Peter Flynn Over the last few years the web has become infested with a parasitic growth in hotel booking agency sites. These batten onto search engines, so that any of the magic words (hotel, for example) cause their scripts to generate a non-existent page cleverly faked up to look like an information listing about hotels in the area. You can test this by going to Google and typing in the name of any locality, real or imaginary, plus the magic word hotels: but of course they only list the hotels who have signed up with them, not all hotels in the area, which makes their pages fundamentally useless. Try searching for narnia hotels… While this may be useful for the casual visitor who doesn't care where she stays, or the naïve tourist who doesn't mind being hit with five-star caravanserais at €350 a night as well as cheapass B&Bs for $25, it's a killer if you who want to find a specific hotel or chain that you know you want to check out, because you simply cannot find the real home page of the hotel or chain you're looking for. Plus many of the agencies charge your credit card there and then when you book, whereas any reputable hotel will only do so when you check out. So here are my links to the real hotel web sites or home pages of those I've used or investigated. Some of the URIs you can guess: others are blindingly non-obvious, and a classic hallmark of companies who missed the Domain Registry boat. I'm not being paid for this, so there's no advertising, and I'm not even saying whether I have or haven't stayed in them. If you know of the real URI of a hard-to-find hotel or chain, mail me. And I should point out that I've nothing against these agencies turning an honest buck: it's just that they get in the way of the serious traveller who wants to book direct or view a comprehensive list. These links were tested when I wrote this page. Mail me if you find a broken one, or any obvious errors. Groups and chains These are mostly well-known names, from small groups to huge multinational bedfactory chains. Choice Hotels The group name for Quality Inns, Comfort Inns, Sleep Inns, EconoLodges, and several others. Comfort Inns As for Choice Hotels Best Western Claim to be the world's largest hotel chain. Motel6 Part of Accor Hotels. Intercontinental Hotels Owners of Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, and a few other chains. Premier Inns Owners of much of what used to be Rocco Forte's hotel empire. RedRoof Inns Days Inns Ibis Hotels Part of Accor Hotels. Forestdale Hotels Small group mostly in the south of England but with one in France Wyndham Hotels Citotel French mid-range group Marriott Hotels TraveLodges In the UK TraveLodges In Ireland Accor Hotels Owners of Motel6, Ibis, and several other chains. Ramada Inns In the UK Welcome Break Motorway motels in the UK Individual hotels and B&Bs These are either privately-owned or possibly part of a group but functioning as an individual establishment. Oxford Spires Hotel Part of the Four Pillars group Miró Hotel Alameda Mazarredo 77, 48009 Bilbao, Spain. Boutique hotel overlooking the Guggenheim. Hard to find if you don't know the one-way system: bring your satnav. WARNING: Flash web site. Hôtel de France 29 rue des Minimes, 29250 St.-Pol-de-Léon, Bretagne, France. Part of Citotel Group Esplanade Hotel Bray, Co Wicklow. Seafront Victorian Gothick. Kingsley Hotel Cork Premier Inn Hampstead Formerly the old Post House Hotel on Haverstock Hill, Hampstead, NW3. Fleet Street Hotel Fleet Street, Dublin, formerly the Bewley's Principal Hotel, now gone sadly downhill. Temple Bar Hotel Fleet Street, Dublin, almost next door to the Fleet Street Hotel, and a much better place. Americana Hotel In Arlington, VA, a few minutes from Crystal City, National Airport, and the Metro. The faded sign outside says Motel, and it's not so easy to find, but a favourite with airline crews. Milner Hotel 78 Charles Street South, Boston, MA 02116. One of the first hotel chains ever. Beresford Hotel San Francisco, small but comfortable Panorama Hotel Göteborg, Sweden, now part of Quality Hotels Arden Hotel Birmingham Airport (BHX), England Thanet Hotel 8 Bedford Place, London WC1, England Carlton Hotel Dublin Road, Galway, Ireland (actually on Dún na Coırıbe between the Terryland roundabout and the Dyke Road). Originally a Days Hotel (Days Inns' attempt to go up-market in Europe), now owned by the Carlton Group. Park House Hotel Foster Street, just off Eyre Square, Galway, Ireland Untraced Hotel chains I've tried to find, and failed. Gratis Hotels Much touted by Buy&Fly, a trading-points agency. Possibly non-existent. Booking agencies I never said I wouldn't include them. These two are honest enough to provide solid information. Res99 Hotel Search: seems to be dead, but AOLscandal still claims to have stats for the site. HotelRes Hotel Search