Finally figured out why my hostel bookings kept falling through

I used to book through those third party sites because they looked cheaper. But then I got stuck twice last summer in Barcelona and once in Prague where the hostel said they never got my reservation. After the third time I called the hostel directly and they said the booking site had been marking rooms as available that were already sold. Now I just use those sites to find places then book direct on the hostel's own website. Saved me 15 bucks on booking fees too. Anyone else had this happen with a specific site?

2 comments

2 Comments

adams823d ago

Well, I gotta respectfully disagree here. I've been using those third party sites for years and never had a problem like that. Maybe it depends on which site you're using or maybe you just got unlucky a few times. I always book hotels and hostels through the big travel sites and never once had a reservation not go through. And honestly, the fees are worth it for the peace of mind of having an easy refund if something goes wrong. But hey, if booking direct works for you and saves you money, more power to you.

betty_shah3d agoMost Upvoted

Lol "peace of mind" is exactly why I stick to booking direct. I actually read a news article about how those third party sites have been known to screw people over during natural disasters or pandemics. Remember when COVID hit and everyone was trying to get refunds? I saw stories about people being stuck on hold for hours with the big travel sites while direct bookings got sorted in minutes. Plus, I've heard hotels can't always match the room type or upgrade you if you book through a third party because their system won't let them. So yeah, maybe you've been lucky, but Im not risking it when a messed up reservation could ruin a whole trip.