I've been to Thailand many times.  Never booked a hotel online before going there.  Always preferred to see things before paying.  Anyway, I am going to Connecticut for a job and needed a hotel for a few weeks while I sort out other housing options.  Out of the Blue, Agoda popped up and had a much better rate for the hotel I was looking at, than any of the travel sites such as Expedia, Hotels, etc.  So I booked with Agoda.  I have seen many people booking with Agoda for Thailand with no issues, good hold or cancelation policies, etc.  Just thought I mentioned using it in the USA

I've used Agoda for bookings throughout Europe also, never had an problem.

i find agoda to be sound....never had problems with any hotels booked in various countries......

I use Booking.com as the price Agoda gives is without tax and when that is added at check out the true price was always same or more than Booking.com  ...  this is 4-5 years ago

one site many will not be aware of

 

SMOOTHHOUND.CO.UK.....

HAVE HOTELS ALL OVER THE WORLD

1 minute ago, Skallywag said:

I use Booking.com as the price Agoda gives is without tax and when that is added at check out the true price was always same or more than Booking.com  ...  this is 4-5 years ago

Go to the currency symbol at the top of the Agoda site and you can change the price displayed to include all taxes.

 

No surprises at the payment page

Agoda is ok.

 

Your best option is to just use it as a guide and then book directly with the property.

 

Changes and cancelations are much easier that way.

 

You can earn points and status with hotels booking directly.  Marriott,Hilton, etc.

 

Its useful if you're in some obscure area.

 

Booking.com might be better in the USA.  As in Agoda you could just use that as a reference and book directly with the hotel.

 

In my experience you'll get a better deal with direct bookings and upgraded if you use there brand consistently.

You could come in to Thailand check out the hotel, if you like it, find the Agoda price then ask reception if they can better it or not. That's what I have done a few times.

 

This is how I found out that in Thailand is some hotels sell a portion of the rooms to the likes of Agoda and get paid upfront for them whether they sell or not. This gives them a guaranteed income to meet fixed costs of running the business. This means that you can walk into a hotel you like the look of (like I did in Hua Hin) then sit in reception and book on Agoda at a lower rate than the hotel can offer directly. The hotel I used encouraged this as they wanted there sales target to be met for Agoda and of course get a similar deal going forward next season. Other hotels that do not have this deal may offer a lower rate as they save the commission.  I went to a hotel in Pattaya and they only accepted Booking.com bookings. Probably there scenario was they had pre sold all the rooms in advance to them, a slightly different business model. The downside is they then saved money where they could, it was not the cleanest hotel I've seen!

Used Agoda in China 95% business ... no issues