littlegreen60
Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Early June 2023
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Just back from walking VdlP and Invierno. I used booking.com a bit but as a last resort really. Prices were often 10-20% higher due to commissions etc. My 'go to' approach, was to find somewhere on Gronze, then send them a Whatsapp message to book directly. Usually got a confirmation within minutes. Contact numbers starting with a 6 are cell numbers. And most times they will be on whatsapp. Whatsapp is big in Spain...Hola Peregrinos
I arrive in Tricastela Friday. I am trying to plan a few nights ahead because i now need to transport part of my pack.
When I look at Gronze.com for prices, then go to Booking.com, the prices are much higher. And no option for single bunk.
Can anyone provide some experience or guidance?
Thank you
The albergue Lemos in Triacastela is a good example for this:Not many albergues will book a bunk out on booking.com, there just isn't any economic case for it. The bunk is so cheap that paying booking.com makes little sense. They DO book their private rooms if they have them though, the price is high enough that they can afford the commission. Try the albergue directly, as others have suggested, if you are looking for a bed rather than a private room.
I won't name and shame but an albergue on the portuguese is 3 euros cheaper on booking.com than its own website. The original rice is 30 euros which I thought high for a dorm bed.Gronze gives an estimate so you have a relative idea, just like guidebooks might. They don't do bookings, so you must go to the lodging site itself or to a reservation agency such as Booking.com. That is where you get specific choices and can book. Be aware that booking.com probably does not have access to all beds/rooms available, and their prices may be higher than if you go directly to the lodging.
Last year I found a bed in an albergue that was the same price on booking.com as on their own website - I booked it via booking.com for ease of cancellation if necessary.I won't name and shame but an albergue on the portuguese is 3 euros cheaper on booking.com than its own website. The original rice is 30 euros which I thought high for a dorm bed.
I don't know what the shame is here, but the pricing can be different. It depends on the contract made between the lodging and booking.com, and on the market forces influencing the price up to the date concerned.I won't name and shame
That is not what I experienced last year - most of my bookings were via Booking.com and i had no problems getting bunksNot many albergues will book a bunk out on booking.com, there just isn't any economic case for it. The bunk is so cheap that paying booking.com makes little sense. They DO book their private rooms if they have them though, the price is high enough that they can afford the commission. Try the albergue directly, as others have suggested, if you are looking for a bed rather than a private room.
Sometimes it can be cheaper to book directly rather than more expensive.I don't know what the shame is here, but the pricing can be different. It depends on the contract made between the lodging and booking.com, and on the market forces influencing the price up to the
That's heaven!The bonus for me is that I was able to check in at 10 am!
Sure, there are bunk beds that can be booked on Booking.com but I think that the earlier statement is still true that "not many albergues will book a bunk out on booking.com, there just isn't any economic case for it. The bunk is so cheap that paying booking.com makes little sense."That is not what I experienced last year - most of my bookings were via Booking.com and i had no problems getting bunks. Just to do some testing - I just punched in Triacastela for 1 night (June 16-17) and got 2 hits for a bunk
Albergue El Beso (which is the one I stayed at last year) - 1 bunk bed in mixed dorm - 14EurosAlbergue Filobar - 1 bunk bed in 6-bed mixed dorm - 13 Euroswith about 10 additional albergues 9 miles from Triacastella ranging in prices from 12 to 17 EurosSo... bunks are there. Even the prices are still compatible with last year.
Are you talking with (calling) the albergues or emailing them?Personally, I am frustrated. I have a great deal of difficulty tracking down the official website and contact information for any lodging that is under contract with Booking. I am repeatedly "sent" to bookings website and/or other 3rd parties.
It's a hard life, being a peregrin@Personally, I am frustrated. I have a great deal of difficulty tracking down the official website and contact information for any lodging that is under contract with Booking. I am repeatedly "sent" to bookings website and/or other 3rd parties.
One is a service one is a business which needs to make money but is simple and easy.Hola Peregrinos
I arrive in Tricastela Friday. I am trying to plan a few nights ahead because i now need to transport part of my pack.
When I look at Gronze.com for prices, then go to Booking.com, the prices are much higher. And no option for single bunk.
Can anyone provide some experience or guidance?
