10 tips for those who want to book a cheap hotel room. How to find best price and specials? In which system to make a reservation? Book in advance or search on the spot? All answers are in this review.

Friends, we have formulated 10 basic principles for finding hotels at the lowest cost. Learn these rules and take into account when planning your vacation! They will help you save money.

In this post, I share tips on how to book hotels in the best way. on one's own- this is information for those who organize their own trips. If you prefer to rest by ticket, then study my advice, .

1. Compare prices and save!

You can book a room in the same hotel at different prices. The thing is that different booking systems offer different prices (the reason is different agreements with hotels and the size of the commission). How to find the best price? Luckily, it's very easy!

There are special services that compare prices among all the most popular booking systems (such as Booking, Agoda, Ostrovok, Ozon, etc.) and determine where you can book the cheapest hotel. The difference in cost for the same number can be significant: 20%, 30% or more. Why overpay? Let's compare prices in a minute and find best deal! In addition, each system has its own database of hotels: some are not in one, some are not in the other.

When I'm preparing for my next trip, my usual pattern of finding a hotel always starts with looking at options on price comparison services. This is the first and most important thing to do when looking for and booking accommodation!

Example differences in the price of a room in the same hotel in different booking systems:

2. Take advantage of promotions and great deals

"Profitable proposition" is one of the filters that can be used on Roomguru. By checking the box next to it, we will see all the current promotions that allow you to book a hotel with a significant discount.

For example, good hotel in the center of Prague you can book for 4000 rubles instead of 5800 rubles. And renting a villa in a luxurious five-star resort in Phuket is only 5,200 rubles instead of 8,000 rubles!

3. Pick the best dates

The cost of booking a room in the same hotel on Monday and Saturday can vary greatly. As a rule, prices in hotels are higher on weekends and holidays. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to shift the dates of your trip and hotel stay and this allows you to save money, use it.

You can also book a hotel at a lower cost during the low tourist season (it has its own for each direction). For example, prices for rooms in April and May are almost half as much as in March - we took advantage of this and did a great job.

4. Book a hotel online

Is it cheaper to look for a hotel on the spot, without pre-booking online? Most often, no.

You will be surprised (I am also surprised by this fact), but in 90% of cases, booking the same room in the same hotel on the online service will be cheaper than at the reception desk! The difference is not too great, but still noticeable - usually 10-20%.

There are other downsides to finding housing locally. You have to waste time and effort (with a suitcase, in the heat or rain, looking for a hotel or guest house is a dubious pleasure). There is also a risk of getting a pig in a poke: they came and looked, it seems that the number is suitable, and then it turns out that in the evening it is very noisy there or the Internet does not work. If you book a room in advance, online, after looking at the reviews of other tourists, such threats are minimized.

I only look for local hotels when I go to the real wilderness, where hotels are simply not represented on the Internet, in online booking systems. So I did, traveling along and. There was no other way out.

5. Book your hotel in advance

The earlier you start booking a hotel, the higher the chances of finding the best hotel, best number and the best price. Do not neglect this rule, do not be lazy and do not pull! This is especially true for popular destinations and peak dates. For example, at the height of the season it is quite difficult to book a good hotel at an adequate price in Turkey, Sochi, Crimea, Prague, Paris, Cuba, Cyprus, etc. overpay, and settle in mediocre hotels.

6. Find a place where hotels are cheaper

The cost of hotel rooms depends not only on the star rating, brand, but also on the location.

As a rule, hotels in the very center of the city are the most expensive (although there are exceptions). If there is a need to save money, why not check into a hotel a few kilometers from the center, and get to the sights and the right places on public transport or on foot? For me, it's even more interesting - you can see the residential areas of the city, and not just the combed and glossy center.

Also, to save money, you can book a hotel even (attention!) in another city. Example from my personal experience: preparing for a trip to , we reserved a hotel room Ibis!} in the suburbs of the capital - Zaandam. The room cost half as much as in hotels in the center. The hotel itself is modern, clean, beautiful and comfortable. We spent only 10 minutes on walking tour and 7 minutes by train to get to the center of Amsterdam. So we got more comfort at a lower price - beauty!

Moreover, it is possible to shift the location in this way when choosing a hotel not only for the sake of economy, but also for pleasure and comfort. If the financial issue is not acute, then, in my opinion, it is better to spend the same amount on staying in a good hotel of a higher standard and with excellent reviews a couple of kilometers from the center than to check into a mediocre hotel in the very center with overpriced prices.

7. Choose the best option for the company

Whether you are traveling as a family, with friends or in a different group of people, look at different types of accommodation to find the best option for comfort and price.

For example, if two couples are going on vacation, then don't rush to follow the obvious path and book two separate hotel rooms. Check alternatives- maybe you can rent a house, villa, apartment with several separate rooms for the same or less money.

Difficult to choose best hotel? Check out ours for popular cities and resorts: , , .

8. Use an All Airlines card

(Photo © Hotel Internazionale Ischia / Flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)

9. Is it cheaper to live in a hostel?

If you are traveling alone, then yes, you will save - it is always cheaper than booking a whole room.

If you are traveling as a couple, family or group of friends, staying in a hostel is rarely financially justified. Often, booking a single room costs no more (sometimes even a little cheaper) than two places in a hostel. At the same time, you will get much more comfort.

