Agoda Altered Hotel Review

[Wallaby]

Not true.

My airport hotel in Phuket is charged 25% commission, my Ao Nang guesthouse is charged 17% and my airport guesthouse is also 17% (I think!)

I've had no major problems working with Agoda, but their commission rates are higher than some other popular agents, (such as Booking dot com), and therefore Agoda is not at the top of my list of preferred agents.

I cannot influence bad customer reviews on their web-site, and nor can I get these removed, (unless there was some very fundamental error or mistake in the review). Also, unlike TripAdvisor, reviews on Agoda's website must be submitted by genuine guests who have stayed at the hotel, (since they need to provide their booking number etc).

Simon

PS - In 10 years of living in Thailand (and owning hotels), I can truthfully say that the only Thai women that I have seen swimming in bikinis in my pool have been prostitutes. It's a Thai thing. Good Thai girls wear shorts/shirts etc, (at least in my hotel they do!)

After having 1,000s of Thai customers in my hotel, I know exactly what the score is here.

But are you disgusted by them swimming in bikinis?

[simon43]

But are you disgusted by them swimming in bikinis?

No, of course not. If they behave appropriately and do not attempt an orgy in the swimming pool then that's fine

S

[Wallaby]

But are you disgusted by them swimming in bikinis?

No, of course not. If they behave appropriately and do not attempt an orgy in the swimming pool then that's fine

S

I didn't think anyone would be, but the OP seems to be.......

'My experience that led to the negative review was a flock of 10 prostitutes on the roof of the hotel that were swimming in the pool at night during a hotel sponsored barbecue in two-piece swimsuits.'

[hyperdimension]

So which are the best hotel review / rating web sites, ones that we can trust?

A while ago I was disgusted at seeing bad reviews disappear from hostelworld for a place I stayed at and had a bad experience. I did a search about it and found out that accommodation owners / managers can delete reviews themselves from the site!

[h90]

Maybe it was changed because it was about the hotels guests not about the hotel itself.

Or because it can't be, because prostitution is not allowed in Thailand

[simon43]

So which are the best hotel review / rating web sites, ones that we can trust?

As a hotel owner, I would say that you cannot trust any of them 100%...

The best option is to compare reviews of your preferred hotel across several different booking web-sites and on TripAdvisor. Do not be put off by a single bad review when most are good reviews - some guests will post a bad review even if the service was 5-star

As for hotel owners being able to delete bad reviews, I would say that this is not the case - but the web-site owner can certainly do that if they want.

Simon

[smokie36]

So which are the best hotel review / rating web sites, ones that we can trust?

As a hotel owner, I would say that you cannot trust any of them 100%...

The best option is to compare reviews of your preferred hotel across several different booking web-sites and on TripAdvisor. Do not be put off by a single bad review when most are good reviews - some guests will post a bad review even if the service was 5-star

As for hotel owners being able to delete bad reviews, I would say that this is not the case - but the web-site owner can certainly do that if they want.

Simon

What I like to see is the price paid for the room in a review. Then I can gain a better appreciation of expectation of the reviewer. If a place is heavily discounted for say 3k to 1k baht then there is more chance of a positive review whereas if I'm paying rack rate then the place might not look so favourable.

Mostly you can tell the people who are too picky though. If a place has clean funcional rooms and a smiling efficient reception then I'd be loathe to slate it too much.

[yermanee]

Agoda does not charge upwards 20%.

They charge between 7 and 16% depending on the deal.

Not true.

My airport hotel in Phuket is charged 25% commission, my Ao Nang guesthouse is charged 17% and my airport guesthouse is also 17% (I think!)

I've had no major problems working with Agoda, but their commission rates are higher than some other popular agents, (such as Booking dot com), and therefore Agoda is not at the top of my list of preferred agents.

I cannot influence bad customer reviews on their web-site, and nor can I get these removed, (unless there was some very fundamental error or mistake in the review). Also, unlike TripAdvisor, reviews on Agoda's website must be submitted by genuine guests who have stayed at the hotel, (since they need to provide their booking number etc).

Simon

PS - In 10 years of living in Thailand (and owning hotels), I can truthfully say that the only Thai women that I have seen swimming in bikinis in my pool have been prostitutes. It's a Thai thing. Good Thai girls wear shorts/shirts etc, (at least in my hotel they do!)

After having 1,000s of Thai customers in my hotel, I know exactly what the score is here.

Booking dot com also changes customer reviews.

I once gave a negative review about a hotel stating that the only good thing about it was that it was close to my relatives I was visiting.

They changed it to : perfect location and leaving the negatives out.

But anyway I prefer booking dot com over Agoda because they don't try to disguise the price of the rooms.

Yermanee :jap:

[simon43]

But anyway I prefer booking dot com over Agoda because they don't try to disguise the price of the rooms.

Booking dot com and Agoda are both owned by the same company (Priceline).

Agoda is more of a full-service company, with 100% upfront customer payment. I also do not like their policy of not discosing all the service charges until you are about to provide your credit-card details. It gives the impression that the room rates are cheaper than other web-sites, which is not always the case, (and should not be the case if the listed hotel is adhering to the 'rate parity' requirements of their contracts with these travel web-sites).

Agoda also 'owns' the customer, which means that they will not provide the hotel with any customer contact details. I find this an obstacle to good customer service, since I cannot easily contact the guest to obtain more details, (such as if an airport pick-up is required).

Booking.com takes no upfront money from the customer, although your credit card details are taken and provided to the hotel, (unlike Agoda, which 'owns' the C/C details). The bonus with Booking dot com is that you do not have to part with your money upfront. A downside is that an unscrupulous hotel could misuse your C/C details. Booking dot com provides the hotel with customer contact details, so the hotel can easily liaise with the guest.

Which is the better company to deal with? I think they both have their pros and cons. As a hotel owner, I prefer Booking dot com, because the commission I have to pay is lower than Agoda, and I have access to easy contact with my guests. I cannot think of any better benefits that Agoda offers me

Simon

[taninthai]

As a hotel owner You can pay agoda any commission you like above 17% up to around 45 %t the higher commission you give them the higher up the page listing your resort will appear the worst annoying thing with aged is that they absolutely refuse to give customer email addresse out, the best thing is a complete no cancellation refund policy excellent for owners once customer booked weather they show up or not you still get the money