Booking Hero
How to get the best motel deal for your needs, even if you have already booked!
Tips on booking motel accommodation
The best way to book motel accommodation is by telephone or on the motels direct website. You can even go to comparison sites like tripadvisor BUT be weary, they too are swayed by advertising dollars from OTAs to show their deals; unless you see “official site” being advertised on a motel list of choices.
Motels, in general, prefer not to deal with OTA’s. The reason for that is they charge motels between 15 and 30% commission when you make a booking on one of their many websites, meaning your prices are artificially higher than they need to be; They would prefer to pass the savings direct to the customer.
What is an OTA you may ask?
OTA is the abbreviation for ‘online Travel Agency’.
In Australia, the vast majority of OTA are controlled and managed by multi-billion dollar companies that are based in the USA – not here in Australia.
The two largest OTA’s are;
Expedia Group
Their brands include Expedia, Hotels.com, Trivago and WOTIF
Booking Holdings
Their brands include Booking.com, Agoda and Hotels Combined
So what does this mean for you?
> It means that your accommodation costs are being artificially inflated to cover the exorbitant commissions these OTAs are charging motels.
> It means that hundreds of millions of dollars are going out of our country to companies that pay NO Australian tax on it.
> It means thousands of small family businesses throughout Australia are operating with a virtual gun to their head. It has been reported that many country motels say 50% or more of their business comes from OTAs so they are, in effect trapped.
Support Australian accommodation providers and their families!
Book direct through the motel’s website!
What can you do to help Australian motel owners?
By all means, use the OTA websites to research accommodation options, BUT do not book through them.
Instead, go to your motel’s website direct and use the motel booking system or even call them on the phone to discuss and get the best possible options for your accommodation needs. You will always get a better deal.
How to deal with existing bookings
Most motels have a 24 or 48 hours before arrival cancellation policy.
That means that if you, as the customer, were to cancel a reservation booked through an OTA outside of those times and got a better deal directly with the motel, you are totally entitled to do that.
Regardless of what anyone will tell you, the motel is the only one who sets cancellation policy and refund policy NOT THE OTA, so dont believe them when they say no refund outside of the motel cancellation policy
The truth behind Online Travel Agencies
Australia, entrepreneur, Dick Smith talks about how OTA’s such as Booking.com, Trivago, Wotif and Expedia are disadvantaging the Australian economy by taking an over 50% market share of all Australian bookings for accommodation.
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