Hotel Booking / Which Sites Give Full Price Upfront

[rycmai]

to pattaya parent: i made a mistake on the locked thread which i had started. i forgot the crucial word NOT. the sentence should have read: i asked the managers of both places and they said they did NOT give those prices.

i tried to correct it, but the moderator had locked it. my apologies to the managers and to those of you who were mislead.

agoda DOES tack on some fees. e.g. their 64 RM room at rumours ended up being about 73 rm and their cheap 176 baht room in hat yai ended up being 200 b.

as i mentioned before in other posts, it wasnt the amount i paid over the walkin rate (about $17+), but it was the high walk-in rates which i found deceptive.

[NanLaew]

Just as an FYI, I checked the rates on the last hotel I stayed in BKK. Going direct with the hotel got me the same rate as all of the booking sites. I do know from experience, they like when you go direct and will usually give you a better room. I didn't do that last time and ended up with a less than desirable room. FYI...

I have had experience of one Bangkok hotel that gave 'inferior' rooms of the same class to agoda customers, ie. lower floor, slightly smaller. When mentioned that I was the same customer that stayed for 2 weeks earlier the same month on a corporate booking, they 'upgraded' me to a better, same class room, ie. high-floor with better layout and more space.

^ There's no trickery in the agoda website, the price that comes up in the initial search does not include taxes and other charges and never claims to be otherwise. In order to see the full charges, you can select the room and dates and proceed with the booking procedure and the full per/day price will be displayed clearly BEFORE you commit to making the booking and payment. If it looks too expensive, just jump out and start another search. Also, it is ALWAYS good practise to go to the hotels own booking website and do a price comparison just in case a few bucks can be saved going either way. Agoda DOES NOT tack on anything and all base prices shown COME DIRECT FROM EACH HOTEL and are clearly displayed before you click and pay.

Edited April 22, 2012 by NanLaew

[NoshowJones]

latestays.com

res24.com

Agoda pissed me off when the final price was more than what I thought it was going to be....

Yes, me too, when I see Agodas name, I immdiately look elsewhere.

[lopburi3]

Here is a screen shot - booking/credit card input - no indication of total charge here and daily charge of 5267.63 has fine print below of the additional daily charge of 932.37 in faded/small font.

[craigt3365]

Here is a screen shot - booking/credit card input - no indication of total charge here and daily charge of 5267.63 has fine print below of the additional daily charge of 932.37 in faded/small font.

I think I saw the initial price, then saw it again on the checkout page. I didn't really pay attention to the "fine" print! Got me!!

[keestha]

I stopped booking ahead a long time ago, as long as there was no risk of the place being full for a festival or something. I take a taxi, tell him how much I want to pay, then go look at the room. Usually the taxi driver will get you a good hotel, if not he is still there to take you to another.

Very likely the taxi driver gets a commission per night that you stay there, and this commission will be added to the room price.

[goatfarmer]

latestays.com

res24.com

Agoda pissed me off when the final price was more than what I thought it was going to be....

I told them this on their customer survey. It's a bait and switch tactiic.

[THAIPHUKET]

Here is a screen shot - booking/credit card input - no indication of total charge here and daily charge of 5267.63 has fine print below of the additional daily charge of 932.37 in faded/small font.

This adds only the small amount of almost 18% to the total bill! Is that not legally considered deceptive marketing in some countries ?

[harleyclarkey]

hotelscombined.com.

I use nothing else. It searches all of the main booking sites and gives you the total cost up front unlike other sites like agoda.

I can't stand agoda as tthe price they quote is rubbish and not what you will actually pay.

Nobody should ever use agoda.

By the way. hotelscombined also search agoda and give the all in price!! So you can't lose!

Edited April 22, 2012 by harleyclarkey

[harleyclarkey]

That sux reading all the bad reviews about Agoda. I've always have great success with them. I've used them maybe 20 times in Thailand, plus Japan, Korea & Hong Kong. I have always gotten the advertised price, with no surprises after booking. And never noticed that prices were cheaper through other avenues. Maybe I've just been lucky, and maybe they've changed their business practices for the worse recently. I do accumulate points pretty quickly which translated to reduced prices every 3-4 stays. I always recommend them to my friends, but I'll be taking a closer look based on some of the comments here.

BTW, they are now part of Priceline. I don't know when that happened; maybe it's been forever. But if it's a recent change, it would explain their deteriorating business practices.

