Booking site is known as one of the best resources for booking hotels. However, as practice shows, not all people planning a vacation can search for suitable housing and book it. Further we will consider in more detail how to use Booking, step-by-step instructions for booking apartments, as well as some useful recommendations given by experienced tourists.
Step 1. Registration on the portal
First of all. It is worth noting that the booking procedure for hotels at "Bucking" is available only for registered users, in connection with which a tourist planning to use this service needs to create a personal account in the system. It is worth noting that the presence of this will provide a simpler use of the site.
How to go on Booking? Practice shows that creating an account takes only a few minutes.
To register a profile, go to the "Register" tab located at the top of the site panel. After the transition, you will be prompted to enter an email address and the desired password. According to the rules of the system, the specified password must consist of at least 8 characters.
It is worth noting that if you have accounts on Google or Facebook networks, you can register through them by simply clicking on the corresponding icon located at the bottom of the empty fields.
Once all the necessary data has been entered, click the "Start" button.
In a new window that opens, the introduction of a person’s personal data - name and surname. After filling out the fields, click on the "Continue" button.
In the next window, you will be asked to enter phone numbers. Practice shows that you can skip this step by clicking on the appropriate field located in the lower right corner. Fields with personal preferences can also be left blank.
After all the necessary data has been entered, you need to go to the personal email address specified at the time of registration and find the letter sent by the administration of the Booking website. A link will be indicated in it - after clicking on it, registration will be confirmed.
What should I look at when registering a personal account? First of all, it is important to enter a real and constantly used e-mail, because at the end of any hotel booking process, a link will be sent to him to confirm the application. The phone number should also be indicated as real, because the administration of the reserved accommodation can contact the tourist on it.
In addition, experienced tourists strongly recommend linking an international credit card to your account, with which all necessary payments will be made.
Step 2. Search for a hotel
When planning a trip to any country, a person must decide on a place to live, as well as the cost of rent for which he expects. Choosing a hotel or hotel, you need to clearly determine your own requirements for comfortable living.
How to book a hotel on Booking.com? Direct hotel search can be performed not only on the main page of the site, but also on internal tabs.
In the search process, it is necessary to indicate the direction in which the trip is planned (the full name of the country, a separate resort or city), as well as the dates of the planned trip. In the event that the exact period has not been determined, you can enter approximate numbers - so the cost of living will be more accurate.
In the process of searching for a hotel, it is important to indicate the exact number of guests - the cost of living depends on this factor.
After all the necessary information has been entered, you should click "Check Prices" or the "Find" button. Next, a list of the most suitable places for recreation, in which there are available rooms for a specified period, will appear.
Experienced tourists strongly recommend using the filter located on the left side of the search page - here you can make any marks. Using the filter, you can sort only those options that are more relevant to your requirements.
In the process of studying options filtered by request, it is worthwhile to familiarize yourself with the information for each place to stay in more detail. To do this, click on the name of the hotel and read all the information about it, as well as reviews left by tourists who previously visited here. It is worth noting that each hotel offers a clear description of the categories of rooms, and also provides information regarding the food provided.
Tourists are strongly advised to pay attention to the rating of places for rest, affixed based on the reviews of travelers.
Step 3. Hotel reservation
How does the Booking.com reservation procedure work for an interested room? As a rule, it provides for prepayment either in the amount of the full amount, or a certain part thereof. To carry out this action, you must attach a bank card to your profile.
To book your favorite room in the selected hotel, you must click the "I book" button located to the right of the apartment description. After that, the system directs the customer to another page on which you need to enter real data in a separate block:
- surnames and names of all prospective guests;
- total number of guests;
- valid email address;
- preferences;
- existing wishes;
- Estimated time of arrival (desirable, but not required).
At this stage, you can also ask questions of the hotel administration - a separate form has been allocated for this, which you can write to without booking a room. How can I contact the hotel or hotel administration on Booking? This can be done through the specified form.
How to pay for a hotel through Booking? When all the forms are completed, you need to click on the tab "Next: final data". In this case, the customer will be transferred to the page where you must enter the phone number in the special fields, as well as information on the personal payment card (owner’s name, 16-digit number, expiration date, CVC code), if they were not previously specified in profile during the registration process.
After all the required data are specified, you must click the "Complete Booking" button.
The recommendations of tourists regarding how to book a hotel on Booking yourself often say that if you specify the approximate arrival time, the hotel will meet guests at the arrival point and prepare a room for them.
Booking completion
After the customer clicks on the "Complete Booking" button, the application process is considered completed. Upon its completion, the confirmation of the reservation should be sent to the indicated e-mail address, indicating all the entered data, as well as a link, upon clicking on which the completion of the action is confirmed.
Tourism experts strongly recommend that you verify all entered data before clicking on the specified link. After this action is completed, you should save the electronic confirmation of your hotel reservation.
How to cancel a reservation
Sometimes it happens that the plans of tourists change for some reason, as a result of which they need to cancel the reservation. What to do in this case and how to remove a reservation on Booking?
