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When will resorts publish prices and start taking reservations for the 09/10 season?


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You can make reservations year-round as far as I know for hotels etc, and the same with an agent Id imagine. What agent/hotel wouldnt want your money? Its not always cheaper dealing with agents so check with hotels etc on their own deals.

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Some larger hotels do not take bookings until summer for the following winter. Becaus rates etc have not been fixed up.

 

Just ask them to see!

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SC we are currently booking our trip for 2010. We have quotes from all the places we wanted to stay and now we just have to chose one. I believe in Aus you can book pretty much all year around and usually (pre recession times) the earlier the better.

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Nice, thanks snowhuntress. Where u headed next year? Any advice in terms of using agents or booking everything myself? It's easy enough to check things out on my own. Well not easy, but it can be done.

 

Any recommendations in terms of agents?

 

Cheers.

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Personally, I'd look around get some prices from individual places I like the look of plan an plan, then out of interest see how the cost compares. i enjoy planning things myself though, I'm a planner.

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Originally Posted By: iiyamadude
Originally Posted By: SantaCruz

Any recommendations in terms of agents?


Yeah, don't use them.


i dont totally agree with this one....even though booking yourself does give you flexibility....booking with a agent you can get an around package..sometimes saving $$$
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Speaking of plans - as a family of 6 I really love to be able to see a plan of the accomodation we are going to be staying in - it helps in making a decision - layout is good to know in advance - a picture tells a thousand words and all that.

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The hotels I book only take it 3 months in advance. That's good enough for a hotel. But my flight tickets have to be booked a year in advance. That's the business freebie ones for points.

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Some of the big hotels in Yuzawa are not yet taking bookings for next winter. They have not yet fixed the rates for that period. Best to ask a place you interested in and they will tell. I would think most/all smaller privately owned places would take booking for any time and be very happy to.

 

Ski resorts don't have many prices to publish as such (?), but it's usually autumn when they get all their stuff printed with ticket prices etc. Often unchanged or only changed a bit.

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Originally Posted By: iiyamadude
Originally Posted By: SantaCruz

Any recommendations in terms of agents?


Yeah, don't use them.


I wonder if Snow Japan is a booking agent? From the services provided it seems to me they are. We seem to enjoy using this site, so I wonder if all agents are bad? Personally, I enjoy doing it all myself, too. It might also help to have good connections.
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Originally Posted By: SantaCruz

Any recommendations in terms of agents?
Cheers.


I have a fab agent here in Aus. We have tried booking through the internet ourselves but our agent gets us much better prices and most importantly she gets us the fantastic connecting flight from Narita to Chitose. Also when we get there we don't have to worry about anything as everything is taken care off. She ROCKS!!
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Nice. I'll have to follow up with an agent then. I've worked with some Japanese travel agencies in Seattle before (there's a decent sized ex-pat community here). I'll ask around to see if there's any that they recommend.

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Depends on what booking system the places are using. Some use the larger online booking engines so you can pretty much book now. If booking direct many places put their plans out by season so you have to wait until a couple of months beforehand. Just surf around and try making some bookings. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

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The company I work for has been taking bookings for next season since the start of March. In peak periods many of our best located properties are already booked out.

 

Generally there's no real major savings on booking directly for the accommodation side. The agents get commission so don't actually mark up the accommodation above what you can get it for direct (generally). Booking direct can give you more options though on things like transfers and other services. Airfares are a major part of the cost of OS holidays so I'd say if the agent can get you a good deal on these then go with them, if you can find your own good deal then go direct.

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Definately agree SJ it was your places to stay page that helped us out enormously on our first trip. Then planning what time of year we went back throught the daily report archives - Infact the whole Snow Japan site is a must if you are traveling to Japan.

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  • SnowJapan Admin

Just to give one example - I was at NASPA New Otani (in Yuzawa) yesterday and asked the reservation manager about this. He said that they are starting to take bookings for winter in mid-August.

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SJ#1,

Interesting this.

 

International visitors are booking now, or have already booked to secure those few flights in on the right day for changeover, and secure appropriate accomodations. Those who might want to stray a bit off the well beaten 'international market' resorts - even for a few days before heading to the familiarity of places like Niseko - find they cant really do it with confidence because bookings open so late.

 

It might be that this is desirable to those resorts.

 

It certainly leaves those resorts for the more spontaneous backpacker style snow tourist.

 

I cant help but wonder what the impact would be if they opened thier bookings 10 or 12 months before the date.... would the demographic shift?

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