Sorry USN they suck.....currently they are far from open and honest. They clearly know what they are doing as I have written to them to be fair, open and honset with their pricing with no response!!

Sure you will be cheapest and get to the head of the list when you exclude all of your compulsorary charges and fees and taxes.

Agoda are a con.

As I posted here.................hotelscombined.com (or trivago.com) ....both comparison sites that include agoda in their searches with an all in price.

Edited April 22, 2012 by harleyclarkey

[NanLaew]

Here is a screen shot - booking/credit card input - no indication of total charge here and daily charge of 5267.63 has fine print below of the additional daily charge of 932.37 in faded/small font.

And your point is exactly what? The price PER DAY and the taxes PER DAY are right there on the page BEFORE you even have to start typing in your charge card details. If you haven't the gumption to work out the total for yourself and just blindly fill in the charge card details, maybe you need to put the training wheels back when you are booking and paying for anything online.

Here is a screen shot - booking/credit card input - no indication of total charge here and daily charge of 5267.63 has fine print below of the additional daily charge of 932.37 in faded/small font.

This adds only the small amount of almost 18% to the total bill! Is that not legally considered deceptive marketing in some countries ?

Why? It does clearly state what the total bill is expected to be, right there BEFORE you make any payment. Being unable to comprehend a price breakdown before buying something has nothing to do with deceptive advertising. It does raise questions if the complainants understand exactly what they are buying.

I would suspect that you pair have HUGE problems with online booking with AirAsia?

Or complain about paying taxes on airline 'reward' travel?

Maybe some people really, really need to read the terms and conditions instead of just clicking the 'accept' box.

On a positive agoda note; I had a 2-night reservation at the hotel I am staying in and was advised after 11 am on the original checkout day that I would need to stay an extra day. I called reception to ask if I could extend and they said do it with agoda to get the same GREAT rate. Back online and booked the extra day and emailed the voucher to the front desk. They called me 2 minutes later to confirm all was OK and I could stay in the same room.

Oh yes, I paid for the extra night using 30,000 agoda reward points, INCLUDING taxes. Nothing quite as nice as a free night!

Edited April 22, 2012 by NanLaew

[lopburi3]

Believe my point was clear - not only was this information not displayed on original screen (as it is in other systems that are available) the reservation was three days and no total bill was indicated and even the per day charge required finding a half size font amount and adding that to the large font amount and then multiplication by 3 to come up with a total. Other sites, that I will use, are not this hard to navigate.

[THAIPHUKET]

I, for one, am extremely grateful for the hint hotelcombined.com !! Had been looking for something like it all along.

And to the gentleman who´s temper is so short that a purely factual, totally impersonal discussion causes him to flare up=

Agoda is guaranteeing everywhere on its web site the lowest prices. The highly visual price quotations is clearly meant to discourage any further checking of small print as proven by many users claiming that , indeed that they got the best price.

If the consumer must almost finish the booking process to see the real and honest price than this is very deceptive marketing!

I admit to have been tricked myself, Agoda was my preferred choice. I never believed fully the 100% cheapest claim but the deceptive marketing worked, I didn´t bother to check.

[NanLaew]

^^ So we are agreed that attention was not paid to details and judgement on a good price was based on the 'sticker price' displayed on the opening page. Furthermore, we are agreed that the website's clear statement of actual daily prices was missed somehow but please, please don't say that agoda ripped you off because you didn't pay attention to how the prices were displayed. There is no bait and switch and there never, ever have been hidden fees, markup or tacked-on fees by agoda. There is no way that the 'sticker price' increases by a factor of 3 unless you are too dim to see that the 'sticker price' on the initial selection page clearly says, and I quote, "from THB xxxx per night". Note is says "from" and "per night" so how anyone can construe that price as the actual total and final price that will be paid is beyond me.

You have manned up and admitted that you missed the price notices and 'overpaid', just don't say that agoda intentionally misled you into paying more than you expected to pay.

[NoshowJones]

Any company the uses small print are trying to decieve you. Most people will notice, but there are some who will not, and that is the whole point. Why is it so hard to just print the final price?

[bangkokburning]

I don't like Agoda at all - the selection seems OK but it gives my browser fits and the site often craps out on me - just gave up on it. I hate Kayak even more.

For states and Singapore, seems like it's hotels.com for me. Will have alook at hotelscombined.

