ExpertFlyer Hot Topics — Where the Rubber Meets the Runway
In our final Group Travel installment, we add 7 more ways to save on your next group getaway from our friend David Chait, co-founder and CEO of Travefy.com, an online trip planner that solves the coordination chaos of group travel. For our previous tips, check out parts one and two.
1. Remember size does matter… for hotels. When searching for group hotel deals never forget that 10 is the magic number. Hotels tend to keep static pricing for any group booking 1 to 9 rooms. At 10 rooms, however, most hotel managers are empowered to start offering bulk discounts as well as key perks like a free organizer’s room. Hotels are all about vacancy management, so 10 rooms is the general rule of thumb for moving the needle on their nightly yield.
2. Decide rental vs. hotel. You can’t go wrong with either a hotel or a vacation rental, both of which have specific benefits. They also both tend to be priced similarly with the average U.S. hotel priced at $118 a night and the average rental condo at $99 a night (assuming you’re not cramming 6 people in a 1 bedroom condo).
Given this information, the key factors in determining your best way to save is the cost of food & gas/transportation. Higher food prices benefit rentals where you can cook on the cheap, whereas higher gas or transportation prices favor hotels, which tend to be in a city’s downtown area. These prices can be found on a number of sites across the web and should be factors.
3. Find and verify a rental gem. Vacation rental sites are filled with gems, but there are also a lot of dishonest listings. To really capitalize on potential rental savings, you must verify the details the best you can. Don’t just read reviews and view pictures – take stock in the quantity. For reviews, a higher number not only provides a more accurate picture, but ensures your renter is a veteran. In terms of pictures, make sure there are pictures beyond the room you’d be renting. Fuller photo coverage is a great sign that everything is in good working condition.
4. Research airlines. Know your hubs and routes. While some may argue that individual airline experiences themselves are somewhat commoditized, never lose sight that individual airlines “own” certain routes and hubs. Use this to your advantage to find the best routes. This also might mean splitting yourself across two airlines for a given destination to maximize the savings. For these “hacker” fares, be sure to price them out yourself to capture all of the savings.
5. Pick your days. If you have some flexibility in your potential travel plans, remember that you can save money on flights dependent upon the days of the week you travel. As a general rule flights in the middle of the week are much cheaper than weekend flights. (“Weekends” include Friday and Mondays, which are also inflated by business travellers.) Why not take a Wednesday to Tuesday vacation?
6. Book quickly and alone. Unlike hotels, group airline discounts DO NOT EXIST. In fact, group bookings are actually more expensive. A limited number of seats exist at each price point, so when you book your group together everyone is typically charged at the highest price ticket as opposed to the lowest. To avoid this painful pricing, always book your airline ticket solo.
7. Plan ground transportation. One way groups unnecessarily increase the cost of their trip is to forget to plan ahead regarding ground transportation. Without a transportation plan, individuals rely on cabs and other costly methods to get themselves from the airport to their destination. Aggregating your group for shuttle-like services can save each traveller 50% or more.