Call direct or book through Agoda?

[casinoclub]

In reading through the forum, some BM advocate calling the hotel to inquire about low season rate.

 

Do you get a better price then Agoda by calling the hotel direct? Or does Agoda generally have the lowest price?

 

Your input is appreciated.

[Scumbag]

Why not do both and compare the prices? I have found some good deals on Agoda.

[7-Eleven]

I've been getting some great deals on Agoda lately... Much better than the walk in rate.

 

Depends on many factors I guess.

[rooster33]

As Scumbag has said why not do both. You will have the costs using Agoda so just call the hotel and you can decide dwhich option is better for you at that point in time.

[geezerrb]

Try Booking.com they price the same or lower as Agoda and you pay on arrival not upfront, with opportunity to cancel up to certain date.

[manarak]

With Agoda, you have the opportunity to cancel up to 3 days before without cost, and if you cancel after that it will cost you the first night of the booked stay.

 

Then, as a rule of thumb, hotels will quote you higher prices than Agoda.

 

Then, Agoda does have a "best price guarantee" - book through them, and you can claim the difference if you find cheaper.

[Rob55]

Recently stayed in Bangkok at a new, fairly cheap hotel I think around Soi 10 off Suhkumvit. I was not satisfied and looked for a new hotel on Agoda. Found a few that looked interesting and walked by each to check them out. Park Plaza looked like a great deal on Agoda at U.S.$46 per night. Park Plaza was charging well over $60 for the same room so I asked if they would compete with the Agoda price. Response was manager would probably give me the same price so call back in half an hour as he is not available now. I called back and he just said book through Agoda!

 

Bottom line: Park Plaza on Soi 18 at $46 per night was a fantastic deal.

Edited February 24, 2012 by whitespider

[ITGFELIA]

I always go direct, Agoda is just to many hiden fees and hassle.

Every hotel has a website now so just seach to find via google.

[jerry]

Look for the special deals on Agoda . Hard to get the same price walking in .

[casinoclub]

Thanks for all of your feedback. I guess it doesn't hurt to give the hotel a call first and check their pricing.

[aussieboi]

_{try atsiam.com and booking.com i think they always cheaper than Agoda whos rates dont include taxes}

[boswell]

You usually get better rates through Agoda.

 

One exception from my experience : August Suites, where 3 times in a row, I got better rates emailing them directly.

[Marcus85]

The rates vary all the time, one day booking.com may be better then Agoda the next. Agoda also gives reward points last trip I saved about $100 with Agoda.

[whitespider - RIP]

One thing people often seem to misunderstand about Agoda is that their rates change, this can be hour to hour as well as day to day as they sell "capacity" offered (or removed) by hotels.

 

Let me give you an example.

 

Last year we booked two rooms at April Suites for o0ne night in November (I forget whcih night).

 

We booked via Agoda a few days prior to this booking and got two rooms for $11 each.

 

We then went BACK on Agoda about two hours later to book one more room for the same night. Price now was $45.

 

My Advice - for what its worth.

 

Check Agoda for a day or so - if you find a price you LIKE - BOOK IT! Do NOT get too bogged down about "waiting" for lower prices as they can increase as easily as decrease (or hotels get full).

 

Go BACK to Agoda every couple of days. If you find the room CHEAPER just cancel your original booking and book again!

[dc_publius]

Check Agoda.com and latestays.com and order what you want. This is assuming you already know the hotel and what you will be getting. Quite a few hotels have the 'old wing' and 'new wing' for example, which is like completely different hotels in terms of quality. Like I said, you need to know your hotel.

 

That said, hotels usually put up their best promo rates on agoda/latestays. I have never been able to get them lower. In fact, they often can't even match their own rate because the manager who can authorize it is not at the front desk and the lowly front desk people can't do it.

[globalexperiences]

Direct with the hotel they have your credit card details. Through booking.com they have your details but don't charge anything until you arrive. Therefore I booked through Booking.com as it was the same price.