Online Travel agents.. good or stay away?

[rebremm99]

I’m the kind of person who always books flights and hotels directly from the airline/ hotel but am curious to know peoples experiences with online travel agents.
Im looking at a hotel I usually stay at in Portugal, and it’s nearly half the cost if I book with Alpharooms compared to directly from the hotel. Is this too good to be true? I’m scared I’ll book and something will go wrong lol.
So does anybody on here use the likes of Alpharooms/ Hotels.com / Booking.com etc and can vouch? Would also love to know how they are able to offer such good prices!
Thanks

 

[Giggling Squid]

I always use booking.com or hotels.com as they’re often much cheaper... never had an issue, and their cancellation policies are usually much more flexible than going direct (although you do pay more, not as much more as direct often is )

 

[Welshgal]

I‘ve used booking.com and multiple German equivalents multiple times and never had an issue after I’ve booked with them. No idea why they’re so much cheaper tho.

Be sure to double check T&Cs and everything else as I’ve seen some sites wanting extra cash for using their website and/or a clause that they might change your flight from lets say BA to Ryanair. But I’ve only seen that once (and can’t remember the name of the site but it was a German one so shouldn’t matter).

Right now I do think going via a website is the best way to go as they usually over free changing or cheap cancellation if the situation changes drastically.
My bf and I have booked Gran Canaria via “schauinsland reisen” for the end of August but only because we got such a great deal and lots of safety nets if something happens Covid-wise.

Wishing you happy holiday planning and of course a great holiday!

 

[rebremm99]

Thanks for the replies! I like to book my own flights directly but going to give one of these hotel sites a go this time

 

[Former_Antelopee]

Mostly used online booking sites. I’ve used Expedia, booking.com, sunmaster and onthebeach. No issues with any.

 

[TJ90]

I’ve always used booking.com for city breaks, never had a bad experience with them

 

[Keikochan]

I work in the hotel/travel industry and so I can say without a hesitation booking.com & expedia are great. Never heard of Alpharooms but they prob have rates setup with the hotel & that's why it's such a good deal. Just check if breakfast is included, and if it's not then try pre book it cos it's usually cheaper that way then going pay as you go.