Caribbean Vacation: Beware of Online Booking
Part 1: Making the Booking
While searching for travel deals, you land at the web site of an online booking agency. Now what do you do next? Proceed carefully. You want to know why? Follow me as I tell you about my recent experience using an online booking agency. This information will show you how to use online bookings to get great prices.
Last November I attended a seminar in Vancouver, Canada. Having to reserve accommodation long before the event, I did what any web savvy traveler would do. I did a search on Google — the Internet search engine.
First, I searched using the keyword “Vancouver” to check on available accommodation. Then I searched on “Vancouver downtown” — the seminar location. This showed me most of the available accommodation for the downtown core. I then scanned the listings by clicking on a few links. My accommodation choice ranged from hostels to bed and breakfast inns, and motels to hotels.
I zeroed in on places that suited my budget. Being cheap my nature, I selected about five places that offered at least a bed and a bathroom, but didn’t cost much. After reviewing the various rooms and services provided by the five hotels, I selected one located within a walking distance of fifteen minutes from the seminar venue. I did a further search on the hotel’s listing, clashing head on with an online booking agency.
My trip to Vancouver happened during the low travel season. Actually, it was on the cusp of the low season and the high season. Rates are normally cheaper during the low season. If at all possible plan your vacations with this in mind. You could get some terrific bargains.
The booking agency listed some attractive rates for my preferred hotel. I felt lucky. I decided, however, to look up reviews by previous guests to this hotel. I found mixed reviews, but I liked the positive ones.
Based on the encouraging reviews, I booked the hotel through the agency’s online reservation service. I chose the lowest rate possible because I couldn’t bring myself to pay top price for a room that I will only use for about eight hours a day. Also, it was 4.5 times lower than the rate of the hotel at the seminar venue.
Within minutes of my booking, I got confirmation of my booking by e-mail. The agency also sent a host of information that looked like legalese. Warnings about cancellation, penalty for late arrival, checkout times and so on. One sentence caught my attention. It said that “the rate is guaranteed for the first night.” I was curious because I planned on staying for four nights. Why would they only guarantee the first night. But I was too lazy to find out what they meant and I left it. I was happy to have such a good rate.
To be continued…