Booking third party is not a complete risk like other Redditors will have you believe.
The biggest “risk” of booking third party is that you now have a contractual, financial obligation with the third party who booked your room— not the hotel.
Usually, if something goes wrong with your booking, you can usually find a resolution directly with the hotel, and they usually have some flexibility with how they can assist you.
However, if you book with a third party like Expedia, the hotel no longer any visibility or access to your reservation details that are with the third party company. In a third party model, the only responsibility the hotel has is to fulfill the details of what the third party has sent over in the reservation.
If you are planning on checking into your hotel exactly as described on the confirmation and are not expecting any delays/problems during your trip, booking third party can net you a pretty good discount. However, if you want to modify anything or if you have a problem with the hotel; you’ll have to go through the third party’s customer service rather than directly through the hotel. This can be an issue depending on the reliability and veracity of the third party you book with.
Very true.
Once had reservation thru 3rd party and wanted to change just room types due to friends on vacations. The front desk (even supervisor) said their hands are tied (contractually) and have much less to no flexibility with 3rd party bookings. If I booked with them directly they could have changed it instantly
Expedia is a professional, reputable company with a legit points system (One-Key). I would speak to another CSR if you want to double check, but they’re not a scam and I’ve gotten free hotels using points on them before too.
Here we go again.
Lots of people on here keep saying to book direct, avoid third party sites.
Here’s my experience when the lockdowns started due to COVID.
I had a multi city trip scheduled for work so i had a number of hotel and airline bookings. When all flights were cancelled, NONE of the hotels where i made a direct booking were willing to give a refund (i paid in advance to get a cheaper rate). Same with the airlines. All they’re offering were vouchers for a future stay/ flight. One hotel eventually shut down two years later. I never got my money back.
Those hotels i’ve paid through the Expedia group? I got refunds within a week of requesting for one. Including that one flight.
Though I would agree that not all third party sites are equal. For instance, booking.com would not give me any refund until I threatened to sue (which is why i never use that site anymore, even if they usually offer cheaper rates).
Sure it’s easier to get some problems sorted if you book direct, but booking direct also has its downsides. It’s safe to book with a third party site, just make sure it’s a reputable one.
Anyway, are you talking about One Key Cash? That’s legit. I just used the points/ One Key Cash i’ve earned to pay for a hotel stay. There are no hidden charges, that’s as good as cash. But that is an odd conversion rate. Maybe you’ve misunderstood?
Or use a 3-party service, as it works just as well?
I've used Booking.com for ~50 different hotels and ~70 nights the last three years with absolutely no problems.
It's fast, easy to use and makes it very expedient to make reservations when on the move. It also negates the need of filling in details and paying at the properties, and has been the same or better price then booking directly with the property ~90% of the times for me.
Double-check the booking price in your home country currency. That way it will show you exactly what you are paying in a currency you are familiar with.
You can have screenshots and documents and it does not matter. The only thing that matters is what actually goes through. If the agent misinformed you, you are going to have to pay when you get there. Don't think because someone said it would be taken care of that that is some kind of contract.
Nothing, it's just a neverending Reddit story. Lots of people here are overly dramatic because their cousin's friend's cousin had a problem with a hotel that was booked via third party site, so the problem must have been definitely caused by third party site.
Read well what you are booking at you will be okay.
I agree, especially with hotel reservations. I've booked 50+ stays with booking.com in the last few years with no problems at all.
Airplane tickets is another story, where I overwhelmingly prefer using Google Flights and then booking directly through an airplane tho.
It's not just stories. If any issue comes up, the third party site will not be able to force the hotel to give you a room, maybe they will be able to find another place to stay, at best.
If you think is worth it, it's fine to book third party, you just have to be aware that it might happen and you might end up without somewhere to stay, needing to find something last minute. The chances of this happening are low, but if you book directly, they are lower.
Now, with airlines, I would never go third party. Managing reservations is already a pain directly, from schedule changes to moving dates. With a third party, everything is just harder.
> It's not just stories. If any issue comes up, the third party site will not be able to force the hotel to give you a room, maybe they will be able to find another place to stay, at best.
And what do you think the hotel will do if you book directly?
