Find a better deal by booking with a service that doesn't take a commission

Some of the biggest online reservations agencies and online travel agents take a huge 25 percent commission when travelers reserve a hotel online with them and the cost is either added to the room’s price or the hotel has to pay a commission to the agent. This practice has been the standard for some 15 years since the internet became the most popular method of booking hotel reservations. Hoteliers that didn’t get their own websites at the time and are often still left behind, but recently the practice has come under some heat and hoteliers are no longer happy to pay such high commissions.

A new approach
Early 2009, a website launched in Paris called lookotel.com, without much fanfare or press. The makers of the site (a team of website designers and webmasters that specialised in making websites for independent hotels in Paris) have been testing different ways for hotels to sell their inventory online, without the high commissions.

Win-win situation
The site is still in beta and it’s changing quite frequently but what’s most important for travelers is the ability to book hotel rooms direct; no commissions, better prices and better service, while for hoteliers it’s a way to sell their inventory direct, with a bit more firepower than their individual site.

An aggressive advertising campaign has just been launched with the headline ‘Skip the Broker’ and an accompanying set of vampire teeth that signifies that broker. It’s a direct affront to other established online reservation agencies.

Hoteliers pay a fixed price to be listed on lookotel.com so it’s all in their interest to put better rates and sell more.
And for users, they can reserve hotels with better deals and real peace of mind.

Currently lookotel.com is mainly for hotels in Paris but they are accepting inscriptions from hotels around the world on a first come first serve basis, with free listings for the first four months.

For more information please visit Lookotel online at www.lookotel.com