GUIDE: How to use Booking and get the best prices

I used the Booking.com for the first time in early 2014.

I was in the middle of my exchange at Disney and, after finishing my work period, I was going with some friends to New York e Los Angeles.

To this day I don't know what my criteria was for choosing hotels. I still didn't know the cities, I didn't know about the regions, much less how to use the website to find the best value for money.

I ended up booking the The Crowne Plaza in NY and I got it right. I thought he was close to Times Square, but the truth is that he stayed on the street itself.

In LA, we stayed at Best Western PLUS Hollywood Hills. The hotel itself was great, with a breakfast restaurant that I still miss to this day! I recommend, but the location could be a little better. We enjoyed the proximity of Hall of Fame and we did everything on foot, but it was scary to walk around at night.

Today, after using the site for countless trips, I've learned that I can't just take the photos into account. I read reviews in Portuguese and English, I look at the map, I research the region, I use filters, I rule out hotels based on the booking conditions and many other details that you only learn over time.

Choosing the wrong hotel can ruin a trip. And since I know you don't have time for that, I decided to show you all the tricks on how to use Booking. From the step-by-step instructions on how to register, to the Tips that only the most experienced know to get the best prices.

Let's get started 🙂

How to use Booking – a guide

REGISTRATION

“Do I need to register to search for hotels?”

No. But there are some advantages to carrying out a search Logged. Eg

• Exclusive rates for members;
• Receive emails related to your last search, warning of possible price drops;
• Have a search history, to continue them later;

That's why I recommend registering before anything else.

It’s free and, to get started, just click the “Join”, in the top right corner of the website. The information required at first is email and password. Next, you must inform your name and preferred type of hotel (3 stars? Luxury?).

The rest of the profile is optional, and you don't need to fill it out to make reservations. However, answer the “Your way of traveling” helps the site customize results according to your preferences.

To find out if you are logged in, just look at the top right corner, which should display your username. By clicking on the name you can access the account settings, reservations, reviews, latest searches, etc..

Looking for a hotel

To do a search, just use the form on the home page. You need to choose the destination, dates and number of people and rooms.

When clicking “Search and Book” the first problem arises: the results page has an overwhelming amount of options. There are filters, forms, hotels, notes, stars, words like “promotion” and “last rooms” in red, “special offer” badges and so on.

It's normal to feel like there are too many options and not know what to look at.

So, let's analyze this page calmly.

On the left there is a search box, just like before. If you want to change search details, such as city or dates, just update this form and click “search” again.

Below are the filters. With them you can select price range, category, amenities, location, reservation types and other options. They prevent you from wasting time looking at hotels that don't fit your budget or don't meet your needs, but it is not mandatory to use them. I almost never use.

The rest of the page contains hotels that meet the search criteria.

By default, they appear in the order “Our Top Picks”, with Booking recommendations. It is possible to change to a lower price, reviews and price (which I consider to be a cost-benefit option), stars, distance to the center, offers and reviews.

I like switching between Booking choices and notes and price.

Now, all that’s left to do is analyze the list of hotels and click on the ones that look good.

Each ad contains one or more photos of the hotel, its name, number of stars, average rating, price, cheapest and different booking conditions badges, according to the price, amenities offered and the status of the hotel on the website.

Some interesting observations in the ads:

If prices are in foreign currency, it is possible to change them to Reais in the main menu of the page.

Sometimes, in addition to the property's overall rating, the location note. This is possible because customers evaluate different aspects in their reviews, not just the stay in general. It may happen that a hotel is not very comfortable but is next to the subway, and then everyone weighs what is most worth it for their trip.

As badges They are colorful squares that can have different meanings. In orange with a light bulb, it means it's a special offer of the day. When the symbol is a person who appears to be keeping a secret, it means that this price is only offered to logged in users.

Light blue ones usually indicate local amenities, and show restaurants, swimming pool, gym, etc. They don't necessarily show all the benefits of the hotel, so it's not because there isn't a badge that the place does not have a spa or golf course, for example.

Below the price are written the booking conditions if they are beneficial to the user, such as breakfast or free cancellation. If prepayment is required or there is a cancellation fee, this will not be written on the results page.

When you find interesting options, just click on the hotel name to read more details about it.

Analyze a hotel

I dare say that a hotel's information page is still to the direction complex than search results.

But this is good! All this data helps you choose the ideal accommodation, and prevents you from having unpleasant surprises such as a bad location or lack of internet.

Where to start reading?

The central part is the most important. It describes the address, an overview of the property, main amenities and photos. Of course, the hotel itself is responsible for filling this part, and it is possible that they used angles to make the rooms appear larger, or exaggerated in one sentence or another.

The final part of the description is added by Booking, with relevant curiosities for anyone considering making a reservation. Some of them are “This hotel has been listed since 2009" or "This area is a favorite with guests in the city.".

For a general idea of ​​the location, I recommend looking at the left column. There is a map on it, which shows where the hotel is and what others are in the surrounding area, as well as instructions for getting there from the nearest airport. This is also where the most frequently asked questions are.

