Should you Booking.com it? The reservation website has spread its tentacles across the globe. But do you get the best prices… and is it safe?
From its humble beginnings, the idea of a Dutch university student in 1996, Booking.com has grown into the world’s largest travel agency.
With 21,600 employees, two million holiday homes on the books and an annual turnover of £13.9 billion, it is now (very) big business. But is he in danger of becoming too big for his boots? And what are the pitfalls when using the provider?
Questions are beginning to be raised about the website in the US, with authorities in Texas taking the unusual step of suing the company for ‘deceptive trade practices’, saying it fails to mention additional costs such as local taxes and levies.
Here’s our guide to avoiding the Booking.com pitfalls and getting a good price for your stay
‘I almost got scammed’
One user shares their Booking.com story
“Just over a month ago I used Booking.com for a short stay at the Britannia Hotel in Trondheim, Norway,” says Tony Smith from Manchester. ‘About 24 hours after making my booking, I received a very authentic-looking email, supposedly from the hotel via Booking.com, requesting additional card verification.’
This email contained Mr. Smith’s Booking.com number and details of the reservation. He then received a message from the hotel via Booking.com saying: ‘Urgent. Do not click on the link. This was a spam link. Ignore and delete.’ He added: “There is certainly public concern here. Are Booking.com’s information security systems in order?’
In a statement, Booking.com said: ‘While the security breach did not occur on Booking.com, we are aware that the accounts of a number of our accommodation partners were affected and have been actively supporting our partners, as well as potentially affected customers. .
‘If a customer is ever concerned about a payment message they receive, we encourage them to contact our customer service team, who are available 24/7.’
Booking.com operates differently in other countries and there is no evidence of the same happening in Britain.
Nevertheless, it is plagued by murmurs of dissatisfaction from users here. Cybersecurity concerns have been raised and there have been allegations of manipulative sales techniques, resulting in a European Commission ruling demanding better price clarity. Concerns have also been raised with the UK Competition And Markets Authority about high prices due to hotels paying commissions to Booking.com. Here’s our guide to avoiding the pitfalls and getting a good price for your stay.
BEWARE OF ‘TOP PICKS’
The first hotels mentioned, the ‘top picks’, are selected by Booking.com with commercial reasons in mind. Change the search criteria from “recommended” to “property rating (high to low)” and you’ll get a better idea of what the top choices are based on the amount of customer reviews.
SUSPICIOUS RATINGS
This is a problem on the Internet. We found a hotel in Menorca that topped the recommendations on Booking.com and was described as ‘very good’ in large font next to the listing. However, when we look at the reviews, we see that the words are used only three times in identical reviews from three non-English speaking countries. Everyone just said, “Very good.”
VIEW DIRECT PRICES
Looking up prices on Booking.com is useful, but check with the accommodation provider. Going direct can be cheaper and extras such as breakfast, a bottle of wine or a discount at the spa can be included.
SHOP
Also try other search engines such as Hotels.com and Expedia.co.uk; the prices are often lower. Independent travel comparison site Ratepunk.com estimates that Booking.com is the cheapest option in only 7 percent of searches.
DO NOT PANIC
If messages pop up saying “Only one left at this price” or “34 people viewed this in the last hour”: don’t panic. These messages could mean that there is one room available at that time for that price, or that 34 people are looking at the same hotel, but for different dates, rooms and reasons.
VIEW LOW RATINGS
It’s always worth taking a look at the worst reviews to see what problems some guests have had. They may not be fully representative, but they are unlikely to be fictional.
BE TECH-SAVVY
Use a different ‘device’ and you might find a better price, i.e. if you find one rate on your laptop, check your mobile phone. Usually, but not always, prices are lowest on mobile phones using the Booking.com app.
- Have you had any problems with Booking.com? Email us at holidayplanner@dailymail.co.uk, ref ‘Booking.com’