Sick of Agoda, Tripadvisor etc blocking personal access to hotels

[balo]

I used Agoda a lot in the beginning until I realized it was a big scam operation , especially when it comes to prices in SE Asia. You will always see , special promotion 50% off and when you contact the hotel you realize that the "sale" is not real , its in fact often a bit higher at Agoda than what the hotel offer. Only the big , more expensive hotel chains you might get a better deal through Agoda but they are overpriced anyway.

So the first thing you should do is to call the hotel directly and ask them if they have any promotion.

I found it to be quite the other way around. I used agoda to book a Bangkok hotel (not a big chain hotel) for 3 nights, and afterwards wanted to extent for 2 more nights in the same hotel. When I asked the desk, they smiled and apologized that they were unable to give me the agoda room rate. I paid 1620 THB with agoda, and they asked for 2420 THB when directly booking !

As some poster here mentioned, this is not always the case, but generally speaking I do not agree with your "scam operation" remark. I use agoda and booking very often and I am very satisfied with both. Also, the booking company's give you a better description of available hotel facilities. The highlight is reading the good and the bad reviews so I always know beforehand what to expect. Hotel's own websites in most cases do not publish customers reviews

I agree in some of this , especially the reviews from customers , so you can find a place based on that . So there are some good things about Agoda, But the one thing that stands out and irritate me every time are the prices.

I call it a scam because Agoda give you the impression that you save 40-50% and that's not true at all . Check with the hotel directly or their website and the price list never give you that high price that Agode claim you'll save. Very often the normal prices at the hotel is the same 50% discount that you think you're getting,

So yes, it's a scam.

So after I found out , I always check with Agoda first and read the customer reviews if the hotel has a good rating. Then I try to check if they have a website or I phone them directly. I would say 4 out of 5 times I get the same or a better deal contacting the hotel directly , and I'm not talking about 5 star hotels here, I always look for the budget ones. Agoda also adds a tax that sometimes is higher than the total price you would get from the hotel.

Edited March 20, 2015 by balo

[mogandave]

You mean 50% off promotions and one room room left at this price are no factually correct?

I find it hard to believe there are companies that would stoop to using false claims to entice people to spend money....

[craigt3365]

I used Agoda a lot in the beginning until I realized it was a big scam operation , especially when it comes to prices in SE Asia. You will always see , special promotion 50% off and when you contact the hotel you realize that the "sale" is not real , its in fact often a bit higher at Agoda than what the hotel offer. Only the big , more expensive hotel chains you might get a better deal through Agoda but they are overpriced anyway.

So the first thing you should do is to call the hotel directly and ask them if they have any promotion.

I found it to be quite the other way around. I used agoda to book a Bangkok hotel (not a big chain hotel) for 3 nights, and afterwards wanted to extent for 2 more nights in the same hotel. When I asked the desk, they smiled and apologized that they were unable to give me the agoda room rate. I paid 1620 THB with agoda, and they asked for 2420 THB when directly booking !

As some poster here mentioned, this is not always the case, but generally speaking I do not agree with your "scam operation" remark. I use agoda and booking very often and I am very satisfied with both. Also, the booking company's give you a better description of available hotel facilities. The highlight is reading the good and the bad reviews so I always know beforehand what to expect. Hotel's own websites in most cases do not publish customers reviews

I've had the same happen to me several times. What the front desk does is to have you use their public computer to make a new reservation with Agoda to get the lower fare, and then print it out to hand back to them for the checkin. To be honest, I was a bit blown away that I couldn't get a lower fare as I was already staying at the hotel, standing right there in front of the reservation desk, and just wanted to extend my stay by 2 days.

I've even had a large chain tell me their online site was cheaper and had me use their public computer to make the reservation online. Which was sitting right on the reservation desk's counter! LOL

[VIPinthailand]

easier for hotels to use booking. Com or else. they pay for this booking service, this is why they ask everybody to book online.

I got sweet deals with these online reservations.

[wooloomooloo]

I've no problem with Agoda. Though, I'll go with the hotel or other booking site if I can save money.

I booked a room in Europe for August 2015 on hotel's own website last weekend and flicked over to Agoda straight after booking and the room was immediately reserved. There's only two rooms in this particular hotel so was in no doubt.

Depends on how they roll.

[NanLaew]

Never had a problem with Agoda over many years of using them. Only gripe being that I've not figured out how to redeem my points. Any advice?

Okay, so you've just booked this hotel and about to pay and you're signed in to Agoda. You'll notice 'Agoda Reward Points' in the top righthand side of the screen right under 'Book now!'

