In the brave tradition of our exploring forefathers, we navigate the world in an era of great risk. Sure they may have been lost at sea or eaten by cannibals. Big Deal. We face the travel site mine field. It’s a game of cat and mouse (or touchpad) as we seek the best deals while trusting online agencies with our hopes, dreams and credit cards. Before you click search, it’s worthwhile to evaluate the best and worst hotel booking sites.
It used to be so simple. Go to various search engines. Compare prices. View terms. Pour another cup of coffee and enjoy the high from finding a bargain. Then sit on the beach toasting yourself because you got the room fifty bucks cheaper per night than the schmuck next to you.
Ah but things have changed. So many sites and so much trickery. What’s real and where’s the smoke and mirrors?
Worst Hotel Booking sites online
The OTA Business Model
At some point while staring weary eyed at their laptops, hotel searchers have likely pondered how so many online travel agencies (OTA) exist and make money. There has to be a valid business model to it right? Indeed there is but plenty of misconceptions go with it.
A common belief is that the OTA is booking blocks of rooms at a big discount and then reselling them cheaper than the current hotel rate. Buy low and sell high. In reality that is rarely the case. The agencies are not taking the risk to day trade rooms and frankly, most hotels wouldn’t even offer them discounted blocks.
The actual business model is much simpler. Many hotels will pay a travel agency a commission for selling a room. The agency is doing all the marketing work and if the hotel sees merit in that, they will compensate the agency with a fee typically in the 15-25% range. The agency can then, in theory, offer that room at a bit of a discount and still make some points on commission.
Unfortunately, the gap between the hotel and some website based in a country you can’t pronounce leaves a lot of room for error. Not to mention potentially unscrupulous conduct.
The Good, Bad and Ugly
Trying to list the offenders specifically is pointless. They are too numerous and new ones pop up almost daily. Generally speaking, if you’ve never heard of them, you should steer clear.
Let’s focus on the good guys, or at least those that are known and established. Here’s a little secret: Booking Holdings owns Booking, Priceline, Agoda, Kayak and Rocketmiles. The Expedia family includes Hotels.com, VRBO, Travelocity, Orbitz and Hotwire. Then there is Tripadvisor which has a good chunk of market share. Costco Travel is limited in lodging options but it’s as rock solid reliable as the guy checking your receipt on the way out of the warehouse.
The platforms above facilitate thousands of room bookings a day problem free and they all have clout with the hotel chains. From that perspective they are totally legit, though booking directly though the hotel is always the safest choice.
But hey what fun is going the safe route. We want a deal right! When a search engine shows offers way below the rates of the hotel and mainstream agencies, we get a buzz. What’s the catch? Well sometimes it works out just fine. You can certainly save a buck and we all know there are significant discounts to be had when booking travel. It’s one area of commerce where the same bushel of apples can cost far less at the market next door. However it only takes one bad apple and here are the downsides:
Worst hotel booking sites
Bait and Switch
Kayak generates a search that shows a string of pricing all around the same number but aha, there is a site or two wayyy cheaper. Score! Then you click and navigate to choose a room only the find that the price is no longer valid. You just missed it! Now it’s the same rate as everyone else. Garbage. Would a restaurant do this? Ah sorry ma’am, you just missed the last $27 Ribeye. Now it’s $34. Certain travel sites set up this bait and switch as their model and they should not get any business on general principle.
Fees
Sometimes everything looks to be on the up and up. The room rate is as advertised. Then you go to book and suddenly extras fees elevate to pricing at or above the level of the good guys. Also garbage. New search.
Switcheroo
This is the real killer. The vacation wrecker. The sleep on the fold out sofa scenario. So you have been booked and paid for weeks. Your significant other has expressed doubt about the deal you got but relax you say. You have the confirmation numbers! Then you arrive at the property only to be told there is no room for you. Your booking agency sends an email that you will be accommodated at a comparable property nearby. Comparable being a very subjective term. Oceanfront is comparable to ocean view right. And as far as some bot is concerned, an indoor pool is the same as an indoor pool table.
It’s quite possible you agreed to this switcheroo when you clicked the accept all terms box, but did you actually read that? Should you be expected to?? Your recourse is to scream at the front desk and then sit on hold with the agency’s overseas “customer service” department. Good luck with that. The one employee will be with you soon, right after he finishes his shift at the call center for extended car warranties. Best bet is to start apologizing to your s/o and plan to grab an extra pillow for that fold out sofa.
Some of the key players like Kayak and Tripadvisor have added to the gray areas because they align with the shady sites. I suppose it’s a buyer beware scenario, but it doesn’t reflect well on their platform when they promote deals and agencies that are clearly not above board. While they always include the reputable companies, they highlight an outfit you never heard of puffing the huge discount. Is this looking out for the customer?
The worst hotel booking sites
What’s the conclusion and where do you draw the line?
First. Don’t get too hung up in the auction mentality. It’s a common pitfall when booking travel. That addicting quest to trim off $20 a night becomes so compelling. But hey in the big picture of what you are planning and ultimately going to spend, does a few dollars really matter. If it’s the half the cost of your swim up bar tab the first day, you are barking up the wrong tree. Don’t wreck your trip by being penny wise and pound (or dollar or euro or peso) foolish.
Second. Remember that if anything goes wrong, all assistance and recourse is going to be with whoever you booked through. If it’s a third party, the hotel desk clerk is going to bluntly inform you that you need to work it out with them. Then you will hear “next guest in line please” as you begin to be serenaded by on-hold music at the toll free number (if they even have a number).
Third. Use the commonsense approach. If the mainstream offerings are all around a price point and then wackytripmonkey.net has the place for 30% cheaper, its best to resist temptation and don’t even click. At some level, you do get what you pay for in most things in life including travel. (this free blog excluded! 
)
If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. If a website looks sketchy, it probably is. Try to book directly with the hotel unless the discounts through third parties are significant. If you take that path, then at least stick to the reputable hotel booking sites. You will have much more relaxed and enjoyable travels…sleeping sound in the king bed rather than the fold out sofa.
Best and Worst Hotel Booking Site conclusions
Best and Worst hotel booking sites
