Should I use a third party hotel booking site?

It's important to note that while third-party hotel booking sites provide convenience and a wide range of options, they may not always offer the best prices. In some cases, hotels may offer lower rates on their own websites or through direct bookings.



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- OTA's (Online Travel Agents or what you call 3rd Party) feature the hotel on their platform in exchange for 15%-20% or even higher discount commission rate. They also demand Price Parity, meaning that the hotel cant just quote a 15% higher rate on to them to make up for the commission they are losing.

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Best price: Sometimes, booking directly with the hotel can earn you a better deal in terms of room rates or discounts, than going through a third-party website. Loyalty points: If you prefer to stay at a particular brand of hotels you can earn loyalty points that you can then use for further bookings and upgrades.

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It is typically cheaper to book a hotel room through a third party website because these websites often have access to exclusive discounts and deals that the hotels themselves do not offer.

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Direct booking is a crucial component of the distribution mix for hoteliers because it helps them to increase revenue, improve guest experience, and reduce dependency on online travel agencies (OTAs) such as Expedia and Booking.com.

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According to HotelTechReport's rankings, which are based on real user reviews and software specs, the best hotel booking engine is Cloudbeds, which was voted #1 at the 2021 HotelTechAwards. Other top booking engines include Bookassist, SiteMinder, NetAffinity, and Avvio.

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Direct booking can be more profitable for hotels because it eliminates the commission fees that are typically charged by OTAs. These fees can range from 15-30% of the room rate, which can significantly impact the hotel's bottom line. By encouraging guests to book directly, hotels can increase revenue and profitability.

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Don't book through a travel site Once you find the lowest available price at the hotel you want to visit, call the hotel's reservation desk. Many hotels will meet or beat the best internet rate when you book with them. They'd much rather skip the commission to the travel site and book your stay directly.

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Still, the pay at the hotel option seems like the best option most of the time. It's cheaper, you wouldn't have to wait for a refund from Expedia if you cancel, and the hotel likely would be more likely to award you points if you are a member of the hotel loyalty program.

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You might be cautious of go-betweens or third-party booking sites, but Expedia is a legitimate, well-known online travel agency that's been around for years. Microsoft originally launched the Expedia website in 1996.

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Figuring out the best time to book a hotel isn't an exact science — there's plenty of variation throughout the industry. But if we're looking at statistics, the lowest prices for hotel rooms are typically found just 15 days before your stay. Yes, last-minute bookings are (usually) better.

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Figuring out the best time to book a hotel isn't an exact science — there's plenty of variation throughout the industry. But if we're looking at statistics, the lowest prices for hotel rooms are typically found just 15 days before your stay. Yes, last-minute bookings are (usually) better.

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“Throughout the day of check-in, prices keep decreasing,” says Shank. “If there are still these empty rooms by 4 p.m. the day of arrival, the hotel will have a lot of certainty that they are not going to get filled otherwise. That's when they're really willing to put a really, super good deal on it.”

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Firstly, Expedia is a large-scale travel booking portal that is able to negotiate more competitive rates from hotels. They also take advantage of large, bulk bookings and can offer customers discounts as a result.

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