If you are thinking of traveling to Thailand soon, and so looking to book a Thai Hotel, booking using an online hotel reservation service is normally the first route taken these days. It’s the most convenient and simple method, requiring little more than the hitting of your search engine and a few clicks of the mouse. Also, with today’s price comparison websites, you get to be your own travel agent, comparing locations, prices and facilities, and looking out for those special offers that will save you big time.
One thing you need to ensure you don't overlook is to check the cancellation policies of the website that you are booking through. The enforcement of cancellation fees varies widely across both hotels and hotel booking sites, so it is essential to confirm the details of both before you commit yourself to a booking.
Agoda is an online hotel reservations service, based in Asia, which markets itself strongly to the discount Thai hotel sector. There is a basic administration fee of USD15 for amending or canceling a booking. Each hotel has their own cancellation policy and ranges from a refund being issued if canceled 7, 14 or 21 days before arrival, all the way to non-refundable bookings where from 1 night's charge all the way to the full amount of the stay is forfeited. The policies here really do run the gamut so it is advisable to read the policy of the hotel before you book.
The good news is that the cancellation policy of each hotel is easy to find and available in at least three places before you need to click the final confirmation button. Also, if you need to forfeit a night's fees after canceling, Agoda will not charge you the administration fee of USD15.
You can read a full review of Agoda's cancellation policy at ReserveThaiHotels.Net
Another Thai based online reservation site, Thaihotels.com, also aimed at the cheaper section of the market. They apply different rules for the peak season, which is recognized as December and January. If the booking falls in peak season, and is more than 60 days before check-in, then a handling fee of 5% of the overall cost is levied (or a 500 THB, US$12 minimum). If the cancellation is between 60 and 21 days prior to check-in, then a one-night’s charge is levied - if 21 days or less, than a 3-night charge is levied.
Outside the peak season, the fees are less onerous: 500 THB for more than 7 days prior to check-in, and an additional one-night’s charge for less than 7 days before check-in. The more global hotel reservation online sites are less demanding in their cancellation policies, but they also have somewhat higher room prices.
HotelsCombined is an exception – as a comparison site of all the other online hotel booking and price comparison sites, the cancellation fees defer to the underlying online booking site you are referred to. Hotels.com makes a general policy of not charging cancellation fees at all, but then defers to the individual cancellation policy of the hotel in question. These are highly variable, depending on season and hotel, so they must be checked prior to booking; and the website does clearly outline the policy for each hotel just before you commit to booking.
A similar approach is taken by LateRooms.com, Booking.com and Expedia, but when looking at a single hotel, there can still be discrepancies between websites. Given that most online reservation sites pass on hotel cancellation policies that are highly variable, and sometimes expensive, do make sure you are absolutely certain of what applies in your case. And if your plans are in any way doubtful, going through one of the locally based online reservation sites may not be to your advantage, especially in peak season.
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