Thank you
That's because many places have basically outsourced their booking process to booking.com and other sites. It does take them time to answer emails and texts, register the booking in their system, etc. Then if there is a cancellation that increases their work load.Personally, I am frustrated. I have a great deal of difficulty tracking down the official website and contact information for any lodging that is under contract with Booking. I am repeatedly "sent" to bookings website and/or other 3rd parties.
When you search Google for a specific lodging, just scroll down past all the booking agencies (who make sure they are at the top of search results). It is easy to see by the URL when the site is the actual business's website.Personally, I am frustrated. I have a great deal of difficulty tracking down the official website and contact information for any lodging that is under contract with Booking. I am repeatedly "sent" to bookings website and/or other 3rd parties.
Plus Gronze lists the websites of properties that have them along with phone numbers and email addresses when available.When you search Google for a specific lodging, just scroll down past all the booking agencies (who make sure they are at the top of search results). It is easy to see by the URL when the site is the actual business's website.
It’s a bit of a shame that something so simple as walking from an obscure little provincial town in Southern France to a nice Cathedral City in Western Spain has now become so complicated that people get distressed trying to do it.One is a service one is a business which needs to make money but is simple and easy.
The contact info is on Gronze.Personally, I am frustrated. I have a great deal of difficulty tracking down the official website and contact information for any lodging that is under contract with Booking. I am repeatedly "sent" to bookings website and/or other 3rd parties.
Its not clear what internet service is sending you to a bookings website or another party. It certainly is an issue with any of the search engines I regularly use that their targeted advertising normally precedes the results that I am really after, but that is just a matter of getting past that to identify the property website. And if you are trying to find accommodation website information from a booking engine like Booking.com, I think that it is a fruitless endeavour looking for property website details. I would hardly expect they would willingly offer you the tools needed to go direct to the hotel, B&B, etc when that is going to be direct competition to their business. You might get a phone number for the property buried in all the other detail, but the readily accessible contact tools are provided through the booking engine itself.Personally, I am frustrated. I have a great deal of difficulty tracking down the official website and contact information for any lodging that is under contract with Booking. I am repeatedly "sent" to bookings website and/or other 3rd parties.
I was privileged to have experienced a simpler time on many Caminos. The introduction of fear and commercialism have effected what was. I believe it is still there, adventure, into the unknown where strangers become friends, not all dogs bite, crowded rooms full of world chatter. Packaging safety is sadly the way of many, I hope they find joy.It’s a bit of a shame that something so simple as walking from an obscure little provincial town in Southern France to a nice Cathedral City in Western Spain has now become so complicated that people get distressed trying to do it.
Was a time the only question was “can I do this?” Now it seems there is only confusion and bewilderment. Can I do this doesn’t factor into questions anymore. Am I having the perfect, affordable, memorable, execrable, instantgrabable time and if not why not?
If you want to pre-book a bed pay the market price, even in a bent market. Or just walk to your next pilgrim Albergue- and pay the market price for a bed
Booking . Com charges the merchant a fee which is passed on to the consumer. In the past, I’ve found it is more economical to book directly with the venue instead of going through Booking. Gronze might not update all that often too, thus the difference in prices.Hola Peregrinos
I arrive in Tricastela Friday. I am trying to plan a few nights ahead because i now need to transport part of my pack.
When I look at Gronze.com for prices, then go to Booking.com, the prices are much higher. And no option for single bunk.
Can anyone provide some experience or guidance?
Thank you
If you notice a discrepancy you can notify Gronze.Gronze might not update all that often too, thus the difference in prices.
In my experience, with all my research, Booking.com is a very fluid thing indeed, as everyone has already mentioned. However, the price of hotels and private albergues has indeed gone up considerably, regardless of what Booking.com posts. The post-pandemic travel craze is alive and well, and it is certainly affecting the Caminos!
I had a price go down on booking. I saw that the albergue that I wanted to book was the same price booking direct as on booking.com, so I booked direct. The next day I received an email from booking.com asking if I wanted to complete my booking - and the price was 5€ less than it had previously been!I think booking.com also used dynamic pricing!
If you use it a few times to look at the same accommodation, it knows you are keen, and the prices go up!
So I tend to book right away if I see what I want.
I had a price go down on booking. I saw that the albergue that I wanted to book was the same price booking direct as on booking.com, so I booked direct. The next day I received an email from booking.com asking if I wanted to complete my booking - and the price was 5€ less than it had previously been!
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