Best and Worst Hotel Booking Websites

[craigt3365]

There are three ways to find the best rates for hotels online: OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) through which you can book directly; aggregators, or meta-search engines, which troll the results of dozens of booking engines and return the best results; and the hotels’ own websites, which often offer specials and deals the OTAs can't match.

Why include OTAs at all when there are aggregators that canvass them? Because sometimes an aggregator will turn up a rate the booking engine doesn't, and vice-versa.

In order to rank them, we ran all the major sites through a battery of tests to determine which found ones the most options and the lowest rates—both in various price categories and on specific hotels—in Boston, Rome, and Hong Kong.

Wondering why Hotwire.com doesn’t make the list? Its search results are identical to those of corporate parent Expedia. However it does offer a "Hot Rate" blind booking service, similar to Priceline's, in which you can specify a star rating and a neighborhood—but don’t get the hotel's name until after you pay—and in exchange get savings of up to 60%.

Read more: http://www.frommers.com/slideshows/819303-best-and-worst-hotel-booking-websites#slide837100#ixzz3i17JrvLh

[alant]

Had a look at the site, a little me too I feel and not as professional as some (ie look at the flag over the currency). No doubt an ok site but not one of the best for me.

[howlee101]

I've used Agoda.com for the past three years with much success. The points accumulated with my bookings have provided me with discounted rates (typically $25-$50 off total room cost). The reviews have been helpful in choosing my hotel but I will admit I normally dismiss the "10" ratings and the lower ratings (unless there are many). I also have noticed reviews from certain nationalities are typically lower so I also dismiss those also.

[davee58]

Since August last year I have stayed in 43 hotels and apartments, all booked online.

Hotels.com is my preferred booking site nowadays, when I have completed ten stays I get the average value back as credit against a future booking, they are a professional site, no messing around, and their prices are generally decent.

Booked with Agoda on a few occasions, too many games, bad experience.

• After several bookings with no points accrued, Agoda told me that they were not accepting new registrations when I had registered several weeks earlier, so tough luck.
• You never see the full price till you get to the final page.
• Agoda blocked my account after I booked three hotels in one day, they demanded I upload a scanned copy of my passport and credit card (no way!). After many e-mails and several phone calls it took three weeks before they unblocked my account. Never used the jokers again.

Bookings.com has been OK on the couple of occasions I used them.

For an apartment, Google pointed me to the homepage of a nice place I rented in Mexico.

I always check the hotels own website before booking, might get a better price, might get more information about the hotel or the room.

Accor hotels (IBIS, Mercure, Sofitel) are often better booked direct well in advance of the stay.

Aggregators such as "HotelsCombined" seem to be returning higher prices than the sites they aggregate these days?

Edited August 7, 2015 by davee58

[flyingdoc]

I always use Agoda, and have nothing but praise for them. They usually offer prices lower than the hotels themselves, and a mass at an extra 50% off on Fridays!

[sfokevin]

I always asually use Agoda and then once I find a place I like I go to trip advisor and look at the reviews and guest photos (that are more recent) and also use Trip advisor to compare prices of the hotel... I also go to the hotel website and check the price and look if they have promotions for long stays...

Usually I book thru Agoda unless there is another with significantly lower price...

I will have to ding Booking.com as they can not confirm a double bed... And on more than one occasion I have arrived at a hotel and been told that only twin beds are available in my class and can only have a double bed if I upgrade...

[Nice Boyd]

Hotels.com Fan, Gold Member, Always taken care of Professionaly.10 stays 1 Free Night based on your average room charge.

[Jiggo]

Booking .com always

But read the conditions.....free cancelling on some hotels, but not all, also the same with deposits, also paying at the hotel helps, no exchange rate and foreign exchange fees by debit/credit card company’s

[yooyoo]

Since August last year I have stayed in 43 hotels and apartments, all booked online.

Hotels.com is my preferred booking site nowadays, when I have completed ten stays I get the average value back as credit against a future booking, they are a professional site, no messing around, and their prices are generally decent.

Booked with Agoda on a few occasions, too many games, bad experience.

• After several bookings with no points accrued, Agoda told me that they were not accepting new registrations when I had registered several weeks earlier, so tough luck.
• You never see the full price till you get to the final page.
• Agoda blocked my account after I booked three hotels in one day, they demanded I upload a scanned copy of my passport and credit card (no way!). After many e-mails and several phone calls it took three weeks before they unblocked my account. Never used the jokers again.

