Why I Avoid Using Third-Party Booking Sites

Aug 27

Ever wonder why third-party booking sites often offer the best deals? There’s usually a catch, and more often than not, it’s hidden in the fine print. I learned this lesson the hard way during a past vacation, before I became a travel agent. Now that I have more insight, I want to share my experience to help others avoid similar issues.

My sister and I decided to take a trip to Virgin Beach and stay at an oceanfront hotel. We were searching online for the “best deal” for a hotel with a restaurant on-site and free parking, all while sticking to a budget. We eventually found a deal on Booking.com, a site many of you have probably heard of. Booking the room was easy, and we were all set for a three-night stay.

When we arrived at the hotel, we were thrilled with our room. It had two queen beds, a living area, a kitchenette, and a patio door that led right out to the beach. It felt like the perfect getaway. The first night was great, and we eagerly planned a relaxing beach day for the following day.

But the next morning, as we were getting ready to hit the beach, there was a knock on our door. It was housekeeping, informing us that we needed to check out for the next guests. I was completely puzzled—I had booked the room for three nights. However, the housekeeper explained that we were only booked in that room for one night and that another party had reserved it for the next night.

Confused, I called the front desk, only to be told that while we were indeed booked for three nights, the reservation had us switching rooms after the first night. The second room wouldn’t be ready until 4 PM, the standard check-in time. This left us in a lurch, wondering what to do with all our belongings in the meantime. Frustrated, we ended up staying in the first room until the second one was ready, losing valuable beach time in the process.

When we finally moved to the new room, it was on the 15th floor and only had a king bed—something far from ideal for two people. Though we managed, it was not the experience we had hoped for.

As we checked out at the end of our trip, I asked the front desk what had happened. They explained that when booking through a third-party site, the system might assign you different rooms for different nights if the same room isn’t available for the entire stay. This information was, of course, buried in the fine print on Booking.com. How many of us actually read through every detail in the fine print when booking a trip? I usually just check the cancellation policy, assuming everything else is straightforward. Clearly, that wasn’t the case here.

This experience taught me a valuable lesson: third-party booking sites might offer cheaper rates, but they come with hidden risks. Moving forward, I’ve resolved to: