Booking with Santorini Hotels is Better Than via Booking Channels

Booking websites made it easier than ever to compare hotel prices based on the date of travel. But with it has also come challenges for travelers, including getting charged for a room that they then don’t receive once they reach the hotel due to communication breakdowns. So when you look to complete your Santorini booking, consider going directly through the hotel website for the best experience.

Learn more about the risks and challenges some travelers face when going through third-party websites to complete their travel plans.

Why You Should Complete Your Santorini Booking Through the Hotel Website

A website where you can book your flight, hotel and rental car all in one place seems attractive. And it’s so easy to compare rates, ensure the vendor has availability on your travel dates and check multiple things off your to-do list at once.

But with third-party travel websites come some challenges. Here’s a look at what those challenges can entail.

1. You Aren’t Eligible for Reward Points

When using most third-party websites, you won’t be eligible for reward points through airlines or hotels. In some cases, the website has partnered with the chain to provide perks, but that isn’t always the case or you could see large delays in getting those rewards.

2. Generally, You Pay a Small Fee for Using the Third-party

Although third parties help compare rates, you’re often paying a small fee to book through that provider. After all, they have to get their cut somehow. Before booking, just be sure to check the hotel website for prices directly before completing your booking. And while you’re there, you might as well complete your hotel reservation to ensure you don’t encounter issues.

3. Making Travel Changes is Complex

Often, you can’t make changes to your travel directly through a third party. And if you call the hotel directly, you might encounter issues changing the reservation because the reservation isn’t directly through the hotel’s system. It’s a complex issue of who owns the reservation at that moment.

Sometimes, you pay a fee to make the change, or you have to cancel the reservation and restart the process, paying for your travel at today’s rates.

4. Vacation Package Often Include Inopportune Flights

Those attractive vacation packages you’re eyeing are likely inexpensive because they feature flights with long layovers or early morning or late night flight times. So you’ll be worn out from your travel by the time you arrive in Santorini. While it might look like you’re getting a deal, it’s better to book each part of your travel separately directly with the provider to get the best rates for the days and times you actually want to travel.

5. Upgrading Your Travel Plans Can Be Complex

If you decide you want to travel in style and upgrade your travel plans, you might struggle to do so. Once again, it will be a challenge to go through the booking website or if you call the hotel or airline directly, they might not be able to make changes to your travel directly or bill you for the change.

When you book directly, you’ll have greater control over your travel plans. You might even be able to log in and make changes to your reservation without having to call or complete the task at the front desk upon arrival.

6. Your Reservation Can Get Lost

Third-party bookings can lead to challenges in the reservation going through. Too many travelers have experienced this and only found out that they don’t have a hotel booking because the booking website didn’t properly transfer it to the hotel upon completing the reservation.

Not only will you not have a place to stay and will have to pay last-minute prices, assuming the hotel has space available at that point, but you will also face challenges with getting refunded for the booking because the hotel won’t have the power to refund a booking they never received and the third-party might claim it transferred the funds to the hotel already. Adding another party to the process can just complicate the process.

What to Know About Airbnb in Santorini

Before you book a Santorini Airbnb, just be aware of some of the limitations you might face and the fees you’ll pay. You can book hotels through Airbnb, but like many other online booking sites, you’ll likely spend more on your booking to cover the platform’s costs.

Instead, it’s a good idea to look directly at the hotel to see what availability they have. Instead of using Airbnb to see hotel availability alongside possible apartments or homes, you might use a booking website to look at hotels and prices and Airbnb in Santorini, Greece, just to review homes and apartments.

The hotel has listed its available rooms on Airbnb to help make you aware of their accommodations and allow you to complete a side-by-side comparison with other short-term rentals. But it’s still better and easier for everyone if you go and book your stay on the hotel website directly.

Perks of Shopping Overnight Stays on Airbnb

Airbnb requires that those who list their accommodations on the platform enter standardized information about the amenities. That makes it easier to compare one provider to the next. Here’s a look at some of the nice aspects of booking through Airbnb.

See a variety of overnight options alongside each other
Review amenities side-by-side in an easy-to-read format
Enjoy standardized accommodation descriptions
Interact with the hotel digitally through Airbnb messaging
Read reviews from past visitors without having to go to another website to view this information

Detractors of Booking a Santorini Airbnb

While booking your Santorini Airbnb has some perks, it also has some detractors. Review these as you consider whether to book your travel through the hotel directly or through Airbnb, review these considerations first.

Platform fees
Cleaning fees
Possible overbooking when clients book through the hotel website at the same time as you book through Airbnb, leading to cancelation and making you restart your search for good accommodations
Checkout procedures that require you to clean up before leaving
Possible lack of daily housekeeping services
Some properties might not have the same security standards as hotels or guesthouses that are more experienced in handling overnight travelers

Where to Book Quality Santorini Overnight Stays

Finding high-quality overnight accommodations can feel complex. It’s hard to know where to find reliable information about how good a hotel is and then know the best time to book your stay.

Some booking platforms highlight only the positive reviews for a property when the property is paying for advertising. That way, the booking site retains the property as an advertiser long-term.

Because of that, it’s best to compare Google reviews, which go through a rigorous verification process. And because Google doesn’t stand to gain anything by highlighting the good or the bad reviews, it’s more balanced and fair regardless of whether the hotel is advertising with Google or not.

You can start your search on booking websites to compare prices and accommodations. But then to verify what you learned on those platforms, head to Google to read reviews to see what people’s experience with the hotel was like.

When you research The Fisherman’s House on Google, you’ll find a 4.8/5 rating with real, authentic reviews from past travelers.

Book your travel directly through the hotel website for the best possible travel experience and great prices.

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