Booking Hotels through Third Parties

Degag

Hi guys, not sure if this is the right forum as i don't have an issue (yet!) but just wondering if anyone has any experience booking with any of these websites that get you cheaper hotel rooms.

The website is www.olotels.com which i saw while looking on tripadvisor. Offering the hotel room for more than €30 less than if i booked with the hotel themselves. Anyone have any experience with this site or any other similar one? Are there any pitfalls? Thanks

coylemj

In general terms, if you book through one of these companies, there is no contract between you and the actual hotel so if the intermediary (1) goes bust or (2) fcuks up your reservation or (3) hasn't paid the hotel on time for previous guests, then the hotel may turn you away.

You are almost always guaranteed that any 'special requirements' that you make to the intermediary will not be passed on to the hotel.

If I was you I would phone the hotel direct and ask for their best rates, if necessary quote the rate you've been given from olotels.com

If you Google the hotel by name to get their official website, expect lots of fake websites (of intermediary hotel booking websites) pretending to be that hotel's website to be listed first. Only the one with the street address and phone number of the hotel on the first page is the genuine article.

dudara

I have used Hotel Club, Hotels.com, Roomex and Lastminute extensively and without any issues. It is possible to find good rates on these websites, although hotels are getting better at offering more competitive rates. However, as coylemj said, you do not have a contract directly with the hotel, but instead with the travel agent.

Snoopy1

I have used Expedia all the time, and they always give me any special requirements I ask for. With Expedia you pay upfront though, although they will always refund if you have to cancel.
Booking.com is also good, and hotels.com

A Primal Nut

Have booked regularly through Booking.com without any problems.

P. Breathnach

A Primal Nut wrote: »

Have booked regularly through Booking.com without any problems.

Same here: it's my first resort when I am planning a trip.

Prior to adopting booking.com, I used venere.com several times without any problems. The reason I changed is that booking.com usually delivered better prices.

ZENER

+1 for booking.com. First port of call when I go anywhere. Have never had an issue with them or the hotels I've booked through them.

Kem

greenman09

Use booking.com fir all my bookings. Had one issue. In nov we had booked New York. Time of sandy. We rang to cancel with the hotel as it was out if bounds. Turned out details if the booking were never forwarded to hotel by booking.com. Said it never happens and it was a once off. Have booked since no such problem. Was able to cancel booking I thought I had through booking.com anyway.

schemingbohemia

coylemj wrote: »

In general terms, if you book through one of these companies, there is no contract between you and the actual hotel so if the intermediary (1) goes bust or (2) fcuks up your reservation or (3) hasn't paid the hotel on time for previous guests, then the hotel may turn you away.

You are almost always guaranteed that any 'special requirements' that you make to the intermediary will not be passed on to the hotel.

If I was you I would phone the hotel direct and ask for their best rates, if necessary quote the rate you've been given from olotels.com

If you Google the hotel by name to get their official website, expect lots of fake websites (of intermediary hotel booking websites) pretending to be that hotel's website to be listed first. Only the one with the street address and phone number of the hotel on the first page is the genuine article.

While you are correct, you are scaremongering a bit, I've never had a problem in all the years I've booked hotels through www.hotels.com and www.booking.com I've gotten superb deals from them including an amazing price for a hotel in NYC, have you ever had a hotel agree to charge you the same as one of these booking sites when there was a considerable discount?

The OP should also remember that they will likely be booking by credit card and a chargeback can be initiated should, in the very very unlikely event, their booking not be honoured.

double GG

I've booked through booking.com, otel.com, olotel.com many times and never a problem.