Screen Shot 2015-03-20 at 19.52.17.png

Drill in to the '+' sign to drop down and you'll find the points that are available to you and can choose which increment you want to cash in. If I remember correctly each set of earned points last for about a year. Once you've made your choice and applied your discount then you can enter your credit card details to settle the remaining balance.

Screen Shot 2015-03-20 at 19.58.39.png

The key bit is BEING SIGNED IN. My experience with a lengthy hotel search is that when you select and get to the payment page, agoda's servers may have signed you out and hence the top-right menu offering the opportunity to use points isn't there. In that instance, sign in again and proceed as above. At my rate of traveling, I usually manage to earn enough points for a couple of free stays which I reserve for special weekends with the family.

Back to the OP; none of the hotel search engines are blocking anything. What you see is SEO (search engine optimization) at play. Also, if you look at the top-most results in your browser search, most browsers flag the hotel search engine advertisers links with a small, colored 'Ad' sign. Scroll down past those (and then past all the rubbish bloody tripadvisor posts), you will come across the direct link (if they have one).

I have never paid more through agoda than the hotel online or walk-in rates.

I have never been denied a room on an agoda booking.

More recently, there's no need to have the printed copy of the confirmation for the hotel check-in (although their website still says it is important).

Most times I have received a complimentary room upgrade but note that this is usually when checking in to either a popular hotel or during a busy period.

Once I wanted to extend at a Singapore hotel originally booked via agoda. The hotel reception said sorry, they were full. When I checked the hotels own website, it also confirmed they were full. However, their agoda listing still showed availability. When I pointed this out to the same receptionist, she advised that I book immediately with agoda and it would be accepted. I did and had no issues extending.

I don't like agoda's new webpage config and layout. I liked using the old map feature to narrow down hotel searches but their global map tool works differently now and makes that search tool a chore.

[stevenl]

I used Agoda a lot in the beginning until I realized it was a big scam operation , especially when it comes to prices in SE Asia. You will always see , special promotion 50% off and when you contact the hotel you realize that the "sale" is not real , its in fact often a bit higher at Agoda than what the hotel offer. Only the big , more expensive hotel chains you might get a better deal through Agoda but they are overpriced anyway.

So the first thing you should do is to call the hotel directly and ask them if they have any promotion.

I found it to be quite the other way around. I used agoda to book a Bangkok hotel (not a big chain hotel) for 3 nights, and afterwards wanted to extent for 2 more nights in the same hotel. When I asked the desk, they smiled and apologized that they were unable to give me the agoda room rate. I paid 1620 THB with agoda, and they asked for 2420 THB when directly booking !

As some poster here mentioned, this is not always the case, but generally speaking I do not agree with your "scam operation" remark. I use agoda and booking very often and I am very satisfied with both. Also, the booking company's give you a better description of available hotel facilities. The highlight is reading the good and the bad reviews so I always know beforehand what to expect. Hotel's own websites in most cases do not publish customers reviews

I agree in some of this , especially the reviews from customers , so you can find a place based on that . So there are some good things about Agoda, But the one thing that stands out and irritate me every time are the prices.

I call it a scam because Agoda give you the impression that you save 40-50% and that's not true at all . Check with the hotel directly or their website and the price list never give you that high price that Agode claim you'll save. Very often the normal prices at the hotel is the same 50% discount that you think you're getting,

So yes, it's a scam.

So after I found out , I always check with Agoda first and read the customer reviews if the hotel has a good rating. Then I try to check if they have a website or I phone them directly. I would say 4 out of 5 times I get the same or a better deal contacting the hotel directly , and I'm not talking about 5 star hotels here, I always look for the budget ones. Agoda also adds a tax that sometimes is higher than the total price you would get from the hotel.

So the hotel is scamming you (they set the prices) and you're blaming Agoda, recommending to book with the scammer directly.

Looks like the scam is working for the scammer.

[balo]

I used Agoda a lot in the beginning until I realized it was a big scam operation , especially when it comes to prices in SE Asia. You will always see , special promotion 50% off and when you contact the hotel you realize that the "sale" is not real , its in fact often a bit higher at Agoda than what the hotel offer. Only the big , more expensive hotel chains you might get a better deal through Agoda but they are overpriced anyway.

So the first thing you should do is to call the hotel directly and ask them if they have any promotion.

I found it to be quite the other way around. I used agoda to book a Bangkok hotel (not a big chain hotel) for 3 nights, and afterwards wanted to extent for 2 more nights in the same hotel. When I asked the desk, they smiled and apologized that they were unable to give me the agoda room rate. I paid 1620 THB with agoda, and they asked for 2420 THB when directly booking !

