Why the lowest price is guaranteed?

Each tourist certainly knows such “pillars” of global system for search and booking vacation spots as tripadvisor, booking.com, agoda, hotels.com or flipkey of tripadvisor. In this article we would like to share our experience and analyze benefits and drawbacks which occur when booking and checking-in using the above- mentioned major systems, since when arranging holidays for our clients we often came across the tourists who used their services.

Let’s start with the benefits of the aforesaid systems.

Firstly, a wide choice: chain hotels, guesthouses, apartments, penthouses, villas, houses and bungalows.

Secondly, a possibility of language choice and a quick change of selection and booking of the option you are interested in.

Thirdly, “the lowest price”, “reasonable price” with all sorts of seasonal and early booking discounts which are often the crucial factors of the choice.

But what about the pitfalls and hidden problems which vacationers encounter?

Firstly, a plenty of options poses a problem of choice and in spite of the given description, there are always questions that have no answers. The tourists often come to us asking for a detailed choice.

It looks as though the location, equipment and facilities are suitable but it turns out that:

- there is a chain hotel or construction in full swing near a quiet and solitary village with villas or houses;

- the distance from villa or apartments to the sea is 250 meters but the road leading to the beach is under construction and you have to use a different path which is 500 meters longer;

- long distance to shops, pharmacies, trade centers, markets or night  clubs and many other details.

Secondly, a well-run system of booking and checking-in fails when dealing with a human factor.

- you arrive by a night flight, take a taxi and tell a driver the address and name of your vacation spot but he can’t find it (which is often). You dial an indicated contact number but there is no reply because a 24-hour reception is just a convention (it especially frequently happens to guesthouses, condominiums and villas);

- you cannot be checked in because there is a booking overlap and previous tourists have not checked out yet (because most hotels accept reservations from different booking systems) etc.

And finally: the price.

When adding an object into a search system database, an owner or a sales manager indicates different options of accommodation (standard room, deluxe room, apartment, penthouse or villa), information about them and correspondent price per day depending on seasons.

When you enter a vacation period, a system always shows prices previously defined by the management of the object and all discounts are only marketing tricks. You’ll get the same prices on the hotel official website (if any) with the difference that when booking via booking.com you pay 18% commission while on the official website the whole amount is transferred directly to the owner.

A significant drawback of booking systems is the impossibility of bargaining. Even if you visit an official website, you won’t find the contacts of management there and it’s the management who can offer you a lower price. The same is true for a discount system for the period of vacations starting from 14+ days, not to mention a longer-term stay since such function is not provided for in the programme.

Cooperating with lots of owners and managers of real estate items on Phuket Island, we are ready to offer our clients the organization of holidays from booking to returning home as well as more detailed information and lowest reasonable prices.