Sep 28, 2007
Let's give a cheer for a hotel search engine that's mainly for leisure travelers
The problem with many online hotel booking engines is that they tend to list the same properties, heavily favoring cookie-cutter international chains and four-star hotels that, frankly, appeal more to business travelers than leisure tourists. Tourist-class (two- and three-star) hotels that offer far more value for your money are in short supply. Even more rare is the inclusion of the kind of small, family-run hotels that not only run cheaper than the big hotels but also give you the kind of friendly welcome and local charm that no chain can provide.
The Italy-based booking engine Venere.com (www.venere.com), however, does provide just those sorts of lodging options all across Europe. (It has listings for major U.S. cities as well, but these are far from complete and not nearly as useful.) Venere.com is a booking engine for those of us who prefer a mix of tourist-class chains, mom-and-pop hotels, and B&Bs, along with rental apartments, farm stays, short-stay residence hotels, and even villas. Rarely are so many different types of lodging options available in one place, and my guidebook-writing associates report that Venere.com is the only major booking site that manages to include many of the kind of small, family-run hotels they recommend on Frommers.com.
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The Italy-based booking engine Venere.com (www.venere.com), however, does provide just those sorts of lodging options all across Europe. (It has listings for major U.S. cities as well, but these are far from complete and not nearly as useful.) Venere.com is a booking engine for those of us who prefer a mix of tourist-class chains, mom-and-pop hotels, and B&Bs, along with rental apartments, farm stays, short-stay residence hotels, and even villas. Rarely are so many different types of lodging options available in one place, and my guidebook-writing associates report that Venere.com is the only major booking site that manages to include many of the kind of small, family-run hotels they recommend on Frommers.com.
Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: accommodations, websites
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
