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Pattaya's hotel prices v Online booking agents


Pumpuynarak

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Well i booked me hotel for the 18th November boardie meet up with Agoda online as is usual but before booking i thought i'd call the hotel and enquire what their rate would be for exactly the same room.

Result - Agoda 1866bht per night inc tax, Hotel direct 2400bht per night inc tax.

I said to the hotel reservation clerk do you realise this anomaly and she said YES, i then replied will you match the online price, answer NO, i replied well ya won't get many customers booking direct with you then, no response. I said i'll see ya on the 18th.

Does anyone have an explanation as to why this is going on, there's gotta be something to it ? 

 

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4 minutes ago, Pumpuynarak said:

Well i booked me hotel for the 18th November boardie meet up with Agoda online as is usual but before booking i thought i'd call the hotel and enquire what their rate would be for exactly the same room.

Result - Agoda 1866bht per night inc tax, Hotel direct 2400bht per night inc tax.

I said to the hotel reservation clerk do you realise this anomaly and she said YES, i then replied will you match the online price, answer NO, i replied well ya won't get many customers booking direct with you then, no response. I said i'll see ya on the 18th.

Does anyone have an explanation as to why this is going on, there's gotta be something to it ? 

 

am impresed she knew what is anomaly.

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17 minutes ago, Pumpuynarak said:

Well i booked me hotel for the 18th November boardie meet up with Agoda online as is usual but before booking i thought i'd call the hotel and enquire what their rate would be for exactly the same room.

Result - Agoda 1866bht per night inc tax, Hotel direct 2400bht per night inc tax.

I said to the hotel reservation clerk do you realise this anomaly and she said YES, i then replied will you match the online price, answer NO, i replied well ya won't get many customers booking direct with you then, no response. I said i'll see ya on the 18th.

Does anyone have an explanation as to why this is going on, there's gotta be something to it ? 

 

Because she dont give a shit.

I used to stay at Areca and they usually matched any online offer when I emailed them directly.  Make sure you contact the person with authority, not the front desk girl.

 

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4 minutes ago, Thai Spice said:

Because she dont give a shit.

I used to stay at Areca and they usually matched any online offer when I emailed them directly.  Make sure you contact the person with authority, not the front desk girl.

 

I Thought you were way too highbrow for Pattaya? 😄

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It's always been the opposite for me for short stays in Thailand at hotels. Just this summer I walked into The Adelphi Suites in BKK and the Tonsak Resort on Koh Same and both were cheaper than any online booking site. Same when I used to walk into Caribbean island hotels years ago. Cheaper than booking sites. 

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11 minutes ago, Thai Spice said:

Because she dont give a shit.

I used to stay at Areca and they usually matched any online offer when I emailed them directly.  Make sure you contact the person with authority, not the front desk girl.

 

Absolute bollocks. Maybe Areca USUALLY did. That implies they sometimes didn't...

If its pumpy's usual hotel I have stayed there many times. I have known many of the reception staff for probably 10 years or more, and they do give a shit, and they are pissed off they cannot price match.

Even the managers there (and yes, they know me and I know them) cannot price match. Its company policy. They prefer customers to book through an agent, for whatever business reason.

But to say the staff dont give a shit.... sorry... laughable!

 

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39 minutes ago, Pumpuynarak said:

Well i booked me hotel for the 18th November boardie meet up with Agoda online as is usual but before booking i thought i'd call the hotel and enquire what their rate would be for exactly the same room.

Result - Agoda 1866bht per night inc tax, Hotel direct 2400bht per night inc tax.

I said to the hotel reservation clerk do you realise this anomaly and she said YES, i then replied will you match the online price, answer NO, i replied well ya won't get many customers booking direct with you then, no response. I said i'll see ya on the 18th.

Does anyone have an explanation as to why this is going on, there's gotta be something to it ? 

 

They will be handing over 30% to agoda aswell, madness they don’t even match it for you....

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15 minutes ago, Sangsom said:

I Thought you were way too highbrow for Pattaya? 😄

I can (and have) lived / adapt anywhere. You have no idea.....