10. Should I book a hotel directly?

If the hotel has contacts, then you can book the hotel directly. But it doesn't make much sense.

1. Firstly, when booking a hotel on Booking and other systems, you get a defender of your interests in the person of this service. You will have a document (booking) confirming your booking and all its conditions, including the final amount. And if the hotel administration suddenly offers you a different, worse room, you just call (even just threatening it) to the service where you made the reservation, and the hotel will be required to fulfill its obligations.
2. Secondly, booking systems and services for finding cheap hotels allow you to compare many hotels, find out reviews about them and, due to this, choose the best one.
3. Thirdly, very often the hotel offers tourists who contacted it directly to book rooms at an inflated price. When a hotel places its ad in booking systems, it tries to keep the cost down as much as possible due to a lot of competition. After all, booking services offer dozens, hundreds and sometimes thousands of hotels in one city - you need to stand out and make the best offer to the client.

Intro Image Source: © PortoBay Trade / Flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.

Are you going to book a hotel online for the first time? Don't hesitate - it's very easy! And much more convenient and cheaper than looking for a hotel upon arrival.
More recently, I urgently needed a hotel near. I was driving, it was pouring rain and I didn't book anything in advance. Tired, I wanted to go to bed as soon as possible, so I stopped at the first hotel I came across. The guy at the reception creatively broke the price of $150 for me! Immediately on my smartphone, I found this hotel on Booking, where the price was $ 99. Looking at my smartphone, the young “hotelier” said that this price is only for online booking. In the end, I spent a couple more minutes and booked a room, saving myself $51! And this is not an isolated case. So,

Life hack number 1
Even if you have not booked a hotel in advance, check the price on the Internet upon arrival at the hotel.

Sometimes it is enough to show the reception how much a room in their hotel costs on the Internet, and they immediately reduce the price. But sometimes this price can only work if you book online. In my experience, the price on the Internet is always lower. And if this turned out not to be the case, then we complain to the support service - that is, there is a guarantee of a low price. But first things first.

Sites where it is best to book a hotel on the Internet

If you book a hotel correctly, it will turn out to be inexpensive and comfortable.

Many still believe that it is better to look for vacation rentals by looking for ads in social networks or forums. This has not been the case for a long time! According to the ads, now only those options that receive bad reviews on booking services - here (most of all people are deceived in the Crimea and Sochi). All high-quality apartments and hotels have long been “moved” to proven services. Why? Yes, because the placement of ads is free for owners, and they pay a small commission only in case of an order. This is convenient for the owners - it quickly pays off with a large number of guests. This is even more convenient for guests - the service guarantees the security of payments and the fact that all reviews are only real, from those who have already rented accommodation, which means that you will receive exactly the accommodation, as in the photo and in the reviews.

According to the ads, now only those owners who, due to bad reviews, cannot rent out housing through popular services, rent out. Or fraudulent options where published fake photo. Therefore, when you meet an ad somewhere on a social network or on forums, the first thing to do is ask for a link to the same option in a popular service (Booking, etc.) in order to read real reviews:
- If they answer that they do not place housing there, because it is expensive, etc., then this is a deception and you should not continue further communication.
- If the link was given, but the price on the service differs from the ad by more than 15%, then the ad on the forum is from a scammer who is trying to pass off other people's photos as his own.

What is the best site to shoot? There are many sites for booking and searching for hotels on the Internet. It is important to choose reliable and proven ones so as not to stumble upon scammers - like. In order not to be mistaken, choose services verified by tourists. Also those where low price guarantee, - this means that you will not find cheaper even on the hotel website or at the reception.

The big three sites where you can safely book a hotel anywhere in the world are Agoda, Booking, Expedia.

I tried many different ones, but as a result I settled on Booking.com. It has a lot of advantages, which I have already written about in detail.

In addition, on Booking you can now book not only hotels, but also villas and even apartments daily - very convenient. Next, I’ll tell you in detail how to book a hotel on your own on Booking - in the same way it will be possible to book both apartments and villas.

Instructions on how to book a hotel or apartment

We can book a hotel anywhere in the world. For example, let's book an inexpensive but good hotel for two in Moscow.

1. Go to booking.com
Enter where you are going and dates.

2. Select the desired hotels from the general list
To quickly find inexpensive hotel, set the following filters:

How to book a hotel. Looking for suitable hotels

1. Show only hotels with high reviews from those who have already stayed there.
2. Avoid sharing the same room with other guests (as in a hostel).
3. The price is not higher than 3100 rubles per night

3. Find the best budget hotel

Lifehack #2
Do not be fooled by the star rating of the hotel!
The number of hotel stars is not an indicator of quality!"Stars" are just the presence additional services in the hotel: swimming pool, restaurants, fitness, etc. A hotel can be “5 stars”, but with a dirty pool, bad food, etc. Therefore, you should always choose a hotel not by “stars”, but by real reviews (rating)! For example, a five-star hotel with a 6.3 review rating will be far worse than a non-star hotel with a 9.7 review rating.

By scrolling the page, in the left column you can set any additional filters that you need (see photo below, see 5) - the presence of a kitchen or washing machine in the room, location, pool and other amenities.

