Is it safe to shop at Hoteles.com? - Opinions hoteles.com

There are a lot of online travel agencies (OTAs). OTA = Online Travel Agency.

Websites such as BookingPriceline, agoda and Expedia offer you a plenty of options for booking flights, hotels, cruises or package holidaysThe latter is one of the best ways to use an OTA to save money.

Hotels.com is one of the easiest and most user-friendly OTAs out there, but is it safe to buy from Hotels.com, what are the customer reviews of Hotels.com and is it reliable?

In this post we find out all about it.

Hoteles.com offers a wide selection of hotels, with a search function and customisation filters that could be compared to the search tool of Google Flight.

Hotels.com offers discounted "secret rates" to its membersThe hotel also has an internal loyalty programme that compensates to a large extent for the fact that you cannot accumulate hotel elite points or credits for nights booked through an OTA.

But all that glitters is not gold. Hotels.com is an American travel agency, its main market is there, in the United States.

And we can say that in Europe or outside the United States their performance and conditions are not so good..

It can still be an option in certain cases, especially if you want to travel and book hotels in the USA.

Let's see how to best use this platform and how to get the most value out of your offers. At the end of the post you will find a discount code 8% to book at Hoteles.com.

Why book through Hoteles.com?

There is several reasons to book through an online travel agency such as Hoteles.com.

The first is the Customer ServiceHowever, this can be a double-edged sword.

On the one hand, in the event of a problem, such as an overbooked hotel or a maintenance emergency in your room, booking through Hotels.com means that you can contact their customer service and they will advocate on your behalf to try to find a solution.

This may be easier than trying to deal with the hotel on your own.

On the other hand, it means that there is an intermediary between you and the travel provider. This can make it difficult for the hotel to re-accommodate you, and may even mean that an extra step has to be taken to try to solve the problem..

The second reason is to find a lower price on your hotel, or book a package holiday to try and save on both the hotel and the flight.

Often, the price offered by OTAs for hotels is the same as what you can get by booking directly with the hotel, especially if the hotel offers price matching.

As per experts at Location moto bordeaux, In many cases, an OTA such as Hotels.com can get an additional discount for its customers.

Is it safe to shop at Hoteles.com?

Book your next trip on hotels.com is very safe.

As a result, it is one of the largest and most active booking sites in the world, which means they are well equipped to handle a wide range of queries and potential problems safely.

We can affirm to 100% that it is safe to buy on hotels.com.

They have an encrypted and secure payment system so there is a guarantee of reliable payment and no possibility of losing the reservation amount.

That said, many customers complain of problems with their bookings upon arrival.

Opinions Hoteles.com

The reviews of hotels.com are bad. Let's be honest.

There are many dissatisfied customers on the web.

In trustpilot has a score of 1.3 out of 5 with over 7000 reviews from customers who have used hotels.com.

Comments and opinions like these:

The web is awash with bad experiences with Hotels.com.

Opinions hotels.com in opinionesespaña.com

Can I cancel my Hotels.com booking and get a refund?

The possibility of cancelling your reservation will depend on the conditions of the hotel you are staying at and not on the conditions set by the hotel. Hotels.com.

Cancellation details are included in your booking confirmation and are provided both before you make your purchase and in your confirmation email.

It is very important to read all these conditions before confirming and paying for the booking.

Hotels have different room rates that come with different cancellation options. The cheapest rooms are almost always non-refundable.

Some rooms must be cancelled before a certain deadline. And some rooms can only be cancelled after payment of a cancellation fee.

You may not be able to cancel or get all your money back depending on the provider's cancellation policies.

If you want to cancel the hotel reservation you have made through Hoteles.comYou can do this by accessing your online bookings or by contacting their customer service by sending an email to [email protected]. or by calling 0800 783 2390 or 0203 027 6612 from a mobile phone.

If you can cancel and get a refund, the amount and the time it takes to reach your account depends on the type of booking and how you have paid.

Hotels.com Rewards Programme

The rewards programme of Hotels.com is simple and easy to understand.

Other hotel programmes such as Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy have complex award charts and point earnings are linked to your level of membership.

Whereas with Hotels.com, when you stay 10 nights in any hotel booked through the website, you will win 1 free night.

There are no blackout dates or properties, which means you can use your free night anytime, anywhere.

