A recent study by Which?, a not for profit platform promoting informed consumer choice, has found that some hotel booking websites haven’t been living up to promises regarding certain deals advertised on their platforms. The research examined offers of “40% off” reservations on Booking.com, Expedia and Hotels.com when made through a mobile phone instead of a laptop and found that, in some instances, not only was the guarantee unfulfilled but some prices were actually cheaper on a computer.
Analysis on Hotels.com found that a 40% off mobile booking deal at the Ocean Drive Hotel in Seville, Spain for a two-night stay was indeed cheaper, at £235. However, when the booking process was followed on a computer, the price was only £39 higher, at £274, creating a comparative saving of only 14%. Which?’s findings showed that on Hotels.com, as much as 50% of mobile deals advertised were the exact same price on a laptop.
Further results demonstrated that in some instances, booking directly on the hotel’s website was even cheaper and also included complimentaries such as free breakfast and room upgrades. On Expedia, a search found that a two-nighter in Athens was £15 in fact cheaper on a laptop than mobile device. Booking.com was the only platform to be consistent in its smartphone-only deals.
“It is unfair that millions of people are unknowingly forced to pay higher prices for hotel rooms simply because they use a laptop. We are also concerned that some of the so-called deals offered by Expedia and Hotels.com could be misleading consumers – and we’re raising our concerns with the Advertising Standards Agency and the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA),” commented Which? Travel’s editor, Rory Boland. Investigation is being urged by the researching company to resolve this misinformation.
Besides being misleading, a major issue is that the phone specific deals are only displayed on smartphone browsers, meaning those who either prefer to plan their travels on a computer or perhaps don’t have a smartphone, are unable to benefit. This type of deal is partly powered by booking providers’ awareness that some consumers begin their search on their phones before switching to a computer to finalise the booking. If a time-pressured offer pops up on the mobile device, the individual is more likely to take the plunge and make a saving while they can.
Further misleading activity involves the prompt to download the platforms’ apps in order to receive additional discounts when in reality there was no difference in price when reserved on the app vs a mobile browser. An example is Hotels.com who promised 20% off via the app and then failed to deliver.
“The increased use of mobile is a consumer trend that has been recognised by our accommodation partners, which is why some, not all, offer mobile rates as a way to appeal to prospective customers to book rooms at their properties,” a Booking.com spokesperson commented on the findings going on to suggest their offers are not unique to mobile bookings and that there are deals in operation on computer.
A spokesperson for Expedia said they “always aim to provide competitive rates and bring value to our customers. We are looking into the points raised by Which? and look forward to further discussions on the matter.” Hotels.com has not yet released any comment on the research.