First of all, if the plans change, the customer should notify the hotel as soon as possible of the need to cancel the reservation or transfer the date of the trip to other numbers. As noted in the general rules, the cancellation procedure can be done no later than a day before the planned arrival, but it is worth remembering that some hotels can set their own rules, which you should familiarize yourself with when booking your apartment.
To send a request for cancellation of the reservation, you should go to your personal account, find the previously confirmed electronic booking confirmation there and follow the link provided in it in case you need to cancel the reservation. After carrying out this simple procedure, a letter will be sent to the mail indicated in the profile with confirmation of the action.
Can I manage the reservation made through an account in Booking?
After reviewing a step-by-step plan on how to book a hotel on Booking.com yourself, it’s worth understanding the available options for tracking your reservation status. You can do this through a personal account created on the site.
Moreover, having visited the created profile, the tourist has a lot of opportunities, including:
- booking other facilities;
- change in the number of guests;
- breakfast request;
- change of travel dates;
- cancellation of the reservation (only if this option is provided by the hotel’s rules).
Is it obligatory to indicate card data?
This question arises for those tourists who are just beginning to study the features of how to book hotels at the "Bucking".
It is worth noting that the indication of the card data is not a mandatory requirement in the process of registering a profile on the site, but, as practice shows, most of the hotels presented in the portal database make reservations only if the specified information is provided. This is due to the fact that after the confirmation of the submitted application, part of the amount due for payment for rental housing is blocked on the electronic account of the applicant. It is worth noting that it can be equal to both the daily cost of living in a hotel and the amount for the entire specified period.
Sometimes, thinking about how to cancel a reservation on Booking, many novice travelers have a question about the availability of penalties inserted by the hotel for this operation. It is important to understand that in case of observance of all the rules established by the hotel, no fines will be levied.
It is important for any tourist to know that if the balance of the indicated card does not have enough funds for reservation, in this situation the administration of the place of residence has the full right to cancel the reservation on its own, about which the customer will certainly receive a notification to the designated email address.
How can I make a reservation without entering card details
Is it possible to somehow make an apartment reservation without indicating my credit card details? Yes you can. Experienced tourists shared a rather simple trick on this subject, which consists in the proper sorting of places for recreation.
In order for the system to display only those in the list of hotels and hotels for which reservation information on the bank card is not required, the initial request must be correctly specified. To do this, in the left menu you need to check the box "Booking without a credit card", which is located in the category "Free cancellation and more." It is worth paying attention to the fact that the specified filter will become available only when the tourist indicates the exact dates of the planned trip.
Some travelers are seriously afraid of fraud on the part of the hotel administration, and therefore do not want to indicate maps. What should be done if such concerns are present, but at the same time a person has a desire to settle in the very hotel for which reservation details must be indicated? In this case, experts in the field of tourism business recommend first tying another card on which there is a small amount of money. If the number is not booked due to a lack of the required amount of funds on the balance sheet, then in this situation you can repeat the reservation procedure with real data.
How to decide on a suitable hotel and room?
How to book a hotel on Booking yourself? In order to decide on a suitable hotel, you should clearly understand your own requirements for a place to stay. So, it is important for a tourist to decide in which area he wants to live, as well as what conditions should be provided in his room.
Most tourists note that a significant advantage of the Booking website is that you can see the location of places of rest relative to city attractions on it and get acquainted with their positions on the map - for this, click on the "Show on map" item next to the option you like.
How to decide on a suitable number? When choosing an apartment, you should pay attention to the most exciting characteristics:
- How many beds are provided in the apartment (one or two or a large kingsize place).
- Whether breakfast is included in the room rate or this service can be added at will ;.
- Does the room have a private bathroom.
- Is there air conditioning (especially relevant in hot countries in the summer).
- Subtleties of payment terms.
It is worth noting that the site allows you to filter all the most suitable hotels by the specified indicators in the menu on the left.
How to get a discount on Booking
Few people know that when booking hotels on the site you can get a discount on the total amount. Seasoned tourists often take this opportunity and share them with others.
How to pay for Booking hotel reservation at a discount? To do this, first of all, you can take advantage of the bonus of 1000 rubles provided for all new users - to get it, you just need to go to the portal website and register. In addition, an additional 1000 rubles is also possible if you click on the affiliate link. It is important to understand that in the second case, money is transferred in cash to a card tied to an account. The balance can be replenished only within a month after the tourist leaves the booked hotel (as noted by observant travelers, transfer to VISA cards is done instantly).
For regular customers, the site often gives promotional codes for discounts from 10 to 30 dollars. As a rule, such coupons can be used provided that the reservation is made in an amount that is twice the amount donated. Practice shows that coupons are not sent out often - about three times a year for one account.
If you want to receive the maximum number of discounts, the tourist has the opportunity to receive a unique status - Booking-Genius. It is provided only to active users of the system who have at least five successful reservations per year, and also actively use the resource.