Booking.com prices vs. Gronze

[littlegreen60]

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

 

[C clearly]

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.

 

[kennymandy]

Based on our current Camino Francés, we have found occasions where Booking.com is more expensive than going directly to the accommodation’s website. We have also seen examples of dynamic pricing, whereby prices increase if there is less availability.

 

[Rick M]

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.

 

[Robo]

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

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...

Another point with booking dot com, is that venues will only release a few rooms/beds, as they want to be able to sell them direct, thus avoiding commissions. So a few times I would find somewhere on booking dot com, that had no rooms available, but contacting them direct I was able to get a room.

There are a few Albergues on booking dot com, that make beds available, not just rooms, but as mentioned it is not that common as the economics don't really work out. The ones I saw were the more expensive ones, during peak holiday periods.

 

[Kathar1na]

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.

The albergue Lemos in Triacastela is a good example for this:

• they have dormitory beds as well as beds in private rooms for one or two pilgrims; only the private rooms can be booked on Booking.com;
• they have their own website where you can book either dormitory beds or private rooms;
• there is an announcement on their website that says “SAVE €5 per room and night when you book through our website or by phone!!”
  (It’s €45 on their own website versus €50 on Booking.com)

As mentioned, the prices on Gronze are indicative but correspond quite well to actual prices.

 

[Elle Bieling]

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!

 

[trecile]

I decided to take a short day on the Norte today and stopped in San Vicente de la Barquera. While eating breakfast I consulted Gronze, Wise Pilgrim, and booking.com. One of the less expensive places to stay was right across the street and the price on booking was very good, but hoping for a better price I walked in and asked for a room. The price was exactly the same as on booking. However, I know that the hotel didn't have to pay a commission.

The bonus for me is that I was able to check in at 10 am!

 

[Aysen Mustafa]

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.

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.

 

[trecile]

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.

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.

 

[C clearly]

I won't name and shame

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.

 

[Tincatinker]

Back in my solutions selling days the price was entirely dependent on the client. The more desperate they looked the more I charged them

 

[CWBuff]

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.

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 - 14Euros​

Albergue Filobar - 1 bunk bed in 6-bed mixed dorm - 13 Euros​

​

with about 10 additional albergues 9 miles from Triacastella ranging in prices from 12 to 17 Euros​

​

So... bunks are there. Even the prices are still compatible with last year.​

 

[Aysen Mustafa]

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

Sometimes it can be cheaper to book directly rather than more expensive.

 

[Kathar1na]

Yes, sometimes the price for a room on Booking.com is higher than the price for the same room on the own website of an establishment and sometimes it can be the other way round and sometimes it is the same on both. None of this is unusual.

I recently stayed in an Ibis hotel where the same single room was cheaper on Booking.com than on the hotel's own website. When I asked about it at reception the staff mentioned their contractual obligations. Since I had seen this on their website I told them that I will subscribe to their loyalty program (no charges) and then they could sell the room to me at the same price as on Booking.com.

I had written an earlier comment but then decided to delete it as too long and too boring. I had written: "Albergue is not albergue". Gronze indicates whether an albergue is "exclusively for pilgrims" or whether it is "oriented towards pilgrims but not exclusively for pilgrims". These albergues are not charitable institutions, they are small-scale businesses. They are not a prime example of the greedy capitalist but businesses nevertheless. Privately owned albergues are different from those owned and managed by municipalities, parishes or Camino associations who are often exclusively for pilgrims with a credencial.

Privately owned albergues can have a fee structures that varies throughout the months of the year or the days of the week. When they are on Booking.com you can call up the monthly calendar and see the price for the same room for every day of the month. There are posts on the forum with a description of how to see this. You often see that single or double rooms are more expensive on weekends for example. This kind of transparency is a bonus of the Booking.com website.If such a mixture of rates is part of a sound business plan - I don't see an issue there.

 

[MARSKA]

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.

 

[Pelerina]

The bonus for me is that I was able to check in at 10 am!

That's heaven!

 

[Kathar1na]

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 - 14Euros​

Albergue Filobar - 1 bunk bed in 6-bed mixed dorm - 13 Euros​

with about 10 additional albergues 9 miles from Triacastella ranging in prices from 12 to 17 Euros​

So... bunks are there. Even the prices are still compatible with last year.​

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."

