Statistics show that 42% of all trips are booked online today. Those looking for a hotel generally look for the best offer. Hotel comparison websites promise just that. Vergleich.org has checked which of these websites can actually meet the expectation.
The testers checked the comparison websites Trivago, KAYAK, Momondo, Discavo and TripAdvisor for their comprehensiveness, ease of use, and amount of offers. Even the leading website shows the best price on top in only 67% of cases.
The best performance award went to the American KAYAK. It showed the best price for a room in over 67% of the cases. However, it required a comparatively long time to search. Those who are in a rush would thus be disappointed.
The second place goes to TripAdvisor with a best price rate of 52%. The numerous customer reviews about not only the hotel but also the surrounding restaurants and nightclubs are a great advantage. Undecided travellers can find useful tips in this way. However, the results list doesn’t always show the cheapest offers right at the top. Travellers should look thoroughly.
Since there isn’t a single hotel comparison website that has proven itself satisfactory, the travel expert Stefan Häusler recommends: “Travellers should always use at least two comparison sites – we recommend a combination of KAYAK and TripAdvisor. In that case, travellers would be able to find the best price in 81% of cases.”
The most disappointing result for the testers was Discavo. The German business that is owned by ProSieben showed the best offer in only 37% of the cases. “The hotel search on Discavo turned out to be inconvenient and long,” Häusler explained.
Many hotel chains advertise their best price guarantees and promise their customers that they always get the best price if they book directly through the hotel. “If you find a cheaper offer on a different website, the hotels often offer you an even lower price.” According to Häusler, you can save an additional 10%- 25%.
The majority of the online hotel booking, indeed is directed towards the well known brands like Trivago, KAYAK, Momondo, and TripAdvisor.
However the consumer should be searching and comparing the prices for at least 2 different data providers.