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Guaranteed Best Price and Service - Book Direct with your favorite Hotel. BIG Booking Sites charge hotels up to 22% for booking a room at a hotel they don't own.
Don't trust a Digital Booking Middle Man !
Don't trust a Digital Booking Middle Man !
Booking Sites do not provide the best price or service
Book with People in the Hospitality Business
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AHLA PositionTransparency, consumer choice, and guest satisfaction are at the core of the hotel industry’s business model. AHLA is raising awareness among consumers, Congress, and federal agencies to make sure guests have all the necessary information prior to booking their hotel reservations. With so many ways to book a reservation, it’s important to make sure consumers understand how to slow down, search smarter and make the best decisions throughout the booking process for themselves and their families. Consumers should know what to look for before they book a hotel reservation.
Info from AHLA: Key StatsOnline booking scams are on the rise as fraudulent websites and call centers continue to trick consumers.
- Consumers are being increasingly misled into making hotel reservations through fraudulent websites and call centers operated by third-party affiliates of online booking agencies – giving the false appearance of being a hotel’s website.
- In 2015, just 6% of travelers reported booking on what they believed was a hotel’s official website, only to find they had booked on a fraudulent site not affiliated with the hotel. Just two years later, the number of travelers who have experienced this has nearly quadrupled to 22%.
- That amounts to 55 million hotel bookings of this type each year, translating to some $3.9 billion in bad bookings.
- As consumers increasingly move to mobile booking, smaller screens also make it harder for consumers to differentiate between the scam site and the legitimate hotel’s website.
- Many consumers shop with online travel agencies, third-party affiliate sites – or, “digital middle men” – because they believe these sites present them with the best deals and allow them to compare all the options.
- In reality, these sites can present consumers with a series of false choices and misleading marketing messages that can lead to incredibly aggravating experiences and ruined vacations.
- False Choices – The overwhelming majority of consumers (74%) are unaware that they’re just comparing between the same two companies: Expedia and Priceline.
- Expedia owns thousands of online affiliates, including Trivago, Travelocity, Hotwire, Hotels.com, Egencia, CarRentals.com, Classic Vacations – controlling 75% of the online travel marketplace.
- Priceline owns Kayak, Booking.com, Agoda, Rentalcars.com as well as thousands of online affiliates.
- Together, Expedia and Priceline control 95% of the online travel market.
- False Discounts – Recent data shows 79% of consumers use “digital middle men” because they believe they will find better deals. That belief is fueled by misleading marketing practices like “slash” or deep discounted pricing, which is not based on an actual room rate set by the hotel. Booking directly with the hotel results in a better value for consumers.
- False Sense of Urgency – Almost half of consumers (45%) have reported being influenced by messages that say: “Only 2 rooms left!” These messages aren’t based on the full room inventory from the hotel. They’re just marketing tactics used to make consumers book faster. By going directly to the hotel website, you will ensure you’re getting the most accurate information.
For more information: info@bookdirect.online