To find out even more about the environment, you can click on the menu above the photos, or scroll down the page. You can see a list of all amenities, rules such as check-in or check-out times, price for extra beds, accepted cards and other details. I recommend reading all areas very well to avoid unforeseen events..

And, perhaps as interesting as reading what the hotel has to say about itself, is discovering what other guests thought of their stays. That's where you find out if the photos don't do justice to real life, if the service is good, if the staff are helpful and whatever else is relevant.

Don't forget to read the reviews.

If you decide to make a reservation, it's time to check the availability. This is where the room types are described, what each of them offers, their prices and conditions, and where many people get confused about how to use Booking.

It is important to note that in the “room categories” section it is detailed whether or not the price includes taxes. If negative, the percentages will be reported.

The reservation rules are set out in the “options” section. They can be:

• "Free cancellation until day” where X is usually the day before the guest arrives.
• "NO PREPAYMENT REQUIRED – pay at accommodation”, which means that, even informing your card number, you will only pay when checking in.
• "Breakfast included".
• "Lowest price – no refunds”, when the value total of the reservation will be charged if it is cancelled.
• "Pay in advance”, which requires payment before the check-in date.
• "Non smokers".
• "You almost made it! Reservation made for R$X”, when the room is already sold out for that date.

If you're still not sure about your itinerary or dates, book a hotel with free cancellation. They don't make exceptions when they say they don't do refunds.

When I stayed at Sunset Inn, in Praia da Rosa, the prepayment was half of the reservation, and had to be made by bank transfer. I don't believe this is the norm, and it was the only time I booked where I had to pay in advance.

Most reservations require a credit card, even the ones you will only pay for at check-in. This is done just to guarantee your place and, if the rule is “pay at the accommodation”, there is no need to worry as your card will not be debited.

Making a reservation

Did you choose the hotel and room? Then just click “book” and fill in your details.

On the left, the chosen dates, room type, accommodation information and the total price are displayed. The separate fees are also detailed, as well as the currency in which payment must be made. The value shown in reais is only an estimate of the exchange rate on the day of booking.

The rest of the page is for you to enter your details, the names of other guests if you are not traveling alone and your expected arrival time for check-in. This last part is not mandatory, and it is possible to mark “I don’t know”.

When continuing, you will need to confirm your home address and credit card details. As I said, this part is necessary even if your reservation is to pay on the spot. If applicable, the Booking.com shows a warning: “There will be no charges on your card — it is only needed to guarantee your reservation."

For those who don't have a credit card, there are two options: choose properties that don't require one to reserve, or use someone else's. In the case of the second, it is necessary to inform in the “special requests”, on the previous page, the name of the holder as it appears on the card.

After filling in all the details, just click on “Complete my reservation”, and that’s it! Now you are a person with a guaranteed hotel! A confirmation is sent to your e-mail, and you can also add it to the app Wallet and similar on cell phones.

Remembering that the price is for todas people on the reservation, not individual.

Canceling a reservation

All reservations appear on your profile. That's where you coffer the information, cancel, change the date or even ask for a refund if you find a lower price on another website.

The booking page is very intuitive, probably the easiest part of using Booking! All you need to do is click a button to opt out or update the date or credit card details.

If free cancellation is allowed, a notice with the number of days remaining for such action is displayed in green.

How to use Booking to find the best prices

As I mentioned, there are some tricks to find the cheapest fares:

• Search while logged in: Some promotions are only available to registered users.
• Use the Chrome extension: When searching through the Chrome extension, even better promotions appear! The hotel I used as an example in this post had a 20% discount (R$787) when I searched directly on the website, logged in. With the extension, the same hotel, on the same date, was priced at R$550, a 44% discount.
• Sign up for the promotions list: There is one offers page within Booking! Be sure to check if your next destination is there.
• Open the emails that Booking sends you: After doing some research Logged, it is common to receive offers about that destination via email for weeks. Despite being annoying, every now and then they come up with promotions that didn't exist at the time of the search.
• Become a Genius member: This is more difficult, as you need to visit the site at least 5 times within a year. After that, you will acquire “Genius” status, with exclusive discounts at selected hotels and freebies such as transfer to the airport or drinks. It is possible to test the Genius account for a week, so if you are booking several hotels, it is worth taking the free trial to get a greater number of discounts.

And, one last tip that doesn’t guarantee better rates, but makes you pay less: Invite your friends! When they sign up through your referral, they earn R$50 to use on their next trip, and so do you! You can save up to R$500 with this trick.

I hope you learned how to use Booking, or at least some new tips!

If this post helped you, consider booking your hotels through the blog! Just click on my Booking links and do research through them. You don't pay nothing extra for this, and I earn a small commission, which helps me keep the posts up! You can also save to favorites and search later!

Also remembering that here on the blog there is a resources section for your trip, with several other websites to help you with planning and day-to-day life at your destination.

If you have any questions, just leave them in the comments 🙂