Following up on the tips I gave on how to find a good hotel, thought I’d share a list of the best (and favourite) hotel and accommodation booking websites I have come across each with a different edge and all worth checking and trying out!

#1 Booking.com: One of the most popular, guaranteed and fully fledged booking websites out there, booking.com is a straightforward user friendly booking platform that gives a comprehensive list of accommodation options based on the destination and dates you insert. To make the choice easier, you can use a list of filters such price range, star rating, property type and theme. And for the final decision each hotel has a review score from guest reviews based on factors of cleanliness, comfort, location, staff, facilities, value for money and WIFI to guide you.

#2 Housetrip.com: A specialized website for renting out houses for vacationers looking for a local feel in their chosen destination. The house search platform is simple, easy to use, filter enabled and provides a full house guide. And if you have any questions you can directly ask the host. Once you have made your choice properties are either available for instant booking or you make an inquiry on availability.  And the best part: housekeeping and laundry services are available upon request so yes you can still get some pampering on your holiday!

#3 Priceline.com:  Apart from the traditional booking platform , this website gives the option “To Name Your Own Price” for your hotel. You enter destination, dates, star rating and bid for the price you want per night and it starts looking for matches. While it doesn’t reveal the name of the hotel until you actually make the purchase, it guarantees that the hotels are branded hotels or quality independent ones and lists basic amenities that will be provided. Biggest bad side though is that bookings are non- refundable and non-changeable 😦

#4 Travelpony.com: As quoted from the website TravelPony is the “fastest growing travel site today” as it takes a different approach to marketing. As a customer it promises you hotel rates that are up to 45% lower than retail prices and in return you are asked to post about it via social media (and by that it saves money on advertising and so can afford to give you great offers!). All you need to do is to create an account to get access to the deals and start sharing/talking about them. A pretty cool deal don’t you think?

#5 Airbnb.com: “Welcome Home” is the greeting you get when you get to this website. It connects local hosts to travelers looking for a place to stay other than a hotel. This ranges from a typical apartment or studio all the way to igloos and castles! And you don’t have to rent out the whole place as some properties will give you the option to rent out a room.  Once you select your choice from the list of options given,  bookings are done through the website so payments are secured, making the guest happy and the host happy too.

#6 Hotwire.com: This website partners with hotels and gets access to unsold rooms and so is able to provide rates that are lower than the published prices. You enter your desired destination and date details and it lists “unnamed” hotels highlighting the “hot rate” compared to the original one to tell you how much you can save.   Although you don’t get the name of the hotel until you make the purchase, it gives you sufficient information such as location within the city, recommendation score from other hotwire customers, and available amenities. But again with the low prices, booking is final and you don’t get the option to make changes, cancel or refund. Another sad face 😦

#7 Trivago.com: Instead of opening up several booking websites independently and doing a different search on each one, Trivago is a one stop shop as it consolidates hundreds of booking sites and gives you a list of hotel options with the best deals to choose from each with a clickable link that takes you to the relevant booking website with your search details already taken care of. Su-we-eet!