Vegas.com’s Drop Watch tool promises you’ll get the lowest room rate

Guarantees promising to match the lowest price on hotel rates are nothing new, but a Vegas-centric website is taking that one step further by offering to do the homework for customers.

As part of this week’s relaunch of its site, Vegas.com, one of the largest marketers of hotel rooms in Sin City, has created Drop Watch, an online tool that eliminates the need to keep checking various sites to make sure you have snagged the best deal.

Customers can book rooms, locking in a rate in the usual way. If that rate drops before the arrival date, an email notification will be sent to them. Guests can then call Vegas.com to cancel the old reservation and rebook at the lower price.

“We say to folks, ‘Listen, make a commitment now and we’ve got your back,’” Steven McArthur, the site’s chief executive, told me.

“We are the only travel brand offering the ‘we’ve-got-your-back’ approach to this that we’re aware of.”

McArthur noted that it’s usually wise to book as early as possible, because prices tend to climb as arrival dates approach. If rates go up after booking, Vegas.com will send customers an email saying so, to reassure them that they made the right decision.

Guests can still cancel their reservations in accordance with agreed terms.

With the guesswork gone, the only decision remaining is where to say. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority notes that there are 150,593 hotel rooms in town.

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