It’s Friday and that means your weekly dose of our true or false guessing game. No more sailing blankly through the round-up of bargains like you do the rest of the week – this is serious.

More bargains and less bullshit over at HotUKDeals.

THE DEAL: For new Sky customers, your first year’s subscription at half-price. Plus free HD pack and free Sky+ HD box.

TRUE OR FALSE?  HD TV has not even begun to reach its full potential. By 2020, experts believe levels will rise somewhere between 254-256. With the addition of as-yet-unpredictable stremifying boosts, the levels could reach a dizzying 257.

THE DEAL: Mixer taps. Three designs to choose from. Only £17.99.

TRUE OR FALSE?  Get the settings just right and these mixer taps could provide you with a mixture of water, barbecue sauce, hot syrup, olive oil and Labrador urine.

THE DEAL:  £19 hotel room sale starts at 6am tomorrow. It covers stays from 12^th March to 31^st May

TRUE OR FALSE?  You get an extra 10% off the price of your room if you bring your own bedding and 15% off if you bring someone else’s bedding.

(deals found by HUKD members darlowad, hotmik and noiy)

TRUE OR FALSE: All statements are FALSE!

Look, up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a Travel Tavern! Sweet muscular Jesus, what is going on here? The future of hotels and travel, that’s what. It’s what the progressive, forward-thinking minds in the Bitterwallet office are calling Hotravelling. Or Travotelling. Something like that, anyway.

This, my friends, is an airship, a hotel in the sky, not unlike Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back. It’s a concept for The Aircruise is a 265 metre tall structure that could float above cities or even across oceans.

Luxury is the key to it all – there’d only be room for a maximum of 100 guests and crew, and there’d only be ten apartments available to check into. No oiks booking in for a spot of afternoon yankee doodle, then – you’ll have to make do with the Travelodge for now, I’m afraid.

While the Aircruise could remain tethered it’s also conceivable, at least in the minds of the lunatic engineers who have designed this nonsense, that the vessel could travel around the world – the Aircruise could travel at up to 100 miles an hour and a journey from London to New York could be completed 37 hours. If it isn’t blown into a tree and popped.

Most people I know will glance at TripAdvisor before booking a hotel, but they won’t treat it as gospel. That said, if TripAdvisor goes so far as to promote a guide to the filthiest hotels in the world, travellers are going to sit up and take notice. And it won’t just be those checking in who are curious.

So it’s unsurprising to learn there’s already talk of hotels suing TripAdvisor for its 2010 Dirtiest Hotels list, which gives the lowdown on the shoddiest shacks around the the world. According to the Independent:

“At least one of the hotels named on the list said it was considering legal action against TripAdvisor, claiming the comments were based on out-dated observations made before a major refurbishment. Another London hotelier included on the list, who asked not to be identified, said he had received cancellations since being named.”

It’s not as if TripAdvisor could have feigned surprise when hoteliers took exception; there have been numerous claims that fake reviews are passing by both their automated and manuals checks and balances – not only are some companies offering a paid service to to post fake reviews, but TripAdivisor has flagged the issue themselves.

If you’re needing some pocket money in these cash-strapped times, why not form a covert business that offers to post positive reviews on travel websites? Industry know-it-alls Travolution report that hotel chains and managers are receiving constant offers to have fake reviews posted on TripAdvisor and other sites in return for a monthly fee. The companies claim that the content will be posted from around the world to ensure it doesn’t appear suspicious.

Senior management at TripAdvisor said the integrity of its reviews was protected through a screening process, in-house technology and the community reporting suspicious activity. The website also pointed out its staff are aware of several companies engaged in posting false reviews and has already penalised the hotels involved.

That said, one hotel owner quoted mentions a particular hotel he knew of received several reviews before it had even opened to the public. And it seems the TripAdvisor members can spot an alleged fake even if the management can’t – one recent commenter in the forums points to this hotel review, noting that nearly all the five star ratings have been the result of a first review by newly registered individuals. The fiends.

