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So, you want to find the best hotel/ resort /condo or villa in Hawaii at the best price. Simple enough, some might say. Just hop online and visit an online booking engine. Can a booking engine really help you determine the best place to stay in Hawaii? No. Booking engines offer low prices because they buy in bulk and rely on technology. They do not evaluate your needs or make a recommendation. You choose by evaluating the information, without knowing how well the property will suit you.

Can a peer review site find the best place for you? If you could safely assume that reviewers wanted the same thing from their accommodations as you do for yours, you might be able to; but, you can’t make that assumption. The other challenge is that reviews are often written by those who thought the place was so great or so horrible, that they want to make their very strong viewpoint known. In other words, you can’t count on the reviews being objective.

Many sites, including hotel’s own sites, provide voluminous information about Hawaii and its hotels. While it is informative and fun to explore the huge number of sites, the amount of information can be overwhelming.

How can you decide which information to rely on and how to narrow it down? I believe that human expertise and assistance is a crucial part of planning a Hawaii trip. Unless you are going for a specific resort experience, there are many choices to consider before you select a hotel. There are 4 major islands to choose from. Depending on your travel party and kind of holiday you want, there are many accommodation options with differing atmospheres, amenities, services, attractions, and a broad range of prices. The best resort for a luxury honeymoon is not the same as the best resort for a luxury family vacation, or a graduating class group trip.

Where can you get accurate, current information, an objective opinion, and expert advice about where to stay in Hawaii? You can get it from a Hawaii travel specialist. Travel agents have access to information about hotels, etc.; but, a Hawaii travel specialist has more detailed and specialized knowledge. Some of these specialists are agents with a sincere interest in Hawaii who have studied and passed classes to call themselves Hawaii Travel Specialists. Some have been to Hawaii many times while others have never been here. They don’t all have the same expertise. People who live here know Hawaii, just as you know your home town. Hawaii based travel agents who specialize in Hawaii are the agents who know Hawaii most intimately.

Hawaii-based travel agents who choose to focus attention on travel to and within Hawaii, focus time, energy, research, study and efforts exclusively on Hawaii. They don’t spend time and energy keeping up to date on global travel destinations. Instead, they follow the travel industry within Hawaii on each of the major Hawaiian islands, keeping current on new developments, renovations, and changes in ownership and management. They know the islands, the areas, the full range of properties available and what to do and see here. They know how to determine the real needs, wishes, desires and preferences of clients. They know there are different “best places” to stay, depending primarily on the needs of the client.

Companies like Affordable Luxury Hawaii Travel, a Hawaii-based agency and Hawaii Travel Specialist, focus primarily on luxury Hawaii travel and make every effort to become and stay familiar with luxury properties, by visiting and staying at them to experience firsthand being their guest, sampling their spa, dining, pool and other facilities, and observing their service throughout. With this direct knowledge, they can share their personal experience with clients and recommend one luxury property over another, advising of the advantages and disadvantages of each, based on their clients’ needs, after comparing prices and package options from the properties directly, and from local and national wholesalers to determine best values. Clients vacationing in Hawaii are making an investment in themselves and they deserve firsthand experience, expert advice and personalized service while planning their trip, and they deserve same-time-zone support during travel.

If you really want to book online, I highly recommend contacting a Hawaii Travel Specialist to request fee-for-service planning assistance, before price shopping and buying online. The service fee is small and it is well worth the value of the advice. (It is not fair to ask an agent to plan a free itinerary, if you plan to buy from Expedia or another engine, competitors of travel agents.)

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