Why You Should Use Booking.com
If you’re looking for accommodation in an exact location, a price match guarantee, free cancellation, a safe and reliable app that’s easy to use with no hidden fees, booking.com is for you.
The hotel booking website is available in 43 languages and offers over 28 million accommodation listings! Making it easy for you to find the best deal for your choice of accommodation.
And they have a vast search criterion, so you can search by what’s most important for you.
Booking.com has been around since 1996, beginning life as a small start-up in Amsterdam.
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Two Reasons Why I Will Always Use And Recommend Booking.com
Booking.comTen years ago, I reserved a room for a couple of nights in Morocco. A few weeks before we were due to arrive, booking.com contacted me and said the hotel had overbooked.
We were given the choice of our money back or a better hotel at no extra cost to us. Of course, we opted for the better hotel. It was as straightforward as that. And when we arrived, the hotel was so good we booked to stay another couple of nights.
Fast forward to 2020, when Covid and lockdowns stopped travel.
I had reserved an apartment with booking.com. When I realised travel wasn’t possible I contacted the owner of the apartment. Three days later, the money was back in my bank. Every penny of it, and I hadn’t even needed to ask.
Unbelievable, given how the airlines were doing their utmost to hold onto our cash!
These are just two instances, ten years apart. The mark of a good company is not that things always run smoothly. It’s how they fix issues when things don’t go according to plan.
Booking.com couldn’t have handled either instance better, which is why I will always book my accommodation with them. And why I never hesitate to recommend them.
Booking.com’s Price Match Guarantee
Booking.com offer a price match guarantee. If you find the same hotel, same accommodation type and cancellation policy on the dates you’ve reserved, cheaper on any other online hotel reservation app booking.com will price match.
So if you’re searching for the best price for your accommodation, the booking.com website is the place to look.
Booking.com Offers Free Cancellation On Lots of Properties
A large percentage of accommodations advertised on booking.com offer free cancellation. Not all; you need to check free cancellation is provided before you reserve, but it’s on the front page of the hotel description, and it’s easy to find.
If you prefer, you can set your search criteria to only show hotels with free cancellation.
Check how long the free cancellation period lasts. The last date you can cancel is shown next to the cost on the pricing page.
Some hotels offer free cancellation right up until noon on your day of arrival.
Many Rooms Require No Prepayment
Many hotels offer a no prepayment service. Most ask for your credit card details, but no money is taken from your card until you check into the hotel.
Some hotels offer you the option to make your reservation without a credit card. You can set the search criteria to show only hotels that can be booked without a credit card.
Booking.comThere’s Small Print, Of Course, But No Hidden Extras
What you see is what you get. There are no additional extras when you get to the checkout screen.
However, you need to be aware of local taxes, which are out of booking.com’s control. These will be shown on the payment screen, along with details of how to pay.
The Genius Loyalty Program Offers Big Savings
The Booking Genius program offers discounts, upgrades and free stuff at selected hotels, so it’s worth signing up for.
After two hotel stays reserved through booking.com in two years, you’ll automatically be placed onto Level 1 of the Genius program. This gives you a 10% discount, pre-tax on all bookings.
You’ll automatically be placed on Level 2 of the Genius program after 5 hotel stays, reserved through booking.com in 2 years.
Level 2 gives you 10% – 15% discounts, complimentary breakfasts and upgrades where available.
Look for the hotels displaying the Genius button when making your booking to grab the deals. Who doesn’t like to get free stuff and a discount!
Booking.com Has So Many Different Types Of Accommodation To Choose From
It’s not just hotels on offer at booking.com. You can choose from all types of accommodation from treehouses, hostels, homestays, condos, cottages and even boats if they’re available.
Booking.com Make It Very Easy To Search For Exactly What You Want
Booking.com have endless search criteria. But that doesn’t mean it’s difficult to use. You can search by accommodation type, price, location, hotel and room facilities, star rating, review score, accessibility and much more.
Booking.com’s Website is Very User Friendly
Booking.com is an incredibly user-friendly hotel booking website. As well as having endless search options, you can dive straight into the destination page and see everything they have to offer for your chosen area. From there, you can narrow it down as much as you wish.
A convenient feature is the ‘show on map’. So you can see what attractions are close to your chosen accommodation.
Everything You Need To Know Is Stated Clearly
There’s no small print waiting to cost you more at the end of the booking process.
Everything is very clearly labelled. Booking.com make it very easy to see what you can expect with no hidden charges.
Booking.comIt’s Easy To Contact Booking.com’s Customer Service Department
The customer service department at booking.com is excellent. You’ll get a prompt reply to your query, usually within an hour.
Booking.com offers live chat, telephone help, and when your reservation has been confirmed, you can directly contact your accommodation.
Booking.com Have Your Back If You Have An Issue With Your Accommodation
If your hotel is nothing like the description or your room is so bad it’s uninhabitable, booking.com are on the end of the phone to sort out your issues.
This doesn’t mean you can move accommodation if you change your mind or don’t like the room. You must have a genuine cause for complaint.
You’ll Get Immediate Confirmation On Your Reservation
When you place your reservation, you’ll get immediate confirmation that your accommodation has been reserved. As soon as your booking has been placed, you’ll receive an ‘awaiting confirmation’ email. Within minutes you’ll receive your confirmation.
Your Questions Will Be Answered Directly By Your Chosen Accommodation
Once you’ve made your reservation, you can contact your accommodation through the booking.com site. All queries are answered directly by the hotel, so you should receive a quick reply.
If you want to request a room on a specific floor, ask about parking, or organise a late check-in, you can feel confident your query has been answered by the people at your chosen accommodation.
The Guest Review System Helps You Pick Your Best Accommodation
Find out what customers thought of the hotel from the guest review system, great if you’re struggling to choose from a few similar hotels.
You can search the guest review system by facilities, cleanliness, location, value for money, comfort and staff.
You’ll find all sorts of unfiltered comments. Unless it falls outside of booking.com’s terms and conditions, a hotel can’t remove bad comments. So you’ll tend to get an accurate picture of the hotel.
Guaranteed Genuine Customer Reviews
Unlike TripAdvisor, you can only leave a review on a booking.com room if you used the app to book your accommodation.
TripAdvisor is notorious for people leaving both good and bad reviews at hotels they’ve never visited, let alone spent the night at.
Why You Should Leave Your Own Review
At the end of your stay, booking.com will send you a request to review your visit. If you’ve used the review section to help you make your own booking, you know how important honest reviews are.
Please leave accurate feedback. No one needs to know the eggs weren’t cooked to your liking or the wardrobe door squeaked if you opened it fully! Leave reviews that you would find helpful when choosing your accommodation.
Booking.comWill You Choose Booking.com?
I travel a lot and use booking.com for 99% of my hotel bookings. Having tried several hotel booking apps, I can confirm, booking.com is head and shoulders above the rest.
Their pricing, reliability, safety, and the knowledge that they have my back if something goes wrong allow me to travel with peace of mind, especially when travelling solo.
After using booking.com for more than ten years and never once been disappointed with their service, I confidently use and recommend them.
If you want the promise of an easy to use booking app you can trust, take a look at booking.com.
Knowing you’ll get a good deal with their low price options, price match guarantee, and free cancellation, why not give them a try?
Karen Smedley has been travelling long term for over 20 years.