Are third party websites on Trivago legit?

[daisyd]

I've been scouting Trivago for hotel rooms for an upcoming trip. I'm familiar with the big names expedia, priceline etc. But I see good deals from websites like Agoda, Zenhotels and Splittytravel.com which I'm not familiar with. Are these websites legit? I'm worried because I've heard horror stories of people paying upfront and then learning that they didn't have a room booked on showing up at the hotel. TIA!

[SnuggleBuggles]

I've only heard bad things about Agoda. The Trip Advisor forums are where I've heard most but you can see bad reviews on google etc. I still go with the "if the price is too good to be true then there is probably a catch" theory.

[candaceb]

I try not to book on third party web sites because of reading on the Reddit "Tales from the Front Desk" board.
I use the sites like Expedia to aggregate the information and find out which hotel has the best deal, and then I can usually go directly to the hotel's web site and get the same price or even more of a discount for booking directly. I would not book through a company I had never heard of, no matter how good the deal.

[AnnieW625]

I have booked airlines with Expedia and it was fine. They had the best price for the flight I wanted. I also used them for hotels a couple times as well and all was fine. I started using Expedia when it was new in 2001 and I have never had a problem.

I believe my dad has booked hotels through Trivago and he hasn’t had any problems, but I believe the hotels he booked were pay when you book vs. checkout.

I usually prefer to book through the specific hotel sites because they have less strict cancellation policies. Same with car rentals.

My sister only books hotel rooms with hotels.com; no idea why but she is super loyal to them.


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[jawilli4]

I just stayed at a hotel using Hotwire. If you subscribe to their email list, they send fairly good coupons. I used one for $20 off a hotel over $100. I've used them in the past as well and have never had any trouble. Also, it is really easy to figure out their "hidden name" hotels if you compare distance and number of reviews with the hotels whose names they have revealed.

Not that you asked but just in case it helps someone, I've had good luck renting cars through Costco Travel. Their prices are really good and you can cancel your reservation at any time.

[daisyd]

Thanks all for weighing in. I've booked through expedia, booking.com, hotels.com in the past with no issues. But these other places that I haven't heard of give me pause.

I checked hotwire too. It has some of the same good deals but they seem to tag on a standard fee above the quoted price

[zukeypur]

I have used Hotwire, hotels.com, Priceline, and Expedia. I especially like using Hotwire to find hidden deals in areas where i know all of the hotels are good.