How to tap into the best hotel accommodation deals
Friday, 24 October 2014 by Mark Sandiford
The UK's online version of the Daily Mail published
this post on booking a hotel direct to get the best deal and
what the article presented, may surprise. The following quote is
from this article...
"Powerful operators such as
booking.com and hotels.com are hard to ignore - they
flag up best-price guarantees, and if you search for a hotel on
Google, agencies often come up at the top of the
results.
But the editors of the well-respected Good Hotel Guide argue
that people should book direct, thus cutting out the
middleman.
Why?
There are two main reasons. First of all, commission fees
hotels pay to agents (typically about 18 per cent) inflate costs,
which guests end up paying.
Secondly, with small, independent UK hotels, you may be able
to get a better deal if you deal directly with the staff."
While this article focuses on UK accommodation properties, we
believe the points they make are equally valid in NZ. Online agencies charge hotels
anything from 12% - 25% commission and sometimes more. That money
has to come from somewhere.
Another advantage that accrues to a directly booked guest is
when it comes to changing a reservation - it's easy for front desk
staff to make those alterations. However, if the booking has been
made via a 3rd party then any refunds or waiving (if
any) of cancellation fees must be made via the original booking
site.
Even more so for small independent hotels like the Kiwi International where front desk staff have the
flexibility to waive cancellation or amendment fees without
reference to higher authority. We're far more
compassionate when events conspire against you than a giant
computer in some far off country.
Another advantage of booking
direct with the hotel, by phone or email, is that you can request a
specific room or a particular part of the hotel e.g. for the view
or a quiet spot. That can't normally be done with an online
agent.
At times of high demand hotels may block off rooms so there will
be no availability on booking websites - including their own - but
when phoning to book, space miraculously becomes available.
And best price guarantees?
Have you ever heard of anyone actually getting a refund?
It would be a fair bet that most often your best price will be
achieved booking directly especially with a smaller independent
hotel.
At Kiwi Hotel we care
about how and why our guests book with us and it is important for
us to know and directly connect with them. That is why we value the
direct approach. The interaction gives us valuable insights on the
service we deliver and in return we reward the one-on-one approach
by being a flexible and compassionate provider.
For service, price and value
that's the best of an already best deal, Kiwi Hotel is hard to beat.
Book direct, stay central
and be the master of your own accommodation and booking
destiny. With a smaller independent hotel your word
and your business is just as important to us as a larger, agency
booking.
To experience first hand hassle free booking why not give our team a call and find out for yourself
the Kiwi Hotel way of getting things done.
We empower our staff to make decisions that enhance customer
experience so our staff are experienced in dealing with one-on-one
situations and do not need to seek manager approval. This gives you
a quicker result and more personalised attention.
It's simply our Kiwi Hotel way of doing things.