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One of my favorite travel tools of all time is AutoSlash, which helps you find the best car rental rates. I was excited to learn when the company came out with another product that aims to take a lot of the work out of finding the very best hotel rate when you book. The name: HotelSlash.
Just like AutoSlash, this product tracks your hotel rates so you can potentially benefit if the price drops. The subscription-only service promises to deliver heavily discounted rates for stays at over one million hotels worldwide.
But should you use HotelSlash for your next booking? Here's how it works, what my experience was like for a six-night stay in New York during fashion week, and when it could make sense to use.
How Does HotelSlash Work?
HotelSlash is a subscription service that works by continually Replaceing for price drops on your hotel reservations. HotelSlash monitors price fluctuations between reserving and checking in for your stay. When prices drop, users are notified and can cancel and rebook at a lower rate.
However, the HotelSlash algorithm works on more than just the base price. It also looks for additional opportunities, such as rebooking to receive complimentary breakfast, upgraded rooms, and other add-on benefits.
You can monitor your reservations by forwarding them to HotelSlash via email.
HotelSlash works by providing rates that aren't available to the public. According to HotelSlash CEO and Co-Founder Jonathan Weinberg:
“HotelSlash provides exclusive, members-only access to exceptionally discounted rates, which are currently unavailable to the general public, for over one million properties worldwide. It's like price protection for your hotel reservation.”
How Much Does HotelSlash Cost?
HotelSlash is a subscription-only service for savings on hotel bookings. It costs $29.95 annually. If you aren't satisfied, HotelSlash promises a “no-question-asked, 100% refund guarantee.”
AwardWallet readers can receive six complimentary months of membership and then a 50% discount after that. Sign up using the code AWARDWALLET or via this link to receive the discounted rate.
Is HotelSlash Worth It for Your Next Hotel Booking?
As a test, I booked a great rate at the Dream New York Midtown, a Hyatt hotel, during the middle of the US Open for tennis. Truthfully, I didn't think the rate could be beat, but I was definitely interested to see if the service would remind me that it was still Replaceing on my behalf.
I found the service quite intuitive in its frequent (but not too frequent) email updates about my rate at Dream Midtown. Every two weeks, I received an email saying they were “still working on it,” but ultimately, I never found a cheaper rate.
It's also worth considering what you want in your next hotel stay. Do you just want the cheapest price possible? If so, HotelSlash may be able to help. If you're looking for more, this may not be the best option for you.
One of the main drawbacks of using the service is that if you're chasing hotel elite status, stays booked through platforms like HotelSlash won't count in programs like Marriott Bonvoy or World of Hyatt. With rare exceptions, you only receive stay credit when booking directly with the hotels.
And if you already have elite status with a hotel, you likely won't receive your status benefits (room upgrades, free breakfast, etc.) when booking with HotelSlash. Those benefits come when booking direct with the hotel — not third-party websites. Think about these perks when deciding how you book your next hotel stay, and is a big deterrent for me to continue to use the service, as I love my elite benefits!
Related: What's a Best Rate Guarantee and How Can It Save You Money?
Final Thoughts
If you are familiar with AutoSlash, then you should be excited by HotelSlash, especially if you're a “free agent” in the hotel loyalty space. Taking advantage of the free trial for AwardWallet users could be a no-risk way to see if HotelSlash works for your travel style.
Are you using HotelSlash? Let us know in the comments below!
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
CAVEAT EMPTOR: My first experience using HotelSlash was so disappointing it will be my last. Generally speaking the ‘savings’ were extremely minor. However, one occasion a four night stay appeared to be reduced from about $1,100 CDN to $871 so I booked it. Only later, when the credit card bill arrived, did I discover the $871 was in USD! So, again, the savings were small and, in fact, I lost money because the original booking had been made with Hotels.com which offers a 10% discount after ten nights. Repeated attempts to settle the matter with HotelSlash were unsuccessful beyond them offering a $50 credit toward future bookings I will never use.
This seems identical to what Pruvo has been doing (for free) for years, so what am I missing?
Bill, yes it’s a rival service to Pruvo.
Seems worth a try
Does it take into account if you have an corporate/discount rate attached to the reservation? Example: If I have a Hilton reservation booked directly though Hilton, priced on the AAA discount, when I forward my confirmation to the HotelSlash alias, will it send me updates based on that booking rate’s changes?
Kevin, I’m going to confirm and get back to you.
Hi Kevin, I checked with HotelSlash about this. They said they don’t typically work with corporate/association discounts. Those rates usually require booking directly with the hotel, and HotelSlash doesn’t have an easy way of pricing these. However, many customers have booked AAA/senior citizen rates and had HotelSlash beat it through its access to wholesale hotel inventory. “Corporate rates tend to be harder to beat but it does happen.”