Lifehack #3
In the filters, you can set “Booking without credit card” and get a list of all hotels and apartments available book without prepayment and credit card.

We look at the list and choose the best hotel in terms of price-quality ratio.

In the photo: we check the price of hotels, the rating and the number of reviews in the booking list

First of all, we carefully review the following parameters:

1. The overall rating of the hotel is not less than 8, the location is not less than 9.
2. The number of reviews is at least 10.
3. Price and cancellation policy.
4. Room type, size. Do I need a credit card to book.

Thus, for 1800 rubles, an apartment was found in the center of Moscow - a great option! Click and see the details.

4. Find out the details
We look at the address and location of the hotel on the map, and carefully read the reviews:

1. Hotel location on the map
2. Click on the rating - the reviews page will open. Read the reviews of other guests about this hotel. You can find out a lot of interesting details!
3. Scroll through the photos of the rooms and interiors of the hotel

Be sure to scroll down the page below and see the details for the selected room type:

1. Click on the type of room - see what it has. For example, here you will find whether the room will have a kettle, refrigerator, kitchen, slippers, bathrobe, etc.
2. How many people can stay in the room and the total price for all (in this example 1800 for two).
3. Payment and cancellation terms.
4. If everything suits you, proceed to booking - choose one room.
5. Click "I'm booking".

Let's move on to booking.

5. Book a hotel

Check dates (1) and fill in your details (2). First and last name must be written Latin.
We enter a real e-mail - a booking confirmation will be sent to it - this is important!

6. Hotel payment

In this example, we booked a hotel without a credit card, without prepayment- such hotels are paid upon arrival directly at the hotel, most often in cash. It is enough to indicate the country of residence (1), your phone number (2), the method of communication (3).

Click "Complete booking" (4).

If the booking requires a credit card– do not be paranoid and refuse such hotels. Good large hotels always require prepayment, especially on holidays - this is normal and safe. Moreover, Booking is a reliable system and I do not know of a single case of problems with credit cards.
It is not necessary to enter credit card details, a debit card is also suitable.

For safety, do not forget to set limits on bank cards. In case you are still terrified of entering card details on the Internet, use this life hack:

Lifehack #4
Enter in your Internet bank virtual card with an amount exactly corresponding to the price of the hotel. Thus, no one will be able to withdraw excess amounts from your account. And if you cancel the hotel, you can immediately block the virtual card, the money will remain in your account.

Payment for hotels abroad. It's important to know!
Keep in mind that hotels in other countries always ask for payment in their own currency, sometimes in dollars or euros (for example, this is often the case in Turkey). In Booking you can choose any currency FOR VIEWING, but when booking, the amount will still be in the currency of the hotel. Also keep in mind that the exchange rate may change and, accordingly, the price in rubles, hryvnia and other tugriks changes, but the price in the hotel currency does not change - as booked, it is fixed.
When paying, an invoice in the hotel currency will go to your bank, and the bank will recalculate this amount at its current rate.

Life hack number 5.
When booking accommodation abroad, ALWAYS set a price in hotel currency, so you can avoid conversion fees. This applies to any service. It's good that Booking issues an invoice in the hotel's currency automatically when paying, saving the client from extra commissions. Unlike .
Some unknowingly are indignant: “Why did I book a hotel in Europe in rubles, but write off in euros?” - but this is done in the interests of the client, eliminating conversion fees, and the price in another currency is given only for orientation (although in my opinion, this is only confusing - I always view the price only in the currency of the hotel).

Example. We book a room at the Waree’s mini-hotel in Phuket, Thailand. If we look at prices in rubles, then for a double room per night we get 1,371 rubles. We reach the payment and Booking once again reminds: “This is an approximate price calculated in rubles. You will pay in THB. On the day of payment, the exchange rate may be different.” In the screenshot, see the “currency of the property”:

This hotel does not require payment in advance, we pay upon check-in, but at the time of check-in, the exchange rate in your country may change. The price in the hotel currency is fixed at the time of booking and WILL NOT CHANGE - 690 THB, no additional payments will be made. Even if the prices at the hotel rise, you will be charged as when booking - 690 baht. But what will be the exchange rate in your country on the day of payment and at what rate your bank will recalculate - it's impossible to guess. The total amount in rubles can be more or less than 1,371 rubles. Therefore, always remember the price not in rubles, but in the CURRENCY of the HOTEL.

In this example, we paid upon check-in, but in other hotels they can take payment immediately upon booking - sometimes this is more convenient, because. do not be afraid that by the time you check into the hotel, the currency of your country will fall and the rest will become unbearable. This makes planning easier. Remember 2014 in Russia, when the ruble fell. Those Russians who booked their winter holidays in the summer and paid for everything at once, in the winter they enjoyed their vacation, and those who postponed the payment either canceled the vacation or paid double the price in rubles. Therefore, it is more profitable to pay everything in advance and not change anything later.

To the attention of those who are going to book a hotel for a Schengen visa.
More and more information from tourists began to appear on the forums that hotels in Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Spain, Germany and Austria transmit information about cancellations of reservations by tourists to the embassy. This leads to a refusal at the next application or cancellation of an already received Schengen visa.

Therefore, immediately book only those hotels in Europe in which you are going to stay later!