Don't neglect booking direct! Got us five days in Vegas 3+2 for average of US22.50 a night. Of course, it's the dumpiest hotel on the strip, but hey - its a room on the strip for <25 bucks!

As for which site has fees, taxes and charges more visible ????????????

Edited April 23, 2012 by bangkokburning

[yermanee]

^^ So we are agreed that attention was not paid to details and judgement on a good price was based on the 'sticker price' displayed on the opening page. Furthermore, we are agreed that the website's clear statement of actual daily prices was missed somehow but please, please don't say that agoda ripped you off because you didn't pay attention to how the prices were displayed. There is no bait and switch and there never, ever have been hidden fees, markup or tacked-on fees by agoda. There is no way that the 'sticker price' increases by a factor of 3 unless you are too dim to see that the 'sticker price' on the initial selection page clearly says, and I quote, "from THB xxxx per night". Note is says "from" and "per night" so how anyone can construe that price as the actual total and final price that will be paid is beyond me.

You have manned up and admitted that you missed the price notices and 'overpaid', just don't say that agoda intentionally misled you into paying more than you expected to pay.

I understand that you don't think Agoda's pricing is misleading, because you are savvy enough to not be fooled by it.

What I don't understand is that you don't give a thought about other people that are not as computer savvy as you are.

You have to actually give your credit card details BEFORE the final price is given, and that in my book is at the very least misleading.

Then ask yourself why their other booking engine ( same company) Booking.com manages to give an all-in price as from the first page.

Yermanee

[PattayaParent]

^^ So we are agreed that attention was not paid to details and judgement on a good price was based on the 'sticker price' displayed on the opening page. Furthermore, we are agreed that the website's clear statement of actual daily prices was missed somehow but please, please don't say that agoda ripped you off because you didn't pay attention to how the prices were displayed. There is no bait and switch and there never, ever have been hidden fees, markup or tacked-on fees by agoda. There is no way that the 'sticker price' increases by a factor of 3 unless you are too dim to see that the 'sticker price' on the initial selection page clearly says, and I quote, "from THB xxxx per night". Note is says "from" and "per night" so how anyone can construe that price as the actual total and final price that will be paid is beyond me.

You have manned up and admitted that you missed the price notices and 'overpaid', just don't say that agoda intentionally misled you into paying more than you expected to pay.

I understand that you don't think Agoda's pricing is misleading, because you are savvy enough to not be fooled by it.

What I don't understand is that you don't give a thought about other people that are not as computer savvy as you are.

You have to actually give your credit card details BEFORE the final price is given, and that in my book is at the very least misleading.

Then ask yourself why their other booking engine ( same company) Booking.com manages to give an all-in price as from the first page.

Yermanee

But the sale doesn't proceed or get charged until you have confirmed the transaction with the final full price, you can abort the process at any time if you were not capable of working out the price yourself beforehand.

[lopburi3]

In the meantime you have provided your bio data and credit card information for no valid reason so you are more likely to continue even after you see the price? But Booking.com, also owned by Priceline and the largest worldwide, has no problem providing full disclosure on page one.

[PattayaParent]

In the meantime you have provided your bio data and credit card information for no valid reason so you are more likely to continue even after you see the price? But Booking.com, also owned by Priceline and the largest worldwide, has no problem providing full disclosure on page one.

No, because I can calculate what it will be before I even enter any information onto the website.

[bangkokburning]

Lopburi has a point - I always set up a bogus account first, then I create and then delete an account for the transaction.

What the OP was going on about I thought he was talking about the REAL hidden fees - there seem to be (esp in Vegas) fees that will be accessed at the time of checkout. These could be local and BS taxes, surcharges and whatever - purposely hidden (or not divulged) from you. This can be a scam on the hotels part but you can't really fault the site imo.

[hands22]

I use Agoda most of the time. I have to agree with a few posters here. I wish that the full amount is clearly reflected on the first page before even going to the credit card detail. This is the one thing I don't like about Agoda. But having used them for some time now, and having accumulated some loyalty points and, most importantly, having more room choices in Agoda than other third-party booking sites, I will be sticking with them for a while.

[NanLaew]

You have to actually give your credit card details BEFORE the final price is given, and that in my book is at the very least misleading.

That statement is misleading. The final daily price appears to the left of a TOTALLY BLANK form where you supply your charge card information. The fact that it is in a smaller, lighter colored font isn't bait and switch or deceptive trading.

