Booking hotels in Thailand through an online hotel reservation agency is your surefire way for finding budget hotels in Bangkok, a cheap hostel in Khao San road or an affordable seaside bungalow right on the beaches of Koh Samui. But there are many hotel reservation agencies on the Internet these days. And finding the right one can save you more than a few bucks.
After consistently being named as one of the most affordable exotic travel destination, Thailand’s popularity as a budget travelers hotspot has increased ten fold. And there really is no better time than now to start researching on an unforgettable trip.
When it comes to booking hotels on the Internet we rely on what I like to call the “Big 3” which is:
- Priceline.com
- Ortbitz.com
- Travelocity.com
Those are fine Internet travel agencies and I still use them to this day.
However, I don’t use their services for booking hotels in Thailand. Matter of fact I don’t use them for booking hotels when I’m traveling to Asia.
Think of it this way. If you were booking hotels in for example New York City, are you going to use a travel agency based in Japan? Most likely not. The “Big 3” handles your travel needs in a broader geographical range. They do not focus on any specific regions in the world and in this case won’t get you the best rates for hotels in Thailand.
For the best deals and rates for hotels in Bangkok you should find a company that is based in Thailand. If you knew that by now then kudos to you. But there are many Thai based hotel reservation agencies on the Internet specializing in Thailand, and you may not know which to choose.
Thailand based hotel reservation agencies are able to provide better room rates and offer up to date promotions and discounts, because they are in direct contact with local and internationally managed hotels in Thailand.
You can start with a simple search on any search engine first like Google, Yahoo and Bing.
When you come across a Thai hotel website look for the “Contact” or “About Us” page. You should see an office address in Thailand and a phone number. That’s your first clue that the agency is based in Thailand.
Next you should see if the company can be reached 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Not only will this show that you’re dealing with a highly professional company, but it’s also handy to know that if there’s ever a problem when checking into a hotel at 2am in the morning, the hotel can contact the hotel reservation agency you booked with to resolve any issues.
It never hurts to do a bit of comparison shopping. Spending an extra 30 minutes in the comfort of your own home doing research on which company to book your hotels in Thailand will save you more than just a few bucks.
