When it’s time to book a hotel this is the first question you should be asking yourself.. Opinions on this will vary, but for me the answer is (almost) always book directly with a hotel.
Why? First of all your booking is held in the hotel’s own system, so less room for errors. However the biggest pro is that almost always, it actually is cheaper. Add to that the possibility of freebies like upgrades, free wine/bubbly, sometimes free spa, robes and slippers etc. Most hotels also have some sort of bonus program you can join and get 10-20% off the price. Join all of them, I do 🙂 I also find the hotels are more likely to honor your room requests for a high floor or whatever else you are interested in.
Now, if you don’t care about any of those things, the 3rd party sites can work well. Just make sure that you choose a big, reputable one! If I’m going to a city that is new to me, I will usually head over to booking.com or expedia.com just to see what hotels are available and to get an idea of prices. When I find something I like, I’ll go to the hotel’s own website and book there. In 99% of the cases it will be cheaper (esp if you sign up for a bonusprogram). Who doesn’t love bonus points?
My only exception is when I buy a package deal with hotel and flight together, this can sometimes turn out to be a great price. Again be very careful which companies you use for this! I can recommend BA Holidays http://www.britishairways.com You can secure a trip there with a small deposit and lock in great prices. Even when I’ve had issues in the past at a hotel I was able to get help through their dedicated helpline.
To sum it up, I would recommend to always book direct through a hotel, unless you find a great package deal with flights included.
(image: Almirante hotel outside of Alicante, Spain)
