What is the app used on the Camino to secure beds?

[Julio Rivera]

What is the app used on the Camino to secure Beds?

 

[David Tallan]

The app I've heard most often mentioned is Booking.com. Generally, that is good for private albergues, hostals, casas rurales, hotels, etc. but not necessarily for municipal, parochial or association albergues, which often don't take reservations. At least, that was the case for pre-Covid times. Things may be different now.

There are a wide variety of Camino apps that list accommodations. A number of them leverage Booking.com to enable one to secure a bed directly from the app. They will also generally provide telephone numbers/email addresses/website addresses if you want to contact the place directly and secure beds yourself. Reports are that you can often get a better rate by contacting them directly rather than through Booking.com and, when Booking.com says there is nothing available, some may still be available if you contact them directly.

Some of the apps people use to find accommodations are: Wisely+, Buen Camino, Camino Tool, Camino Ninja, Camino Pilgrim, Camino de Santiago (Eroski Consumer). People also find the Gronze.com website useful for this purpose.

 

[trecile]

The app I've heard most often mentioned is Bookings.com.

Just FYI, the name of the site/app is Booking.com - no S, but I found that when I typed bookings.com into my search bar that it automatically redirected to booking.com

 

[Tim Floyd]

Same. Booking.com. I was able to secure everything from an Albergue bed to a Parador room. Worked well off my phone. I also liked I could pay on my phone with CC which felt more secure. Must have made 30 reservations over the entire Camino.

 

[David Tallan]

Just FYI, the name of the site/app is Booking.com - no S, but I found that when I typed bookings.com into my search bar that it automatically redirected to booking.com

Edited to correct. It seems I was inconsistent within the post, sometimes correct and sometimes with the extra "s". You can tell I don't tend to use it myself.

 

[JohnMcM]

What is the app used on the Camino to secure Beds?

In addition to the answers already given. Booking.com very often gives you 'free cancellation' up until 24 hours before your actual booking. This give you a little bit of flexibility should you need it.
Buen (always- finding a bed) Camino

 

[trecile]

In addition to the answers already given. Booking.com very often gives you 'free cancellation' up until 24 hours before your actual booking.

This isn't true for every property. Some have stricter cancellation policies. Make sure to read the policy before you click reserve!

 

[JabbaPapa]

What is the app used on the Camino to secure Beds?

Personally, I use a rather old one called "inflatable mattress and sleeping bag".

It lets me carry a bed wherever I go.

 

[OzAnnie]

What is the app used on the Camino to secure Beds?

Hi Julio
I usually check the app I’m using for the particular route. For example: camino Vdlp has an app called Via ..by Gerald Kelly. Wise pilgrim covers many routes too.
In the resources section of this forum you’ll find info for some specific routes with suggested accommodation
There are many ‘guides’ for the camino francés - eg: the brierley guide book includes accommodation stops and some places with phone numbers etc.

A good site covering many of the camino routes is gronze.com. This site gives profiles too and shows each village along the way plus distances etc - info also includes accommodation ‘from donativo and up in cost’. It also will have a button against some of them to book through ‘booking.com’ this is handy as you can see other places/Pueblos that you might not have thought to stop overnight.
Drilling down into ‘gronze’ will often give you more details and contact numbers so you can ring direct.

Some of the apps people use to find accommodations are: Wisely+, Buen Camino, Camino Tool, Camino Ninja, Camino Pilgrim, Camino de Santiago (Eroski Consumer). People also find the Gronze.com website useful for this purpose.

I also use the booking.com app
I don’t restrict myself to one method.

Buen Camino
Annie

 

[Kanga]

I much prefer to telephone the accommodation provider direct to make my reservation. The phone numbers can be found in many of the different guides and apps for the Camino, and in gronze.com Booking direct saves these small family businesses from having to pay large fees to booking agencies - money which goes straight to large companies outside Spain, companies that do nothing other than to provide the app and then use a form of extortion to force small businesses to pay them.

 

[Felicia V]

Faith ( hahaha just kidding)

 

[mikebet]

I have used both Booking.com and Hotels.com with equal success. Both give a lot of info to help make a good choice, although both are limited to the inventory that has signed up with them. Sometime if you can't find a listing in the town you want to stay it's possible to identify a property in Gronze or simply Google "hotels in (name of town)" and then book directly.

 

[Marcus-UK]

Same. Booking.com. I was able to secure everything from an Albergue bed to a Parador room. Worked well off my phone. I also liked I could pay on my phone with CC which felt more secure. Must have made 30 reservations over the entire Camino.

I have used Booking.com for many years and been happy with it. However the only time it failed me was on my day of arrival in Santiago de Compostella! It would appear that not all of the Hotels/Hostels/Albergues are electronically bonded into the Booking.Com reservation system. These hotels require a FAX booking form sent to them. Hotel B******** had not received a FAX and they were full. To their credit they were horrified at the mistake and began ringing round to find alternatives for me.
There is an option in the Booking.Com process to send a question to the hotel. I know do this religiously since a response from the hotel confirms the booking has processed correctly. No response means giving the hotel a call and confirming that they have got the booking.

 

[Jodean]

I use the Wise Pilgrim app and book direct when possible, either with a phone call or email. Hostesses are usually quite willing to call the next Albergue for you and reserve your bed.
It is nice to save them paying a commission to booking dot com.

 

[Rick Davidson]

Check out caminosleeps.com. Camino Francis focused. We used to book Albergues, pensions, hotels. Frequently refers you to booking.com but also gives you direct contact info. I can not imagine anything better.

 

[Marbe2]

Check out caminosleeps.com. Camino Francis focused. We used to book Albergues, pensions, hotels. Frequently refers you to booking.com but also gives you direct contact info. I can not imagine anything better.

To Clarify further from Caminosleeps.com
Over 500 properties featured on our website can be booked in advance through our provider Booking.com. When you choose to make a booking through us, you leave our website and enter the booking provider website. The booking service, including billing and customer service, is provided by Booking.com and not CaminoSleeps.com

 

[trecile]

Check out caminosleeps.com. Camino Francis focused. We used to book Albergues, pensions, hotels. Frequently refers you to booking.com but also gives you direct contact info. I can not imagine anything better.

Gronze.com has all the same information too.