ON LINE ACCOMMODATION BOOKINGS

[hodgo]

Thios web site may be of some interest to some

https://player.vimeo.com/video/288285200 (https://player.vimeo.com/video/288285200)

[W&KO]

I travel every other week for work, generally regional areas and try to book accommodation direct.

Last week the office booked for me online using bookings.com

For a $140/night room the website took $20....Grrrrr

[Tombie]

Double edged sword.

So many only look for accomodation online now - so a business may pick up significantly more business at a reduced rate vs being obscure and not having any business headed their way.

Becoming concerned about this whilst purchasing front direct from the UK, on eBay etc is hypocritical at any length. And Mr Smith made his money importing cheap electronics from Taiwan - hardly supporting Australian manufacturers back in his prime.

Like everything, it’s people having a little bitch about one thing whilst doing the same in a slightly different context.

[incisor]

when booking bits and bobs for my current trip to tassie, i struck more than one place in hobart that wouldn't take my phone booking and said go use booking.com

i found it a bit odd...

one place offered the accommodation i wanted for $310, i rang and got told ring booking.com they may do discounts and i was offered it on booking.com for $170, same suite, same place... beats me

that said, i do get decent discounts thru booking.com as i use them when booking my work stays etc etc

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Maybe you weren't speaking to the owner?

[incisor]

Maybe you weren't speaking to the owner?

Maybe....

[djam1]

Spent the last 12 days or so in Darwin with wife in hospital
The end result is I had to book every couple of days for additional nights
Booking.com charged between $75 and $95 per night
When standing in reception at Darwin Travel lodge was told that the cheapest room available was $153
Look on my phone $93 reception wouldn’t match it so I pressed the button to book and I got the room for $93
They loose as they have to pay Booking.com commission if they matched direct no commission to be paid and they could have pocketed the extra.
The internal systems have not kept up with the times

[jonesfam]

If a Motel/Hotel signs up with most of the "Online Booking" companies they have to agree not to charge less to a walk in client than the booking companies are advertising.

I looked into this a few years ago as we have accommodation units. Appart from dreconian contracts they also charge varying fees, some over the top.

We set up our own online booking system for minimal cost &, because we are a small community, people just Google Accommodation Doomadgee & I make a quid without paying anybody but our contracted IT bloke.

Jonesfam

[3toes]

I book a few nights a month mostly around the U.K. If I do not know the area use one of the booking sites to find what is about then ring direct. Even if price is the same if something goes wrong or over booked which the sites potentially do as booked direct am looked after and those off the web are bumped. Know this as have seen it happening. The web site will not help you out as they see themselves as booking agent any problems speak to the hotel not them. Perhaps U.K. hotels are starting to fight back as most larger chains guarantee you will not find a cheaper price than if you book direct with them. Have tested this a few times and not been disappointed. Other smaller hotels will often match promise on web and Chuck in something for free if you ring direct