Yosemite Hotels Vs. Vacation Rentals

Yosemite Hotels come with a formidable price tag. Places like the Ahwahnee and the Yosemite Lodge are certainly magical and filled with history. But is it worth putting all that money toward lodging when it could be spent on other aspects of your vacation, like skiing, renting snowshoes, taking a guided tour, or seeing the grand Sierra Nevada country from horseback. Instead of going broke, compare the alternative possibilities offered by Yosemite's Scenic Wonders, with no booking commission fee's charged, you'll see that booking directly with us will save your family a few hundred dollars while still placing you in the best location to start your adventures in Yosemite National Park. 

Scenic Wonders Prices

Cost to stay INSIDE The Park ~ $264.50 / night 

Other Hotels Prices

Cost to stay INSIDE The Park ~ $420 / night

Yosemite Lodging Rates

Compare our rates with any lodging in or outside of Yosemite National Park, and you’ll realize that not only do we have great rates, but also a fantastic location from which to start your day. Just think, for just about the same price of a hotel room you can stay in a fully equipped Yosemite Mountain home or Condominium. For a comparably less expense, you can have a full cabin at the disposal of yourself and your family. With a Scenic Wonders cabin, you’ll feel right at home. You’ll have enough room to spread out the whole group, without feeling divided like in a hotel. You’ll be able to fully stock the kitchen, spread board games out on the floor, or read a book by the fireplace.

Why pay reservation Fees? Be Aware!

There is a growing trend of third party Internet reservation companies that will attempt to reserve accommodations for you with lodging operators. They will charge you, the guest, a non-refundable fee of up to 10% of the total reservation cost, which at times can amount to hundreds of dollars. The Internet was supposed to level the playing field for businesses. Quite frankly, in our opinion, we don't understand why anybody would pay these reservation fees when all you have to do is enter a keyword search for whatever business or service you may want: in our case, "Yosemite Lodging," "Yosemite Reservations," "Yosemite Cabins", etc. You will easily find most, if not all, of the Yosemite operators that are listed on these pay-for-reservation websites. Most, if not all, of the companies listed on these travel lodging reservation sites have their own websites so you can easily just call them and make your own reservation directly with the owner or operator of these properties thereby cutting out the middle man. Be aware that airbnb, booking.com and other popular Vacation Rental listing sites are these middle men. Thier growth will mean making it harder and harder for you, the guest, to book directly with your lodging provider. Not only do these pay-for reservation websites charge you a fee, they also charge the business owners an additional 5-17% if the lodging operator accepts the reservation. It's a loosing situation for everyone but these third party booking sites. The reason some people go along with this absurdity is because these big companies buy up all the top positions on the first page of your keyword search making it almost impossible for the smaller companies to be seen at the top of the page. For whatever reason, most people will click on the top listings thinking they're the most popular because they're on the top. THEY ARE ON TOP OF THE PAGE IN THE SPONSORED AREA BECAUSE THEY PAY A FORTUNE TO BE THERE! A fortune the guests are dishing out. We, smaller operators, are forced to pay for these positions but really can't afford it and are slowly being pushed out of business. Take a moment and view at least the first two pages of the listings on the non-sponsored areas of the page. You will most likely find all the companies that are listed on these pay-for-reservation websites! 

PAYING RESERVATION FEES IS DUMB! It's almost like paying scalpers for tickets at the ballpark, but at least in that situation you really don't have a choice -- if you want to see the game, you have to pay the price. When it comes to finding a reservation though, all you have to do is take a moment, relax and search around. So why make your reservation through a third party when you can make your reservation directly with the source?

WHY PAY RESERVATION FEES?

The only possible reason anyone would use these sites would be for the possible discounts they claim to have. But who do you think gives the discounts? It's the owners of the business, of course. If you contact the business directly they will honor the same discount without charging you the reservation fees. Avoid the extra reservations service fees and confusion by simply making your reservation directly with the lodging operator of your choice. Hopefully you can find accommodations that suit your needs with Yosemite's Scenic Wonders! With our years of experience, our knowledge of Yosemite, our personalized attention and a great website full of information, we will make your Yosemite vacation a memorable lifetime experience. Yosemite Rentals To help the consumer, The Los Angeles Times ran several articles on this subject: July 7, 2002 Reserving at a National park? Know Your Source August 1, 2004 Unofficial park sites can cost you August 15, 2004 Good guys deserve their due!

Stay in the Park!

If you’re getting more than one hotel room for your group, staying outside the park isn’t cost effective. All our in-park prices are comparable to outside prices. Even as our properties fill, we don’t raise our rates. Scenic Wonders cabins have the closest accommodations to Badger Pass Ski Area and to the Yosemite Valley floor. Our properties come in numerous sizes and prices to meet all your vacation needs. To check our availability and rates, just click on the link below and select the property of your choice, your dates of travel, and you will see our availability and pricing. Check Availability and Order Online or call: 1-888-YOSEMITE (888-967-3648) There are times when we can be flexible with pricing and the number of nights required to stay. So why stay outside the park or pay the reservation fees that some other companies charge? Call us and talk to one of our reservation specialists, and don’t forget to ask for our mid-week (winter) specials! If you have any trouble finding the dates and pricing you desire simply call our toll free number 888-YOSEMITE (888-967-3648) and talk to one of our reservation specialists. Rates and availability are subject to change without notice.

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