TRIVAGO The online Booking APP- Direct Hotel Booking vs. Third-Party Hotel Booking

By Mark Daniels 5 min read Favorited by: 0 user

I was buzzing with excitement for our trip to Niagara Falls. My wife and I had been planning a quick, scenic getaway for a while, and the dates were finally set: July 11th to the 13th. When it comes to booking hotels, I'm usually pretty straightforward. My go-to for comfort, reliability, and sheer consistency is almost always Marriott. Over the years, I’ve built up a decent stack of loyalty points, and I genuinely appreciate knowing what to expect when I walk into one of their properties.

So, naturally, my first move was to open up the Marriott Bonvoy app, as I always do, to scope out prices for a specific room type that would perfectly suit our needs for those dates.

After a few taps and scrolls, I found a room that looked perfect – comfortable, well-located, and within what I considered a reasonable budget. The price stared back at me from my Marriott app: $933.38. "Not bad," I thought. "That covers two nights, taxes, and everything." I was just about to hit the 'confirm' button, but then a little voice in the back of my head, probably fueled by a hundred TV commercials, whispered, "What about Trivago?"

The Trivago Test: A Shocking Revelation

We've all seen the ads, right? That guy, enthusiastically declaring how Trivago "compares hotel prices from hundreds of booking sites." The whole premise is that it’s supposed to be the tool to save you money, to find that elusive cheaper deal hiding somewhere on the internet.

So, before I committed to my Marriott app booking, I decided to put Trivago to the test. It couldn't hurt, could it? My expectation, to be completely honest, was to find the same room, at the same hotel, for at least a few dollars less. Maybe I'd even snag a significantly better deal and feel like a savvy traveler.

Navigating to Trivago's website, I diligently plugged in all the details: Niagara Falls, July 11th to 13th, the specific Marriott hotel, and even the room type (as best as I could match it). I waited, watching the little search bar do its thing, compiling prices from Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com, and a myriad of other sites I'd barely heard of. Finally, the results popped up. My eyes scanned the screen, eagerly looking for that lower number.

And then, I blinked. And then I blinked again. My jaw might have actually dropped a little. The price, for the exact same room, at the exact same Marriott hotel, for the exact same dates, was not lower. It was higher. Significantly higher. Trivago was showing me a price of $1022.

A quick mental calculation confirmed my suspicion. That was nearly $90 more than what my Marriott Bonvoy app was showing me directly. $90! For a two-night stay, that's not a negligible amount. My initial thought was, "Well, that was a waste of time." But then, a bigger question started brewing: Is Trivago really saving anyone money on hotel bookings, or is it more of a clever marketing illusion?

Diving Deeper: Why My Direct Booking Won

This experience definitely shattered my perception of price comparison sites. For years, I just assumed they were the ultimate money-saving hack. But my little Niagara Falls experiment proved otherwise. So, what gives? Why was Trivago more expensive than booking directly with Marriott?

There are a few key reasons I've come to understand since that moment. First off, loyalty programs are huge. When I book directly through the Marriott app or website, I’m not just getting a room; I’m participating in their Bonvoy loyalty program. This means I earn points for my stay, which can lead to free nights, room upgrades, and other perks down the line.

Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) like those Trivago partners with – Expedia, Booking.com, etc. – typically don't allow you to earn loyalty points directly with the hotel chain. So, even if the price were marginally similar, the long-term value from direct booking often outweighs it.

Secondly, hotels often offer "best rate guarantees" or exclusive deals directly on their own websites, especially for loyalty members. These aren't always available to third-party booking sites because those sites take a commission. Hotels prefer direct bookings because they don't have to pay these commissions, which can be substantial. This allows them to offer slightly better rates or added incentives (like free breakfast, Wi-Fi, or late check-out) that aren't advertised elsewhere. It's a win-win: the hotel saves on commission, and I get a better deal or more perks.

Another factor could be dynamic pricing and how quickly rates change. While I was comparing, prices could have fluctuated. However, the consistent higher price on Trivago (and the sites it linked to) suggested it wasn't just a momentary glitch. Often, the prices shown on aggregators might not include all taxes and fees upfront, or they might be for a slightly different room category than what the hotel shows directly, even if it appears similar. When you click through from Trivago to an OTA, sometimes additional fees sneak in during the booking process, pushing the final total higher. My direct Marriott app price was the all-in, final amount.

Beyond the Price Tag: What Really Matters

My Niagara Falls booking experience taught me a valuable lesson: "saving money" isn't always as simple as finding the lowest number on a comparison site. While Trivago and similar platforms can be useful for discovering hotels or seeing a range of prices, they shouldn't be the final word on where to book.

For me, the peace of mind of booking directly, knowing I’m getting loyalty points, and having a direct line to the hotel for any changes or issues, weighs heavily. If something goes wrong, it’s much easier to resolve when you’ve booked directly with the hotel rather than through a third-party intermediary. Think about trying to change dates or get a refund if something unexpected happens – dealing with the hotel directly is almost always smoother.

So, while I appreciate the idea of Trivago, my personal experience for our Niagara Falls getaway showed me that "saving money" sometimes means sticking to what you know, leveraging your loyalty, and making sure you’re comparing apples to apples – or in my case, $933.38 to $1022. For future trips, I'll still do a quick cross-check, but my first port of call will always be the hotel's direct website or app. It seems that, for me at least, the real savings, and the real value, lies in booking smart, not just booking cheap.

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Author

Mark Daniels

Mark demonstrates exceptional writing skills, showcasing his talent for creating captivating and engaging content on various subjects. In his leisure time, he indulges in his interests in camping and fishing.