7. Check your mail
Print the booking confirmation you received. Usually this is a pdf file. To be sure, you can save such a confirmation to your smartphone.
Check your email a couple of days before your trip for any changes - especially if you're booking without a credit card. It happens that the owner of the hotel clarifies whether you really intend to come or are joking. It is enough to answer the letter and confirm the booking. Sometimes you can immediately clarify something with the owners of the hotel (how to get to the hotel, how much transport costs, etc.).

Now that you have learned how to easily book hotels, I recommend that you remember and apply the most important life hack of advanced travelers everywhere. This life hack will help make your travels brighter and more exciting:

Life hack number 6.
How to save up to 50% and get vivid impressions.
If you are driving to popular resort and are going to visit interesting places, act like an experienced traveler: instead of booking one hotel and then taking excursions, develop independent route and book several hotels in different places you want to see. This way you will get more impressions and save money on excursions and hotels.

For example, you go to Spain by the sea for 10 days, to a resort and want to see the magnificent, and also visit the places that inspired him.
In this case, it is better to start from Tossa, book a hotel for 3 days (no less), then move to Lloret for 3 days and book the same hotel a day later for another 3 days. And for the day go to the Dali Museum,

We have already written a lot about how to book flights via the Internet and described various schemes that help, now the turn has come to hotels.

Where can I book a hotel online?

You can book a hotel online on the website of the hotel itself or on the website of the reservation system.

Hotel booking systems can be global, through which you can book hotels around the world (for example, booking.com or hrs.com) and regional, which represent hotels in only one specific region (asiatravel.com), country (www.sawadee.com - booking hotels in Thailand) or cities.

Any booking system is an intermediary between you and the hotel, they do not charge you any fees for their services and earn on the commission that the hotel pays them.

How to book a hotel on your own?

The procedure for booking a hotel is best considered with a specific example. We decided to show you how to book a hotel on one of the most popular sites - booking.com.

In the line "Location / Hotel Name" you can enter the city

the name of the country

and even the name of the attraction, for example, Stonehenge in the UK:

Pay attention to the dates of arrival and departure indicated in your ticket.

After that, choose the number of people and rooms. If you are 3 people and two rooms, then booking will offer you one double and one single room (or double with accommodation for one person). If there are more of you, then an additional menu will open where you can choose how many people will be in each room:

Having specified all the data, click on the “Find” button and get several hundred hotel offers. It is very difficult to choose from such a variety, and sorting and filters come to our aid.

On booking.com we can sort hotels according to the following criteria:

Stars. Hotels can be sorted by star rating from 5 to 1 or, conversely, from 1 to 5 stars. In the menu on the left, you can specify a specific category and type of hotel, as well as amenities in the hotel or room, such as the availability of wi-fi or a pool in the hotel.

Distance. If you selected a city in the search form, then the system on the first pages will show you all the hotels located in the city center. If you want to live in a specific place, then specify it in the form on the left.

We decided to look for a hotel near eiffel tower. For convenience, you can view the search results on the map.

Price. Sorting is carried out according to the following criteria:

• 1 guest (including beds in dormitories) - suitable if you are considering accommodation not only in hotels, but also in a hostel, where there can be 4-10 or more beds in one room.
• 1 guest ( single rooms) - if you are looking for an inexpensive or vice versa the most expensive single room.
• 2 guests (double rooms and twin rooms) - most often sorted according to this criterion. The system will show you the prices for double rooms in ascending order.
• 3 guests (triple rooms)

If your goal is not to find the cheapest option, but to meet a certain amount, then specify the search data in the menu on the left:

Guest rating. Sorting can be done by all reviews, or by groups:

• Groups of friends
• young couples
• mature couples
• Families with small children
• Families with older children
• Solo travelers

In this case, only hotels with at least five reviews will be considered.

In addition, you can sort hotels by theme, such as castles, shopping, spa, etc., although here the purpose of the trip is more appropriate than the theme.

For participants bonus programs there is also a separate filter for hotel chains:

By clicking on the name of the hotel you like, we will go to a page with its detailed description.

What should you pay attention to when choosing a hotel?

Firstly, on cancellation terms, especially if you are not 100% sure of your plans. Rooms with free cancellation tend to be more expensive.

Please note that the inscription FREE cancellation does not mean that if you do not check in, you will not be charged any penalty . Most often, the penalty is not charged only if you canceled your booking no later than 1 day (sometimes 7 days) before check-in. Otherwise, you will have to pay a penalty of 100% of the cost of the 1st night. To clarify the conditions, click on the icon.

If the terms and conditions say “Non-refundable”, then if you cancel your reservation or do not show up, you will lose the entire price (for all booked nights of your stay).

When canceling a reservation, there is another subtlety, 1 day before arrival or 24 hours are considered according to the local time of the hotel. This is especially true if you have booked a hotel in Asia or America.

For example, we have a hotel reservation in Tokyo, if we do not cancel it before 00:00, January 20, then we will be charged the cost of the first night of accommodation. The time difference between Moscow and Tokyo is 5 hours, i.e. when it will be 00:00 on January 20 in Japan, it will be on January 19 at 19:00 in Moscow.

Secondly, pay attention to the currency. You pay the hotel in local currency, for example in Europe it is euro. If during the search you set dollars or rubles, then the amount will be indicative, depending on the current exchange rate.