Bookings.com has been OK on the couple of occasions I used them.

For an apartment, Google pointed me to the homepage of a nice place I rented in Mexico.

I always check the hotels own website before booking, might get a better price, might get more information about the hotel or the room.

Accor hotels (IBIS, Mercure, Sofitel) are often better booked direct well in advance of the stay.

Aggregators such as "HotelsCombined" seem to be returning higher prices than the sites they aggregate these days?

I have also used Agoda to make bookings and I agree .. they can be very aggressive and in most cases they do not offer a cheaper price than the hotel directly.. I always go to the hotel's website to compare prices and in the majority of cases ended up booking with the hotels directly..

[KOZMO]

I always use Agoda, and have nothing but praise for them. They usually offer prices lower than the hotels themselves, and a mass at an extra 50% off on Fridays!

The only problem with Agoda is when using PayPal and U S dollars the exchange rate is very very low!!!!

[razer]

http://www.latestays.com/

[Pinot]

I usually use Agoda.

It's important to know how to contact Agoda when there is a problem and let's face it, traveling in Asia there are problems.

As you're checking in to the hotel you hear the jackhammer doing demolition for instance.

The number I have for Agoda is 02-625-9106

[craigt3365]

I just did a 5 week trip and found it necessary to use almost all of them! Some properties were only listed on one site. Plus, I found AirBnB to be pretty god.

[NoshowJones]

The worst must be Agoda, if only for the sneaky way they add 17% on to the price they first quote you.

I have heard good reports of Bookings.com (I think it is).

[Jimlove]

Gonna be Trivago in the future ... I have always used Agoda but recently their prices are not so good as earlier - Notice if you book hotel in e.g. Patong then they add 1% as "City Tax" on top of the mentioned 17% ....

[schlog]

Since their start i use kaligo.com. The last 3 bookings were 5-10% cheaper than agoda. Had no problems with them.

With kaligo.com you collect airline miles(qatar, thai, airasia, etihad.......) which i prefer now.

[Wasima]

Booking.com

[Absolut]

The worst must be Agoda, if only for the sneaky way they add 17% on to the price they first quote you.

I have heard good reports of Bookings.com (I think it is).

I recently used both to do a booking, firstly on Booking.com, in my haste I didn't see the 'non refundable' part in the listing, and booked a room in Khon Kaen. When I realised my mistake I called their customer service hotline (within a few minutes of making the booking) and explained my error. They called the hotel and got them to agree to cancel my booking without any charge, a great example of customer service I feel.

I then used Agoda to book the same hotel on a fully refundable booking, and didn't get slugged with any additional 17% at the end of the booking. That being said I use their app on my iPad so perhaps the 17% is already included in the app listing price.

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

Our place is listed with booking.com and the business rocks since I started getting bookings through them. I use them also whenever I need to book a room and never was disappointed. Booking.com makes it very hard for anyone who would try to cheat to put up fake reviews as guests truly have to make and pay for a booking, before they can evaluate the place.

Agoda on the other hand was a major pain in the a rse from the very beginning when I tried to list us there. Very complex and overcomplicated, I neither like Agoda nor their ways of handling things. Commission rates are also higher plus do they pay you AFTER the guests stayed, so there always is the chance that a freeloader puts you in miscredit, sending in complaints thus trying not to pay.

Agoda sucks (at least for the hotel owner)!!!! Booking.com rules!!!!!

I am actually thinking of deleting our agoda listing - that should say it all!

Edited August 7, 2015 by Blitzkrieg Bob

[DoctorB]

The worst must be Agoda, if only for the sneaky way they add 17% on to the price they first quote you.

I have heard good reports of Bookings.com (I think it is).

Agoda and Booking.com are both owned by the same company - the Priceline Group. The layout of their websites is more or less identical.

The only difference between them is that Agoda quote the hotel prices before tax and service charges, which will total an extra 17%. Bookings.com quote the full inclusive price. When you compare the two final prices they always add up to the same.

With that caveat I've found both to be perfectly satisfactory.

Edited August 7, 2015 by DoctorB

[Nice Boyd]

Why Trivago, i haven't used them yet???

[NoshowJones]

The worst must be Agoda, if only for the sneaky way they add 17% on to the price they first quote you.

