AGODA booking vs any other site?

[Gibsons1]

I've just found out that Agoda seems to be a little cheaper than the other Hotel Booking sites I've been looking at...

 

So if a hotel on Agoda states, 

 

Not included in room price: Tax 7%, Service charge 10%

 

and the other sites are "All inclusive, tax and service fees included", are there any other fees on Agoda other than those taxes listed up there, not included?

 

Looking at another site which searches a ton of Booking sites, Agoda is still a little cheaper with the 17% added, at around 661B for the trip. 

 

Just wondering... don't want to book on Agoda and find out there is another site fee that makes it the same price or more money.  I have another site that I've used quite a few times without problems.  However, if Agoda is indeed cheaper, they'll see my money right quick!  More money saved = more money for partying in Bangkok.

 

So what have your experiences been?  Price per/night + the 17% and no other fees?

 

Thanks.

Edited July 10, 2017 by Gibsons1

[js89]

Frankly, I've always gotten the same or better prices by booking directly with the hotel. Many times I've compared the prices and the direct booking option is either cheaper or the same price and always more flexible with no up-front payment

[null]

Always shop around various websites. Prices will vary and yes be vary of extra charges.

[Natty Bummpo]

Always shop around. Prices can vary widely and change daily. But yeah, Agoda is pretty good. Their best price is available on signing in. Other sites may beat Agoda at times on specific hotels so again its wise to shop around as early as you can before your trip. And always compare apple to apples. Agoda and most other sites (Expedia, Orbitz and the Hotel sites themselves) show preliminary prices before taxes and service fees are added in. Booking dot com is the only travel site I know that by default shows its prices after taxes and service fees, BUT NOT ALWAYS! So pay attention to the details.

 

Reward Points do make a difference and all the travel sites try to encourage repeat business with point benefits. Many large chain hotels like Marriott, Hyatt, or Hilton for example offer credit cards that help accumulate reward points faster and some credit cards come with free annual voucher nights although these voucher nights are offset by an annual fee. Free room upgrades when available are another benefit from having hotel credit cards and booking direct.

 

If service fee & taxes are not included in the preliminary quote then the Inclusive Full Price = the Quoted Price x (1+tax and fees). Example: $100 x (1.17) in BKK where service fee 10% (.1) and tax and 7% (.07).

 

If service fee & taxes ARE included in quoted price then the comparative preliminary non inclusive price =  (1/1+(service fee and tax))* Inclusive price. Example: the non inclusive price =  $117*(1/1.17). Which equals $117*.8547 = $100 (the non inclusive price). This equation needs to be performed if you want to compare an inclusive Booking dot Com quoted price to an Agoda or Expedia price before service fee and tax.

 

The travel sites that do not give an Inclusive price initially are not trying to rip you off. The full price inclusive of all service fees and taxes will always be shown on the final page before completing a booking. THERE ARE NO HIDDEN FEES on the major travel booking sites. The same service charge & governement tax as a percentage will be applied universally to your final bill no matter which site you book with. In BKK the charges amount to 0.17.

 

Furthermore, most travel sites offer a no deposit, no penalty, free cancellation reservation, but sometimes significantly better rates are available on a prepay, no free cancellation basis. The choice is up to the customer. 

 

Again the main thing is to shop around as early as you can before your trip and compare at least 3 major travel sites and the specfic hotel sites themselves if you want to get the best deal. I recommend Agoda, Expedia, Booking dot com, and the hotel websites if you are interested in a specific hotel.

 

And lastly, sometimes the best deals are last minute deals, so if you haven't booked and you are inside the final 7 day window to your arrival, you may luck out and get an amazing deal. Then again you might not. Happy hunting.

Edited July 10, 2017 by gogul

[smithzac91]

The Agoda app is offering a 10% discount on many Bangkok hotel rooms right now. If you click on the room that you want and get to the page where you fill out your name, address, credit card number, etc. scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "Promotions." It will then either say that the promotion is available or not for that particular hotel. If it is, just click on it and proceed. You should see a 10% difference in the price. This should also be the all inclusive price with taxes and fees.