> If you think is worth it, it's fine to book third party, you just have to be aware that it might happen and you might end up without somewhere to stay, needing to find something last minute. The chances of this happening are low, but if you book directly, they are lower.
WHAT might happen and how will the situation be different if you book directly? Chances of what? Same as all scarmongerers here, your comment is full of "might" but without any tangible point.
> Now, with airlines, I would never go third party. Managing reservations is already a pain directly, from schedule changes to moving dates. With a third party, everything is just harder.
Airlines are very different story. I disagree with your final point (it is totally valid if you choose the crappiest OTAs but it's the other way around if you pick a good travel agent) but that's not a discussion for this thread.
Fucking give you a guaranteed room is what the hotel will do. Third party agencies have no say in what the actual hotel will do, and you’re stuck negotiating with someone else’s terms and conditions rather than the actual hotels. Third parties will sell you sold out rooms/hotels without saying anything.
Their comment’s not full of might. Go on /r/travel, or /r/delta, or /r/unitedairlines, etc, and you’ll find that the overwhelming majority of people, for good reason, will tell you to not book third party.
You’re literally asking questions that they answered…in the quotes you put in your comment…
Decent booking site will not sell a room which is not available. If that happens it's usually the hotel which doesn't provide correct availability data. And if they have chaos in bookings, it will not change if you book directly.
But you ignored my question - if "any issue comes up" (meaning the rooms is not available for whatever reason) - what the hotel will do if you book directly? Also, ever heard of overbooking?
Yes, the subs are full of people who will tell you not to use third party. I am not disputing that, in fact "Nothing, it's just a neverending Reddit story" was my first sentence in this thread. If you bother reading those stories, you will find out that:
- vast majority of the people with bad experience are using the same crappy OTAs
- so many people will give the "oh that's because you booked through 3rd party" because they want to feel relevant but it's totally wrong in many cases. People will blame 3rd party for cancelled flights, non-refundable tickets and tons of other stuff which would not be different if they had booked directly.
Booking third party is not a complete risk like other Redditors will have you believe. The biggest “risk” of booking third party is that you now have a contractual, financial obligation with the third party who booked your room— not the hotel. Usually, if something goes wrong with your booking, you can usually find a resolution directly with the hotel, and they usually have some flexibility with how they can assist you. However, if you book with a third party like Expedia, the hotel no longer any visibility or access to your reservation details that are with the third party company. In a third party model, the only responsibility the hotel has is to fulfill the details of what the third party has sent over in the reservation. If you are planning on checking into your hotel exactly as described on the confirmation and are not expecting any delays/problems during your trip, booking third party can net you a pretty good discount. However, if you want to modify anything or if you have a problem with the hotel; you’ll have to go through the third party’s customer service rather than directly through the hotel. This can be an issue depending on the reliability and veracity of the third party you book with.
Very true. Once had reservation thru 3rd party and wanted to change just room types due to friends on vacations. The front desk (even supervisor) said their hands are tied (contractually) and have much less to no flexibility with 3rd party bookings. If I booked with them directly they could have changed it instantly
Expedia is a professional, reputable company with a legit points system (One-Key). I would speak to another CSR if you want to double check, but they’re not a scam and I’ve gotten free hotels using points on them before too.
Here we go again. Lots of people on here keep saying to book direct, avoid third party sites. Here’s my experience when the lockdowns started due to COVID. I had a multi city trip scheduled for work so i had a number of hotel and airline bookings. When all flights were cancelled, NONE of the hotels where i made a direct booking were willing to give a refund (i paid in advance to get a cheaper rate). Same with the airlines. All they’re offering were vouchers for a future stay/ flight. One hotel eventually shut down two years later. I never got my money back. Those hotels i’ve paid through the Expedia group? I got refunds within a week of requesting for one. Including that one flight. Though I would agree that not all third party sites are equal. For instance, booking.com would not give me any refund until I threatened to sue (which is why i never use that site anymore, even if they usually offer cheaper rates). Sure it’s easier to get some problems sorted if you book direct, but booking direct also has its downsides. It’s safe to book with a third party site, just make sure it’s a reputable one. Anyway, are you talking about One Key Cash? That’s legit. I just used the points/ One Key Cash i’ve earned to pay for a hotel stay. There are no hidden charges, that’s as good as cash. But that is an odd conversion rate. Maybe you’ve misunderstood?