I have heard good reports of Bookings.com (I think it is).

I recently used both to do a booking, firstly on Booking.com, in my haste I didn't see the 'non refundable' part in the listing, and booked a room in Khon Kaen. When I realised my mistake I called their customer service hotline (within a few minutes of making the booking) and explained my error. They called the hotel and got them to agree to cancel my booking without any charge, a great example of customer service I feel.

I then used Agoda to book the same hotel on a fully refundable booking, and didn't get slugged with any additional 17% at the end of the booking. That being said I use their app on my iPad so perhaps the 17% is already included in the app listing price.

Maybe, but I just hate the sneaky way of adding on the extra, a lot of people won't notice it, especially holidaymakers

and that is why they do it.

[Mahseer]

If you plan on visiting India consider this site for hotel/flights/trains/buses:

http://www.cleartrip.com

[Lancashirelad]

Gonna be Trivago in the future ... I have always used Agoda but recently their prices are not so good as earlier - Notice if you book hotel in e.g. Patong then they add 1% as "City Tax" on top of the mentioned 17% ....

Could this possibly be because there IS a 1% local tax (as well as 7% government + 10% vat) in Patong which Agoda have to pay?

[ryanhull]

I use agoda... I like the fact you can pay via PayPal plus I like the points reward... I don't find the tax sneaky as it gives you the full price at checkout just like many airline tickets... I tried booking.com two times in Cambodia and both times I arrived at the hotel and they did not know about my booking and was already full... Luckily I had used the pay later feature. The prices on agoda are the cheapest even with tax and you can always be sure you have actually booked a room. I once booked a hotel with agoda and the hotel had actually closed for 3 months to refurb... Not only did pagoda apologize and refund me but gave me 10% discount on my next two bookings which was good service. Cheers

[sammygood]

best price in thailand: let your thai girlfriend / wife make the call to the hotel

[Nice Boyd]

best price in thailand: let your thai girlfriend / wife make the call to the hotel

I let my GF go into hotel, and check rates , never cheaper

[ryanhull]

sammygood, on 11 Aug 2015 - 15:24, said:

best price in thailand: let your thai girlfriend / wife make the call to the hotel

I let my GF go into hotel, and check rates , never cheaper

Same here, we tried it a few times and agoda always works out cheaper... which is weird since they probably have to pay agoda a cut... I have openly booked using agoda in the hotel reception before on my phone, the staff/managers don't seem to care and sometimes almost want you too use agoda.... guess they get good reviews and move up higher in the rankings or something.

Cheers

[Nice Boyd]

sammygood, on 11 Aug 2015 - 15:24, said:

best price in thailand: let your thai girlfriend / wife make the call to the hotel

I let my GF go into hotel, and check rates , never cheaper

Same here, we tried it a few times and agoda always works out cheaper... which is weird since they probably have to pay agoda a cut... I have openly booked using agoda in the hotel reception before on my phone, the staff/managers don't seem to care and sometimes almost want you too use agoda.... guess they get good reviews and move up higher in the rankings or something.

Cheers

u r right couldn't give a Sh&*@, thai thinking ingrained no hope for change, but happy to wake here everyday.

[nidieunimaitre]

The worst must be Agoda, if only for the sneaky way they add 17% on to the price they first quote you.

I have heard good reports of Bookings.com (I think it is).

I recently used both to do a booking, firstly on Booking.com, in my haste I didn't see the 'non refundable' part in the listing, and booked a room in Khon Kaen. When I realised my mistake I called their customer service hotline (within a few minutes of making the booking) and explained my error. They called the hotel and got them to agree to cancel my booking without any charge, a great example of customer service I feel.

I then used Agoda to book the same hotel on a fully refundable booking, and didn't get slugged with any additional 17% at the end of the booking. That being said I use their app on my iPad so perhaps the 17% is already included in the app listing price.

Maybe, but I just hate the sneaky way of adding on the extra, a lot of people won't notice it, especially holidaymakers

and that is why they do it.

Actually, they are even more sneaky than you think.

Book with Agoda from a Mickey Mouse country, and they will add the tax & service charge only at the end.

Let Agoda believe that you are in a civilized country (with consumer rights), and they will add the extras straight away.

For the same hotel!

Use VPN or simply choose German, Dutch,... language.