Does anyone book hotels through Trivago?

[Mark]

Are multi booking websites like www.trivago.com.au any good?

Has anyone had any experience with them or others?

 

[Pam]

I booked quite a few places for our 6 week holiday in Italy, in 2014, through a site starting with booking (not allowed to use a link as I haven't posted enough comments yet. Even though I booked about 8 or 9 months ahead, we had absolutely no problems. Price was as we were told, accommodation was as per photos, could not complain at all. And they were pay when you get there, and free cancellation up to about 4 days prior to staying.

 

[Mark]

I booked quite a few places for our 6 week holiday in Italy, in 2014, through a site starting with booking (not allowed to use a link as I haven't posted enough comments yet. Even though I booked about 8 or 9 months ahead, we had absolutely no problems. Price was as we were told, accommodation was as per photos, could not complain at all. And they were pay when you get there, and free cancellation up to about 4 days prior to staying.

Hi Pam, you should be able to post links now as your membership has been upgraded to Premium so please feel free to share where you booked through.

So did you find this was actually cheaper than going through an agent or booking directly through the hotels or was it more of a convenience than a price thing?

 

[Pam]

Hi Mark.
Thanks for the upgrade. Yes, we saved a lot of money doing the booking ourselves. Went to Flight Centre first, as we had never travelled to Europe before, but were a bit daunted by the $300/night hotels, all the add-ons such as airport transfers, the cost of the 10 day tour (only doing cities), and the insurance in case it was cancelled, etc, etc. ($10,000, which included airfares, and only up to first 12 days, but we wanted to go for 6 weeks). Opted out of that and asked a seasoned traveler, and hence on to TripAdvisor and Booking.com. The amount of info on these sites is great. Companies such as Booking.com, Expedia.com, etc. have deals with the hotels, and they are often cheaper than going through the hotels themselves, but you can easily check that. They also have specials, and show the cost in Aust dollars. Many are pay when you arrive, and allow free cancellation up to about 4 days prior to your stay. Our accommodation in Italy for 6 weeks came to around $4000, and that was a combination of hotels (with breaky) - 3 weeks, and self-catering apartments for up to a week at at time - 3 weeks.
We travelled by train all over Italy (no problems) and local buses (a bit trickier - not very helpful!). There are trains to everywhere in Europe (see also The Man in Seat 61). We booked the trains from Aust (can do this 3 mths ahead, but we found that Rail Plus charges a lot more than the actual ticket price, plus fees. Once in the country, we discovered how easy it is to get tickets on the stations with the automatic machines - good cheap travel. Only book ahead if you want First Class, as there are early bird discounts. Rail Italia was a good site. There is even an app which shows which station you are passing through while you are on the train! So much now on the internet!!
We are now booking for a 6 week trip to Ireland and UK in May. Will do mainly self-catering as you can save a lot of money not having to eat out, and if the weather turns nasty you have a whole house to relax in. We are paying an average nightly cost of $100 -$130 Aust, but there are cheaper places. As an example of our accom, check out Riverfield Lodge, at Athboy, on Booking.com (our first 4 nights in Ireland, sharing with another couple - another way to save). We have also booked a canal boat (self-drive Penichette, with a couple of bicycles) on the Irish canals through Boatingholidays.com. for a week, again sharing the cost with another couple. These are set up like a caravan inside, with separate cabins and bathrooms, and a kitchen.
Travel light, especially if using trains, and also take a smallish backpack for walks and to carry your extras. We bought smaller security bags before we went, which can't be cut or scanned, to carry our valuables and Samsung tablet. Bought a cheap phone overseas and got a local sim card, with a bit of data, for when travelling (most accommodation have free WiFi) - cheaper than overseas roaming! Sorry to be long winded, but hope this helps.
Pam

 

[Mark]

Wow Pam, you're so organised!

Ok... Booking.com does seem to be an easier website to navigate around - I like it, thanks for the link

It's terrific how the internet is now becoming such a reliable way to buy things including planning and buying holidays. Several years ago, I would be hesitant booking any accommodation online but I guess times are changing - and fast it seems!

Your next holiday in Ireland/UK sounds awesome and thanks for the travel tips also, although I won't need them for that far away just yet (unfortunately) until I save my dosh...

 

[Mark Seaton]

Old link, but if you go direct to the hotel you can usually get the same if not a better deal than these booking sites. There is a video that Dick Smith did about these sites which basically says that there are only 2 major owners of booking sites and they all but hijack all of the web search's and strong arm the hotels into using their sites asking for something like 30% of the room cost. They are forced to sign contracts that won't allow them to offer a cheaper deal on their own website and according to the hotel owners, if they don't, they won't get any business such is the practice of these booking sites. You can search dick smith hotel and it will come up. It is worth a look.
And as proof my wife booked us into a b and b recently and the owner was only too happy to give us a cheaper rate and even added breakfast for free

 

[badalley]

Yes, there website has some awesome deals and the hotels listed are pretty good.I had a trip to LA in January and I made my booking through it. Its reliable.
Cheers!!

 

[DTK]

I have gone both ways (travel, not other) in the past. I agree with comments above and have no arguments with comments expressed. My only, let's call it caution, is that when the chips are down (heaven help us - it happens in our modern world), the value of a great travel agent who knows you (not the big corporations in my experience) is worth their weight in the proverbial rocking horse poop. We have found our travel agent has often achieved great prices for excellent (not necessarily lavish - I don't need that) accommodation and other travelling needs. When hassles at our international end occur, a quick email to our travel agent has fixed it overnight, as we slept peacefully. By all means, book your own and enjoy the deals, but please be cognizant of the unpredictable.

Best wishes,

Dan

 

[Patty]

Good question Mark!

I know many people prefer to use a booking company as they don't have to do as much surfing and the list is all in one site.

My sister (who owns a Bed and Breakfast) tells me that most business pay $ to get bookings through Trivago and other travel/booking sites. So in fact, she loses money as a small business owner by using those booking companies. What she likes and prefers is if people search for the places they want to book, then go to the actual business' web sites to make the booking. For small businesses, this really makes a difference. While it is not always possible, I do this whenever I can to help support the small businesses out there.

Patty

 

[DTK]

I agree Patty. If I am doing the booking myself, I usually check out the 'specials' and then contact the actual business. We recently did a trip around Australia staying in cabins etc. The couple with whom we travelled did most of the bookings - this was his standard procedure and we had some great deals.