[Travolution]

Last week we gave you 8 tips to save time and money in New York. This week, Bitterwallet reader Bedlam provides another tip for guests checking in while away from home:

“Don’t drink from the coffee cups or glasses in your hotel room unless you have washed them out in boiling hot water first.”

Not only is the second half of the video enough to make you sick up into your mouth, but you’ve got the added bonus of a disease control expert who looks like Orson Welles. Undercover investigative journalism, health and safety and celebrity lookalikes – this video has the lot:

The world of the freelance travel writer seems a piece of piss to anybody who’s not tried it. Sunshine, beer, food until your gut bursts? Magic. In reality, it’s long hours out researching followed by longer hours writing up, sleep lost to timezones and sometimes no guarantee of payment for it. You don’t get to see the world so much as pass through it at speed.

So when it comes to accommodation, it’s not a great surprise that travel writers might prefer to stay with soul-destroying hotel chains than a bizarro theme hotel with a reception sculpted from jam and a room with a gnu. Journalist David Whitley has written a blog post about this, which he calls the travel media’s “dirty little secret”:

“Newspapers and magazines… rarely admit the truth about what a large percentage of the travelling population actually want. And the truth is that people go somewhere to see the destination, not a hotel. This silent majority doesn’t really care where they stay as long as they’ve got somewhere decent, reasonably priced and comfortable to rest their head. A cool hotel is a bonus, rather than a necessity.

“This isn’t to say that all design hotels, boutique hotels and charming, quirky guesthouses are bad. Far from it – there’s usually very good reason for them being selected. But they’re not necessarily the best accommodation option within the price range, or an ideal place to stay for someone who cares more about exploring the sights than staying somewhere cool.”

The same seems to go for many travel writers, too. A lack of surprises is exactly the reason why hotel chains are sometimes the best option – you know what to expect for your money before you arrive:

“If I wasn’t being paid for it, I’d much prefer to stay at a soulless chain hotel where I could work in the evening… I’m sure many travel writers will surreptitiously nod in tacit agreement.”

Judging by the response in the comments to Whitley’s posts and those floating about on Twitter, plenty of travel writers agree.

Extra-marital affairs are now cheaper to carry out than ever, according to suspiciously biased research announced today. After all, horsing the living daylights out of your wife’s sister in your own bed is just wrong, and now there’s no excuse not to get a room in a nice hotel; UK room prices have fallen to their lowest level in five years.

The average cost of a night in a hotel was 16 per cent lower in the first six months of this year compared to the same period in 2008. Prices held best in Bath where the average price dropped just 6 per cent to £111 per night. In London village, the cost of getting a room fell by 12 per cent to £101. Cities to have the arse ripped out their rates include Southampton where the average fell by a third, as well as Belfast (down 29 per cent), Aberdeen (down by a quarter) and Sheffield (down 24 per cent).

The average price of a hotel room around the world fell by 17 per cent in the first six months of 2009. Prices in Latin America fell by the greatest extent, down 18 per cent while prices for hotel rooms in North America were down 17 per cent. And even through rates in the Caribbean only saw a two per cent drop, you can’t help but think to yourself that now’s a great time to book a hotel room. That would seem to be the inescapable conclusion, right? All those bargains out there, surely it’s time to bag one?

You’re absolutely right! So it’s a hearty thanks to Hotels.com for conducting this entirely independent survey flogged to death by their PR monkeys, and that they stand to profit from in no way, shape or form. Cheers!

Hotels.com Worldwide president David Roche told the stalwarts of journalism at the BBC: “For UK travellers, it is a great time to stay closer to home and explore the British Isles, while for visitors from overseas, there has never been a better chance to come and enjoy the UK at 2004 prices.”

Except neither Hotels.com or the BBC point out this global slump in prices is caused by people not travelling during a recession, which in turn suggests Hotels.com have seen a similar drop in bookings, and in fact this entire story is a self-serving piece of PR that news organisations like the BBC are only too happy to slap lipstick on and doll up as news.