A bit of a reality check : Albergue El Beso is in La Balsa and Albergue Filobal is in Filobal and Gronze correctly lists them for these two locations (one before Triacastela, the other after Triacastela).

For Triacastela (the OP's question), Gronze lists 8 establishments as albergues and they all have dormitory beds. Only 3 out of these 8 are on Booking.com and none of them lists their dormitory beds on Booking.com.

So perhaps for the OP to remember is this: When there are bunkbeds on Booking.com in a particular location and a bunkbed is what you want, book it by all means. When there are no bunkbeds on Booking.com in a particular location, don't assume that there are none. Go by the information on Gronze and/or on the individual albergue's website and if bookable and you want to book, do it on the individual albergue website if possible or else by phone or WhatsApp.

 

[alexwalker]

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.

Are you talking with (calling) the albergues or emailing them?

Edit: Hmmm, My Wise Pilgrim app is listing all places you can call/Whatsapp and those you can't.

 

[Kathar1na]

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@ .

Just my gut feeling: On the Camino Frances, with its huge offer of beds and its huge numbers of pilgrims and with the not-privately owned albergues being often staffed with volunteers on short-term assignments and with some local person or local group in overall charge in their spare time ... frankly, I personally would not fuss much with trying to contact them by email or finding their website which has not been maintained for a few years. If bookable, I would book through WhatsApp or by phone, as the majority of peregrin@s does, or else just roll up and say that you are here and would like a bed if there's one available.

I have to confess that I made no use of dormitory beds on the Camino Frances in Spain (my choice, and no amount of passionate opinion will change this ... just in case someone wants to try). In France, I stayed in dormitory-type rooms now and then and I managed to be in email contact with owner or manager beforehand - they all wanted to know in advance, or at least appreciated it to know, that I was coming and when and with how many companions; this was not on the popular Le Puy route but on the less frequented Turonensis. I booked a lot of my/our accommodation through Booking.com or individual gîte owner's websites or other booking associations like the Logis hotels etc. and it worked really well.

Buen Camino!

 

[williamlittig]

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

One is a service one is a business which needs to make money but is simple and easy.

 

[trecile]

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.

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.

 

[C clearly]

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.

 

[trecile]

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.

Plus Gronze lists the websites of properties that have them along with phone numbers and email addresses when available.

 

[Tincatinker]

One is a service one is a business which needs to make money but is simple and easy.

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

 

[AnneMarie1]

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.

The contact info is on Gronze.

 

[dougfitz]

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.

 

[williamlittig]

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

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.

 

[trecile]

I met a peregrina yesterday who was told a price of 70€ when she inquired at a pensión even though the price on booking was 62€. The owner wouldn't budge on the price so she asked for the wifi password and booked via booking.com.

 

[dbeatriceb]

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

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.

 

[trecile]

Gronze might not update all that often too, thus the difference in prices.

If you notice a discrepancy you can notify Gronze.

 

[Duane]

Today is day 55 for me. I’m currently on the Frances and have found that Booking.com has had very few beds or private rooms available. Almost 100 percent of the time Bookings has shown an establishment or a town sold out I have been able to call and get a room or at least a bed. It seems to me this is a bigger draw back than the price. Booking.com can be convenient when it works and that’s great but for booking a day or two ahead I have found it to be mostly not useful. It’s common knowledge Booking.com doesn’t have all the beds but from my experience they must have a tiny percentage of the number available. I realize this thread is about price but there is a bigger reason to contact the establishment directly. You can actually get a bed or a room in the town you want to stay in.

 

[Robo]

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 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.

 

[trecile]

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!

 

[Robo]

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!

The often confusing and secretive workings of 'black box' websites

Having used booking.com for say a booking in Melide.
Do you get those ridiculous emails the next few days asking if you want to make a booking in Melide?
Having already made one.....

 

[gerryfletch]

For what it's worth, I have looked up every accommodation's registered business number to check if it's on WhatsApp in the CaminoFrances app, which makes it quite easy to quickly look up accom in a town and message a few places. I've also included Booking.com links if they are available.

I agree with the other commenters that it's going to be cheaper to message directly than on Booking. Its certainly been the case for me.