there’s some satisfaction to be found in winning these little battles, right?

Thanks to my persistence, this week I’ll be headed to Atlantic City—on a discount bus line, not the luxurious new train, of course—knowing I got the best deal I could find. And I’ll be packing sandwiches for the trip.

Tags: Budget Travel, Cheap Travel, Hotels, North America, United States, New Jersey, News and Briefs

Eva Holland is the senior editor of World Hum. Her writing has also appeared in the National Post, the Montreal Gazette, the Ottawa Citizen and WestJet's Up! Magazine, among other publications. She's based in Ottawa, Canada.


1 Comment for In the Budget Travel Game, Persistence Pays Off

Tyson 04.07.09 | 4:50 PM ET

Nice post.

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