Hi everyone,
I have a question regarding the room rates because as soon as you are signing a contract with the main booking agents you are agreeing to give them the best available rate. I think it could be fair to offer cheaper prices on your own website as you are usually paying a smaller comission, there are no reason that the guests would pay much more booking through your own webpage (at the end).
How do hostel usually deal with this ? Do you offer the same prices everywhere or implement some "special discounts" ?
Thanks,
Marie
13 years
best available (advertized) rate.
You can charge whatever you like to walk-ins, direct inquiries, friends and family.
Hostels web site.. Hmm I'm not sure (someone will chirp in with that) but I do know hostels that give a better price on their facebook page.
13 years
The booking engines want rate parity with all sites, including your own. That means that technically you cannot advertise a lower rate on your own website than you offer on theirs for the same room type on the same dates. It’s crap and no hostel should accept it, but it is in the terms and conditions that you have to agree to if you want to list your hostel on those sites.
That said, you do not have to be a victim of booking engine bullying. If you offer different room types on their site than you do on yours, then you are not limited by this rule. If the booking engines don’t have availability on those dates then you’re not limited either. If you offer package rates that include additional services or products on your site then the restrictions don’t apply. Also, you can offer special promotions based on length-of-stay or party size on your own site that you do not offer anywhere else, so long as the advertised daily rate is the same as the booking engines.
13 years
Thank you to both of you for that information and that was actually pretty much what I was thinking about.
13 years
That means that technically you cannot advertise a lower rate on your own website than you offer on theirs for the same room type on the same dates. It’s crap and no hostel should accept it, but it is in the terms and conditions that you have to agree to if you want to list your hostel on those sites.
I agree... no hostel should have their prices forced by booking engines, and if the booking engines tried to enforce it, I think there would be a huge backlash from hostels.
IMHO, if booking engines want to be allocated the best prices, they should do it by creating good relationships with the hostels and making positive incentives, not by strong-arming small businesses.
That said, you do not have to be a victim of booking engine bullying. If you offer different room types on their site than you do on yours, then you are not limited by this rule. If the booking engines don’t have availability on those dates then you’re not limited either. If you offer package rates that include additional services or products on your site then the restrictions don’t apply. Also, you can offer special promotions based on length-of-stay or party size on your own site that you do not offer anywhere else, so long as the advertised daily rate is the same as the booking engines.
Good ideas... :)
13 years
That said, you do not have to be a victim of booking engine bullying. If you offer different room types on their site than you do on yours, then you are not limited by this rule. If the booking engines don’t have availability on those dates then you’re not limited either. If you offer package rates that include additional services or products on your site then the restrictions don’t apply. Also, you can offer special promotions based on length-of-stay or party size on your own site that you do not offer anywhere else, so long as the advertised daily rate is the same as the booking engines.
Same thing happens when hotels puting their rooms to booking engines who ask for the best available price. Even if hotel offering Suite or Villas on their web-site, but at booking engines they sellin just "Double Standard" instead to offer official categories. So, this solution works enywhere.
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