A new study by InsureMyTrip reveals the hotel booking websites with the best travel offers.
With soaring costs of travel holidays, many vacationers are relying on hotel booking websites to save some cash.
InsureMyTrip, a travel insurance comparison site, examined data to determine which hotel booking website offers the best deals for travelers.
The study compares the prices of 50 hotels in ten U.S. cities and ten international cities, based on the destinations with the most international arrivals. Each destination is analyzed based on its daily rates found on Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com and the official hotel’s website. The researchers searched for a double room for two guests for one night between 27th-28th August 2022. All searches were done on the same day to avoid price fluctuations.
Sarah Webber, Director of Marketing at InsureMyTrip, hopes that this study will encourage travelers to book a trip.
The high cost of travel may be discouraging for Americans. We’re hoping this data encourages protentional-travelers to take a trip, knowing they are getting the best prices on hotel rooms.
Sarah Webber, Director of Marketing at InsureMyTrip
The research shows that Hotels.com is the most cost-effective option as it lists the cheapest places to stay. This platform offers a better deal than the other websites in 289 instances. Expedia is cheaper in 283 instances, while direct bookings in 159. Surprisingly, Booking.com is the least cost-effective option, offering a cheaper deal than other websites in only 54 instances. That is only 7% of the hotels analyzed.
On average, using Expedia instead of Booking.com can save you $33.13. On Hotels.com the saving is $32.87, and if you book directly with the hotel, you can save $27.28.
According to the study, the city with the least amount of savings was Orlando. When booking through Expedia, travelers save $23.82 on average.
On the other hand, New York City is the destination where travelers could save the most money. Over the past two years, hotel prices in the Big Apple quadrupled, with an average room price of $318. However, visitors can save some cash if they book through the right website. On Booking.com the average cost of a hotel room is $367, while on Hotels.com the average is $293, netting a saving of $74. The study revealed that Hotels.com offers the best deal in NYC 62% of the time.
London is another city where hotel prices have drastically increased in the past years, with an average room price of $307. But even in this case, the price can vary greatly depending on the booking website you are using.
Booking.com options in London have an average cost of $331, while Hotels.com and Expedia show deals with an average cost of $286. These two websites are more cost-effective in 82% of cases.
The study also analyzed Dubai. The Gulf City is expected to be a tourist hotspot in November, when its neighbor, Qatar, will host the FIFA World Cup. In Dubai, a hotel room costs $143 on average, but even in this case, the price fluctuates depending on which hotel booking website you use. On Booking.com, the average room price is $166. On Expedia.com, a room is on average $34 cheaper, at $132.
Even in Singapore, using Expedia and Hotels.com to book a room can save you some money. These websites have both an average room price of $208 and show the most cost-effective option in 78% of cases.
