You can get cheaper hotel rooms and free upgrades if you book directly instead of with Booking.com or Expedia
YOUR hotel room could be costing you more money if you use a comparison website instead of booking directly.
A recent investigation found that eight out of 10 rooms were cheaper if you went straight to the hotel website.
The research, conducted by Which?, found savings up to 12 per cent by avoiding well-known booking websites.
When getting in touch with hotels directly to book a room, some even offered free upgrades or breakfast as an inventive, as well as discounts on spa treatments.
According to Which?, the reason behind the more expensive offers are because online travel agents (OTAs) such as Booking.com or Expedia charge between 15 and 25 per cent on every booking which hotels are then forced to charge customers to avoid running at a loss – something the two booking websites deny.
Booking websites also have “rate-parity” clauses in their contracts, which doesn’t let hotels offer cheaper deals on their own websites than are listed on the comparison site.
Thankfully, the rate-parity rates only apply online – meaning if you call or email the hotel directly, they are likely to be able to offer you something extra.
Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said: “Customers shouldn’t be duped into thinking they’re getting the best price from a hotel booking site when more often than not, they can get a better deal by avoiding its commission and booking directly with the hotel.”
He added that using comparison websites to find the hotel is a good idea, but to then come off the website and get in touch yourself.
Rory explained: “Hotel booking sites might be a good place to start your search, but you should always call or email the hotel for the best chance of getting the cheapest deal – even in cases where they can’t offer a better price, there’s a good chance they’ll throw in a freebie or two.”
How did Booking.com and Expedia respond?
A spokesperson from Booking.com said: “Properties choose whatever prices they want to list on Booking.com, which they can do at will and free of charge.
“Then Booking works hard to advertise their property for them to customers all over the world. If Booking can indeed find them a customer, the property then (and only then) pays a small fee in exchange for the service.
“Booking is a much more cost-effective platform for properties to advertise, allowing them to pay only when they generate actual business.”
A spokesperson from Expedia said: “We provide a global marketplace for chains and independent hotels alike to compete with their peer hotels, by making them visible and bookable to consumers worldwide.
“Our focus is on ensuring that the best rates and availability are presented to consumers in order to attract travellers to our sites to book with our partners.
“The ability to book packages with Expedia is a great example of this, where many hotels and certain airlines give us special discounted pricing as part of an ATOL protected package that are not offered as standalone purchases.
“Hotels pay no upfront cost for using an OTA. They have the freedom to review their room demand and availability across their different distribution channels and, using our technology solutions, update the rates and availability that they provide for display on Expedia Group websites. This combination of attributes is particularly valuable for Europe’s small independent hotels.”
Last year, hotel booking platforms were accused of using fake discounts and pressure tactics to encourage customers to book hotels.
Booking websites were also found to be putting high-commission hotels at the top of searches – even if they didn’t offer the best deal.
For the biggest bargain, book hotels on a Friday night to save money.