An insurance agency has found that online booking travel agency, Booking.com, is the most affordable site when booking hotels in Macau, Hong Kong and China.
Data from InsureMyTrip shows that booking directly in hotels in Macau is the most expensive, costing USD337 on average, while Hotels.com and Expedia offer better rates.
“On average, a hotel room booked through either of those sites costs $27.50 less per night, at $334.50. On Booking.com, the average price for a room is $320.80 and is the most cost-effective option 22% of the time,” the U.K.-based agency said in a statement.
Meanwhile, data from the firm recommends booking directly through the hotel when traveling to Singapore, Bangkok, Thailand, Dubai, U.A.E., and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Travelers would have the same savings on Hotels.com and Expedia in Paris, New York, and Istanbul.
“Expedia is the best for London, and when traveling to Macau, China or Hong Kong we would recommend Booking.com,” the agency reiterated.
The study compares the prices of 50 hotels in 10 global tourist hotspots. Each city is assessed on its daily rates listed on Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com and directly through the hotel’s website.
Sarah Webber, director of marketing at InsureMyTrip commented, “Knowing you didn’t overpay can make a vacation that much better. As the cost of just about everything increases, we’re seeing travelers becoming savvier. The hope is this study will help save travelers not only money, but time.”
The general finding was that Booking.com was the least affordable site across 10 cities internationally. Hotels were assessed for the number of times they were the most affordable, and Booking.com was the most affordable site only 129 times. It also has the highest average price of $342.96.
The group chose 50 hotels in 19 cities, 10 in the U.S. and nine international cities (New York was included in both data sets), based on the cities with the most international arrivals. The search was for a double room for two people for one night between August 18 to 19, concluded on the same day to avoid price fluctuations.
Staff Reporter
