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Entrepreneur, April, 2002

WHY PAY RETAIL WHEN THE HOTEL YOU WANT, OR one nearby, might offer the same thing for much less? While new limited-service hotel chains like Comfort Inns are a good value, they are rarely located in central downtown locations in major cities, where hotel prices are sometimes prohibitive.

Bargain-savvy business travelers can turn to online hotel booking sites like Quilbook.com and Hotels.com for help. These hotel consolidators purchase room blocks from upscale hotels in many major cities at deep discounts and then pass part of the savings on to travelers who book through their sites.

While there's no fee for the site's service, you are required to pay for your entire stay in advance with a credit card when using Hotels.com. The Quikbook.com service usually doesn't require advance payment, but its selection of higher caliber hotels is smaller than that of Hotels.com. Both provide discounts ranging from 20 percent to 6o percent off standard hotel rates. Plus, both services can sometimes find rooms in cities that are otherwise "sold out."