If your card is in rubles, and the hotel currency is euro, then the conversion will take place at the internal rate of your bank, because of this, the amount in the statement may differ from that indicated on the site.

Currency can be changed in the top menu:

Be sure to read the information in the " Order of residence“. Pay attention to the time of arrival and departure from the hotel. Most often, you can check in after 14.00-15.00, and check out before 12.00, but there are exceptions. For example, in many budget hotels check-out is at 10.00 am.

In addition, check out services included in the price such as breakfast or internet. In many countries, each hotel guest is charged city ​​tax, it is not included in the price of accommodation and is paid additionally.

If everything suits us, then select the desired number of rooms and click "Book".

On the next page, you need to enter your first and last name, as well as your email address.

In "Special Requests" you can write what you need an extra bed for a child or any other services.

For example, you can warn the hotel that you are on a honeymoon, many decorate the room on this occasion and give a small complement from the hotel (fruit basket, etc.).

By clicking on the “Continue” button, you will be redirected to the payment page:

To book a hotel, you will need a bank card.

Many are interested in the question Is it possible to book a hotel on Booking.com without a card? Yes, you can, but only a limited number of hotels. There are very few of them and you will have to spend quite a lot of time to find them.

If you do not have your own card, then you can book a hotel on someone else's. In this case, on the previous page, in the "Special Requests" column, write that the booking will be made with someone else's card, and its owner has given permission to use the card, do not forget to also indicate the name of the card holder.

How is payment made?

Booking does not take money from your card, but as a guarantee, the hotel may reserve a certain amount to make sure that there is money on the card. The amount of blocking depends on the hotel, it can be the cost of the 1st night of accommodation, a certain part of the total amount, for example 20% or a symbolic $0.01 for card verification.

If there was no money on the card at the time of blocking, the system will try again. As a rule, there is quite a short time between two attempts and if the money is still not blocked, booking.com will send you an email. mail with the following content:

Dear…..!

We received a message from the hotel……….. The credit card details you provided are not valid.

What to do:

Click here to change your credit card details: MyBooking

You can also contact the hotel ……….. for more information.

Important! Please do this within 24 hours to make sure the hotel does not attempt to charge your card or cancel your booking.

Your booking at this hotel is considered valid until you receive a cancellation email.

The hotel may charge:

- For no show
– Late cancellation
- As an advance payment

All payments are processed by the hotel.

We will be happy to answer your questions 24 hours a day.

Sincerely,

Booking.com

In most cases, the money will be debited from you 1 day before check-in (for the first night), the rest of the amount upon check-in at the hotel. At the same time, you can pay the remaining amount both by card that you indicated on the site, and in cash or by another card.

It is not uncommon for a booking to offer a price much lower than a hotel. Many are afraid Will the hotel take money at their prices? You can not worry about this, you will be charged exactly the amount that is indicated in the booking confirmation from the site.

What do you need when checking into a hotel?

When you arrive at the hotel, the administrator must present the passports of all residents. Sometimes they require a printout of the confirmation from the site, so be sure to take it with you. Some hotels may require a small deposit in case you use the minibar or break something in the room.

Tatyana Solomatina

Hotels

It's pretty easy to travel on your own these days. Progress is moving forward and you no longer need to run somewhere to book a hotel. Everything can be done without leaving home, via the Internet.

As a rule, seasoned travelers do not have difficulty booking a hotel on their own, but not everyone is experienced, many tourists are just starting their journey from a package tour to freedom of movement, so this article is for them.

Read below short review services for searching and booking hotels, as well as instructions drawn up on a specific example.

Before starting the process of booking a hotel online, you need to understand the principle, the chain of actions that are performed to achieve a result. If you do not book accommodation on the official website of the hotel, then the booking systems - Agoda, Booking, Ostrovok, etc. - act as an intermediary between you and the hotel. They are free for you. Hotels and inns register with them and pay a certain percentage for each booking.

However, there are many booking systems, prices for the same objects may be different. Loop through all services to find best value possible, but time consuming and labor intensive.

Search engines come to the rescue - aggregators (Hotellook, Roomguru, Trivago, etc.), which act as intermediaries between you and booking systems. Search engines do not book themselves, they only help you choose the right accommodation option based on the databases of their booking systems. You see the price offered by each, which allows you to compare them, and choose through which one is cheaper. Click on the desired option and the search engine will redirect you to the selected service, and make a reservation there. Search engine services are also free.

Many people do not bother with search engines, but simply work with their usual booking system such as Booking, not taking into account that other services may have other housing options, or the cost there may be lower. In my opinion, it is unwise to act this way, but everyone has their own preferences.

I just want to introduce you to the most popular services for finding and booking accommodation. Having learned the features, you yourself will make a choice how you will act - you will use one booking system or some kind of search aggregator.

Brief overview of hotel search and booking services

Hotellook, Roomguru and Trivago

Hotellook, Roomguru and Trivago are search aggregators. Very convenient, free tools for finding accommodation. Again, aggregators do not book hotels themselves. They only help you find the right option and show the price of different booking systems. The booking itself takes place on the website of the service that put up the offer you like. This is where the system redirects after clicking on the "Book" button.

