The Best Hotel Booking Sites: What We Actually Use and Why

During my old corporate job I lived in a Marriott long enough to be invited to the staff Christmas party. I suspect that says more about my travel schedule back then than about my charm, but the habit stuck. These days Jess and I still book a lot of hotels, enough that I hold Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Gold Elite status and Genius Level 3 on Booking.com, a level you only reach after 15 completed bookings in two years. Booking.com, Expedia, Agoda, Priceline and Hostelworld have all taken our money at some point, and when we’re chasing status we go straight to the chain instead, usually Marriott, Hilton or Best Western. Booking a hotel should be one of the fun parts of planning a trip. These days there are so many booking sites, and so many variables to weigh up, that it can all get a bit overwhelming. I’d also love to tell you there’s one easy answer to which site you should use. There isn’t. If there’s a loyalty programme you like, that’s a good reason to lean one way. If you care about price above everything else, you’re going to have to get comfortable with a lot of browser tabs. Two things surprised us researching this post: how few companies are behind all these brands, and how o...