Eight hotel red flags that should make you reconsider booking

Who needs a travel agent? It’s easy to book a hotel room online yourself, but there are traps along the DIY route. Should you prepay for a better deal, how do you know the photos are accurate, are the reviews to be trusted and what if you’re on a website that charges a commission? If you get to your hotel and discover there’s a building site next door, it’s too late. Do your homework before you lock in your booking and you could save yourself from a world of pain.

Know what you’re getting … some homework could save you a world of pain.Credit: iStock

Misleading websites

Planning to stay at the Hotel Tjampuhan Spa in Bali’s Ubud? The address that pops up at the top of the Google search page might not be the hotel’s own website. It’s easy to be fooled by a site that might have a URL such as www.reservations.hoteltjampuhan.com. Proceed to a booking and you could pay a hefty commission fee. If you want the best deal, always book through the hotel’s own website. It’s usually going to cost less, you might get a better room and if anything upsets your travel plans you’re dealing with the hotel rather than an intermediary. If you happen to see a lower price for the same dates on another website, ask the hotel if they’ll price match.

Misleading imagery

The hotel’s own photos don’t always tell the whole story. They won’t tell you if the hotel is under renovation, if there’s a multi-storey building under construction next door or if the beach at the front washed away in a cyclone. Check recent reviews on Tripadvisor, and Google the hotel and check the images “From visitors”, not the hotel’s own. Images are dated according to their publication date and the most recent should tell you if anything’s amiss. Room images posted by guests will often tell a different story from the hotel’s own room shots.

Check the neighbourhood

Look at Google Maps street view for a better understanding of the neighbourhood.Credit: iStock

Is your hotel surrounded by funky cafes and boutiques, next to a giant parking lot or surrounded by office blocks? If it’s a beach resort, is there really a beach on the doorstep and what’s it like? Is your tropical hideaway immersed in greenery or buried among high-rise apartments? A quick look at street view on Google Maps should tell you what you need to know.

Can you trust the reviews?

Are hotel reviews credible? Hotels can game the system, either pressurising or incentivising guests to post positive reviews. Tripadvisor is an open platform and anyone can post a hotel review, regardless of whether they have stayed. Same goes for Google, but only guests who have booked through booking.com can post a review, although that would include anyone who has booked on behalf of friends or family and not actually stayed. The same applies to Expedia. I like hotel managers who respond to reviews, it shows they’re paying attention, especially reviews that point out deficiencies.

Should you prepay?

Some hotels will give you a better rate if you prepay but it’s usually on a non-refundable basis, and that should inspire caution. Some also ask for a deposit, but make sure it’s refundable. I recently paid a deposit of €2738 ($4460) for a group stay in June at Palazzo de Noha, in Italy’s Lecce. When I had to cancel the trip they kept the deposit. They were within their rights, it was a non-refundable deposit, and I was offered a 50 per cent credit of the deposit for a future stay, but they have since sold all the rooms for the dates we’d originally booked so a win both ways for the hotel. If the hotel won’t accept a booking without a deposit, you might use an online travel agency that allows you to book with no deposit and cancel at short notice with no penalty such as booking.com or Expedia, but check the conditions.

Is breakfast included?

Is breakfast included in the daily rate?Credit: iStock

It might not be, and hotels will often charge upwards of $35 for their buffet breakfasts if you haven’t selected it as an option when you book. That might not even include coffee from an espresso machine, which could be an extra charge. If there are cafes nearby you can duck out, provided there are some in your location.

The booking.com email scam

You’ve made a hotel reservation on booking.com and just a couple of days before check-in an email comes purporting to be from booking.com asking you to confirm your credit card details. Fail to confirm and your reservation will be cancelled. It looks legitimate, and you don’t want to lose your booking and so you comply, but this is a phishing email designed to trick you into revealing personal or financial information. You could end up losing a substantial sum. Do not click on any links in emails claiming you need to verify a transaction.

Is that price in $US?

If you’re looking for a hotel in the US or Canada on a hotel’s own website, the price will probably be in their currencies. Unless the price is specifically in Aussie dollars, the same applies in Asia. A US hotel charging $US200 a night is going to cost you $314, a Canadian hotel at the same figure will cost $226. In both cases, check that taxes and charges are included. Resort fees, which can add $50-$80 a night to hotel stays in Hawaii and Las Vegas, have often been hidden in the past but US federal law now requires hotels to disclose all fees and charges.

Travel advice is general; readers should consider their personal circumstances