Search engine interfaces are clear and accessible. Roomguru is a bit like Booking. There are a lot of offers, but using convenient filters, you can quickly weed out the excess.

Each aggregator has its own list of partners, works with booking systems on its own, individual conditions, the cost of the same object for everyone may differ. If your goal is to find the best housing option on your own, then I recommend studying the offers of all these search engines. Of course, the process will take a little longer, but in this way, experienced tourists manages to profitably find cheap rooms in expensive hotels.

Agoda or Booking

Most people use Agoda and Booking. In terms of their functions, they are identical - these are reservation systems. Both have a large base of hotels around the world, including. However, if possible, I prefer to book a hotel on my own through Booking, and here's why:

• Booking gives the final price per room. At Agoda, the price does not include taxes, pay attention to this! You can find out the full cost of the reservation only after confirmation. Agree, it’s not a very pleasant prospect to sit with a calculator and add the interest that taxes make up yourself in order to understand how much the accommodation will cost.
• Booking has a more convenient and understandable interface. Compared to Agoda, there are many more options. You can easily filter by star rating, cost, rating, etc.
• The Booking hotel map shows the exact location of the property. There are discrepancies on Agoda, you have to double-check.
• Booking has good technical support. Called several times, issues are resolved quickly. At Agoda, the employees are less friendly and efficient. There was a case when the answer to my letter was not received at all.

In my opinion, the only advantage of Agoda is that they take the payment for the reservation to their account without transferring your information to a third party - hotels. Booking, on the other hand, does not deal with finances itself, redirecting all your credit card details to the hotel, which writes off the money. I don’t really like to shine a map in unverified places, so I attach importance to this fact. Although I did not have any unpleasant cases with Booking.

Of course, I also use the Agoda service, but rarely. If Booking gives the same prices and conditions, I still prefer it.

Airbnb

Booking an apartment, room or house is sometimes preferable to a hotel. In this case it is better to use Airbnb service. Many property owners post their offers here. The database is quite voluminous, the service is convenient and easy to use.

Airbnb is a private accommodation booking system. As in hotels, the principle works here daily rent. Of course, you can rent a house for a month, but there are few such offers. I would not say that you can save a lot if you apply for a hotel-level apartment, especially in big cities. The daily cost of private traders for such options is not budgetary. However, everything is relative, and of course you can save money, especially if you are traveling for a long time and find offers with monthly rentals, or if you are traveling with a large group - the price for several hotel rooms will most likely be higher than the cost of an apartment. Of course, a lot depends on the location of the property.

I was unable to use this booking system. I considered options several times, but according to my requests, the cost of private housing was comparable to the price of a hotel room, so I always booked it. Plus, I don’t really like private housing, but these are my “cockroaches” in my head, you should not focus on them.

Which service to choose?

So how do you book a hotel yourself? Which service to use largely depends on personal preferences. All booking systems or search engines have their own advantages and disadvantages.

There are services that are better to use in a particular country. For example, experienced travelers believe that Agoda has more offers for Asia, and Booking has more offers for Russia and Europe.

Almost every country has local reservation systems, they are less known globally, but popular in their country because they specialize in a certain area. But their bases are more focused not on popular hotels, but on simpler options in the form of guesthouses or apartments. Data of such services can be searched on the forums.

Of course, all of the above must be taken into account, but let's not forget about the price. It is unlikely that anyone will want to overpay, just because the service interface is more convenient and the search process takes less time. I think that the cost of housing plays a decisive role in where and how to book a hotel for many.

Experienced travelers are well aware that the days when a single booking system was used to select a hotel are over. After all, now, there are much more chances to find the best option through search aggregators. Moreover, the most advanced tourists use not one, but several search engines at once. Thus, getting a complete picture of the supply market.

Should I book a hotel on the official website?

Of course, you can book a hotel on the official website, but it’s worth it only if you speak English well, the hotel has already been selected, and the price of the room is much lower than on search aggregators.

Otherwise, you will have to shovel many hotel sites on your own, spending a lot of time and effort on this. There is a chance to miss more interesting options because not all hotels have a website. Most guesthouses do not have their own resource. If we are talking about hotels abroad, then only a few of them have a Russian version. As a rule, you have to book a hotel on English language, which is a serious test for people who do not own it. In addition, do not forget that sometimes correspondence is required, which will also have to be conducted in a language other than the native language. Any misunderstanding can lead to loss of money. After the incident in Sri Lanka, I try to avoid direct bookings. If you are interested in the details about how I lost $ 1400 when I booked a hotel on the official website on my own, read.

Visual instruction

It is quite difficult to write instructions for all occasions. Beginners do not have the experience of seasoned travelers, so I recommend that they do not go to official hotel websites or little-known services that specialize in a particular area yet.

Use trusted search engines like Hotellook, Roomguru or Trivago. These resources are easy to navigate even for a beginner, if only because they are in Russian. These search engines have many offers of hotels around the world, you will definitely find the right one and easily book a hotel at the best price.

How to book a hotel on your own, I will show you using the example of the aggregator that will give us the best option, but first you need to find a hotel and compare the cost of the reservation on all three aggregators.

Why such difficulties? Is one search engine not enough? - you probably think. I will answer. If you want to save money, choose the best option, then focusing on the offers of one aggregator, you will not achieve this goal. Now I will prove it with an example.

