There are thousands of sites on the Internet that you can use to make hotel reservations. Almost all of them advertise with best price guarantees, which in practice have so many hooks and eyes that they are downright worthless with some providers. Paying the repayment can also prove to be complicated.

The most important tip in advance: Don't blindly trust every review and photo on the internet. Unfortunately, there are many fake reviews. Stay critical and suspicious and protect yourself from disappointment.

How do you find the cheapest hotel room?

A very good strategy is to search for the desired hotel on various booking portals and compare the prices. Search engines like Trivago can also be helpful, because the agents then like to go down with their prices in order to be listed as high up as possible.

Rarely noticed, but also an opportunity to save: sometimes travel agencies or tour operators have so-called "hotel-only contingents", which are offered at significantly lower prices than through intermediary sites such as HRS or Booking.com. This can be related to the fact that this capacity is left over because it could not be sold as part of package tours. Since the organizers usually agree purchase guarantees with the hotels in order to get cheaper prices, they tend to sell off remaining contingents.

Does the booking portal always have the best price?

No. It can be the cheapest, but it doesn't have to be. It is often advisable to look directly on the homepage of the hotel of your choice or to inquire directly. Just write the hotel an email or give them a call. Often you have much more attractive offers on request, because there are no agency commissions and many hotels are happy to pass this benefit on to direct bookers. And sometimes you can also ask whether you can still do something about the price. Many hoteliers are flexible and allow themselves to be negotiated.

What cost traps are lurking?

The cancellation and payment conditions are not clearly visible and easy to understand on all booking websites. However, this can be very important for you, because if you book a non-cancelable rate that has to be paid immediately, you will not get any money back in the event of cancellation. Down payments may also be required, which, depending on the conditions, will not be refunded.

We recommend booking flexible rates, which if possible first have to be paid in the hotel. Make sure you keep to the latest cancellation date (if you are not going to arrive), otherwise the hotel can debit a no-show fee, the amount of which is stated in the conditions, directly from your credit card.

There are always hidden costs that are not immediately apparent. Mostly these are local taxes (tourist tax, bed tax, tourist tax, etc.) that you have to pay at the reception upon check-in. Often these are not included in the price. In some areas it is only a few cents or a single-digit euro amount, but in the Balearic Islands it can quickly turn into money. This sometimes also applies if you booked through an organizer. Therefore, find out beforehand whether the taxes are priced in or not.

In rare cases, there may be problems with prepayment through an intermediary and the hotel claims to have received no money. In this case the reservation is either forfeited or you will be asked to pay on the spot. Keep calm, try to reach the intermediary and negotiate calmly with the hotelier. For precisely this reason, it is often better to book directly with the hotel and agree the payment modalities directly with the hotelier, because then there is no "middleman".

Don't think that when you see pools, lounge chairs, and spas in photos, it's free. Some hotels add extra fees. To protect yourself from this: Simply call before booking or write an e-mail and ask.

I booked a hotel on the beach and it was a long bus ride from the beach. Why?

This is a very annoying thing, but unfortunately it happens a lot. Neither tour operators, agents, and certainly not the hotels themselves, take the terms “at the stand” or “near the beach” very carefully. In addition, “beach” does not mean that it has to be a beach, because gravel and rocks can even be public bathing beaches. The wonderful view of a full-grown container port can also bloom for you.

How do you protect yourself from it? Well, it's easy. Just put in the name of the hotel or the address of the hotel on a map service like Google Maps and just look at the exact location of the hotel. Sometimes even street view is available and you can explore the area. If you don't like the location, just find another place to stay.

The hotel looked great in the photos, but was it really getting on in years?

If you take a swimming pool from a certain perspective, a paddling pool can quickly look like a full-size 50-meter swimming pool. Most hotels have their photos taken by professional photographers who are trained photographers and know exactly how to take what to make it look great. After all, professional photographers can not only live on passport photos and the customer, i.e. the hotel, expects absolute professional quality. But the photographer is not to blame, because he only takes photos and does not publish them.

Just google the name of the hotel and try to find amateur photos of guests. These are often posted on rating portals or on social media. The impressions that real guests have received are mostly authentic and protect you from disappointed expectations.

The hotel had good reviews on the internet, but found it to be a shabby dump. Why is that?

