03/19/2024

HOTEL BOOKING TIPS

How to book a hotel during the Covid Pandemic

Read on hotel bookings

Next to plane tickets, hotel accommodation is the biggest part of any trip and fortunately, the Internet offers a vast array of booking sites, many of which offer different prices even for the exact same hotel.  Don’t waste time and money when planning a trip.

To make things easier I have laid out the most convenient cheapest accommodation booking options below. 

Metasearch Channels:

There is quite a few meta-search engines out there, some have truly global coverage and some others offer a more extensive choice in some targeted areas.

www.agoda.com

www.trivago.com

www.tripadvisor.com

www.kayak.com

Five tips when using metasearch channels

Tip #1 – Choose the right metasearch channels

This allows a high-quality hotel metasearch platform to continually assess the specific hotel-related needs of both travellers and hoteliers and offer a unique and intuitive experience to both parties. This allows a high-quality hotel metasearch platform to continually assess the specific hotel-related needs of both travellers and hoteliers and offer a unique and intuitive experience to both parties.

Tip #2 – Maintain your room rate integrity

Some sites, like Google, take rate parity very seriously. It’s important not to fluctuate your rates too much so the metasearch site can provide accurate real-time data.

Tip #3 – Use a reliable hotel PMS or CRS provider

The right property management system (PMS) or central reservation system (CRS) will not only allow you to connect to the biggest players in the metasearch field but also help monitor the key performance metrics of your channels.

Tip #4 – Fine-tune your approach to metasearch over time

The top positions on metasearch sites are naturally the ones that receive the most clicks, but getting to the top isn’t easy.

Tip #5 – Set different strategies for different sites

Not all meta-search engines operate quite the same way and a one-size-fits-all approach is likely to fail you. For example, TripAdvisor garners huge amounts of traffic, but its visitors may not necessarily be browsing the site with clear intentions to book a hotel room.

Customer Loyalty programs for savings

It takes one minute to sign up on a hotel or booking website to their customer loyalty program and save some serious dollars with members-only rate and rewards, such as free nights or room upgrades.  

Some of the companies that offer members-only rewards programs include:

3. Hold great rates by booking ahead with free cancellation

Booking a reservation that has “free cancellation” can help you secure great rates in advance. Most booking sites have free cancellation on the majority of listings, but always be sure of the cancellation policy and check how long that is valid for 

Alternate accommodation

Airbnb is a growing alternative to find great accommodation, not in Hotels sometimes at 30-40% cheaper in great apartments or houses.

Below is a list of some sharing economy accommodation options:

Home Rentals

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