Discount Hotels – Best Website for Booking
Discount hotels are one of the primary ways I save money when traveling. I use various websites to find the best deals for cheap hotels. I primarily use Hotels.com, Expedia, Booking.com, or Agoda. When selecting the most reliable platform for making my reservations, I consider the following criteria:
Pricing: I’m looking for exclusive discounts or lower prices when using various booking platforms. Consistent savings in this area are sure to win me as a customer.
User-Friendliness: The website must be easy to navigate. When planning a trip, I want to spend less time figuring out how a website works; I want to book my trip.
Customer Service: Customer service is tremendously important to me. I need it to be reliable. I am from Florida, and Tropical Storms or hurricanes pop up when I book a trip. Sometimes, my plans have to change, and I need to count on customer service to make things right.
Loyalty Programs: One way I save money traveling is to take advantage of various loyalty programs. So, I try to find websites that offer the best rewards for my travel.
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Introduction to Hotels.com and Its Features
Hotels.com was one of the leaders in booking discount hotels because it offers a wide range of accommodations worldwide.
The search functionality is simple. You enter the details of your trip, where you’re going, and which dates, and the platform does the rest.
Like Expedia, various filters allow you to customize your search results according to your preferences.
Deals are also updated regularly, making finding affordable options easier. The Deals section lets you quickly find discount hotel rates and last-minute offers, making it easier for folks like us to find budget-friendly accommodations.
The old Hotels.com Rewards program gave you a free night for every ten nights booked, which was great for saving money on trips. However, Hotels.com seems more flexible with reward redemption in terms of being user-friendly when booking discount hotels. Redeeming rewards across different properties and price ranges stood out on this platform.
Hotels.com vs. Expedia
When Hotels.com began in 1991, you had to call them on the telephone to book a hotel reservation. As more and more services joined the online realm, Hotels.com needed to do the same. The wide range of accommodations, including luxury and discount hotels, made this platform one of the more popular ones.
Even though Expedia bought Hotels.com in 2001, Hotels.com primarily focuses on hotels, offering more specialized search options and deals, whereas Expedia covers flights, car rentals, and vacation packages alongside hotel bookings. The user experience on Hotels.com is more streamlined for finding discount hotels.
Hotels.com: Customer Service
For Customer Support, scroll to the bottom of the website and click Contact Us. This takes you to the Help Center, where you can search for your specific issue and receive step-by-step guidance on resolving it. If that doesn’t help, call the customer service number or click the Help bubble at the bottom right corner to begin a live chat session.
Your customer service experience will go smoother if you do the following:
- Have your booking confirmation number ready.
- Be clear about your issue or question.
- Use the live chat for quicker, less complex inquiries.
Unfortunately, like many other companies, Hotels.com has outsourced much of its customer support, which has led to many frustrated customers. Many users are now complaining about customer service’s inability to understand the problem or how to fix it with issues like double bookings.
When a trip is accidentally booked twice, for example, it should be simple to cancel one. I’ve done this through Expedia several times. However, customers are complaining that they weren’t able to get their refund or that the wrong reservation was canceled.
Hotels.com Product Reviews
Most online product reviews for Hotels.com have been positive for years, but lately, the reviews have been less favorable. Some customers complain that the company refused to refund them after having to change or cancel their reservations. Others complain that the hotel won’t change their room or refund them when the room doesn’t meet their expectations.
One of the most significant problems that services like Hotels.com have is taking the blame for other companies. As the third party providing booking services, customers often criticize the service for things like messy rooms, stench, general disorder, or credit card charges. The booking service isn’t responsible for things beyond the booking process.
Another big complaint is that the old rewards program is gone, and OneKey Cash has taken over. Customers are not happy about this change. It seems to take a lot more to get the benefit now, and honestly, OneKey is not my favorite, I agree with those complaints.
Conclusion
Despite negative reviews, Hotels.com is still an effective way of booking hotels online. What happens between you and the hotel after booking is entirely separate from the website’s service offerings. It’s rare to find a company that doesn’t have occasional hiccups in customer service or other areas. I think the benefits of the service outweigh the negatives in this case. It’s still an excellent way to find discount hotels.
The interface is user-friendly and offers many choices when looking for somewhere to stay. While it did merge with Expedia, Hotels.com still provides a unique brand that caters to folks like us who enjoy traveling on a budget.