You have two options when booking hotel rooms online. One is booking directly with a hotel. The other is using a third-party site to make your reservation. This probably raises a number of questions in your mind: Being more informed about this process will ensure you have fewer worries about your upcoming trip. Let’s take a look at what you need to know about both methods of booking. As you might expect, booking a hotel directly with the place you plan to stay offers many advantages. You can speak to someone at the location about any special accommodations you may need, such as a wheelchair-accessible room or allergen-free pillows. Many people find this more reassuring than counting on a third-party site to relay their requests.
Advantages of Booking a Hotel Directly
You can often find better rates by booking directly, too — a concern for budget-conscious travelers. By calling a hotel directly, you find out about any specials perks or packages they have available. In some cases, you can get a better room for the same amount of money.
Plus, you can use military IDs or AAA memberships to gain discounts at many hotels when you book directly. Third-party sites will not provide these opportunities.
Disadvantages of Booking With a Third-Party Site
It can be convenient to look through a lot of different hotel openings at once, as third-party sites allow you to do. But third-party sites also have a lot of drawbacks. Most hotels will not allow you to receive rewards points when you book through a third party, for example. Rewards points offer an excellent way to get better value for your money, so you don’t want to miss out on them.
Another major downside to these sites? The cancellation policy. Third parties do not permit cancellations once you have booked a room. But most hotels allow you to cancel with a 24- or 48-hour notice when you book directly with them. Since you never know when an emergency might arise, having the option to get out of your reservation can put your mind at ease.
Should You Book Directly or Through a Third Party?
Ultimately, you have to decide which option gives you the experience you want. If you care about saving money or having the ability to cancel your reservation, you definitely should book directly with the hotel. For those visiting the Lancaster area, the Warehouse Hotel has exceptional amenities. Contact us today to make your reservation.
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Published
06/4/2021
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FAQs
Is it better to book with hotel directly? ›
Reality is, hotels tend to offer the best rate when guests book directly with them. At the same time, hotels are very clear about their prices in order to avoid any misunderstandings that might affect the guests' experience. Because of this, when you book directly with a hotel, prices are final and free of hidden fees.
Are third party hotel booking sites legit? ›Customers are led to believe that they are booking through an official hotel or airline site, but they're actually doing business with a third-party middleman. This can lead to lost reservations, incorrect accommodations, undisclosed fees or worse.
What is the disadvantage of direct hotel reservation? ›You might miss out on loyalty points or deals if you don't stay consistently with certain hotel chains or book directly through them. Direct bookings are prioritized at check-in, so there's a small chance you could get bumped to another room or there can be an error with the reservation.
What advantages can I get if I booked directly from the hotel website? ›No Cancellations charges or No-Show Fees on direct bookings
On the other hand, if you book directly with the hotel then they will waive off cancellation fees for legitimate reasons. Hotels also allow you to change the cancellation or deposit charge that you paid on your any future stay.
The reason is that online booking sources have become so important that they can no longer be ignored. Hotels that do not acquire business through third-party websites are scarce. Third-party websites generate 40–50% of the monthly revenue for many chain hotels.
What are the advantages of direct booking? ›The impact of price
Upsells with discounts on multi-night offers, best price guarantees, promo codes with discounts - these are common and effective direct booking benefits. This kind of heavy discounting and membership pricing is also used on OTAs, and often customers are trained to expect or hunt for discounts.
Advantages of Booking a Hotel Directly
You can often find better rates by booking directly, too — a concern for budget-conscious travelers. By calling a hotel directly, you find out about any specials perks or packages they have available. In some cases, you can get a better room for the same amount of money.
It is typically cheaper to book a hotel room through a third party website because these websites often have access to exclusive discounts and deals that the hotels themselves do not offer.
Can hotels cancel third party reservations? ›When a hotel overbooks, a crucial component when deciding which guests to walk is their booking method. Third-party bookings made through the likes of Expedia, Booking.com, or Hotels.com are often the first to be canceled as these reservations tend not to be prepaid and offer no mention of membership status.