Travelocity quietly became the latest travel seller to introduce flash sales for hotels, but as with many flash sales, sometimes the deal isn't as steep as advertised.
The Travelocity Dashing Deal running Aug. 25 and 26, which was featured on its homepage, offered a $360 per night stay for a two-bedroom junior oceanfront suite, including breakfast and free Wi-Fi, at the Windsong resort in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos.
The suite, which accommodates up to six people , could be yours at a 70% savings, Travelocity said.
However, a search on the Windsong website today showed the same two-bedroom junior oceanfront suite selling for $480 per night for a four-night stay beginning Oct. 3.
So the Travelocity Dashing Deal actually offered a 25% savings.
It was still a deal, but it wasn't a 70% discount as advertised.
The Windsong website indicated that the suite normally sells for $1,200 per night, which is where Travelocity got the 70% figure.
But, the suite was offered on the hotel website today for $480 and not $1,200.
Travelocity says its new Dashing Deals will be posted daily at 9 a.m. Central and are available until midnight or until the inventory gets sold out.
From the availability calendar alongside the Windsong Resort deal on Travelocity.com yesterday, it looks like the offer was good for bookings from September through mid-October.
Travelocity's Dashing Deals don't require consumers to redeem coupons or vouchers; consumers book their stays on available dates.
Dashing Deals are expected to cover hotels in the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean for now.
About two weeks ago, Travelocity also executed a soft launch of Dashing Deals through optimized mobile website pages. These Dashing Deals also can be accessed through Travelocity's iPhone, Android and Windows Phone 7 apps.
Travelocity's Dashing Deals have just gotten under way -- there's been no public announcement about the new flash sales program -- so perhaps future deals will have more meat to them.
However, with all of these flash sales, whether they are from Jetsetter, Expedia or Travelocity, it always pays for consumers to check multiple sources to ensure a deal is really a deal.