Better deal from booking from AGODA?

[chang beer]

Hi. I've always booked my room by going directly to the hotel website....Flipper group or Sabai. Do people get better deals from booking a room from Agoda

Have any of you booked a room through them?

Thanx good luck Chang Beer

[sebast37]

I have always booked from Agoda . Dont know if it's cheaper, but great service.

[Velcro]

Agoda is a good deal..VERY often better than the hotels own website.
And more importantly.. If you go via a link on pattaya-addicts , the site just a comission ( or something )

[Taeng Mo]

I've found them to be around the same price as Booking.com, though you accumulate points. For redemption in the distant future.

 

Was disappointed to see that (after booking) the Rose hotel in Patpong had a cheaper rate on their own website.

I reckon it's always worth checking to see, after you've done your search.

[dc_publius]

Is it really that hard for you to click on two links and compare?

[manarak]

 

I've found them to be around the same price as Booking.com, though you accumulate points. For redemption in the distant future.

Was disappointed to see that (after booking) the Rose Hotel in Patpong had a cheaper rate on their own website.
I reckon it's always worth checking to see, after you've done your search.

Agoda guarantees its rate, so if you see a cheaper price, they will match it.

Agoda very often has the best or has at least a very good deal, at least as far as medium to high class hotels are concerned.

When booking over Agoda, the hotel does not know your credit card number.
And in case of cancellation, follow their cancellation rules and there won't be a problem.

I'm an Agoda affiliate myself, and whenever I have to book a hotel, I use Agoda when possible, not because I work with them but because I have always been very happy with their prices and service.

[Taeng Mo]

Agoda guarantees its rate, so if you see a cheaper price, they will match it.

 

Agoda very often has the best or has at least a very good deal, at least as far as medium to high class hotels are concerned.

 

When booking over Agoda, the hotel does not know your credit card number.

And in case of cancellation, follow their cancellation rules and there won't be a problem.

 

I'm an Agoda affiliate myself, and whenever I have to book a hotel, I use Agoda when possible, not because I work with them but because I have always been very happy with their prices and service.

 

Point taken just one of those things, as I was used to using Booking.com.

Another thing I noticed was that Booking.com shows you the TOTAL price straight up, whereas Agoda doesn't show it until you get into the payment page? Ie, some countries have additional taxes?

[Taeng Mo]

Is it really that hard for you to click on two links and compare?

 

Just a learning curve, you understand.

Navigating a new website, plus, when you book at the last minute you can actually see room availability being sucked up.

Kind of makes you a bit earnest.

[manarak]

Point taken just one of those things, as I was used to using Booking.com.

Another thing I noticed was that Booking.com shows you the TOTAL price straight up, whereas Agoda doesn't show it until you get into the payment page? Ie, some countries have additional taxes?

 

I recently talked to an Agoda representative and brought up this topic about the "taxes and service charge" that is not shown before a booking request is actually made on the website (but still before entering CC info and being asked to pay so the customer can back out and choose another hotel if the amount is more than expected).

 

The main reason for Agoda to add tax and service charge later is: other hotel sites, especially in Asia, also publish hotel prices that don't include taxes and service charges, so Agoda is forced to use the same policy in order to remain competitive on price comparison sites.

 

On the other hand, there are many complaints about this practice on the internet. Many first time users feel scammed, while experienced travelers continue to use Agoda because of their good (total) rates.

[nikcool10]

I have used Agoda on few occasions, seems good to me ! ...

[kd_traveller]

Sometimes they are cheaper and sometime not, but if you use Hotelscombined.com which compares many the sites and if Agoda are not the cheapest and you provide them details of a cheaper site (after booking and paying with them) they will refund the difference. This way you can accumulate Agoda points for future use and ensure you get the cheapest price too!

But it is also good to check the hotels own website too.

[sydney_peter]

used Agoda many times , good to me , but note that if you went to the hotel , stay 1 night , then u want to cancel the other nights , there will be no refund for the rest of the nights

[wackyjacky]

Sometimes they are cheaper and sometime not, but if you use Hotelscombined.com which compares many the sites and if Agoda are not the cheapest and you provide them details of a cheaper site (after booking and paying with them) they will refund the difference. This way you can accumulate Agoda points for future use and ensure you get the cheapest price too!

 

But it is also good to check the hotels own website too.

Good advice. Agoda's cancellation policies aren't up to it's competitors, maybe that's why they're cheaper 80% of the time. wj

[creasy]

used agoda many times , good to me , but note that if you went to the hotel , stay 1 night , then u want to cancel the other nights , there will be no refund for the rest of the nights

I never knew that sydney peter Thanks for that advice.

. I have booked 5 of the 6 times ive been to patts never an issue

[SLEUTH]

 

Just a learning curve, you understand.
Navigating a new website, plus, when you book at the last minute you can actually see room availability being sucked up.
Kind of makes you a bit earnest.

That's usually just the agents allocation. I have been on Agoda to check rates "only three rooms available at this price". then went on another day and only 5 rooms available...

[manarak]

 

Good advice. Agoda's cancellation policies aren't up to it's competitors, maybe that's why they're cheaper 80% of the time. wj

The cancellation policy is displayed for each room that's available for booking.

Every hotel has different cancellation policies and they can even differ from one room to another or from one rate to another for the same room!
It is the same as with the airlines - depending on the price, the cancellation policy differs.
These policies are not decided by Agoda, except for the 15 USD cancellation fee that sometimes applies.

