Orbitz is one of the most popular online travel agencies for booking flights, hotels, vacation packages, cruises, and more. Founded in 2001, Orbitz has grown to become a household name and leading online travel platform over the past 20+ years.

Orbitz allows travelers to easily search for and compare airfares, hotel rates, car rentals, vacation packages, cruises, and other travel services all in one place. Customers can book flights with over 500 airlines, hotels with over 250,000 properties worldwide, and more. Orbitz aims to provide a seamless booking experience with 24/7 customer service and easy management of trips before, during, and after booking.

Through its website and mobile apps, Orbitz serves millions of customers every month. It’s considered one of the top 3 online travel agencies, along with sites like Expedia and Priceline. Orbitz has stayed competitive through deals and partnerships with major airlines, hotels, and other travel suppliers. The company also focuses on developing innovative technology to improve the trip planning and booking process. With its large inventory of travel options, intuitive platform, and reputation for good prices, Orbitz remains a go-to for travel reservations among leisure and business travelers today.

Orbitz Hotel Search

The Orbitz hotel search makes it easy for travelers to find the perfect hotel. You can search hotels by destination, travel dates, number of guests, and price.

To search for hotels on Orbitz:

• Enter your destination in the search bar or click on the map to select a location
• Choose your check-in and check-out dates using the calendar selector
• Specify the number of guests (adults, children, and rooms needed)
• Adjust the price slider to your desired nightly budget

Orbitz offers advanced filtering and sorting options to refine your hotel search results:

• Filter by hotel star rating, amenities, brand, and more
• Sort hotels by recommended, price, distance from landmarks, guest rating, and popularity
• Use the map view to visually browse hotel locations

Specifying your ideal hotel stay upfront with Orbitz’s intuitive search makes finding the perfect accommodation for your trip easy and efficient. The advanced filters allow you to fine-tune your options based on your preferences.

Orbitz Hotel Deals

Orbitz offers a variety of deals and discounts on hotel bookings that can help travelers save money. Some of the main types of hotel deals available on Orbitz include:

• Promotional rates and sales: Orbitz frequently runs promotions with discounted rates at certain hotels or destinations. This can include seasonal sales around holidays or big events or special promotional rates offered in partnership with hotels. Checking the Orbitz deals and offers page can uncover substantial savings.

• Loyalty discounts: Members of the Orbitz rewards program receive additional discounts and perks when booking hotels. Benefits include a minimum 10% discount on select hotels and earning points on hotel stays that can be redeemed for even more savings. Members can also enjoy benefits like room upgrades.

• Mobile app deals: Booking hotels through the Orbitz mobile app unlocks exclusive deals and benefits not available on the website. App-only deals provide additional savings on already-discounted hotel rates.

• Package deals: Orbitz allows travelers to bundle hotel bookings with flights, rental cars, and activities to save compared to booking individually. Package deals make it easy to plan a full trip in one place.

• Coupons and promo codes: Check retailmenot and other coupon sites for Orbitz promo codes that can be applied at checkout for additional hotel savings.

To find the absolute best hotel rates on Orbitz, it pays to be flexible with travel dates and destinations when possible. Hotel prices can fluctuate widely based on demand. Comparing rates across multiple dates at various hotels in a city is the best way to uncover hidden hotel deals. Membership in the Orbitz rewards program also unlocks the lowest rates, so signing up can lead to significant savings on hotel bookings.

Booking Hotels on Orbitz

Booking a hotel on Orbitz is a straightforward process that can be done either on the Orbitz website or mobile app.

To book a hotel, first use Orbitz’s search filters to find your desired hotel for your travel dates and destination. You can filter by price, star rating, amenities, neighborhood, and more. Once you’ve found a suitable hotel, select it to visit its property page on Orbitz.

On the property page, you can view room types, amenities, policies, reviews, and photos for that specific property. If it looks good, click the “Reserve” or “Book Now” button to begin the booking process.

On the booking page, you’ll select your room type and options, enter your trip details, including dates and number of guests, and provide your contact information. Orbitz allows you to book a hotel room with free cancellation up until a certain date before your stay, usually 1–5 days.

For payment, Orbitz accepts all major credit cards, PayPal, and Orbitz gift cards. You can also opt to pay now in full or just reserve the room with a deposit.

Once you complete the booking, you’ll receive a confirmation email with your itinerary and reservation number. The itinerary outlines your full reservation details, including cancellation and change policies. You can access your itinerary anytime in your Orbitz account.

Booking hotels on Orbitz is a fast and easy process, allowing travelers to quickly compare properties and secure accommodations for their trip. The site offers flexible booking and cancellation policies, as well as seamless online payment options.

Cancellation and Changes

Orbitz aims to make canceling or changing hotel bookings as seamless as possible. However, policies vary between hotels, so it’s important to understand the cancellation policy at the time of booking.

Most hotels on Orbitz have a deadline for cancellation, often 24-48 hours before the check-in date. Canceling inside this window can result in a charge equal to the entire stay, while canceling in advance is often free. The specific policy is displayed when selecting your dates.

Changing an existing reservation is similar; changes can be made for free if done in advance of the hotel’s policy, while last-minute changes may incur fees. Orbitz allows date, property, or room type changes through your online account.

If you need to cancel or modify a booking, first check the hotel’s policy online. If unsure, Orbitz customer support can explain the policies before moving forward with any changes to minimize surprise fees. The support team is available 24/7 by phone, chat, or social media to walk customers through the process.

With preparation and planning, Orbitz customers can change plans when needed without incurring major charges from hotels. Understand the policies at booking, then contact support if any issues arise.