[Reuters]

You! Yes, you! You’re a penny-pinching traveller who wants the moon on a stick! Not the real moon, that would be disastrous – not only for you and stick but for marine life, tectonic stability and the planet in general. It’s only a figure of speech, see. Anyway, if you like to travel and stay in marvellous hotels for a lot less, here’s another guest post from Emma on how to get the best out of Priceline.co.uk:

Are you interested in staying in posh hotels for a fraction of their normal cost? This is a guide on how to do just that, by taking advantage of hotel bidding strategies on Priceline.co.uk. Additionally, we’ll show you all the secret tips and tricks to getting your swanky hotel rooms even cheaper.

How does Priceline.co.uk “Name Your Own Price” work?
The Name Your Own Price feature on Priceline.co.uk is simply an auction style process which lets you bid for cheap hotel rates. Priceline break it down as follows:

1. Choose town and dates
2. Select the area where you want to stay
3. Select the star rating and name your price
4. Find out which hotel you’ll be staying at

The hotels are able to offer great discounts on their unsold hotel rooms, enabling you to bag a bargain. These are all reputable hotels, and you can be assured you are getting a good deal. You make a bid stating your chosen city, the area, the minimum star rating, and the maximum price you are willing to pay. Price Line may either reject your bid, or accept it and allocate you a hotel room that fulfils your wishes.

Where can you use it?
Priceline’s “Name Your Price” hotel bidding feature is best for major cities around the world, and is particularly good for hot deals on American hotels. I have used it in Toronto, Paris, Barcelona… to name a few locations. It is really best suited for people travelling alone or in couples. It’s not ideal for families, or any group outside the norm. You can really only book standard rooms with this feature, not suites or any sort of deluxe rooms. If you win a room, it will accommodate two adults.

What Star Rating should I choose?
Remember that European star ratings might not be quite up to the same standards as North American standards. If you’re doing a bit of research, check TripAdvisor to see the quality of hotels of your chosen rating in your chosen area.

How low should I start my Priceline bidding?
Priceline recommend that you look at the leading online travel sites and take 40% off for an indication of how much to bid on your cheap hotel rooms. I recommend that you start lower. You might be declined, but it will give you a general idea of how much you should be bidding. On the other hand, you could get lucky and your low-ball bid will be accepted! You can research how much people are paying for what you are interested in – check out the betterbidding forums. (more…)

There’s good news for folks checking in to swankalicious hotels over the next four years; considerably less for the hotels themselves. A Bloomberg report states that US hotel rates are unlikely to reach their 2008 levels until 2012 at the very earliest. One analyst has described the actions of the industry as “near-panic rate cutting”. Hurrah!

The recession obviously means millions of hotels are losing billions in both tourist and conference trade. On top of losing revenue from both traditional streams, there are the cashflows pressures felt by every industry, such as increasing rents and suppliers scrapping their 90 days notice on payment and demanding monies on 30 day terms.

Hotel chains like the InterContinental Hotels Group, which has a portfolio mixing five star hotels with the mid-price Holiday Inns, last month reported that first quarter net income had dropped by nearly 60 per cent on lower room rates. Rates have dropped 19 per cent year-on-year across luxury hotels, while New York rates fell the most in the US, sliding by nearly a third.

Las Vegas provides a microcosm of how the industry is struggling right now; over 15,000 new hotel rooms will soon open on the Strip, requiring an extra $3.2 billion of annual tourist income just to break even. The hotel developers are already in billions of dollars of debt – two high profile hotel projects have gone bust this year – while the traditional hotels on the Strip are slashing rates to stupidly low levels; you can book a mid-week room in the Downtown classic The Golden Nugget for just £32, and a night on the Strip in the MGM Grand for just £42.

So while the media yawns on about staycations, if you can find a red hot flight deal from the likes of HotUKDeals then hotels around the world are yours for the taking right now.

[Bloomberg] [The Guardian]

I’m currently travelling across North America, and day-to-day it’s proving a fair pain in the arse to stay connected with the internet. Access isn’t the problem; there’s oodles of wifi everywhere, but nearly all of it is locked down and requires payment. The other difficulty is being unable to establish a connection when you’re constantly travelling; the US is fricking enormous, so when you’re traversing such mammoth distances, it can mean going without internet access for hours.

