Better deal from booking from AGODA?

[mavriq]

Agoda are good and reliable. I have used them many times a short notice while I have been in Thailand and they were always efficient and the booking was there when I arrived.

The best way to book a hotel and get the Thai rate is to have your Thai GF book it for you. But Agoda is the next best thing - you might not get the Thai rate but you will get it a lot cheaper than fronting up to the reception desk yourself!

[barmatt]

My very first booking with agoda back in 2008 was way cheaper than what the hotel could offer so it was a good deal.
What I dont like about Agoda is having to provide your credit card details and vin # just to get a quote, which I find intrusive and raises concerns about security.

I have found that if you are a regular visitor and stay at the same hotel, which I do now, then dealing with the hotel direct is the cheaper option.

[wackyjacky]

"What I dont like about Agoda is having to provide your credit card details and vin # just to get a quote, which I find intrusive and raises concerns about security." Huh ? You mean final price w/VAT and service fees ? Just use hotels Combined and they show you the total price from each site so you can compare. You can figure on 15% add on. hotels.com Expedia etc are closer to 10%. Agoda is still cheaper on most properties. If they aren't - I use the other guys. wj

[barmatt]

"What I dont like about Agoda is having to provide your credit card details and vin # just to get a quote, which I find intrusive and raises concerns about security." Huh ? You mean final price w/VAT and service fees ? Just use Hotels Combined and they show you the total price from each site so you can compare. You can figure on 15% add on. Hotels.com Expedia etc are closer to 10%. Agoda is still cheaper on most properties. If they aren't - I use the other guys. wj

 

Thats correct you have to provide CC details including vin # to get the final cost. This was just recently when I tried to book the seamespring hotel but it was cheaper to deal direct with the hotel.

[Taeng Mo]

OK, so I have used Booking.com, Expedia and Agoda and have found, by cross comparison, all to be roughly, if not, exactly the same. Only the price breakdown is different (personally, I like Booking.com, as I can see the TOTAL price breakdown before doing anything).
Though I have had a couple of wins by booking directly with the hotel in question's website.

I would hope Pattaya Addicts is not becoming a Forum to simply promote Business Interests?

[wackyjacky]

 

OK, so I have used Booking.com, Expedia and Agoda and have found, by cross comparison, all to be roughly, if not, exactly the same. Only the price breakdown is different (personally, I like Booking.com, as I can see the TOTAL price breakdown before doing anything).
Though I have had a couple of wins by booking directly with the Hotel in question's website.

I would hope Pattaya Addicts is not becoming a Forum to simply promote Business Interests?

As I said before, just use hotels Combined - they compare Agoda, hotels.com, Booking.com, hotel Club, O'tels, Travelocity etc etc etc with the TOTAL PRICE for your entire stay. Let my assure you - Booking.com & Expedia are rarely as cheap and if they are - I book w/them. hotels.com is owned by Expedia and their prices are usually the same. hotels.com is better IMO since they give you a freebie on 10 stays (sometimes 5). ps: Latestays is also worth a look and you only have to pay a booking fee up front. wj

[JonnyR]

Another good website is www.directrooms.com

Like hotels Combined they compare Agoda, Booking.com, Hotels Combined and a few others.

I got a good deal with Tim Boutique when I used them last November

[nthn]

asia rooms sometimes have specials, hotels have low season specials give them a call first

[striiing]

Always use Agoda but it is worth checking the hotels website (if they have one) also before you book

[Whipet]

Have found Agoda to be pretty good ... however like others mention going direct sometimes does have its advantages, especially with cancellations.

One thing I have found a couple of times ...Agoda has no rooms left / available, as a result I have gone direct to the hotel and managed to get a room and also at the same if not slightly cheaper price and a better cancellation policy.

As others mention you have to read carefully the cancellation policy on any of the bookings, no two are the same as I found out to my cost last year.
.

[greo]

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

Agoda prices are bumped up with the addition of taxes etc.,. to the room rate. Why they can't give a total rate alongside the the hotel is beyond me. Can add sometimes 500 bht to the price, per night.

Also Agoda always say only a few rooms left, even when the hotel is empty. I always check direct and compare.

[BrideSearch]

I have used Agoda.com numerous times in the past. Sometimes because they have the best price after comparing various sites. Sometimes because I am too lazy to check anyplace else. I have only had one problem with a booking made via Agoda.com, but it took awhile to resolve on the day of check-out and it inconvenienced us. (i.e. We missed the departure of a tour that we had booked because I couldn't leave the hotel without resolving the issue.)

[hexhamation]

Have always gone in "off the street" on my holidays and business trips, with only a few exceptions and you will certainly always get a very good deal. Then again i travel a lot and you soon get some good tips to look at! If you do the "leg " work, there are some really exceptional deals available at times in Asia. I seriously doubt if Agoda could match some of the "deals" i have struck.

I always stay in good places with good facilities.

[chang_03]

Why not try Trivago website: they do a comparison from various suppliers, e.g. Agoda. Be careful: Agoda does not show the end amount, tax and service charge is missing!

[sinbad5]

 

Why not try Trivago website: they do a comparison from various suppliers, e.g. Agoda. Be careful: Agoda does not show the end amount, tax and service charge is missing!

I don't like that they don't show it to the very end payment stage either. I wish they would design their software to be more open about that.

I do use it. It's a good comparison tool and most properties have a full refund for cancellation which can be handy. I find the reward points basically cover the taxes - I guess that's how reward programs work to get you to come back over and over.

It's worth checking out the hotel's own website and comparing - sometimes they have even better specals - but sites like Agoda do have that secure payment, money back cancellation and 100% confirmation advantage.

[mickey_Patts]

book directly with the hotel....negotiate with them.......and you can get much better prices then offered by Agoda or any other site.

 

Have always preferred this method and have always got much better prices then the one showing on the sites like Agoda or booking or expedia etc.

 

But i have always traveled to pattaya in off season....so may be this is also a factor in hotels offering cheap rates....

[OldAsiaHand]

I'm a satisfied Agoda user as well. I've used them frequently -- Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore -- and their prices have always been the lowest going, even lower than a direct booking with the same hotels. Sometimes significantly lower. Maybe it's not always that way, but it has always been that way for me.

[pedro137]

Agoda is a good booking company as they seem to be equal on price to what you can get at the desk or a little lower but the best part is if you book via this sites link they get a commission, apparently

[ShaneFalco]

Always used Agoda, nevr had a problem and i have never found a better price when i contacted the hotels directly.

[uklad_in_ireland]

I've been using booking.com on my last two trips and hotels around UK/Ireland. Never had any problem booking anything but I had a bit of malware on booking.com last month ( not their fault but from my PC ) so I was looking for other deals on other sites.

 

I saw a great deal on Agoda for Bangkok  hotel  which I've booked it all up already for my first time there . 

 

But one tip I got from a fellow Bm was if you got the money on ya and already set on what days you going to stay in Pattaya is book direct from the hotel cash up front to save money . I saved €200 euros booking directly and also could afford a bigger room there. Lk chain so they seem reliable as stay at one of their hotels before.

 

Saying this is always best to look around and see who got the better deals Agoda 2 years ago was bit more expesive than booking.com ( I know same company) but this time round they had better deal and was cheaper . And always check out the hotel websites too as sometimes they have a weekly deals .