How can you book a hotel room affordably? Should you use a booking website or go directly to the hotel?

▲Should you book hotels online or go directly to the hotel? (Photo / Daguan / Illustration)

By Rita

“When traveling abroad, is it cheaper to book a hotel through a booking site or directly with the hotel?” Many people want to know the answer.According to a report from the UK’s Daily Mail, one traveler who booked a hotel in the UK directly found out the next morning that breakfast was included in the room rate. When he went back to check the same room on a booking website, he discovered that the same price only covered the accommodation—breakfast would cost an extra around NT$500 per day. Why is that?

Booking websites usually charge hotels a commission of about 15–30%, which is why many hotels prefer guests to book directly with them.They attract customers with slightly lower prices than those listed on booking websites; however, sometimes things aren’t so simple. Many contracts between booking websites and hotels explicitly state that the prices on the hotel’s own website and the booking website must be the same. As a result, hotels may offer free breakfast or allow late check-out as perks. In fact, another advantage of booking directly with the hotel is that you can request the specific room type you want, and you might even be able to negotiate the price.

But booking websites still have their irreplaceable advantages: they save time and effort, and allow you to compare different rooms and prices all at once. Consumers can set their criteria—such as price, free Wi-Fi, availability of restaurants, reviews, and more—and browse comments from previous guests. The key point is,it’s generally more convenient to cancel a booking made through a website than one made directly with the hotel.。

In short, once travelers understand the pros and cons of both methods, they can use these tips to save some money on their next booking.

★The images are copyrighted and provided exclusively to ETtoday ETToday News Cloud by Daguan Images. No website, newspaper, or TV station may reproduce them in whole or in part without permission from Daguan Images.

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