After you have IGNORED that, filled in the charge card details and hit 'Next' there's a LAST CHANCE page where the entire booking details and charges are displayed.

When you have IGNORED that and hit the 'Go' button, then and ONLY then can you complain about the fact that YOU IGNORED the pricing checks clearly presented at each stage of making the booking.

Are we clear now?

[NanLaew]

In the meantime you have provided your bio data and credit card information for no valid reason so you are more likely to continue even after you see the price?

Huh? So after filling in your bio data (?) and charge card info you feel compelled to go ahead and buy regardless of cost? Better lock your charge card away while you are online!

But Booking.com, also owned by Priceline and the largest worldwide, has no problem providing full disclosure on page one.

In case you haven't noticed, Toyotas are different from Hondas, apples aren't oranges, there's Rangers and Celtic, etc., etc,....

I respect that you have issues with agoda's structure and prefer to use other room-finding websites that have a different presentation. Please don't say that agoda cheats or misleads people PURELY to get more of the customers money. I am pretty sure that the Priceline would not have acquired agoda if it had evidence of or a broadly perceived reputation for cheating and stealing.

Edited April 24, 2012 by NanLaew

[yermanee]

You have to actually give your credit card details BEFORE the final price is given, and that in my book is at the very least misleading.

That statement is misleading. The final daily price appears to the left of a TOTALLY BLANK form where you supply your charge card information. The fact that it is in a smaller, lighter colored font isn't bait and switch or deceptive trading.

After you have IGNORED that, filled in the charge card details and hit 'Next' there's a LAST CHANCE page where the entire booking details and charges are displayed.

When you have IGNORED that and hit the 'Go' button, then and ONLY then can you complain about the fact that YOU IGNORED the pricing checks clearly presented at each stage of making the booking.

Are we clear now?

Let me remind you that in the movie "A few good men" Jack Nicholson lost on the basis of that sentence.

Probably we have different views over qualities I value very dearly in companies I deal with : Openness and honesty.

So be it.

My conscience is CLEAR,

Yermanee

[THAIPHUKET]

I think the Agoda.com issue has gotten enough coverage and each one is free to come to his own conclusion.

Transparency is relevant but even more relevant is the unquestioned acceptance of travel site vouchers.

I am happy to pay a slight premium for the security the room/bed as paid for is actually waiting for me.

1. I have not heard of stranded travel site customers, were there none in financial trouble causing their vouchers not to be accepted?

2. can you , objectively, say that hotels prefer certain site´s vouchers over others? ( I sure some sites settle their bills quicker than others)

(this is tough because a fair judgment should try to distinguish between problems caused by the hotel such as overbooking and problems caused by the travel site)

[lopburi3]

Why would you prefer to pay in advance and use a voucher rather than directly to hotel after arrival and actually checking the room as with booking.com?

[bangkokburning]

Yeah, I mean I would never, ever book anything in Thailand online - or in Asia for that matter save for Singapore AND I wish with the GF AND we were arriving late.

If new to the hotel area, I just target it and do a walk about. Same amount of time as looking about on the Internet AND I know exactly what I am paying for and exactly what the price is. It's worked for 20 years.

I have only looked and never booked on hotels.com or any other engine for that matter.

My favorite place to sleep is in a tent, 5m from the oceans edge. National parks require no reservations in Thailand :-))

[Boater]

e.g looked for 5 star hotel in Chiang Mai, Ratilanna, Agoda 3600b, Hotel.com 3200. that is a substantial difference, both guarantee the best price.

I tried the Ratilanna web site, it does´t run properly

Which site do you use/ trust?

starts at 2,762 THB here - http://www.luxury-bangkok-hotels.com/hotel_rati_lanna_riverside_spa_resort/

[THAIPHUKET]

Why would you prefer to pay in advance and use a voucher rather than directly to hotel after arrival and actually checking the room as with booking.com?

Most intrigued, I checked 2 hotels, in both cases it says clearly in the conditions that I must pay, see details. No chance of leaving the hotel and casually looking for something else. On the other hand, I know that Lopburi3 will make such a statement only with good reason. What am I missing?

The price quoted on http://www.luxury-ba...ide_spa_resort/ by boater is unbeatable 2955b after filling out forms vs 3900b on booking.com

One wonders where is the snag? Brings me back to my question of acceptability of travel site vouchers. Are they all as good as cash? Hard to believe.

Edited April 26, 2012 by THAIPHUKET