Hotels.com is a booking site for hotels and other accommodation in many countries. It suits you if you want to compare stays by price, location and cancellation rule and, at the same time, collect cashback or a loyalty bonus. Through daily cashback you can also include car rental in a cashback booking, where it is offered.
What you can book
The focus is on hotels, apartments and holiday stays. You filter by price, rating, amenities and cancellation terms and see the location on a map. Car rental is an extra offer. Note that stay and rental each have their own terms, so check them separately.
What a booking really costs
The nightly price in the list only tells half the story. The real final price depends on the whole package:
- Taxes and fees: they may be inside the shown price or appear only in the last step. Compare the total for all nights.
- City tax: in many places you pay it at the hotel, so it is not in your booking.
- Resort or service fees: some properties charge them on site, mostly large holiday complexes. They are usually named in the property description.
- Breakfast, parking, Wi-Fi: included or extra depending on the rate.
- Currency: if the charge is not in euros, your bank may add exchange fees.
Cancellation and payment
Cancellation rules depend on the rate you choose. There are flexible rates with free cancellation until a deadline and cheaper rates without a refund. Payment also differs: some rates are paid online right away, others at the hotel. In the booking step, look closely at the deadline and the time of day for cancelling, and keep the confirmation. You will need it if you have to cancel or change later.
How to save
Prices for the same room can vary by rate and by timing. Where you can, travel outside school holidays and pick a free-cancellation rate so you can compare once more later. A loyalty programme can pay off if you stay overnight often. Read its terms on the Hotels.com site.
Important for cashback: it only applies to bookings made without a voucher code. If you enter a discount code, the credit may be lost. Decide beforehand which is worth more and do a quick calculation of both. You can see the current cashback rate on our provider page.
Booking with cashback
Cashback runs through daily cashback. Here is how:
- Open the daily cashback shop page for Hotels.com.
- Go from there to Hotels.com and search for your stay.
- Book as usual, without a voucher code, in one session.
- The cashback is credited after the confirmed trip.
Do not open other comparison or voucher sites in another tab in between, so the booking can be matched.
Who Hotels.com suits
If you compare hotels anyway, you get a large selection in one place and can filter by cancellation rule. That helps when your dates may still change. It makes less sense if you want to use a discount code, because then the cashback is lost. If you travel for work and need an invoice with tax details, clarify beforehand what the document contains and who issues it, as this differs by property.
Tips
- At the end, compare the hotel with the price on its own website. Sometimes the gap is small, and then the cashback gives you the edge.
- Read recent reviews, especially on cleanliness and noise.
- Check the location relative to the station or airport before you choose a cheap room.
- For rental cars: read the insurance, deposit and fuel rules before booking.
- Check the cancellation terms once more before you book.
More on the current cashback is on the TripPrice page for Hotels.com.