SantaCruz 0 Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Just curious around what time resorts will start to publish prices and allow you to book lodging. Also for a bundled deal via an agent. Cheers. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 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. Link to post Share on other sites
joshnii 2 Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 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! Link to post Share on other sites
foreversnow 5 Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 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. Link to post Share on other sites
SantaCruz 0 Posted May 13, 2009 Author Share Posted May 13, 2009 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. Link to post Share on other sites
iiyamadude 6 Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Originally Posted By: SantaCruz Any recommendations in terms of agents? Yeah, don't use them. Link to post Share on other sites
animal 0 Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 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. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 In these internets days, why use an agent? Can't be that lazy Link to post Share on other sites
stemik 14 Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 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 $$$ Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 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. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 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. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 my summer Furano was a joke. I had to wait 1 second past midnight to send off the email cos the cottages were only released 2 months in advance and first come first served. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 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. Link to post Share on other sites
2pints-mate 0 Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 We actually contacted a few places last June to find out info and they didn't have the info/prices to give us. One place contacted us in September with their winter rates. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 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. Link to post Share on other sites
SnowJapan Admin SnowJapan 178 Posted May 14, 2009 SnowJapan Admin Share Posted May 14, 2009 Just to clear that one up: no, incorrect - we are not a booking agent and we are also not a travel agent. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 ahh ok Link to post Share on other sites
foreversnow 5 Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 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!! Link to post Share on other sites
SantaCruz 0 Posted May 15, 2009 Author Share Posted May 15, 2009 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. Link to post Share on other sites
Myoko Guy 0 Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 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. Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 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. Link to post Share on other sites
SnowJapan Admin SnowJapan 178 Posted May 16, 2009 SnowJapan Admin Share Posted May 16, 2009 And just while we are here, if you do decide to contact places directly, please consider doing so via our site (it all helps support us in what we are doing). Thanks and good luck with your planning. http://www.snowjapan.com/e/hotel/index.html Link to post Share on other sites
foreversnow 5 Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 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. Link to post Share on other sites
SnowJapan Admin SnowJapan#Andrew 6 Posted May 20, 2009 SnowJapan Admin Share Posted May 20, 2009 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. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 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? Link to post Share on other sites
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