Fake ratings are a very big problem, not just in the hotel industry, but in all areas. As incredible as it sounds, there are agencies you can hire to get positive reviews. Conversely, there is also the possibility of inciting negative reviews on a competitor. Both are a legal gray area that can have legal consequences in the area of ​​competition law. As an annoyed guest, that won't do you any good.

You cannot completely protect yourself from fake reviews. The only way is to be vigilant and suspicious when there are a lot of very conspicuously positive reviews. Just think about daily life, no matter how hard you try to cook a delicious meal, someone will probably complain that it is too spicy, too salty or that you looked at it crookedly. Impressions and sensations are always subjective, ie even at a top hotel there is always someone who has something to complain about. A good mix of good and critical reviews is an indication that the reviews are real.

Also make sure that the reviews are marked with a note "verified hotel guest" (or comparable wording). There was a real hotel stay, especially with booking portals. Beware of reviews that are not marked as such. They can be real, but don't have to be.

Unfortunately, there is no 100 percent protection against fake reviews. With critical thinking and tips from Aviation.Direct, you can at least protect yourself a little better. Unfortunately with no guarantee of success.

My room is dirty, the previous tenant's suit hangs in the closet and most of the refrigerator is running away. Do I have to accept that?

Clearly: no. Take photos and videos to document the case. Perhaps there is another hotel guest by chance in the corridor who agrees to provide his or her details and is available to you as a witness if the worst comes to the worst.

Now complain to the reception and ask for another room. If that is not possible, request replacement accommodation. Do not be afraid to seek the help of the local authorities, because the trade supervisory authority, police and health department are no joke in disgusting hygienic conditions.

Now, however, there is another very important difference between individual travel and package travel that comes into play. What exactly is the difference between these two types of travel can be found under this link read in detail.

In the case of individual trips, you unfortunately have to solve the problem yourself. The local authorities may be able to help you or the hotelier will give in when the police are in front of him, but there is no guarantee of this. You must enforce claims such as price reductions in local courts under local law. Quite a lot of effort and some insurers don't even cover this in exotic countries.

If you have booked a package tour, it is much easier. Contact the local tour guide, show them the defects and have them confirmed in writing by the tour guide. Request a move to a different room or hotel. Report the defects as soon as possible to your tour operator or travel agency in your home country. After you return home: Submit a request for a travel price reduction due to defects immediately. List all deficiencies in detail, enclose copies of your photos, videos and confirmations from the local tour guide. It is best to send your request by registered mail.

My reservation confirmation says that I have to pay 300 euros, but in the hotel they want 500 euros from me. What can I do?

Unfortunately, such cases keep coming back. You can only protect yourself against this by booking through an organizer or by booking directly at the hotel. Often you have no choice but to pay. Then claim the money back from the agent, preferably by registered mail.

I booked through a portal with a best price guarantee and found a cheaper price. How do I get my money?

That's damn hard to answer, because the terms of these guarantees are very different and have a lot of hooks and eyes. In addition, the prices change extremely quickly and the processing is not always quick. Many providers want the link to the offer, but the price that is seen during the review applies. If the competitor has raised the price in the meantime, you are out of luck. If your application for the best price guarantee was successful, you usually have to send the invoice to the agent by e-mail after your stay and the agent will reimburse you for the money. This can be very tedious at Booking.com, because the payment is only possible to a credit card and many card issuers only allow credits to the card if something has been paid for beforehand with this merchant. Try to get another form of payout, but most portals are very stubborn.

As a rule, the best price guarantees have the basic condition that the services of the competitor must be exactly the same. Pay close attention to the first in which you can submit your application, because sometimes this only applies on the day of booking.

In summary: The best price guarantees do not always keep what they promise and can be very tedious to process. It is better to compare the prices beforehand and book where you can find the cheapest price with the best conditions. You can also ask directly at the hotel.

Do I have to leave a credit card deposit at the hotel?

Possible. Some hotels actually require a security deposit that is blocked on your credit or debit card. Please note that the amount will then temporarily not be available to you. It is best to ask how this is done before you arrive. Some hotels do not require a deposit at all. Others insist on credit cards, with some you can also deposit cash and get it back when you check out if you haven't broken anything and paid for everything.

In some countries it is customary for the entire stay to be paid for at check-in. You will come across this procedure often in Eastern Europe. In the west, on the other hand, it is more common that a deposit is deposited on the card or in cash and is only paid upon departure. Your hotel may waive the security deposit if you offer to pay at check-in. Perhaps the minibar will be emptied as a precaution, but it is usually very expensive anyway.