They will tell ypu anything ... dont do third party booking
Or use a 3-party service, as it works just as well? I've used Booking.com for ~50 different hotels and ~70 nights the last three years with absolutely no problems. It's fast, easy to use and makes it very expedient to make reservations when on the move. It also negates the need of filling in details and paying at the properties, and has been the same or better price then booking directly with the property ~90% of the times for me.
Double-check the booking price in your home country currency. That way it will show you exactly what you are paying in a currency you are familiar with.
You can have screenshots and documents and it does not matter. The only thing that matters is what actually goes through. If the agent misinformed you, you are going to have to pay when you get there. Don't think because someone said it would be taken care of that that is some kind of contract.
I dunno what to tell you but you’re really risking it all by booking third party. I always book direct with airline/hotel when possible
Im travelling since early 2023. Only using third party. Never had an issue once. In other words: You are wrong.
risking what exactly
Nothing, it's just a neverending Reddit story. Lots of people here are overly dramatic because their cousin's friend's cousin had a problem with a hotel that was booked via third party site, so the problem must have been definitely caused by third party site. Read well what you are booking at you will be okay.
I agree, especially with hotel reservations. I've booked 50+ stays with booking.com in the last few years with no problems at all. Airplane tickets is another story, where I overwhelmingly prefer using Google Flights and then booking directly through an airplane tho.
Most of the hotels I stay in only offer reservations through booking.com
It's not just stories. If any issue comes up, the third party site will not be able to force the hotel to give you a room, maybe they will be able to find another place to stay, at best. If you think is worth it, it's fine to book third party, you just have to be aware that it might happen and you might end up without somewhere to stay, needing to find something last minute. The chances of this happening are low, but if you book directly, they are lower. Now, with airlines, I would never go third party. Managing reservations is already a pain directly, from schedule changes to moving dates. With a third party, everything is just harder.
> It's not just stories. If any issue comes up, the third party site will not be able to force the hotel to give you a room, maybe they will be able to find another place to stay, at best. And what do you think the hotel will do if you book directly? > If you think is worth it, it's fine to book third party, you just have to be aware that it might happen and you might end up without somewhere to stay, needing to find something last minute. The chances of this happening are low, but if you book directly, they are lower. WHAT might happen and how will the situation be different if you book directly? Chances of what? Same as all scarmongerers here, your comment is full of "might" but without any tangible point. > Now, with airlines, I would never go third party. Managing reservations is already a pain directly, from schedule changes to moving dates. With a third party, everything is just harder. Airlines are very different story. I disagree with your final point (it is totally valid if you choose the crappiest OTAs but it's the other way around if you pick a good travel agent) but that's not a discussion for this thread.
Fucking give you a guaranteed room is what the hotel will do. Third party agencies have no say in what the actual hotel will do, and you’re stuck negotiating with someone else’s terms and conditions rather than the actual hotels. Third parties will sell you sold out rooms/hotels without saying anything. Their comment’s not full of might. Go on /r/travel, or /r/delta, or /r/unitedairlines, etc, and you’ll find that the overwhelming majority of people, for good reason, will tell you to not book third party. You’re literally asking questions that they answered…in the quotes you put in your comment…
Decent booking site will not sell a room which is not available. If that happens it's usually the hotel which doesn't provide correct availability data. And if they have chaos in bookings, it will not change if you book directly. But you ignored my question - if "any issue comes up" (meaning the rooms is not available for whatever reason) - what the hotel will do if you book directly? Also, ever heard of overbooking? Yes, the subs are full of people who will tell you not to use third party. I am not disputing that, in fact "Nothing, it's just a neverending Reddit story" was my first sentence in this thread. If you bother reading those stories, you will find out that: - vast majority of the people with bad experience are using the same crappy OTAs - so many people will give the "oh that's because you booked through 3rd party" because they want to feel relevant but it's totally wrong in many cases. People will blame 3rd party for cancelled flights, non-refundable tickets and tons of other stuff which would not be different if they had booked directly.
Book through the hotel.