As some poster here mentioned, this is not always the case, but generally speaking I do not agree with your "scam operation" remark. I use agoda and booking very often and I am very satisfied with both. Also, the booking company's give you a better description of available hotel facilities. The highlight is reading the good and the bad reviews so I always know beforehand what to expect. Hotel's own websites in most cases do not publish customers reviews

I agree in some of this , especially the reviews from customers , so you can find a place based on that . So there are some good things about Agoda, But the one thing that stands out and irritate me every time are the prices.

I call it a scam because Agoda give you the impression that you save 40-50% and that's not true at all . Check with the hotel directly or their website and the price list never give you that high price that Agode claim you'll save. Very often the normal prices at the hotel is the same 50% discount that you think you're getting,

So yes, it's a scam.

So after I found out , I always check with Agoda first and read the customer reviews if the hotel has a good rating. Then I try to check if they have a website or I phone them directly. I would say 4 out of 5 times I get the same or a better deal contacting the hotel directly , and I'm not talking about 5 star hotels here, I always look for the budget ones. Agoda also adds a tax that sometimes is higher than the total price you would get from the hotel.

So the hotel is scamming you (they set the prices) and you're blaming Agoda, recommending to book with the scammer directly.

Looks like the scam is working for the scammer.

I think you have to book more through Agoda to find out for yourself. I am not the only one that see this. All you have to do is check the prices before and after the so called discount. And then visit the hotel/guest house own website and see for yourself. Again , its mostly budget places you will find this , big reputable hotel chains will follow Agoda most of the time.

[mogandave]

I used Agoda a lot in the beginning until I realized it was a big scam operation , especially when it comes to prices in SE Asia. You will always see , special promotion 50% off and when you contact the hotel you realize that the "sale" is not real , its in fact often a bit higher at Agoda than what the hotel offer. Only the big , more expensive hotel chains you might get a better deal through Agoda but they are overpriced anyway.

So the first thing you should do is to call the hotel directly and ask them if they have any promotion.

I found it to be quite the other way around. I used agoda to book a Bangkok hotel (not a big chain hotel) for 3 nights, and afterwards wanted to extent for 2 more nights in the same hotel. When I asked the desk, they smiled and apologized that they were unable to give me the agoda room rate. I paid 1620 THB with agoda, and they asked for 2420 THB when directly booking !

As some poster here mentioned, this is not always the case, but generally speaking I do not agree with your "scam operation" remark. I use agoda and booking very often and I am very satisfied with both. Also, the booking company's give you a better description of available hotel facilities. The highlight is reading the good and the bad reviews so I always know beforehand what to expect. Hotel's own websites in most cases do not publish customers reviews

I agree in some of this , especially the reviews from customers , so you can find a place based on that . So there are some good things about Agoda, But the one thing that stands out and irritate me every time are the prices.

I call it a scam because Agoda give you the impression that you save 40-50% and that's not true at all . Check with the hotel directly or their website and the price list never give you that high price that Agode claim you'll save. Very often the normal prices at the hotel is the same 50% discount that you think you're getting,

So yes, it's a scam.

So after I found out , I always check with Agoda first and read the customer reviews if the hotel has a good rating. Then I try to check if they have a website or I phone them directly. I would say 4 out of 5 times I get the same or a better deal contacting the hotel directly , and I'm not talking about 5 star hotels here, I always look for the budget ones. Agoda also adds a tax that sometimes is higher than the total price you would get from the hotel.

So the hotel is scamming you (they set the prices) and you're blaming Agoda, recommending to book with the scammer directly.

Looks like the scam is working for the scammer.

I think you have to book more through Agoda to find out for yourself. I am not the only one that see this. All you have to do is check the prices before and after the so called discount. And then visit the hotel/guest house own website and see for yourself. Again , its mostly budget places you will find this , big reputable hotel chains will follow Agoda most of the time.

Don't trade with them.

[stevenl]

I found it to be quite the other way around. I used agoda to book a Bangkok hotel (not a big chain hotel) for 3 nights, and afterwards wanted to extent for 2 more nights in the same hotel. When I asked the desk, they smiled and apologized that they were unable to give me the agoda room rate. I paid 1620 THB with agoda, and they asked for 2420 THB when directly booking !

