Sidestep tested

Room with a deal: "We used SideStep to look for a room at the Colonnade hotel in Boston for a Saturday in mid- October. While SideStep offered us a double for $303, Hotels.com's price was $265, Expedia's was $245, and a phone call to the hotel resulted in a quote of $245. Unlike other brokers, however, SideStep promises to match room prices found on other hotel sites. It also sweetens the deal with possible upgrades and late checkouts -- perks also pitched to frequent users of Expedia, Orbitz and some other sites -- when available."