Let's say you are planning to go to Phuket, you are interested in a 4-5 star hotel near the sea on Nai Yang Beach. We open aggregator sites. We fill in the conditions. We press "Search". See what picture emerges.

Roomguru offers just 1 hotel for our request, Trivago offers 9, and Hotellook offers 12 hotels. Moreover, these data do not say that Hotellook is better, because in a different area, or with different search conditions, the result may be the opposite.

The only hotel that Roomguru showed is also on other search engines, but if the cost of booking Roomguru and Hotellook (1728 rubles) is the same, then Trivago gives this hotel 1697 rubles each. You say - what little things, the difference is small. But firstly, the difference is often greater, secondly, it is the price per day, and thirdly, as they say, “chicken by grain ..”.

Therefore, it is better to search on several aggregators. Be sure to use the map during the process. She is everywhere. Thus, you can clearly see the location of the object, because the description does not always give an accurate picture.

Narrow your search, remove unnecessary offers by checking the boxes next to the desired parameters - star rating, rating, type of housing, etc. This will help save time.

I hope I convinced you that when booking a hotel, you need to use several search engines. You managed to choose a hotel. Move on. I will show how to book a hotel using the example of a hotel, since it is the only one that came out on all three search engines.

open desired hotel on each aggregator, click "View" or on the name of the hotel. You will be transferred to the hotel page, where there will be a list of offers from different booking systems with prices. True, Trivago shows this list on the main page, in other services you need to click "View".

Compare prices and choose the best option. Click "Book". The search engine will redirect you to the website of the booking engine that made the offer. In my case, this is Hotelbook.

Actually, that's all. An email will be sent to you confirming your booking. Usually a file with the reservation itself is attached to the letter. Print it out just in case.

Important! Always read the cancellation policy before clicking the "Book" button! Anything happens in life, you need to understand that penalties for cancellation, or no arrival, can be the entire amount of the stay. Be sure to pay attention to this!

By the way, for comparison, I looked at the same hotel on Booking, the cost is much higher. Here is the last proof for you - you should not use the service out of habit.

Perhaps now, it will seem to a novice traveler that it is difficult to choose and book a hotel on their own. But believe me, this feeling will pass after the very first operation. Experienced people do everything quickly, automatically. But they were once newbies too. So you should not be afraid, you need to start acting, move forward, and you will definitely succeed.

If you decide to go on vacation on your own, then do not forget to look at the information on how to buy and. These are no less important issues in the organization of recreation.

Tatyana Solomatina

Reservation is a pre-order of places and rooms. From this process begins the service of guests at the hotel. Room reservations are handled by the Reservation and Reception staff. It is in these divisions that requests for bookings from customers are received. In addition to the formal collection of applications, the reservation department must study the demand for the hotel. By studying the long-term experience of hotels, taking into account the plan of events envisaged in the region, forecasting the demand for places and analyzing the occupancy of rooms in past and present periods, the reservation department, together with the marketing service, plans the hotel's activities.

During mass events, the demand for places in hotels increases several times. It is advantageous for the hotel to book seats for events with a large number of participants, since in this case, reservations are made well in advance of the event and the risk of cancellation (i.e. refusal of a pre-booked seat) is small.

Hotel occupancy depends on the season, business activity in the region, economic and political situation. In times of political instability, the interest of tourists in this area is reduced due to the inability to ensure the safety of their stay. During the peak season, the hotel may double book.

“A double booking is a confirmation of the future availability of hotel rooms to two clients at the same time on the same date. By doing this, hotels are taking a risk, since both clients can arrive at the same time. This risk is justified when it is carefully calculated on the basis of many years of hotel experience, based on the knowledge of the average number of canceled applications. But if both clients arrived at the hotel, then the one who arrived earlier gets the place. If necessary, to accommodate the client, the hotel must have a connection with the firms that rent out housing, or nearby hotels, where the client can be redirected.

Sometimes the reservation service may forward the reservation request to another hotel and confirm to the client that he will be given a place, but in another hotel. In this case, it is necessary to obtain the consent of the client to change the hotel.

For both the hotel and the guest, it is desirable that the hotel rooms be booked in advance, and the sooner the better. According to the rules for granting hotel services the hotel has the right to conclude an agreement on the reservation of places by drawing up a document signed by both parties, as well as by accepting a reservation request through postal, telephone and other communications. This allows you to contractually establish that the application comes from the consumer.

If the organization regularly uses the services of the hotel, then it is more profitable for it to conclude an agreement for a certain period. Then the hotel provides accommodation for tourists sent by this organization. For organizations that regularly supply customers, enterprises may establish discounts on accommodation and some services.

The contract between the hotel and such organizations specifies the terms within which an application for accommodation of tourists must be submitted, when and how payment is made. There are several ways to book a room or a place in a hotel: written, verbal and via the Internet.

By mail or fax, the client sends a letter of application to the hotel. The same request can be made in the hotel reservation department. Application processing requires a lot of attention.

Every booking and cancellation request must be registered.

If the booking managers did not cancel the booking in time, then the room may remain unsold until the error is discovered. Only an application on company letterhead can serve as confirmation of payment for the booked room.

