The number of platforms dedicated to travels are increasing, especially the ones that offers the way to find and buy plane tickets, holidays and hotel reservations. I have to say that they are useful, but are the deals convenient? Generally there are good rates offered, but if you compare them with the proposals present on the hotel websites you can be surprised with better prices or with some extra benefits as the free minibar with soft drinks, the complimentary transfer and so on.
Many hotels complain about the platforms because they are useful to support the different structures helping them to occupy all the rooms, but they ask for an high commission. Also some hotels are not present on those websites. It is then easy to establish a cooperation between the companies that are managing the travel and booking sites, so they can find the way to have a deal and give less advantages to customers.
The same problem happens with flights, when you search for a ticket you just compare thousands websites and meanwhile your reserch become part of the site data, so if you go back to the same page, you will see an higher price. This tricks are common and well known, but in last period Google started to offer a new service. You can directly directly on Google Flights about the connnection you need and the prices. I noticed in the past months that generally there are always the higher prices.
Today I red an article on The Scottish Sun that describes how the improved Google Flight app reveals to readers if the flight and hotel fares are a good deal or not. The journalist underline the opportunity that you have receiving the alerts from Google when the price decrease. With some graphics you can check how the rate goes and the app helps to recognize the best offers using the colours about “cold” and the “hot” fares.
The application works for flights and hotels and I have to say that the service provided is really better than the past, but I have still few doubts. For instance I saw that they also propose the best deals on business class, but of course the cheapest fares are referred to the connections with the stopover, so you need to stay around the world more time before to arrive at your destination.
Meanwhile I was reading the article and checking the new app it cames to my mind the Austrian Airlines promotion, started few years ago and not only one among the airline companies. With your economy ticket you can bid an upgrade to business class. You make an offer and if it will be accepted, according to the amount and the different bids received, they can decide if accept and let you travel in business class with a bit more than what you spent for the economy ticket.
We all know that to find the best deals we need to check the dates, try to change them, to try to change airport, to make the reservation in a specific day of the week and so on. I agree with all tricks, but since the algorithms are changing so fast, I generally keep always in mind these advices, but I always prefer compare the official websites of the hotels and of the airline companies, deleting the computer chronology step by step to non influence the sites and their results, with the different booking services.
How do you reserve your flights and hotel rooms?
Anasa
Hotels: I check first booking.com and then check the prices of each hotel in their own websites. I compare and hope for the best deal. Later I check again and see if rates goes up or down. If I find a better deal for the same product I book again and cancel the other (I just did it for my next trip and saved €17 for the same room)
Dear Mary, thanks a lot for your contribution! Booking.com is in my opinion one of the best websites, but I always prefer to check directly the hotels before to decide and what you did confirm that it is the best way to get better rates.
I write it here: compliments for your very nice blog, I like it and I get some inspiration for my next trips.
Flight by gobibo and hotel by Booking.com
That’s good, I have to try with Gobibo. Thank you!
Have good try. Welcome
Thanks a lot 🙂
I guess it’s about market domination, booking.com encompasses all and has some good deals whenever I have booked in places I never would have thought about before. Thank you for the tips, will check directly with hotel now. Also hotels make it difficult on their websites, you often have to call, or send inquiry.
The market domination is for sure a rule for the platforms, but I think about the hotels it depends on the countries. Especially around Europe now they are offering special fares and benefits to convince travellers to book directly with them, so they save on the commission to Booking.com or to other platforms. Thanks for your comment, I like to share opinions and to read about others’ experiences.
Great info. Thanks Anasa. I also use Booking.com and have in the past compared flights online, if my favs, Emirates and Kenya Airways aren’t on that leg.
Thanks to you for the follow, the like and especially for sharing your experience, this is very important for me. About airline companies I have to say that Emirates is really one of the best, but I never had the chance to try Kenya Airways. Generally the different companies are trying to reduce space and services in order to earn more money, but try to compare the different solutions is a good option.
GoOgle flights always then directly
So you use just as first selection, good to know it. Thanks a lot for your contribution
Yes but almost always will select from there. Or as a baseline and then put all my other options in like:
Momondo
Kayak
Priceline
But I always start with Google
That looks a good plan, but do you think that on Google the prices are higher than other websites? I used it different times and that was my impression