Hotel Booking Websites: What You Need to Know

More and more tourists are choosing to use hotel comparison or booking websites available online.
But is this always the best solution?

For several years now, hotel booking websites have been flourishing online. There are sites that target an international audience and therefore offer a very wide range of choice (e.g. booking.com, trivago, hotels.com, expedia, tripadvisor, etc…), but also sites linked to hotel chains, groups of independent hotels, or even local tourist offices.

These sites are a boon both for hoteliers who want to raise their profile and grow their customer base, and for consumers who want a quick overview of what's on offer and at what price.

The advantages of booking websites

• hotels are grouped geographically by type, comfort level (number of stars), location, price range, availability, ... ;
• comparison: it's easy to compare offers from hotels with the same level of comfort;
• you can read reviews from guests who have already stayed there;
• the negotiated prices with hotels are sometimes very attractive (some offer a significant discount);
• the overview of results and availability in terms of number of rooms can be adjusted as needed.

Potential pitfalls

• displayed availability: this often corresponds to the quota of rooms the booking site has access to, and not necessarily to all the rooms available at the hotel. So there may sometimes still be several rooms free even though the site claims "this is the last available room";
• reviews: there's no way to check whether reviews are genuine opinions from people who actually stayed there;
• prices: - while it's true that prices are generally attractive, in some cases guests find that booking site rates are nevertheless more expensive than those charged directly by the hotel. Hotels have to pay a commission to be listed on booking sites; - (international) booking sites sometimes offer different prices depending on the customer's language (and therefore origin), making their booking system less transparent; - prices are often flexible and follow the rules of supply and demand.

How to book smart?

1. Do some research via the (big) booking sites, and carefully compare their offers, prices and conditions.
2. Then contact the hotel you've selected via its own website (most hotels have their own website) or by giving them a call. This sometimes makes it possible to get a rate identical to or lower than the one offered on the booking site (or a perk, e.g. free breakfast) by negotiating directly with the hotelier. This approach is certainly worth trying if it's a hotel belonging to an independent hotelier (and therefore not part of a hotel chain network). If, however, this negotiation doesn't get you any benefit, you're still free to book anyway through the booking site you consulted at the start of your research.

Don't forget

To avoid an unpleasant surprise when you arrive, make sure you find out about:

• the size of the room,
• whether breakfast (and other meals) is included or not,
• the level of comfort (WiFi, lift, bathroom, bar, safe, …)
• which way the room faces (e.g. facing a noisy street, facing a courtyard with an unremarkable view, partial or full sea view),
• the distance to the places you want to visit (city centre, historic monuments, beach, …),
• the location relative to the airport, train station or other means of transport,
• if necessary, whether parking is available (private, guarded, paid, nearby, ...).

Also read: A dispute while on holiday and Booking a trip online: 6 things to watch out for