3 minutes ago, Painter said:

Absolute bollocks. Maybe Areca USUALLY did. That implies they sometimes didn't...

If its pumpy's usual hotel I have stayed there many times. I have known many of the reception staff for probably 10 years or more, and they do give a shit, and they are pissed off they cannot price match.

Even the managers there (and yes, they know me and I know them) cannot price match. Its company policy. They prefer customers to book through an agent, for whatever business reason.

But to say the staff dont give a shit.... sorry... laughable!

 

Well, if you say so....it must be true ?

 

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5 hours ago, Pumpuynarak said:

Well i booked me hotel for the 18th November boardie meet up with Agoda online as is usual but before booking i thought i'd call the hotel and enquire what their rate would be for exactly the same room.

Result - Agoda 1866bht per night inc tax, Hotel direct 2400bht per night inc tax.

I said to the hotel reservation clerk do you realise this anomaly and she said YES, i then replied will you match the online price, answer NO, i replied well ya won't get many customers booking direct with you then, no response. I said i'll see ya on the 18th.

Does anyone have an explanation as to why this is going on, there's gotta be something to it ? 

 

Funny.

 

I recently checked a place I usually stay in Pattaya on booking.com. They quoted $120/night.   55555   The hotels website (and what I usually pay) 1600 baht (I often pay less). Hell of a difference.

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7 hours ago, Pumpuynarak said:

Does anyone have an explanation as to why this is going on, there's gotta be something to it ? 

 

There is a (theoretical) contractual obligation that the Agent's rate must alway be less than the Hotel's rack rate.

Often ignored by a very busy Hotel close to Walking Street.

The Areca Lodge was mentioned. I went to book my family from the UK into the Areca Lodge because they wanted a swimming pool. The duty Manager absolutely refused to match the online Agent rate when I asked to see her after getting knowhere with their Reception. I showed her my Hotel General Manager business card pointed out that they would save the Agent commission ( 15 - 20%)  if they let me book there and then but she was having none of of it.

So I went away and booked online.

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4 hours ago, Jambo said:

There is a (theoretical) contractual obligation that the Agent's rate must alway be less than the Hotel's rack rate.

Often ignored by a very busy Hotel close to Walking Street.

The Areca Lodge was mentioned. I went to book my family from the UK into the Areca Lodge because they wanted a swimming pool. The duty Manager absolutely refused to match the online Agent rate when I asked to see her after getting knowhere with their Reception. I showed her my Hotel General Manager business card pointed out that they would save the Agent commission ( 15 - 20%)  if they let me book there and then but she was having none of of it.

So I went away and booked online.

I'd reckon different hotels have vastly varied policies/approaches to the pricing differences, for many different reasons.

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Each of the booking websites operates on one or more of the following business models:

  • Agency model

In this model, an OTA offers hotel rooms to its clients and earns commission (15% on average) on each reservation. The best example of an agency model is Booking.com, where hotel owners post their properties and pay certain commission for each reservation that comes from this website.

  • Merchant model 

With merchant model, an agency ‘buys’ hotel rooms in bulk for a wholesale price and then sells them with a markup (20-30%). Expedia.com is an OTA that used to work solely on a merchant model. Nowadays, they’ve combined it with the agency model to better serve the European, the Middle East, and African markets.

 

I've stood at reception with my iPad when the hotel told me they were full for a certain date , I was looking to extend , so just booked online ... 

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Should have had wifey talk to her Cliff, only reason I say that is staying at Anantara in Ko Samui over NYE a while ago, wifey got a better rate from the front desk. Much better then Agoda etc.  The downside was we had to listen to their " hook" on timeshare there, but the room was fabulous. 

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On 10/25/2019 at 10:16 AM, Steelers4Life said:

It's always been the opposite for me for short stays in Thailand at hotels. Just this summer I walked into The Adelphi Suites in BKK and the Tonsak Resort on Koh Same and both were cheaper than any online booking site. Same when I used to walk into Caribbean island hotels years ago. Cheaper than booking sites. 

I just wonder if the walk in rate is whatever they think at the time, ya know it bears no relationship to online booking with agencies or the hotels website.

