Where to Stay - Walt Disney World with Kids 2015 - page 191

2. HOTELCOUPONS.COM FLORIDA GUIDE This topic of coupons for lodging statewide
is free in many restaurants and motels on main highways leading to Florida. Because
most travelers make reservations before leaving home, picking up the topic en route
doesn't help much. To view it online or sign up for a free monthly e-guide, visit
hotelcoupons.com . For a hard copy ($3 for handling, $5 if shipped to Canada), call
800-222-3948 Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Eastern time.
3. HOTEL SHOPPING ONLINE The secret to shopping on the Internet is … shopping.
When we're really looking for a deal, we scour sites such as the ones below for un-
usually juicy hotel deals that meet our criteria (location, quality, price, amenities).
OUR FAVORITE ONLINE HOTEL RESOURCES
mousesavers.com Best site for hotels in Disney World
hotelcoupons.com Self-explanatory
floridakiss.com Primarily US 192-Kissimmee area hotels
orlandoinfo.com Good info; not user-friendly for booking
orlandovacation.com Great rates for condos and home rentals
If we find a hotel that fills the bill, we check it out at other websites and com-
parative travel search engines such as Kayak ( kayak.com ) and Mobissimo ( mobis-
simo.com ) toseewhohasthebestrate.(Asanaside,Kayakusedtobepurelyasearch
engine but now sells travel products, raising the issue of whether products not sold by
Kayak are equally likely to come up in a search. Mobissimo, on the other hand, only
links potential buyers to provider websites.) Your initial shopping effort should take
about 15-20 minutes, faster if you can zero in quickly on a particular hotel.
Next, armed with your insider knowledge of hotel economics, call the hotel or
have your travel agent call. Start by asking about specials. If there are none, or if the
hotel can't beat the best price you've found on the Internet, share your findings and
ask if the hotel can do better. Sometimes you'll be asked for proof of the rate you've
discovered online—to be prepared for this, go to the site and enter the dates of your
stay, plus the rate you've found to make sure it's available. If it is, print the page with
this information and have it handy for your travel agent or for when you call the hotel.