1) Booking Fees and Commission
When you make bookings via online booking sites hotels need to pay commission between 10 % to 25 % of the total booking value! By calling the hotel directly hotels save on such commissions/fees and they would be happy to extend you a discount for such direct bookings.
If you have not done this before. Try calling or email the hotel directly and simply ask for a better rate, you can often get a deal!
2) Any Special occasion during the stay?
If it’s your wedding night, anniversary or birthday, hotels will try to accommodate your special day as best they can. But If you’re booking through a third party, don’t expect your request to have made it to the hotel.
And also hotels might not provide such amenities or facilities for bookings from the third party as they need to save on cost or commissions paid to these booking sites already.
3) Want to Amend or change your booking?
There would be occasions when you want to prepone or postpone your stay, But if you have made your booking via an online booking site then the hotel might not allow you to do this and they will simply ask you to make such changed directly from those booking sites. In some cases, you might have to pay a higher rate for the new date!
But if you have booked directly with the hotel then they would be happy to make such amendments as per availability and most importantly without any additional charges, hassles, difficulties or conditions.
4) Cancellations and No-Show Fees!
In case if you have to cancel your reservation and you are not falling into the free cancellation period then the online booking sites or OTA’s wont allow you for free cancellation as they have a strict cancellation policy.
On the other hand, if you have booked directly with the hotel than for genuine reasons they can wave off cancellations fees. Hotels also allow adjusting the cancellation fee or deposit which you have paid for any future stay of yours.
5) Don’t expect any special treatment if you booked via a discount site or OTA!
Hotels offer the best rooms or provide free upgrades to those guests who booked directly with them because it makes more financial sense due to the fact that no commission they have to pay for such OTA’s or discount sites.
6) You can be relocated to another hotel.
As a standard practice in the hotel industry the rooms are always overbooked, and if they cannot accommodate you due to an overbooking situation then the hotel should ( but not always ) find you alternative comparable accommodation nearby. And the first person to walk or move would be those who had booked them via an online travel site or discount site.
7) Are you particular about which room to book?
If you like corner rooms or top floor rooms or room with specific bed combinations (Twin / Double / Queen) then it is always better to book directly with the hotel preferably by their own website or phone/email. Nowadays the hotel’s website has a facility to choose the exact room numbers which you would like to stay that way making sure you have your rooms of your choice.
Nowadays the hotel’s website has a facility to choose the exact room numbers which you would like to stay that way making sure you have your rooms of your choice.
Also when you book directly with the hotel you are speaking to a staff of the hotel and they will try the best possible way to accommodate your request.
8) Looking for a room the same day?
If you are looking for a room for the same day then you should definitely call the hotel directly after late afternoon as by then any expected no-shows are usually known by the hotel and there is a higher chance of getting a better price. But if you book from an OTA then you don’t get such discounted rates.
9) Hotel’s full or sold out?
If you find a hotel sold out on any online booking or discount website then call the hotel directly because most of the hotel only list a portion of their room as online inventory this is because of the commission or charged by such sites.
10) Get additional benefits when booking directly.
Hotels encourage direct bookings they provide benefits like free wifi, breakfast, free pick-up and drop, free lounge access etc. for those guests who book directly with them.