Opinions - Alpharooms

[atkinsonr]

Hi everyone, I have decided to go on holiday to Floirida at the end of the year. Flights are all booked and I'm now looking at accomodation. Whenever I have been to Edinburgh (on three ocassions now) I have booked via the internet through a company called alpharooms. The prices they offered were always much cheaper than other websites and I have always got exactly what was described and never had a problem.

I have looked at hotels in Florida on the same website and appear to have found a good deal. Here comes the questions! Firstly, the rates they are advertising are �680 for b&b yet for room only the price is over �1000.00 - does anyone know of a reason why the b&b rate would be cheaper than room only? Also, the b&b rate is so much cheaper than I've seen on other websites - is this too good to be true or can websites like these offer such good deals?

Secondly I have a bit of a 'worst case scenario' mentality and worry about everything! I googled alpharoom reviews and read a few bad reviews on the company, basically saying that a few days before people were departing they were getting emails saying that the hotel was fully booked, some people were getting double charged and complaints that you could never get in touch with anyone to speak to. I know that was only a few bad reviews and as said previously I have booked with them and never had a problem. Do you think I should just bite the bullet and book with them at the great rate or steer clear!?

I was planning on booking on my credit card and I have looked and they say they are abta and atol protected so does that mean I have added protection should something go wrong?

Any advice/suggestions appreciated.

[VHG]

Whyt not try to book direct with the hotel and see what rate they offer ?

[atkinsonr]

Stupidly enough I didn't even consider that! I'll try emailing them now!

[jem_bob]

Booked with AlphaRooms to go to Portugal last September and found them to be fairly useless. I phoned up to pay on my debit card and received a fairly abrupt email the following day to say my card had been rejected. A lot of being put on hold and being charged 0845 rates later, and I'm told that actually the payment did go through... twice. Fantastic! I also seem to remember that the transfer company that they booked us onto was like a death ride. The driver was about 80 (no exaggeration!) and spent the whole journey shouting into his mobile phone and driving erratically. It was actually scary. Wasn't very impressed at all. I'd go direct to the hotel, that way you're not paying any commission.

[atkinsonr]

jem-bob - You're experiences sound very similar to the bad reviews I've read! I've been on the hotel website, there were no direct emails to the specific hotel I want to stop at so I've emailed the general enquiry address asking for one. Also had a look on the website to book direct through their reservations but the rate is $87 a night, whereas on alpha rooms it is �44!

[chazza]

I booked a short break using alpharooms recently (February) and was thought it was excellent!

We paid about 2/3 of the price that it would have been to book directly with the hotel and I paid on my credit card, just in case! After it was all paid for I emailed the hotel directly to check everything was in order.

They emailed me back right away to say yes they'd received my booking, all was paid and all was in order. When we arrived we found we'd actually got a better room than we'd tried to book!

IT was recommended to me by my mother in law who has used it more than once and never had a problem!

[atkinsonr]

Thanks for that chazza. I'm really in two minds on what to do! Booking on a credit card does give you extra protection doesn't it? Was your booking abroad or in the uk? Like I mentioned I've booked with them to go to Edinburgh on three seperate occassions and never had a problem. The worrying part is that I'll be stuck in Florida with no hotel - and it's a bit further away than Scotland! I suppose worst case scenario would be that they didn't have my reservation when I got there and I had to go elsewhere!

[gazzawazza]

We've booked with them a few times and never had any complaints.

[chazza]

Mine was in Southern Ireland so technically abroad!

Try what i did, book with credit card, then contact the hotel to check the booking. Bring any emails they send you back with you so that you have a copy of any confirmation

[atkinsonr]

Good plan! I'm going to have to stop thinking about it too much and just get on with it!