I suppose ya could always take a chance but i'd be majorly pissed off if they quoted me 2400bht lol

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On 10/25/2019 at 10:16 AM, Painter said:

If its pumpy's usual hotel I have stayed there many times.

Yes it is and wifey and i are regulars and last time they upgraded our room to a Mini Oriental Suite so i thought i'd give them the chance of my dosh this time as a thankyou.

The staff there have always been very helpful and efficient and thats one of the reasons we keep going back.

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7 hours ago, Glasseye said:

Something out of that range is a piss take, or a special occasion place.

I agree, its price points for me mate, 2K in Patts and 2.5K in Bangers, i don't really want to pay anymore. I'm also a creature of habit and once i find a hotel that ticks me boxes i return again and again.

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21 hours ago, Pumpuynarak said:

I just wonder if the walk in rate is whatever they think at the time, ya know it bears no relationship to online booking with agencies or the hotels website.

I suppose ya could always take a chance but i'd be majorly pissed off if they quoted me 2400bht lol

You have to understand that booking Agents have the ability to market any particular Hotel but equally can turn off the tap by effectively making your Hotel disappear on their websites. It is attractive rates being offered through "Promotions" by a Hotel through an Agent that sells rooms to new customers to the Hotel.

So, in simplistic terms, If your rack rate was originally 1,000 baht you up that rack rate to 2,500 baht and offer a 60% Promotion. Back to 1,000 baht less the agents 12% commission. You start getting regular business from the Agent and they respond by showing the Hotel name when they receive a new inquiry. You fill the Hotel virtually every day earning a bit less per room but that does not matter as empty rooms earn you precisely 100% of nothing.

"Promotions" change all the time and differ quite often between Agents offering the same room for the same period. Agents do not set the rate -- Hotels set the rate which Agents then market.

Existing customers returning get the original rack rate, or less, upgrades and the best rooms.

The "walk in" rate is generally in line with the original rack rate.

Simple.

Not every Hotel adopts this system. 🤣

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I assure you am not joking but every since the likes of Agoda and all the rest started I have NEVER once got it cheaper by using these sites than going direct via email to my hotels (who know me I acknowledge) or using their own websites. Never not once.

More to the point why would you !  Hotels paying commision to the booking sites. Am not saying others wont have the opposite experience but for me every single time.  I even in 2016 booked a hotel in Yasathon  when I was seeing a nurse from out there.  She wanted to stay this particular Green Park or something forget full name...anyway booking sites were around 1050 to 1225 give or take. They had an email link for contact

Sent email.....850 Baht lol

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On 10/25/2019 at 3:40 AM, Pumpuynarak said:

Well i booked me hotel for the 18th November boardie meet up with Agoda online as is usual but before booking i thought i'd call the hotel and enquire what their rate would be for exactly the same room.

Result - Agoda 1866bht per night inc tax, Hotel direct 2400bht per night inc tax.

I said to the hotel reservation clerk do you realise this anomaly and she said YES, i then replied will you match the online price, answer NO, i replied well ya won't get many customers booking direct with you then, no response. I said i'll see ya on the 18th.

Does anyone have an explanation as to why this is going on, there's gotta be something to it ? 

 

Most hotels don't want to deal with the bookings so they use on-line platforms to do it for them.. 

Less bodies = less wages

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6 hours ago, Lanzalad said:

Most hotels don't want to deal with the bookings so they use on-line platforms to do it for them.. 

Less bodies = less wages

So why do they have a website that includes hotel bookings direct to the hotel ? admittedly they ain't gonna get much take up with the prices they offer. Where i stay they also don't offer certain upmarket rooms on agency websites you have to book directly with the hotel. 

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4 hours ago, Pumpuynarak said:

So why do they have a website that includes hotel bookings direct to the hotel ? admittedly they ain't gonna get much take up with the prices they offer. Where i stay they also don't offer certain upmarket rooms on agency websites you have to book directly with the hotel. 

There's always some who won't look any further than the hotel's own website so they're quite happy to take a few quid extra off these guys.  They'll be first in line for any upgrades going whereas those using the booking sites will have the rooms next to the lift and rubbish chutes.

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