Comments on: The Recession is Opening the Doors to Big Vacation Savings http://www.americanconsumernews.com/2009/06/the-recession-is-opening-the-doors-to-big-vacation-savings.html Helping Smart Shoppers Save Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:52:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Anna http://www.americanconsumernews.com/2009/06/the-recession-is-opening-the-doors-to-big-vacation-savings.html/comment-page-1#comment-6182 Anna Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:07:18 +0000 http://www.americanconsumernews.com/?p=2689#comment-6182 I rent out an apartment in Spain and have found this year that every month I have received more eyeballs for my advert and more bookings than the previous years. I haven't dropped my prices and in the area most people have kept the same prices as last year or increased them marginally. The summer holidays will always be bumper months as that is the only time anyone with school children can actually take a vacation and as such demand surges. So I think that in the summer months you are unlikely to get a good deal. However airlines have dramatically dropped prices and do many special deals throughout the year and certainly off peak you should be able to get a good deal. However here in Spain hotels just don't seem to get that in a recession you need to make some changes and those hot deals are severely lacking. The same thing occurs with car firms here, they just don't seem to discount and would rather have unsold cars than discount. Hotel rooms will be empty or hotels closed before deals are made. So if you are looking for a good value holiday at least in Spain, I would approach owners of apartments and villas rather than try to get something via a hotel. Good holiday portals are InSpain.tv, holidaylettings and ownersdirect. I rent out an apartment in Spain and have found this year that every month I have received more eyeballs for my advert and more bookings than the previous years. I haven’t dropped my prices and in the area most people have kept the same prices as last year or increased them marginally. The summer holidays will always be bumper months as that is the only time anyone with school children can actually take a vacation and as such demand surges. So I think that in the summer months you are unlikely to get a good deal. However airlines have dramatically dropped prices and do many special deals throughout the year and certainly off peak you should be able to get a good deal. However here in Spain hotels just don’t seem to get that in a recession you need to make some changes and those hot deals are severely lacking. The same thing occurs with car firms here, they just don’t seem to discount and would rather have unsold cars than discount. Hotel rooms will be empty or hotels closed before deals are made. So if you are looking for a good value holiday at least in Spain, I would approach owners of apartments and villas rather than try to get something via a hotel. Good holiday portals are InSpain.tv, holidaylettings and ownersdirect.

]]> By: debbie http://www.americanconsumernews.com/2009/06/the-recession-is-opening-the-doors-to-big-vacation-savings.html/comment-page-1#comment-6028 debbie Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:52:25 +0000 http://www.americanconsumernews.com/?p=2689#comment-6028 Oh I dunno... I'm taking a family of 4 to disney in Orlando for about half the price that it would have cost us last year - including airfare, hotel, theme park tickets and most of our meals. I've also seen cruise packages which are normally around $1000 a person going for $449 a person (for the same itinerary). There are definitely deals to be had, although like anything else - it won't apply to every possibility. Oh I dunno… I’m taking a family of 4 to disney in Orlando for about half the price that it would have cost us last year – including airfare, hotel, theme park tickets and most of our meals.

I’ve also seen cruise packages which are normally around $1000 a person going for $449 a person (for the same itinerary).

There are definitely deals to be had, although like anything else – it won’t apply to every possibility.

]]> By: Jamison http://www.americanconsumernews.com/2009/06/the-recession-is-opening-the-doors-to-big-vacation-savings.html/comment-page-1#comment-6024 Jamison Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:38:44 +0000 http://www.americanconsumernews.com/?p=2689#comment-6024 I keep hearing all this and have yet to find one deal. My wife and I tral A LOT and this article does not hit home for us. For starters I read in this artcile "The US dollar is gaining more strength..." Um, no. The dollar is becoming weaker and weaker by the day. When your government prints money and spends money it doesn't have, your currency loses strength. As for negotiating with the hotel manager I have NEVER gotten more than 10% off, but most times the manager doesn't give me any deal at all. Finally "Airlines are looking to fill seats". No, they aren't. My wife just flew from our rinky dink airport to Char., NC and the plane was full. Planes are always full for us. I dont know, maybe living in the south easter united states we are sheltered from the financial turmoil, but this article is pretty inaccurate, to us anyway. I keep hearing all this and have yet to find one deal.
My wife and I tral A LOT and this article does not hit home for us.
For starters I read in this artcile “The US dollar is gaining more strength…” Um, no. The dollar is becoming weaker and weaker by the day. When your government prints money and spends money it doesn’t have, your currency loses strength.

As for negotiating with the hotel manager I have NEVER gotten more than 10% off, but most times the manager doesn’t give me any deal at all.

Finally “Airlines are looking to fill seats”. No, they aren’t. My wife just flew from our rinky dink airport to Char., NC and the plane was full. Planes are always full for us.

I dont know, maybe living in the south easter united states we are sheltered from the financial turmoil, but this article is pretty inaccurate, to us anyway.

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