I’ve tried a number of ways of staying online as I’ve bounced around the states, so here are some suggestions if you’re considering something similar; as always, if you have any suggestions then please let us know in the comments:

Bolt Bus
Travelling between neighbouring states can still take the best part of a day. If you’re on the East coast there’s a cracking alternative to flying that, once you’ve taking into account transfer times and waiting at the terminal, means similar journey times and I can haz internet.

Behold the Bolt Bus! It’s a coach service that ferries folks between Boston, New York, Washington DC and Philadelphia. What’s so great about it? The fares start from just $1 each way – even if they’re a rarity, book just a few days a ahead online and you won’t pay much more than $20. There’s also the fact that there are power supplies built into the back of every seat, so your laptop will never run low.

The real deal-breaker is the free wifi. Yep, wifi on the Bolt Bus along the whole goddamn route. Having tested it between New York and Washington, I can honestly say that given the choice between flying or taking the bus, you’ll find me on the road. The connection was a little sluggish at times, but connection remained solid through the journey, disconnecting only twice in four hours.

HotSpot packages
There are thousands of premium hotspots across the US; two of the better packages you can buy for accessing them are from Boingo and T-Mobile.

Boingo claims to offer up unlimited access through 100,000+ hotspots for just $9.95 per month, but this is restricted to laptop use. They also offer unlimited access on mobile handsets (including VoIP) for just $7.95, which includes access abroad in Europe as well as the US. First impressions? I signed up to Boingo’s international service while in Europe, but despite claiming to service major airports, there wasn’t a sniff of access of Frankfurt. It performed perfectly in Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, however. Now I’ve reached the US, I’ve cancelled the global package – at least I think I have; despite the site telling me I can cancel at any time, nowhere does it tell me how to do so, so I’ve had to blindly email customer services and hope for the best. I’ve signed up for Boingo mobile’s 30 day free trial – I’ll let you know.

The T-Mobile HotSpot package offers unlimited access for $29.99 without commitment, to over 45,000 locations worldwide, but unlike Boingo is available across all wifi-enabled devices.

In-flight internet
While internet access six miles above the ground is still a relatively new concept, it’s starting to catch on in the US. Thanks to Gogo, a handful of flights, mostly between the East and West coast (but also some shorter routes servicing the West coast) have the facility, but they promise that over 300 of United’s domestic routes will be online by the end of the year. (more…)

The price of oil has fallen recently, cutting the price of petrol at the pumps to around £1 a litre.  Airlines have followed suit, with BA and Virgin Atlantic also cutting fuel surcharges as competition tightens.

It should therefore be no surprise, that hotels are also doing a little bit of competitive price dropping themselves, such as the recently featured 50% OFF Hilton Hotels, advocating many Britons to spend a night in Paris.

But Paris is not everyone’s cuppa tea (and on this occasion, I am also referring to the heiress), so what other hotel deals are going on right now?

Our dear and beloved reader Lam, who recently gave you all some excellent info on free airport parking with the Holiday Inn, has done it yet again.  He emailed me some dirt on hot hotel deals happening right now as we speak, and after a bit more research, I think they may indeed be worth a look.

So here is our (very subjective and biased) hotel comparison analysis on 6 of these best hotel online deals as of October 16, 2008.  Terms and conditions may apply:

(more…)

The internet has liberated those of us born to travel the globe. No longer do we have to trudge down the high street and confer with gum-chewing computer illiterates who struggle to find our sunshine break in Magaluf.

In the days and weeks to come, Bitterwallet will peel back the layers of online hotel booking, to save you money every step of the way. For now, we’ll ease you into making savings gently.

Limited experience of booking your accommodation online might suggest the big name portals are your first and only stop, with the best deals and discounted rates. Nope.

On the rare occasions you can’t find a decent saving on HUKD, you’ve got to shop around, because no one site offers the best prices.

We’ve done some homework for you, and the results might come as a surprise. (more…)