The only stipulation is that the value of the free night cannot exceed the average of the previous 10 nights you accumulate.

Simply put, if you stay 5 nights in a 200 $ hotel and 5 nights in a 400 $ hotel, you can use your free night in a hotel costing up to 300 $. This way, you will get 10% back on all your bookings on Hotel.com.

However, if you want to use your free night in a hotel room that costs more than the maximum redemption value, you can simply pay the difference in price.

Still, that means you will at least get a discount for that night. You are also responsible for paying taxes and fees.

From 27 November 2019, you have to pay a 5$ redemption fee for each reward night you redeem. Although not ideal, there is a way to avoid this fee.

No redemption fee will be applied when redeeming reward nights using the Hotels.com app.

Secret prices

Like Orbitz Internal Pricing, Hotels.com offers "secret pricing" to its rewards members.

Although these are often modest discounts, in theory they can be as much as 50% off the rate offered elsewhere. In sample searches, we have found discounts from 5% to 10%.

Elite levels of rewards

For frequent travellers, Hotels.com offers its own version of elite status, although the benefits are not as generous as what you can get with a hotel's in-house programme.

For example, even Hotels.com's highest Gold status does not include popular perks such as late check-out or free breakfast. That said, there are still some useful perks.

There are two levels of elite membership: Silver and Gold. For Silver status, stay 10 nights in a calendar year; for Gold status, stay 30 nights.

Both levels include priority customer service, early access to some offers and some price guarantees that are more involved than those available to regular members. Gold members have exclusive access to some additional offers and room upgrades.

Book hotel nights at hoteles.com

To search for a hotel, first go to the home page. There is a search window in the top left corner. Select your destination, check-in and check-out dates, number of guests and number of rooms.

There is a drop-down menu to choose the number of rooms and guests; you may need to choose "more options" if you want to book for a large group. When you are ready, click on "search".

On the next page, you will find the search results. By default, the hotels are sorted by "Featured", which are determined according to an algorithm which takes into account price, reviews, location and much more.

In general, unless you have a specific property, price or neighbourhood in mind, the "Featured" list will seem quite reasonable.

This makes it easy to sort through what can be dozens or even hundreds of options in a large city. Just be sure to do your research, as Hotels.com is compensated for hotels that appear higher on its search list, although it is not the only factor.

If you want to re-sort the results, use the tools above the list of hotels. You can sort the results by price, star rating or guest rating.

If you are staying in a big city, sorting by "Distance" can be particularly useful, as it offers a comprehensive list of famous landmarks as well as "City Centre".

If you're not sure where to stay and you're not familiar with the city, this gives you some great location options.

In addition to reordering the results, you can filter using the options on the left hand side of the page. Popular filters include amenities such as free breakfast, free swimming pool and free parking.

When browsing the results, pay attention to the conditions below the price: if that hotel offers free cancellation or pay on check-in, it is indicated here.

Also, be sure to log in to your Hotels.com account or enter your email address to see the "secret prices". Hotels with this option will display a purple button above the listed price that says "Your secret price" Click the button to see what's on offer.

When comparing the secret prices with the prices offered to non-members, you usually find discounts from 5% to 10% per night. Most of these hotels offered discounts to non-members, but they were smaller discounts than the secret prices.

Book on hotels.com

While browsing the results, click on the "Choose room" button to see more information about the hotel or make a reservation. The next page provides many details about the hotel listed under the photo slideshow.

Scroll down to see the room types available. Be sure to read the information in the "Options" column, which includes cancellation and prepayment policies. Click "Book" next to the room and rate of your choice.

If prepayment is not required, a window appears comparing prepaid and pay-on-arrival rates. Choose what you prefer and click on "Pay now" or "Pay at the hotel".

On the next page, fill in your personal details, enter your payment information and review the terms and conditions, which include details of the cancellation policy. When you are ready, click on "Book".

Price guarantee

Like many OTAs, Hotels.com offers a Best Price Guarantee. If you find a cheaper, publicly available rate elsewhere after you've made your booking, Hotels.com will refund the difference.

While many sites such as Priceline require you to submit a price match request within 24 hours of booking, Hotels.com will accept requests made up to 23:59 hours the day before check-in.

An important piece of advice To file a complaint if you find the same room at a better price, call customer service at 800-246-8357.

