Why Direct Booking is better for you
You get better prices & better service if you book directly!
Booking.com & Hotel.com and similar OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) did exist in 2009 when we moved to Nepal to open our first hotel. But nobody used them – people who wanted to stay with us either called us or dropped us a mail.
Until Covid forced us to close Tings Kathmandu – we had stayed top 10 without having anything to do with any Online Travel Agencies.
Today things have changed. If people can’t find a hotel on Booking.com it doesn’t exist. So we have been ‘forced’ to be present on Booking.com, but only with a few rooms so people who find us and like what they see, can do like we do when we find a hotel we like: Go to the website of the hotel and either book directly OR call/mail them.
60% of all our guests do that today – book their rooms directly with us.
Read why below!
You get better rates if you book directly.
Booking.com charges us 15% or more of the hotel rate in commission.
For a Hotel our size in our category it’s the same as 2 – 3 staff! We can’t afford that. The alternative is increasing the price OR taking the income without receipts (aka black money). If we do the first our rates will be so high that it will have an immediate negative impact on our bookings which means that we will lose sales. The other alternative – black money – doesn’t exist in our Danish culture.
So running Tings as we want – with different rooms with original art, AC, with homemade, home cut and plentiful breakfast, with 24-7 staff and where business travelers like us meet backpackers – that’s only possible if our guest book rooms directly with us!
The only way we can get you to book directly is to guarantee that we always give you the best prices!
And how do we do that?
Easy!
All travelers we know agree when they hear the negative impact the OTAs have on the hotel’s economy.
So why dont you book directly? – we ask them.
Because it’s so easy? – they all say.
We have to agree!! It is very easy and convenient.
From our more than 25 years working with high end products & services, we know that convenience is a parameter people are willing to pay for.
So we decided early on to increase our rates on booking.com with their provision.
Furthermore – we pay your tourist tax. Not a lot – only 2 Euros pp. Take it as our gratitude for your support and understanding.
So we guarantee you that we always give you the best rates if you book directly.
Remember we are the owners – and we decide.
Your stay gets better
It may sound strange. But guests who book directly tend to get a better stay with us.
Booking.com encourages (or forces?) all their customers to review their stay. Guests who book directly only write reviews on Tripadvisor and/or Google if they feel motivated. And they are more happy with their experiences compared to Booking.com guests.
Why is that?
It’s hard to say. But when you are motivated and do things on your own free will, you are more positive and open minded.
Another reason could be that you have more rooms to choose from on our website compared to Booking.com. Here we only place a few rooms on to show the world that we exist!
A third reason could be communication. A lot of our guests call us on WhatsApp, Phone or messenger – or they mail us. That way we get a chance to describe our rooms, recommend alternatives or even recommend people to find another hotel. The last may not be the best business for us – BUT it prevents us all from having unhappy people staying at a place they don’t like.
And by communicating directly we get a chance to share important information we can’t through booking.com’s platform.
Like Not to take the public transportation from the airport, that the price by taxi is only 8-10 € and that the Triangle Room they have booked is very alternative… And if we – through our communication – get an idea about interests, we generously share inspiration from our blog. Like How to get to the best beaches which the Guide Books don’t mention. OR how to find Lisbon’s secret street art OR how to apply for NHR tax yourself.
So our communication directly with you, may not only surprise you positively. Sometimes it will prevent disappointments 🙂
The human aspect
We do not discriminate between our guests – we treat you all the same way.
Saying that we do have situations where we tend to spoil guests who book directly. Like when the rooms are getting cleaned. Of course we start with the ones that are booked directly which means these guests get the room first.
And guests who book directly get upgrades more frequently than others.
Wouldn’t you do that yourself, if it was your hotel?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Annette & Thomas