Booking overseas Hotel online - Major newbie

Charles80

In a few weeks time I am going to the states for a holiday with a few friends and family.

I have been put in charge of hotel booking but the problem is I haven't the foggiest idea how to book a hotel online. I am aware of the many sites available such as hotel.com and booking.com.

Some hotels state non refundable, does that mean if I book a hotel at a total cost of £1200 and later change my mind, do I lose my £1200?

Also my credit card has a limit of £800, can I still book a £1200 hotel stay with that as I am hoping to pay the hotel in cash when I arrive.

Plus how do check ins work, if the flight arrives at 4:00pm but hotel check in closes at 3:00pm what do I do in such a scenario.

Any advice, in any form, preferably in English, would be greatly appreciated.

richardw

Yes you'd lose £1200.

Read the hotel's terms and conditions to see if they accept payments in cash. The hotel may want a credit card per room to secure any extras.

Check in is from 3pm until reception closes, there could be a night porter if you're later.

blindman

Charles80 wrote: »

In a few weeks time I am going to the states for a holiday with a few friends and family.

I have been put in charge of hotel booking but the problem is I haven't the foggiest idea how to book a hotel online.

So whos bright idea was that

Where are you going?

You can book direct with the hotel instead of going via Booking.com etc.

Check in time is really arbitary, if you room is ready when you arrive before 3Pm you may be able to check in.

Check in never really closes. if you are really late (next day about 07:00) you may find the booking cancelled as you are a no show.

If you have guaranteed the booking with a credit card you should be fine.
Though, again if you are mega late (past midnight say) and the hotel is full you may not have a room!
In that case the hotel are obliged to find you one!!

Credit card is used to hold the room and if you no show then you will "only" be charged the first night (usually) so £800 should do.

Paying the bill by cash should not be a problem though I'd mention it on arrival and be prepared to pay in full at that time.

Depends on the hotel though.

heatherw_01

Some hotel bookings you pay up front the whole amount depending on the hotel

Voyager2002

Best advice is not to rush it. Read the instructions on each site and look at the T and Cs before you commit yourself to anything. Rooms are likely to be available until you travel and prices are not going to increase by much, so resist the temptation to grab a bargain until you have checked out prices elsewhere.

It is worthwhile registering with a site such as TopCashBack, since they are likely to pay you back something like ten per cent of the total spend on the hotel booking. My experience was mainly with Hotels.com and Agoda: note that one of these displays the total price of the room, while the other only adds on the tax at the last stage before payment. So you need to site down with a pen and paper, but NOT a credit card, and list the hotels that you would like and what they would cost if booked through the different sites. Trivago can be useful for this since it shows prices if booked in different ways.

Once you are SURE that you have found the right hotel (and that everyone will be happy with it, and with the price) it is time to book. The hotel listing will probably give you the choice between paying for it all on your card, or making a reservation and paying when you arrive. Sometimes there is no choice, and you have to pay up-front: if this is the case then you could pay some money in to your card account and immediately use the funds to make the payment; or book using a debit card; or ask your credit card provider to increase your limit.

Before making the payment, do please check that your booking is for the right hotel and the correct dates: sometimes these sites change crucial details while you are getting ready to book.

michele-p

You have some good advice here, mine is to remember that hotels in the USA generally show their prices without tax, which can add up if you've forgotten to factor it in! We book quite a lot using booking.com and you will see there are some deals that are cancellable, and others that aren't, and some you pay now, some you pay at the hotel in their currency.

It's also worth contacting the hotel direct on email, to ask them for their best price. They will possibly match or better the price of the booking sites, and you will have told them i advance about how you want to pay.

Heedtheadvice

....and to extend all that good advice.....
Many hotels in the states do not work on cash (as suggested you can ask them) so a credit card with suitable levels of funding may be vital...and the same may be said if you also want to hire a car too, perhaps concurrently!

Do also consider travel insurance for all travellers as soon as or before the booking so that unforseen event are covered from the outset. It is worth reading the terms and conditions and considering all possibilities that may occur such as with booking methods where a third party is involved in the process as that might only be covered fully if you take optional extras that perhaps seem unlikely at the time but can come to pass (if you have the time read through the posts on the lowcostbeds collapse and complications there!).

I often favour (given good insurance cover) booking direct with providers but consider if booking through an agent for flight and your hotel (within 24 hours of each other , or a car or transfers) that ATOL cover should be provided if a UK travel agent so you can get reimbursed and repatriated if things go wrong.

It might seem a bit of a kill joy to have to consider these sort of things but can ease situations if there are failures, illnesses of close relatives etc but I would ask further advice for insurance where groups are involved.

Beware that the booking processes can be very simple up front on line but before booking you should investigate and be aware of who the providers are (flight, accommodation rather than the hotel itself) as there does seem to be a lack of up front transparency and sometimes many agents/companies involved in the booking.

Best safe rather than sorry and aware before committing like other posters suggest. Then have an enjoyable holiday

Charles80

Appreciate all the excellent advice.

Just a quick question, if I find a hotel I like and decide to book it, how does the payment work?

Hotel listed as GB£ on booking.com, do I basically pay what I have been quoted?

And if I go direct to the hotel's website, prices are listed in US$, so I guess a currency conversion will apply.

heatherw_01

For bookings where the hotel take the money in their currency, booking.com convert the rate on the date they take the money so say you were quoted £150 it could be ever so slightly more or less depending on the rate when they take the money

securityguy

"Also my credit card has a limit of £800"

Then you might be going to have problems. Booking.com worked very well for me this month (half a dozen US bookings, most for two or more rooms or more, mostly pay on departure, mostly cancellable) and hotels did a variety of things involving charging for, or pre-reserving, the first night or in some cases the whole stay at various points from booking through to T-2 days. And most hotels will reserve both the potential bill and some slack for incidentals on arrival.

"I am hoping to pay the hotel in cash when I arrive." Why not just get your credit card limit raised, or pay the hotel on arrival using a debit card?

securityguy

"Hotel listed as GB£ on booking.com, do I basically pay what I have been quoted?"

If you book on booking.com and pay the hotel direct, the forex risk is entirely yours, as are the transaction costs. Booking.com is just showing you an indicative price at current exchange rates. I booked hotels in April and paid last week, and the exchange movements were my problem.