sky auction

Kayak Auctions

kayak logoWow, Kayak has been busy lately adding Luxury Travel Auctions to its ever-growing arsenal.  Partnering with Luxury Link, Kayak is able to offer another and perhaps slightly more risky/exciting way to book travel versus the regular: search flight/hotel listings > book a trip. In the online travel booking space, two auction sites share the biggest amount of traffic/recognition:  Sky Auction and the aforementioned Luxury Link.   I used skyauction.com 4 years ago to book a week at 5-star The Villa Vera Hotel & Racquet Club in Acapulco, Mexico.  I paid $300usd for an entire week, which proved a significant savings off regular high or low season rates.

Although booking travel through an auction site can seem scary, it's all about educating yourself: peruse the deals; read the details, terms and conditions carefully; and place a bid you're comfortable with at the last minute.  Online travel auctions have been around since 1999, but perhaps Kayak partnering with Luxury Link is a sign of the times.  Are the masses ready to adopt this type of travel booking?

How Kayak's Luxury Travel Auctions Work

  • listings are posted to the luxury auctions page
  • each listing details
    • hotel name & description
    • location
    • current bid price
    • savings off retail rate
    • valid travel dates
    • time left
  • research your preference (location, number of stars, type of property, dates, terms and conditions)
  • place your bid (hint: do so at the last minute if it's something you really want a chance of winning)
  • monitor your bid
  • win or lose bid

Making the Most of Kayak Auctions

  • closing soon: peruse the closing soon auctions if you want the best deal possible
  • geo area: you can also search by the geographic area where you'd like to travel.  Narrow down your search, choose your preferred hotel, bid and start saving!

Will I use Kayak Auctions in the near future?  Probably not.  Kayak is providing a great service, but since it's in the luxury travel space, I can still find other semi-luxury properties on priceline or hotwire.  To each their own.  Check it out!