 

According to the site, you can only use this once. I noticed that it was not available for any of the Sheraton properties but it was available for the Landmark and the Grand Swiss. Saves about 3000 baht on a 4 night stay at the Landmark vs. booking directly with the hotel.

 

My apologies to the original poster for the slight TF.

 

 

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[Hermansen]

Like other have said, shop around.

 

Check the price directly with the hotel. Sometimes it is cheaper, but not always. If they are higher than on the booking sites, ask them if they will give you a better price. Also, if you are staying for a while, ask for a discount. I got a good price on a two week stay last year. During low season you are more likely to get a good price. Note that you may also get membership benefits from the hotels loyalty program if you book directly. So more likely to get upgrades.

 

Sign up and sign in. Will sometimes give you a better price.

 

Some sites list the total in the search, while others add the tax on the confirmation site. Always compare the final price on the confirmation page. They also use this difference in their favor when setting up the price guarantied schemas. (Comparing their price without tax to others total.)

 

Try search on sites that list offers from several booking sites. One such site is www.hotelscombined.com.

 

Some booking sites have loyalty programs. Like hotels.com. You get one free night on every 10th night, valued based on the average of your nights. If you ever use it, it is a 10 % price reduction compared to the similar price on Agoda. I have had a lot of free night on this. Note that to maximise the value, you need to use the free night on a booking where the rate is higher than the value of your free night excluding tax. If your booking is lower, you lose the difference.

 

Free cancelation is valuable if it does not come with a large additional cost. Look at it as an option. If I am unsure of whether I will stay in Bangkok or Pattaya, I make one open booking each place well in advance when the prices are low. I put it in my calendar to cancel one of them.

 

Check the price regularly, also after your booking if you have free cancelation. If the price goes down, cancel and rebook right away. I did that on a booking recently, and saved the 2500 baht difference on a 4 night stay just by cancelling and re-booking the same hotel.

[SeanK]

For me, I find Agoda is good for last minute(week) deals and since I have genius status (10% discount) with booking.com, I used them for advance hotels. But do shop around if you have the time. I normally use Agoda in the Phillipines as the hotel is already paid so I dont have to deal with giving my credit card over.

[joeyb]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned TripAdvisor. It gets the price from Agoda, Expedia, and a few other sites. However, you often get better rates by logging in, so TripAdvisor should really only be used as an indicator to see what the various sites are offering. Always make sure to log in or use the mobile apps from Agoda and others.

 

Personally I find that Agoda is often the cheapest. After Agoda, Expedia seems to be the cheapest fairly frequently.

[keepitfun]

I'm historically an Expedia user but have been trying Hotels Combined recently which then comes up with the price from the Agodas and Expedias of the world...Agoda does seem to have good prices.

[Gibsons1]

The Agoda app is offering a 10% discount on many Bangkok hotel rooms right now. If you click on the room that you want and get to the page where you fill out your name, address, credit card number, etc. scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "Promotions." It will then either say that the promotion is available or not for that particular hotel. If it is, just click on it and proceed. You should see a 10% difference in the price. This should also be the all inclusive price with taxes and fees.

 

According to the site, you can only use this once. I noticed that it was not available for any of the Sheraton properties but it was available for the Landmark and the Grand Swiss. Saves about 3000 baht on a 4 night stay at the Landmark vs. booking directly with the hotel.

 

My apologies to the original poster for the slight TF.

 

 

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Can anyone confirm this?  I just downloaded the Agoda app but I'm not far ahead enough to book...  The S Sukhumvit Suites seem to be a better price on the app.  I know this hotel is very close to Soi Cowboy.

 

Anyone know if Sacha's Hotel Uno is Guest Friendly?  One of the higher rated hotels at a decent price. 

[smithzac91]

Here's a couple of screenshots of the Agoda app showing S Sukhumvit Suites for my dates. The difference in price is shown before and after clicking on the "Promotions" tab.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Gibsons1]

Unsure if you've booked through them before (and have loyalty points or something) but when I check Promotions, there's nothing there.

Edited July 19, 2017 by Gibsons1