The specific cancellation and change policy for the booked room is also sent to you again in the booking confirmation email.

[geezerrb]

I have used Agoda many times I am sometimes disappointed that they obviously do not research the claims made by some hotels, my particular thing is I do like a bathtub, so try and book a room listing "bathtub" so far only 50% strike rate. I always search through Booking.com, hotels.com and various others, the price varies by a lot of outside influences but I do like that genarally with booking.com you do not pay anything up front. I have booked with agoda well in advance to assure the hotel I want then found nearer to departure date it is nearly half the price but because it is then inside the cancellation penalty period I cannot cancel and rebook.

[geezerrb]

 

The cancellation policy is displayed for each room that's available for booking.

Every hotel has different cancellation policies and they can even differ from one room to another or from one rate to another for the same room!
It is the same as with the airlines - depending on the price, the cancellation policy differs.
These policies are not decided by Agoda, except for the 15 USD cancellation fee that sometimes applies.

The specific cancellation and change policy for the booked room is also sent to you again in the booking confirmation email.

Sorry to disagree but Agoda at the moment are posting the green tick free cancellation against a lot of hotels which deludes people into thinking they can get their money back but it means Agoda will not charge you!
It is an action that unfortunately looks like the sort of sharp advertising practice a lot of people thought the travel industry is being "cleansed" of. Where you cannot trust the provider you must read all of the complicated small print.
It will be a pity if their reputation goes down hill fast due to adoption of the very practices a lot of other companies have "purged" themselves of. You cannot beat booking with an agent where you pay on arrival Booking .com is definetly the way forward.

[whitespider - RIP]

Agodas refund policy is that if you do not "show" or cancel within (I think) 25 days you wil be charged for one nights stay. Rather than being a sharp practice it is a simple fact of life where discounts are concerned.

Same same airline seats - you can buy "economy" seats at many different prices - the cheaper ones having more stringent rules and regs. You can't have you cake and eat it; not all the time anyway.

[Trivex81]

I used Agoda to book my recent trip I just got back from and we booked multiple hotels in the beginning as the prices looked good at the time and we tracked it, bangkok we booked maxim inn and city lodge soi 9 at the same time while tracking city lodge stopes quite a bit so we cancelled both booking and rebooked city lodge at the lower price, prior both hotel bookings had the free cancellation green check mark, which after a day we received the total refund of the 1st two booked hotels, the rebooking of city lodge soi 9 at the lowest rate this time had a no cancel option, if we cancelled we would have to pay the entire stay so you really have to read before you book, we did same same for pattaya but booked 3 hotels all green check mark free cancellation ended staying at 2 hotels during our trip at some pretty low rates per night, will always use Agoda from now on of course reviewing other sites prior to booking your hotel of choice I would always advise you to do

[haole400]

for me Agoda is an excellent site.

 

i have tried www.hotels.com

 

www.hotwire.com

 

www.kayak.com

 

www.expedia.com

 

i typically check Agoda first then go to the hotels site once i see the agoda rate.

 

i am a big fan of the Agoda site. i find it user friendly. i find it easy to compare.

 

i love their map feature for an area i am not familiar with.

 

Go Agoda

[whitespider - RIP]

 

for me Agoda is an excellent site.

i have tried www.hotels.com

www.hotwire.com

www.kayak.com

www.expedia.com

i typically check Agoda first then go to the hotels site once i see the agoda rate.

i am a big fan of the agoda site. i find it user friendly. i find it easy to compare.

i love their map feature for an area i am not familiar with.

Go Agoda

Also check out Booking.com. Much less choice than Agoda, and no loyalty points, but has the advantage that you don't have to pay up front.

[ianthehon]

Hi. I've always booked my room by going directly to the Hotel website....Flipper group or Sabai. Do people get better deals from booking a room from AGODA?

 

Have any of you booked a room through them?

 

Thanx good luck Chang Beer

 

The thing i have found is if the hotel has a special promotion then dont book by Agoda. Agoda does not always get those special promotions. For instance the Pattaya Bay Resort is offering low season deals at the moment. For instance a 1 month special for 16000baht..Ogoda wont offer that but will give you just the normal weekly rate of 999baht per night!! so 29970 baht versus 16000 baht...

 

Pattaya Bay Resort Low Season Offers revised

[wackyjacky]

I use Hotels Combined. Most of the big consolidaters are on there (including Agoda, hotels.com, Booking.com etc). Latestays is also worth a look. hotels.com is often competative with Agoga and they give you a free room on 10 nights. A few times a year you can get 2X rewards (5 nites = 1 free). If anyone has a Chase Sapphire, Freedom, or Ink card you can get 5 points/$ by booking hotels.com through their website as well. wj

[Trivex81]

I use Hotels Combined. Most of the big consolidaters are on there (including Agoda, Hotels.com, Booking.com etc). Latestays is also worth a look. Hotels.com is often competative with Agoga and they give you a free room on 10 nights. A few times a year you can get 2X rewards (5 nites = 1 free). If anyone has a Chase Sapphire, Freedom, or Ink card you can get 5 points/$ by booking Hotels.com through their website as well. wj

 

Thanks for the info on booking with a chase sapphire, freedom or ink card via hotels.com mental noted for the future trip