Travelers can save up to 60% and view the hotel they are booking when booking accommodations through Priceline Express Deals and Hotwire Hot Rates, by using Travel Arrow, a new chrome extension.
Previously, guests could only see the name of their hotel after they completed their reservation and paid a non-refundable deposit.
So far, the only details provided were the star rating, a general hotel description, and a single picture of a room. This was “enough” to give you an idea of the type of accommodation you wanted to rent.
However, many visitors are hesitant when paying a non-refundable booking fee and not knowing exactly what hotel they are paying for.
Travel Arrow released a test version of its extension at the end of June this year to reveal these “hidden” deals. It was an immediate success, and the full version was released shortly after on July 12.
There are plans to add more features to the extension beyond Hotel Reveal, which is already fully functional and has over 3000 users.
The function is really easy to use. Travelers only have to use Express Deals or Hot Rates as usual after installing the extension. Travel Arrow displays the name of the hotel in a popup in the corner when you open a potential accommodation. It also displays links to price comparisons for the hotel elsewhere.
TraveloffPath compared Express Deals and booking.com costs. Here are two examples they found:
Westgate Flamingo Bay Resort
Booking.com Price: $222 per night
Express Deal Price: $137 per night
Hyatt House Denver Lakewood Belmar
Booking.com Price: $174 per night
Express Deal Price: $119 per night
Always compare prices on different booking websites. This is made easier by the Travel Arrow plugin, which provides quick links to other booking methods.
In the future, Travel Arrow plans to release a tool that displays Southwest fares directly on Google Flights, a feature that translates Google Flights searches into searches on Kayak and Skyscanner, and a Travel Arrow Miles program that lets users earn rewards for online purchases.