Please note that price matching only applies to fares that are available to the general public. This excludes loyalty member-only fares, AAA or AARP fares and opaque booking fares (such as those you might find on Priceline Express Deals).

Prices

Although there is a best price guarantee, it is much easier to pay the best rate from the start. So how do Hotels.com rates compare with other sites?

To find out, we have looked at a few different hotels and dates at several different services. As an example, take a look at the following comparison for 5 nights at the San Francisco Marriott Union Square.

These include the best available cancellable fare, but exclude estimated taxes and fees, price ascending:

Site	Price
Priceline	$1,400.00
Marriott.com	$1,525.00
orbitz	$1,525.32
Hotels.com	$1,525.33
Amex Travel	$1,525.33

In this case, Priceline offered the best rate for a significant amount. In fact, Hotels.com was more expensive than everywhere else (albeit only by a few cents in most cases).

However, it is likely that Priceline offered a special rate or offer, as such large price discrepancies are unusual.

In other searches, Hotels.com often have similar or identical prices to other sites, and in some cases, the lowest rate.

Fashion suggestion Regardless of which booking service you want to use, you should always compare prices between several sites to find the lowest rate.

The lesson here is that different OTAs offer different rates at different hotels depending on offers, deals and so on. If you have a specific property or area in mind, the best practice is to compare prices using a few different sites.

Flights, holiday packages and activities

Hotels.com's promotional slogan is "the obvious choice" Another thing that is obvious is that they are in the business of booking hotels. Unlike other OTAs, such as Priceline and Orbitz, the website does not offer car rentals, cruises, etc.

However, despite their name, they do offer flights and package holidays: with a package, you can save some money by booking a flight and a hotel together.

He hotel packages are less complete than those offered by Costco Travel, but they are still valuable. You can even find a limited number of activities in certain cities.

A word of warning: package, flight and activity bookings are not eligible for Hotels.com Rewards credits, even if you include a hotel. Therefore, there does not appear to be any advantage to booking through their website rather than directly with the airline.

Important suggestion Even if you book a flight through their portal, you can still earn frequent flyer miles from the airline. Just make sure you enter your account number when booking.

Holiday packages

To search for package holidays, click on the "Menu" text in the top left corner of the home page, then click on the packages and flights link.

On the next page, click on the "Flight + Hotel" button. Enter your origin and destination, the departure and return dates, the number of people travelling and the number of rooms. Then click on "Search".

The results page starts with the hotels, listing them in "Featured" order. You can also sort them by price, guest rating or distance to the centre.

In addition, you can use the tools on the left to filter the results by property name, star rating, neighbourhood, amenities, property type or most popular locations.

Each result shows a price per person, representing the cheapest available flight, the lowest hotel rate and all taxes and fees.

Click on a result to see more details of the hotel. When you find one you want to book, scroll down to find available rooms.

Some rooms may show an additional price per night in addition to the rate shown on the results page, although there will be at least one "+ 0.00" option.

Next, choose your outbound flight, followed by your return flight. These are sorted by additional price: higher results are included in the price quoted, while flights that have an additional cost will be further down.

Where possible, they shall give priority to non-stop flights.

Check the details on the next page and click on "Book now". Enter your details on the next page, followed by payment, and you're all set!

In summary Hoteles.com offers a solid package holiday portal, although prices are similar to those of other OTAs. and you cannot collect their Reward credits. Note that bundling, while more convenient, may not be the cheapest option. So always compare several websites before booking.

Activities

Hoteles.com offers a portal through which you can book things like excursions or buy tickets.

When comparing the prices of several different products, they appeared to be the same as booking directly with the suppliers or with any other ticket seller.

If you are interested in looking at the options, navigate to the "Flights & Packages" area, then click on "Activities".

Discount code 8% at Hotels.com

With this discount code from 8% off you can book at hotels.com: CLP8ESOFF

Final Thoughts and Opinions Hotels.com

Hotels.com offers a powerful hotel search tool as well as a simple and easy-to-use rewards programme.

If you want to travel a few nights a year, especially in the United States, it may be worth booking with Hotels.com.

But otherwise we do not recommend booking with Hoteles.com because of the many complaints from customers with bad experiences and poor customer service.

As always, remember to compare prices before booking.