Buzz
In the current era of constant Internet growth, various service needs have evolved. One prominent example is the choice of many young travelers or travel groups to opt for online hotel booking services.
However, amidst the advantages, there are instances of fraud, high expenses, and bookings on unreliable websites leading to the loss of deposit funds.
To address these challenges, Ryan shares an article on experiences and guidance for online hotel booking during travels, aiming to assist you in safeguarding your budget and avoiding scams in the realm of online hotel reservations.
Tips for Ensuring Safe Online Hotel Bookings
Choosing a Reliable OTA Provider
Experiences in Online Hotel Booking – Selecting a Trustworthy OTA
In Vietnam, numerous companies operate under this model, each with its unique strengths. International OTAs like Booking.com (recommended for European trips) and Agoda.com (widely used in Asia) are prominent choices. Domestically, options include Chudu24, Mytour, iVIVU, among others.
Travel Diary suggests considering Agoda for your adventures as it is a reputable and long-standing brand in Vietnam. An additional advantage is Agoda's extensive international user base, providing familiar and reliable quality assessments in their reviews. You can find valuable information to verify the hotel's actual services in these reviews.
Budget Planning
Experiences in Online Hotel Booking – Preparing Budget in Advance
Depending on your travel purpose, decide the amount you are willing to spend on accommodation. For budget trips, consider affordable hotels in the range of 200-300k VND per room. In these journeys, you usually return to the hotel only when it's dark, for bathing and resting.
For leisure-focused trips prioritizing relaxation, opt for hotels or resorts located far from the city center. Choose places with spacious surroundings and beautiful scenery to completely detach from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
Selecting Hotel Categories
Experiences in Online Hotel Booking – Choosing Hotel Categories Wisely
After compiling a list of hotels, read reviews from fellow travelers to choose the most suitable one. Once you've established criteria groups, proceed to select hotels that match each other (in terms of price, service quality, and your specific criteria). At this stage, you can choose around 5 hotels for comparison.
Booking with Groupon
Certain group-buying websites like nhommua, cungmua, hotdeal, often offer accommodation service coupons at highly favorable prices. However, when purchasing these coupons, pay attention to the included and excluded services. Also, compare prices with other online booking websites and the hotel's official website.
Thoroughly Check Hotel Information
Except for a few small hotels, most hotels and resorts have their own websites to showcase images and list room prices online. Use search tools to cross-verify information, ensuring accuracy, consistent images, correct addresses, and price consistency. For reputable hotels, this information is usually quite consistent, allowing you to proceed with confidence.
For reputable hotels, this information is usually relatively consistent. At this point, you can proceed with confidence to complete the payment.
Payment
After selecting your preferred room, fill in the necessary information and proceed to payment. Once the payment is confirmed and completed, you will receive a booking confirmation via email. Print this voucher and present it to the receptionist when you check in.
To make online payments, you can use a Visa Debit card (opened at any bank and activated for online payments).
Additional Considerations
Additional Notes
After receiving the booking confirmation voucher, if you have any further questions regarding additional services (airport transfer, breakfast, extra bed, etc.), you can directly contact the hotel using the provided phone number on the voucher.
Always remember to bring the Visa card used for booking. If someone else made the reservation for you, you can request a blurred scan showing only the last 4 digits of the card.
Typically, most hotels do not inquire about this issue, but it's advisable to be prepared to avoid potential complications as this is Agoda's policy.
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates are one of the foundations for evaluating the trustworthiness of online booking websites. Additionally, you can use search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc., for further research.
Don't overly rely on advertising images
The hotel images on booking websites are often stunning, making you want to stay there immediately. It's understandable; anyone would showcase the best pictures. However, these images are mainly illustrative and tend to be deceptive. Therefore, it's essential to be more discerning before booking hotels online anywhere.
Researching Destination Information
Some travelers suggest consulting those who have been to your desired destination. According to them, before embarking on any trip, it's essential to gather insights from adventure forums or reliable travel websites. Create a topic with questions like which hotel to choose, what to eat, and where to go. You'll receive helpful guidance from those who have been there before.
Just take a few minutes to ask questions and wait for responses. Afterward, delve deeper into the recommended places to reduce the risk of hotel booking scams. By following this approach, you'll be more prepared and less susceptible to fraudulent activities.
Through the shared information on online hotel booking experiences during adventurous trips, readers can draw conclusions to protect themselves and their families from the prevalent issue of scams. Don't forget to follow the adventure travel section for the latest updates.
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Posted by: Phạm Nguyên Tuấn
Keywords: Tips and guidance for booking hotels online while traveling
