Booking apps

[Long Hiker]

In looking through many threads on here about how people book rooms, it looks like Booking.com is the more popular site. Last night, I did a comparison between Booking.com and Hotels.com and found that Hotels.com had the better price on all three hotels I checked. In addition, Hotels.com has the buy 10, get one free offer after booking that many rooms. So, I'm curious why more people use Booking.com instead? Is there something I'm missing? Both seem reasonably straight forward to use.

Also, we are using the Camino del Norte guide book which has suggested hotels and hostels. I'm curious if people have often found better hotels that weren't mentioned in the guidebook or just stuck to the guidebook?

 

[anthikes]

I always use booking.com over hotels.com/agoda.com etc because they tend to be more transparent about any hidden costs and taxes.

Often agoda.com will appear cheaper, but in the small print they'll be some hidden tax or charge. It's much clearer on booking.com. They also have a great cancellation policy which is handy when you are walking a camino.

Booking pretty much always allows paying at the property, rather than advance.

 

[naplesdon]

I base my decision on the cancellation policy and the ease of access from my cellphone.
Yes, there are lots of places to stay which are not in guidebooks or on the booking sites. These places usually only accept reservations on their own websites but doing the research can wear you out, so unless you are already familiar with the terrain and don't want to get into booking something that is off piste or not nearly as good as it looks in the pictures, i.e. a truck stop on a motorway; I would stick to the tried and true and take notes for your next visit if you come across some place worthwhile.

 

[grayland]

I usually just turn up and get a room. Works most of the time.
I have used both Booking.com and Hotels.com. I would usually have a look at both. The price is usually the same but they will have different availability. Booking.com seems to have more on offer along the camino routes...especially on the routes other than the CF.
But....if using the sites to book ahead...I would suggest having a quick look at both sites to broaden choices.
Only takes a minute longer.

 

[NaughtyBF]

The most convenient booking app I tried is TripAdvisor. It's easy to use, so you can find hotels and restaurants all over the world. I already found a couple of hotels due to this application and I stayed satisfied. I've found the review of TripAdvisor app on androidgo.fun so there can be some more reviews on apps of that kind.