There are many advantages to booking directly with hotels while traveling, and any traveler would do well to know about them.
As soon as we use a third party in any field, we are subject to receiving erroneous data. It is the concept of the “Arab telephone” where information leaves the transmitter (the hotel), is distorted passing from one interlocutor to another (the third parties), and finally arrives at the requester (the traveler) in a completely different state than at the start. Although most hoteliers work hard to always get the right information to their customers, even through booking sites, they control how the information is displayed, among other things. They are also responsible for what information is found on documents that are sent to travelers, such as booking confirmations for example, which can be counterproductive when visiting an establishment for the first time.
By doing business directly with the merchant, the traveler not only ensures the accuracy of the information required, but he also gives himself the possibility of requesting personalized documentation on the place he wishes to visit.
Whether it is the most popular attractions or activities, the best restaurants or the various means of transport to get there, it is always better to ask directly to those who live in this environment than to someone who sometimes works to thousands of miles away.
More advantageous rates? Not really!
Most hotel room resale sites advertise cheaper rates to their visitors, while the vast majority of hoteliers have policies that guarantee accessibility to all rates posted by booking companies for the same product. If a site offers you a cheaper rate than what the hotel offers, it is that the booking conditions are different from those offered by the latter.
Whether it is the deadlines for canceling free of charge, modifying a reservation or simply fees related to the reservation process, each online company has its own policies. The latter are very often less advantageous than those adopted by the establishments themselves. Some sites even charge additional fees during the booking process, which will only be communicated to customers when paying for the booking.
This therefore adds to the amount originally displayed, in addition to the various taxes that are not included in the rates displayed.
It is also common for very advantageous promotions to be offered only by the merchant himself, such as packages for example.
Flexibility, impossible with a third party.
To use an intermediary to acquire a product is to add an entity with which you will have to do business if you wish to make changes or simply cancel a purchase and obtain a refund. The horror stories of travelers who had to commute between the booking company and the hotel owner are legion. The latter is not able to make changes to reservations that come from an intermediary, so he must refer his client to the company that confirmed the reservation.
As I have already mentioned, the policies of booking sites being much more restrictive than those of hoteliers, it often proves difficult even to modify a reservation. By doing business directly with those with whom you will stay, you ensure great flexibility since you deal directly with the one who will provide you with the acquired service. In the case of a refund request, it will also be more efficient to eliminate the intermediary between the payer and the one who will offer you the paid service.
With the monetary uncertainty that is part of our new reality for all, this aspect is significant when it comes to making a purchase whatever it is!
For all these reasons, an informed traveler must book directly with the hotel Whether it’s getting the right information, unbeatable rates, or flexibility in the event of changes, he will find much more to it than involving a stranger in the process of renting a roof away from home.