The application of the organization booking the room must contain the details of this organization (name, address, telephone, fax, bank account number).

In any case, the application shall provide the following information:

– Length of stay in the hotel;

— Surnames of those who come;

– Form of payment (non-cash or cash, details of the organization, pays).

The application is registered and confirmed or denied in the same way in which it was received. In the case of a telephone reservation, it is very important to be attentive to the client's request, since the impression of this conversation will determine his attitude towards the hotel as a whole. It is important for the client how long he will wait for an answer, since according to the norms, the phone must be picked up after a maximum of five rings.

An employee who has information about the loading of the hotel should pick up the phone. In hotels that accept reservations for rooms by phone, special forms have been developed. In them, you only need to make marks in the required columns, and not write down the application. The same forms can be in a special section of the reservation department computer. In the case of telephone bookings, confirmation in writing is required.

The method of booking via the Internet opens up great opportunities for hotels and customers. When booking via the Internet, reservations can be made in hotels located in another city or even in another country. The advantage of the automated network is that the booking can be forwarded to any other hotel located in the same city.

You can book a hotel room through a computer network by phone. The dispatcher contacts the hotel via a computer network and finds out the possibility of booking. This method is not very convenient, because it takes a long time to find out the conditions of booking and accommodation.

There are two more options for booking using a computer: some hotels have their own Internet page or are members of one of the Internet booking systems (Academservice, WEB International, Nota Bene, etc.). Systems are becoming more and more popular because of the very wide possibilities at a fairly low cost. The effectiveness of this method of attracting customers is higher, the shorter the response time to the received order. The speed of sending a confirmation largely depends on the degree of automation of the processing of applications and on the clarity of the interaction between the hotel and the agent.

A competent organization of the exchange of information between these two links allows to reduce the time for the client to receive confirmation to a minimum (ideally, the so-called on-line should take no more than seven seconds).

By connecting to the Internet booking system, hotels get the opportunity to quickly exchange information about the free number of rooms, about the services provided by the hotel, room categories, as well as current rates, discounts, special programs for guests, etc. Having received the opportunity to frequently update rates, the hotel, in turn, can lead a more flexible pricing policy and adequately respond to demand.

In this system, booking occurs as follows: the client enters the WEB-site of the Internet booking system and gets acquainted with the rules of booking. Then he chooses a hotel. After making sure that there are free rooms and filling in the required information fields, he sends the order to the system by e-mail. The system automatically processes the order (except for non-standard cases) and sends a preliminary confirmation, including the conditions for making an advance payment, and the client is put on the waiting list. After receiving the appropriate guarantees (prepayment, letter of guarantee, etc.) from the client, the latter receives the final booking confirmation from the agent. A copy of the final confirmation is sent to the hotel. Here the reservation is entered into the loading schedule with subsequent automatic change.

The Internet makes it possible, without leaving home, without intermediaries, to obtain the necessary information about the hotel, to see how the rooms are decorated.

During telephone or computer bookings there is a risk that the reservation will suddenly be canceled and then the client, without receiving confirmation, may arrive to check in and not receive a room, as there may be no vacancies.

On request, the reservation department can draw up a long-term plan for loading the hotel for a certain period (year, month, week) and a load plan for the current day.

The reservations department must constantly interact with the reception and accommodation service, which provides information on room occupancy in current time. If the load report is not written correctly, then managers can make an erroneous decision regarding load forecasts. If the room remains unsold, then the hotel's revenue decreases.

A booking confirmed by a special notice sent by the hotel to the client is called a confirmation. It takes some time for the reservation confirmation to be received by the customer by mail or fax. Usually, the confirmation indicates the registration number of the application, the date of the expected arrival and departure of the guest, the type of room ordered, the number of guests, the number of beds that are required, as well as any requirements of the guest, are specifically stipulated. The client takes this confirmation with him to the hotel in case of any unforeseen situation. But such a confirmation is not always a guarantee for the client, since there is a rule: if the guest does not arrive before 18:00, the reservation is canceled when there is a need for this for the hotel.

A guaranteed booking is a booking with special confirmation from the hotel that it guarantees the customer the room they have booked. Such confirmation is necessary if there is a possibility that the guest may arrive at the hotel late. Under these conditions, the room remains free until the arrival of the guest. With this confirmation, the hotel will have an accurate picture of room availability.

Another form of guaranteed booking can be a deposit (advance) payment. In some situations (for example, during the peak holiday season), in order to avoid downtime due to the absence of the expected guest, the hotel may ask for an advance payment of the cost of accommodation for one day or even the entire period. Prepayment is also required when placing a tourist group. This is also a way to deal with "absenteeism".

According to the Rules for the provision of hotel services, in the event of a delay, the consumer is charged, in addition to the booking fee, also a fee for the actual downtime of the room (place in the room), but not more than a day. If more than a day late, the reservation will be cancelled. In case of refusal of the consumer to pay for the reservation, his accommodation in the hotel is made in the order of the general queue.

The hotel may set the amount of the booking fee. Usually, individual tourists are charged 50% of the rate of a room or a place in a room. For tourist groups there are discounts for booking, accommodation and even some services. The amount of the discount depends on the number of people in the group and the length of stay. On average, for booking places for a tourist group, a payment of 25 - 35% of the fare is taken.