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Hostel / Hotel booking websites

  • 14-06-2009 1:02am
    #1
    LiamD
    Closed Accounts Posts: 511 ✭✭✭


    Has anyone got any experience dealing with hostel / hotel booking sites? I'm looking at booking 2 rooms at a hotel in Munich for Oktoberfest and have found a deal which seems ideal on hostelbookers.com and it is available for the dates I want. However, the price and availability varies a lot for the booking (up to 300 euro and not available on some sites). I rang the hotel itself and for the same rooms and dates they wanted to charge me 540 euro more over the phone. The official website was very hard to find and isn't great.

    Is it safe to book the deal with hostelbookers.com? They say they will only take 10% upfront and balance on arrival which is fine with me if it is genuine. Is it possible the hotel won't honour the booking? Or demand more money? Why are the details so different on different sites?

    Any advice much appreciated.


Comments

  • #2
    Ponster
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 10,912 Mod ✭✭✭✭Ponster


    > Is it safe to book the deal with hostelbookers.com?

    Probably. I've used them many times. It's 'safe' but doesn't mean that you won't come across the odd problem.


    > They say they will only take 10% upfront and balance on arrival which is fine with me if it is genuine.


    Why wouldn't it be? It's probably the worlds biggest hostel reservation site and 100% genuine. If you use another site you'll probably have to pay a booking fee first to the reservation site and then 100% of the room fee to the hostel.


    >Is it possible the hotel won't honour the booking?

    I've heard of stories where hotels/hostels never received the reservation request and there were no rooms available. Happened to me twice in the same weekend via Expedia.


    > Or demand more money? Why are the details so different on different sites?

    No they won't demand more money. This is just the way that the system works. I can book a 4* hotel direct via a hotel's website or probably get it for 20% less via a site such as Expedia or even 50% less via Priceline. I'm sure someone with more knowledge will be along to explain why it works this way.


  • #3
    Berty
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,158 ✭✭✭✭Berty


    Why are the deals not available on different sites?

    There are agents and then there are sub agents. Sub agents are the likes of 1800hotels(for example) whom are an Irish company. They book their room through an Austrian company whom then book the rooms with the hotel itself.

    Soooo the Austrian company may not have deals with EVERY hotel that another site like hostelbookers.com may have so this is why you do not see prices, availability or the same prices as others. Therefore 1800hotels.ie will not offer the same because they are only able to offer whats its prime agents offer.

    You mention the price varying. The price can even vary on the same date during different days due to a fluctuation in the currency costs. Some prime and sub agents may be outside the EU.

    I normally call the hotels(not always) and ask them to give me the price displayed on the internet from booking agents. They always say NO first of all but then I tell them they will still get the same amount of money plus they get to keep the commission and will have less paper work. Usually they will crumble and give me the price.

    The language barrier will get you first most of the time.


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