Orbitz Hotel Reviews

Reviews from other travelers play an important role on Orbitz when booking hotels. User reviews provide first-hand insights into properties, allowing you to make a more informed decision.

Orbitz prominently displays an overall review score for each hotel on its site, based on ratings submitted by verified customers. You can read through individual reviews sorted by recency, relevance, language, traveler type, and more. Reviews highlight room details, amenities, location pros and cons, and overall sentiment.

Travelers appreciate the transparency provided by reviews from real customers who have personally experienced a hotel. Past guests describe the quality of rooms, service levels, cleanliness issues or highlights, and value for money. Photos uploaded in reviews give visual glimpses into properties.

By reading multiple reviews, you can get a good sense of the real-world experience at a hotel. Look for emerging themes and consistent feedback. Be aware that all properties will have some negative reviews—no hotel is perfect for every traveler. Focus on patterns rather than isolated experiences.

User reviews hold hotels accountable and encourage maintaining facilities and providing good service. Many travelers will not book hotels without reviews available. The insights shared in reviews have become an essential part of the booking process.

Orbitz Loyalty Program

Orbitz operates a loyalty program called Orbucks Rewards to reward frequent customers. Members earn Orbucks points on hotel bookings, which can be redeemed for discounts on future hotel and flight bookings.

Orbucks Points

• Earn 1 Orbuck per $1 spent on qualifying hotel rates.
• Redeem points for a discount on future hotel bookings. Get $25 off for every 2,500 points redeemed.
• Points don’t expire as long as there is account activity at least once every 24 months.

Elite Tiers

There are 3 elite tiers based on annual points earned:

• Silver (15,000 points) – 10% points bonus
• Gold (30,000 points) – 25% points bonus
• Platinum (60,000 points) – 50% points bonus

Higher tiers earn more points on bookings and receive perks like priority customer service. Points and status are earned on an individual member basis.

The Orbitz Rewards program enables frequent Orbitz customers to earn rewards for their hotel spending. The program is free to join and easy to use for booking hotel discounts.

Orbitz Mobile App

Orbitz offers a full-featured mobile app that makes booking hotels on the go quick and convenient. The app is available for both iOS and Android devices.

Some key features of the Orbitz mobile app include:

• Intuitive interface that makes searching and booking hotels effortless. Easily filter by price, ratings, amenities, and more.

• Secure login and payment options. Store your Orbitz account details to quickly access bookings and make new reservations.

• Real-time price updates and exclusive mobile deals. Prices can fluctuate, so the app shows current rates.

• In-app customer support. Get help from Orbitz agents without having to make a phone call.

• Offline access to bookings and maps. Previously downloaded details remain available.

• Seamless booking experience. Reserve hotels in just a few taps, then show the confirmation at check-in.

Booking hotels through the Orbitz app offers many advantages for travelers:

• Book on the go wherever you are, even without WiFi, once details are downloaded

• Take advantage of instant price drops or flash deals for significant savings

• Make last-minute reservations if plans change during your trip

• Manage all bookings in one place and easily make changes as needed

• Access useful trip details like confirmation numbers, maps, etc. even offline

• Avoid language or currency barriers when booking international hotels

With its intuitive interface, great features, and real-time prices, the Orbitz app makes hotel booking and management a breeze for globetrotters.

Customer Service

Orbitz aims to provide excellent customer service support whenever issues arise with hotel bookings. There are a few ways to get help:

• By Phone: Orbitz has US-based customer support available 24/7. The toll-free number is 1-888-656-4546. Average wait times tend to be around 10-15 minutes.

• By Email: You can email orbitzcustomerservice@orbitz.com for support. Email responses are usually sent within 24 hours.

• Live Chat: Orbitz offers 24/7 live chat support on their website. Wait times are generally very short, with chat connections in under 5 minutes.

• Social Media: The @Orbitz Twitter account can provide basic customer service via DM. More complex issues may need an email or call.

The most common complaints relate to cancellations, changes to reservations, and issues with loyalty programs. The customer service team is trained to resolve these efficiently. If your concerns are not addressed sufficiently via chat or email, calling is recommended for the fastest resolution.

Overall, Orbitz aims to respond quickly and provide options when customers run into problems with existing hotel bookings. Between phone, email, social media, and chat support, multiple avenues exist to get issues resolved.

Alternatives to Orbitz

Orbitz is one of the most popular online travel agencies, but it’s not the only option for booking hotel rooms. Here are some of the major alternatives to consider:

Expedia

Expedia is Orbitz’s biggest competitor. The Expedia site and app work very similarly to Orbitz, allowing you to compare prices across multiple hotels and booking sites.

Overall, Expedia is a great alternative to Orbitz if you want a comparable hotel search and booking experience. The extra perks from their loyalty program can make it worthwhile for frequent travelers.

Priceline

Priceline is especially good for finding discount rates through their “Name Your Own Price” feature.

Priceline is best for flexible travelers looking for bottom-dollar rates who don’t necessarily need to know the exact hotel brand and location in advance.

Direct Booking

You can also consider booking directly through hotel or brand websites.

Direct hotel booking makes the most sense for frequent guests at specific hotel chains, so they can take full advantage of loyalty program benefits.

When to Use Alternatives

In general, Orbitz is a great one-stop shop for hotel bookings. But alternatives like Expedia, Priceline, or Booking.com may be preferable in certain circumstances, depending on your travel needs and priorities. Shop around to find the best rates and options for each trip.

 

Enjoyed this? Let your friends know!