As some poster here mentioned, this is not always the case, but generally speaking I do not agree with your "scam operation" remark. I use agoda and booking very often and I am very satisfied with both. Also, the booking company's give you a better description of available hotel facilities. The highlight is reading the good and the bad reviews so I always know beforehand what to expect. Hotel's own websites in most cases do not publish customers reviews

I agree in some of this , especially the reviews from customers , so you can find a place based on that . So there are some good things about Agoda, But the one thing that stands out and irritate me every time are the prices.

I call it a scam because Agoda give you the impression that you save 40-50% and that's not true at all . Check with the hotel directly or their website and the price list never give you that high price that Agode claim you'll save. Very often the normal prices at the hotel is the same 50% discount that you think you're getting,

So yes, it's a scam.

So after I found out , I always check with Agoda first and read the customer reviews if the hotel has a good rating. Then I try to check if they have a website or I phone them directly. I would say 4 out of 5 times I get the same or a better deal contacting the hotel directly , and I'm not talking about 5 star hotels here, I always look for the budget ones. Agoda also adds a tax that sometimes is higher than the total price you would get from the hotel.

So the hotel is scamming you (they set the prices) and you're blaming Agoda, recommending to book with the scammer directly.

Looks like the scam is working for the scammer.

I think you have to book more through Agoda to find out for yourself. I am not the only one that see this. All you have to do is check the prices before and after the so called discount. And then visit the hotel/guest house own website and see for yourself. Again , its mostly budget places you will find this , big reputable hotel chains will follow Agoda most of the time.

So? It is still the hotels that set the prices on Agoda, so the budget places are scamming more than the big reputable hotels. You're blaming Agoda for something that the hotels do, and recommending to book with the hotels because of that. And that really makes no sense at all, it only shows you're falling for the scam.

[Sandman77]

Trip advisor shows only expensice hotels I never book online search over Google and call free or not 2 month ago I try not to call in chisng mai rent a tuk tuk and searched 2 hour a room because room full

Booking company's are million dollar bisness with 10 Procent win each booking

Some arrange company's to give fake feedback and manipulate the system trip advisor is nice but not always usefull!

You can check asia rooms dot com

[keestha]

It happens that hotel booking websites put a hotel in there they don't have a contract with, and if people try to book there, a message appears that the hotel doesn't have availability, and alternatives are suggested.

Happened to my hotel, I called to complain, the lady answering the phone sounded nice but was talking around in circles, so I thanked her and decided to just forget about it.

[cris4700]

I have used Agoda for about 60-70 nights a year over the last 3 years. My ususal price range is 1600-2500 baht per night. I find that I get the same price or cheaper at nearly every hotel I book, in addition, I get the 5-7% rebate in rewards. If I'm unfamiliar with the hotel, I check the their Web site to verify prices aren't cheaper. Many times I email or contact the hotel, cite the Agoda price, and ask them if they have better pricing available, considering they're paying a 15% kick to the hotel. Almost all hotels don't have the common sense to work a rate with the client. They are stubborn and claim they cant do anything and they are offering best rate. So, I just book Agoda at thye lower rate, the Hotel pays 15% comm to Agoda, and I get my rewards. The hotels are too stupid to offer someone in this situation a rate 6-10% lower so that both parties benefit.

[richard_smith237]

I have used Agoda for about 60-70 nights a year over the last 3 years. My ususal price range is 1600-2500 baht per night. I find that I get the same price or cheaper at nearly every hotel I book, in addition, I get the 5-7% rebate in rewards. If I'm unfamiliar with the hotel, I check the their Web site to verify prices aren't cheaper. Many times I email or contact the hotel, cite the Agoda price, and ask them if they have better pricing available, considering they're paying a 15% kick to the hotel. Almost all hotels don't have the common sense to work a rate with the client. They are stubborn and claim they cant do anything and they are offering best rate. So, I just book Agoda at thye lower rate, the Hotel pays 15% comm to Agoda, and I get my rewards. The hotels are too stupid to offer someone in this situation a rate 6-10% lower so that both parties benefit.

Or maybe the bookings sites such as Agoda are smart and their terms and conditions with the Hotels prevent them from offering cheaper rates to potential 'walk-in' or 'call-in' guests...

For the most part I've found the Online Websites such as Agoda, Direct Rooms, TravelBag, Hotwire etc offer a better price than going direct. I'm guessing that the largest factor in this discussion is 'where' people are looking to stay.

I suspect that a direct call to a guesthouse or 3* or less establishment may yield the mutually beneficial outcome of the establishment securing a guest and the guest securing a better price. I also suspect that higher end establishments which tend to rely more on an international market also rely more on the Web-booking-sites and as such are held more tightly to terms and conditions.

[mogandave]

And seriously, how do you need to save to make burning up an hour shopping worthwhile?