The last thing most people expect from online travel sites is higher prices. So you can imagine Don Organ's surprise when his online reservation was $100 more than his actual hotel bill.

It was a quick family getaway to Olympic National Park. Don Organ's son's booked the surprise reservation before coming home on leave from the Navy. Gabriel and Michael are both stationed on the USS Eisenhower out of Virginia.

They stayed at Kalaloch Lodge -- two rooms for one night; booked through Expedia.com.

"They advertise that they're a discount -- a place to get a discount on bargains, you know, big thing is get a good deal," Don said.

They had a great trip -- and great news at checkout.

"They printed up an invoice and we started to pay it," he said. "And my son said it was cheaper than what had been quoted on Expedia."

The invoice shows a charge of just under $120 a night. The Expedia rate was $180 a night.

"The standard rate was much cheaper than what Expedia had booked us for," Organ said.

So Don's family paid the $120 rate. His total bill was $240 plus tax.

"Well we get home and get a message on our machine from the lodge," Don said.

There'd been a mistake. The lodge was reversing its charges and that Expedia was going to bill them directly for the room.

Turns out Expedia billed them when they made the reservation -- it was on the credit card statement for just under $363. That's more than a $100 difference.

Travel industry experts say Expedia and other travel Web sites offer great deals, but once you actually use the reservation, that's the rate you're obligated to pay.

Right now, hotels and airlines are getting much more competitive and offering special deals only available on their Web sites. You might get the absolute "best" deal by going directly the provider.

"Oh, I think a lot of people would be surprised," Don said.

Expedia told KOMO 4 News Don Organ's family should not have received a bill at the lodge for anything other than meals and incidental charges.

And while Expedia acknowledges its hotel partners do have the flexibility to adjust their rates to generate business, it's very rare to have such a huge discrepancy, because the hotels are the ones who provide Expedia with their rate information.

Expedia says it's working with the hotel to make sure this kind of mix-up does not happen again.

The company says it stands by its "Best Deal" policy, which allows you to get a refund or match a better price within 24 hours of making a reservation. But Expedia points out that just like airline specials, you can't get your money back after the fact.

The company also points out that while airlines and hotels are getting more competitive on their own Web sites, it can still offer better deals on packages that combine lodging and transportation.

Bottom line: Shop around before you commit. Check the travel Web sites, and compare prices with what's offered by airlines and hotels either on their sites, or call them directly.

For More Information:

Sites to help comparison shop:

www.sidestep.com
www.site59.com.