This morning I’ve been checking out hotels in Cambodia. We will be there over Christmas, and given that it is the peak of the high season I thought it worth booking somewhere to stay in advance. Searching for a suitable hotel online in Cambodia is considerably easier than in the UK. The websites I have researched (around 15) are generally of a higher standard, the properties are easier to find on Google (and not buried under tons of tripadvisor and aggregator links) and appear to have been designed with the viewer in mind. I got the job done with minimal hassle.
I stopped for a moment to reflect on how I conduct my search and wonder if this is typical. For fellow travellers out there, it will be interesting to know if my search methods are the same as yours. For hoteliers and reservation companies, does my online routine match with how you expect people to find your property?
1. Tripadvisor.com. In a major city such as Bangkok or Phnom Penh there are hundreds of properties vying for my attention. I need a way to filter the selection down to a manageable sample. I will start by looking at the top 20 ranked in Tripadvisor for that destination and then screen them according to what suits my price budget.
2. Working down from the top ranked in my sample, I will then look at their website. Not Expedia or whoever else Tripadvisor send me to, but their own site, via Google. If they haven’t got their own site (or if I can’t find it) then it’s a black mark. Not fair to some small properties, but c’est la vie. On the hotel’s own site I look for: nice clean bright rooms (good photos of rooms, esp. bathrooms are very important), free wi-fi, good location (will always look at map rather than just believe a headline on this one), and room rates/specials.
3. If all seems well I will proceed to book there and then. I won’t waste time chasing around many sites looking to save $5 or $10. If I am happy with reputation, cleanliness, location and price and the website has made it easy for me to book, I am a happy customer. If I have to submit a request for a reservation I will normally give that property 24 hours to reply. Every Cambodian property where I filled out an availability check with has replied within 2 hours. Very impressive, and a contrast with many of their European counterparts.
Of course if I have a personal recommendation then this entire process is bypassed and I only perform a quick cursory check before going ahead and booking. Such is the power of word of mouth.
What is the message? If my behaviour is typical, then having a good website is vital. The website should be easy to find in search engines, easy to use, have lots of fast loading images that give reassurance on the basic cleanliness and brightness of the property, and give quick information on price and availability. It should include a location map and internet access information.
Above all else, the hotel’s reputation will be its main selling point. Tripadvisor does matter despite its faults and hotels that impress their customers on a regular basis will rightly be highlighted on the site. It might be open to some abuse, but having used it prior to, and subsequent to, staying at hundreds of properties I am convinced that it remains one of the most reliable ways of predicting the quality of a stay. But better yet than Tripadvisor is the evangelical promotion that a truly delighted customer can bring. They will sing a properties praises to everyone they meet, and in this connected world that may be thousands or even millions of people.
A final word goes to a lady I met at a customer service event in the UK a few years ago. At the end of a presentation on providing excellent customer service, specifically on how to wow a customer at little or no extra cost, she raised her hand and said “I’ve been in this business for years, and I know that if you give them an inch they’ll demand a mile. It’s just not worth it. You can never make people happy”. I would love to know what she’s doing now.
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When I travel long term, I never book in advance because I never know for sure where I’ll land the next day. So, I rely on some lesser known, but very dependable sites for last minute accommodations. In Italy (they also cover much of Europe & some other areas as well) I’ve had great success with Venere.com. In Asia it’s AsiaRooms.com. And n Australia and New Zealand it’s Wotif.com. Of course, there’s always the hostel sites. I also check Lonely lanet’s Thorn Tree Forum and TripAdvisor, but never use Expedia or Traveocity.
I have learnt to take Tripadvisor reviews with a pinch of salt, some of my favourite hotels are plagued by bad reviews, and some of my worst hotels are up in the top 10.
I think the best way is to use good old intuition, to do as you say and have a good look at photo’s on the hotels website, use google earth to see the area, and then trust your instincts.
Great article. The process we take to book hotel rooms is almost identical as you described. We find places on Tripadviser and use google to find the hotel websites. We’ll usually cross reference with our Lonely Planet guides downloaded on our computers. I agree with Kevin, Tripadviser can be frustrating sifting through all the contradicting statements, but I guess it’s human nature, everyone is going to have their own take on places. We tend to play the numbers game, if the lion’s share of reviews are good and there’s just a few “Hell on Earth” and “Never Again, Never” comments, the hotel website looks good and if it has free wi-fi we will roll the dice and book the room. After 200+ straight on the road, we’ve been happy with this strategy with only a few inevitable hiccups.
Thanks for all the comments. Glad to hear that others use Tripadvisor with a healthy dose of realism too. As Kevin suggests, intuition is key. Thanks also for the tips Barbara – I’ll look those sites up. I’ve used AsiaRooms and been impressed.
It would also help if the availability check was automatic via the hotel or lodge’s website, which many have…. noise pollution is a big no no for me, so I would want to see that mentioned on the hotel’s website, whether its in a noisy part or whether its in a peaceful location, its probably one of the most important factors for me… otherwise I agree totally with your post…. it is often extremely difficult, and sometimes impossible, to find a hotel or lodge’s own direct website, which is a bit annoying if one doesn’t know the exact url… some have very ambiguous names…
Further to the above, I find it quite amazing how out of date many websites are…. it seems they are put out on the web, and then forgotten about… simple things like email addresses, tel numbers, special offers etc are so often out of date or incorrect…. additionally everyone should have a Skype address and have the settings correct to actually be online… also missing most of the time, inexcusable really when there are millions using Skype all the time 24/7… seems many many places have no idea of the power of the internet now…
Good point re: noise Tjitske, awful to get a noisy night (I guess review sites will be honest with that, while few hotels will disclose they have a noise issue). And completely agree about outdated information. There’s no excuse.
Skype is an interesting one. Have you found many hotels using Skype? I have to admit it seems to be the exception, although it would be so much better if they did, particularly where its expensive to make calls to that country. Thanks as always for sharing your experiences.