Cheap holidays: Expert tips to find the best deal ‘savings can jump to 50%’

08/07/2022

Travel hack: Expert reveals why you shouldn't use a neck pillow

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

Finding the best and lowest hotel rate amongst the sea of online travel agency deals can be overwhelming at the best of times, and it can be hard to decide which route to go for and stick with. The internet is awash with different tips and tricks to help you get the lowest rate possible, so Express.co.uk spoke to experts at RatePunk to separate fact from fiction to get the best hotel deals.

It’s no secret that hotel prices vary a lot on different booking websites, and you most likely check at least a few before booking.

There are a fair few reasons for this – some in and out of your control – so it’s important to be aware of why prices change so you can use this to your advantage to get better deals.

Justin Albertynas, CEO and co-founder of RatePunk said: “By gathering information for RatePunk technology and searching for ways to improve it, we noticed some significant tendencies that fate the price that reaches the user.”

However, he continued: “From what we found, it seems like it’s nearly impossible to find the lowest hotel rate only by researching.”

Here are a few of the aspects that impact prices significantly and can’t be influenced simply through researching different hotels in a search engine.

Your location and IP address

Your current location and IP address have been found to significantly impact the hotel rates that appear for you after searching.

For example, those searching for hotels in the UK from a location in India often pay more than any European country does.

Mr Albertynas said: “Only because it’s statistically known that travellers from there splash less during the vacation itself (hotel restaurants, souvenirs, SPAs, etc.).”

Countless booking websites

The sheer number of booking websites also largely impacts holidaymaker’s experience in finding the best rate.

Mr Albertynas said: “Because of the different contracts that hotels make with the booking websites, the price difference between them is often huge. Really huge.

“From our experience, savings can jump to 50 percent (or even more) just by comparing different suppliers for the same room.

“You think you found a great price on Agoda? How can you be sure that it doesn’t cost £100 less on Hotels.com or any other provider? The thing is, you can’t without checking them all.”

Illusional loyalty to one online travel agency (OTA)

Saving by being loyal to one OTA is one of the biggest myths out there, according to RatePunk.

Mr Albertynas said: “‘Your genius level is third, so you’ll always get better prices now’. Even Genius 3 members on Booking, for example, sometimes pay much more than it would cost on another provider or what it would cost after signing out from your account.

“It’s like getting that great purchase 40 percent off on Black Friday, although the prices were just increased the day before.”

Being loyal often limits your choices because you’re feeling sure about getting the lowest price, but booking websites can rarely guarantee that the price will always be lower than on 1000 other OTAs.

DON’T MISS:
Flights: How to get the ‘perfect plane seat’ for free [EXPLAINED]
Pilot shares what actually happens if you don’t switch off mobile [INSIGHT]
Airport travel chaos warning: Disaster delays could last into 2023 [ANALYSIS]

Mr Albertynas said: “Our developers have been surprised with this every time they find a lower rate after signing out and not by choosing the prices offered to their loyal account.”

Rates on mobile vs desktop

The prices also significantly vary depending on which device you’re booking from.

Mr Albertynas said: “Booking.com, for example, has special prices on mobile devices for some hotels. But you don’t even need the booking website to have this feature: the prices still often vary.”

Hidden taxes and fees

Various taxes and fees are included in the price of your stay, which isn’t a problem. It’s the sites that don’t always include this in the whole price displayed on the website.

Mr Albertynas said: “Expedia, as an example, shows prices without taxes, and that’s why they seem lower than on competitors’ websites.”

Random price increases

This tip has been known for longer, but if you keep searching for the same flights and hotels from the same device, the price increases.

However, the solution often provided, which is to browse with the incognito mode on, is more like a placebo effect.

Mr Albertynas said: “We tested out a bunch of hotels with and without incognito mode and on different devices, but there was no noticeable tendency, so we dare to go out on a limb and say that it’s a bit fake news.”

So, what can you do to beat the algorithm and find the best deal available for your budget?

Mr Albertynas told Express.co.uk five tips to finding a better deal:

Check as many different websites as possible. The more you check, the bigger the chances are you’ll find a lower price.
Try downloading VPN and connecting to IP addresses of different countries.
After choosing your desired hotel, check the prices on both mobile and desktop versions.
Even if you’re a loyal client of one booking website, check the prices after signing out before confirming the booking.
You can give RatePunk a try by installing it for free on Chrome, Safari, or your iOS system.

Source: Read Full Article