Booking Hotels Directly VS Comparison Sites


Purchasing a mini break or a full blown holiday can be a mind wrecking experience these days when you're faced with so many different offers and websites on the internet. Gone are the days when the only option you had was to book a holiday directly with a travel agent or ring up a brochure. These days there are thousands of websites, all which are competing to offer you the best price and it's hard to know which ones to trust. In most cases, many people will opt for the website that states 'discount' believing it is cheaper, but do you always get the best deal?

Last week my husband saw a deal on Groupon for a luxury spa break in the Lake District. The deals were £169 for a normal room, breakfast, four course meal, cream tea on arrival and spa access or £195 for the aforementioned but this time with a romantic suite which includes a four poster bed and a jacuzzi bath. Before booking the deal, my husband rang up the hotel to check the availability as it cannot be guaranteed on Groupon and the date is only two weeks away. The lower package had been sold out on the dates we wanted, but the higher priced package was available. During the phone call, the staff at the hotel informed us that if we paid £2 extra we both could have a full afternoon tea instead of cream tea and complimentary breakfast in bed, which would enhance our overall experience. This also meant that we got more for our money booking via the hotel rather than Groupon in this particular occasion.

Always ring the hotel first

I would always recommend that people check out the hotel website before booking through a comparison website to ensure you are getting the best deal and if you have any doubts, telephone them. Some hotels will prefer you booking directly with them as they can have a more hands on experience with their customers and if it's a special occasion, they are sometimes more likely to offer you discounts or a friendly treat on arrival.

Shop around

If you have a particular hotel that you really like, shop around and don't fall for the first discount website that you find. Sometimes you can find a better deal if you invest more time into looking. 

Read online travel reviews

Always make sure to read online travel reviews so that you can learn more about the hotel you are staying in and if you are booking through a discount website like Groupon or Wowcher, search for the term 'Groupon' or the website you booked with on the review page to see what other people using the same package thought about the hotel. Those with heavily discounted rates don't always get the same treatment as full paying guests and sometimes end up paying more than they anticipated - this is very rare, but it does sometimes happen.

Be flexible with your dates

If you are just looking for a quick getaway with no date in mind and no preference where you are staying, consider booking your hotel at last minute. The later you book your hotel, the more likely you are to get a greater discount as hotels will have rooms to fill.


Do you book your hotels directly?








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22 comments

  1. Ive never used Groupon but tried other hotel booking sites and found they are great deals, I never know if they're a 'good' deal or just offers that make it look better than it is but I love the idea of upgrades/extras and knowing I get a good deal. Its definitely something I need to look into more! Groupon does seem like a good idea, just the confirming a date is the tricky part especially for weekends!

    Lisa
    www.thebeautyytype.com

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  2. I have been booking my hotels direct and I've definitely had better deals xx

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  3. I never really think about contacting hotels directly, definitely need to do this more often. The spa weekend sounds amazing x

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  4. This is an interesting tip,as I always thought it was cheaper to book through comparison sites.I will perk in mind to check directly with hotel next time.

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  5. I've always looked at Groupon but never bought any hotel/holiday deals from there. I think it's definitely worth contacting hotels - they sometimes match deals and throw in extras for the direct booking, from what I've heard!

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  6. This is a really interesting topic/post, thanks for posting!

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  7. What a great post, we usually look at comparison sites when we are looking, will remember these tips for the future x

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  8. Ooh I've never thought to use price comparison sights before booking hotels!
    I'm recently obsessed with using Air B'n'B! :)

    Dani
    floraldanielle.blogspot.co.uk
    x

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  9. I always check out the hotel website as well as comparison sites, and I've always thought Groupon is a bit of a con personally. The terms and conditions are always really limiting.

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  10. We always read reviews (on TripAdvisor or bloggers) it's always best to check and read around. We'be never used Groupon before

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  11. very helpful tips here, next time I think I will phone hotels beforehand :)

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  12. Great post. It's strange you posted this recently I was thinking about this the other day. I will check with hotels first now.

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  13. Such a helpful post, I never even thought about this but I'm looking at going away soon so this post came at the perfect time x

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  14. I'm so naive that I just trusted the comparison sites! Thank you for this post.

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  15. I agree with you that it's always a good idea to phone the hotel. Most of the times the other websites will offer a similar price and they just get the commission from the hotel, but no harm to make sure.

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  16. I like to try to get the best deal at all times so I always look around for offers online both direct and through comparison sites. I do ring the hotel direct too but always found the best deals to be onlne xxx

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  17. Some great tips! I always like to shop around because there is bound to be someone somewhere offering a deal or something!

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  18. This is a great post! I've never thought about ringing the hotel to see if that's the best deal. Thanks!

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  19. Great tips!! I'm all about getting the best deal possible so will be using these tips!

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  20. Great tips, I mostly use a hotel booking site but that's because I get to see a wide range before choosing x

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  21. You've made good points there. Being flexible with dates isn't always an option, but I completely agree with the idea of shopping around.

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