Last Updated: January 22, 2024
There are thousands of e-travel agents offering you accommodation deals from multiple hotels at affordable rates.
Among those travel agents, Algotels might have grabbed you due to the cheaper hotel bookings it offers.
But the main concern is that hotel stays offered by such travel agents at cheaper rates often result in scams and other potential issues.
Therefore, before making a booking through Algotels, it’s important first to know if it’s legit and what are the potential risks associated with booking through its site.
Let’s start with your main concern.
Is Algotels Legit?
Algotels is undoubtedly a legit 3rd party hotel booking site as it’s one of the major brands of Holisto, an Israeli tech-based company founded in 2015.
Furthermore, Holisto not only owns Algotels but also owns other well-known online booking companies such as Traveluro and GoSplitty.
Above all, its parent company, Holisto, has the prestige of being listed publicly on Nasdaq, the 2nd largest American stock exchange, after merging with SPAC at a $405 million value.
So a booking platform (Algotels) owned by such a well-known and prestigious company (Holisto) can definitely be legit.
Hence, Algotels is a legit platform for finding hotel stays at affordable rates in different parts of the world.
But wait!
Although Algotels is legit, you should be aware of the following 4 main things before deciding to book a stay through its site.
The first one is:
1. Algotels Has No Control Over The Standards And Services Of The Hotels
One of the major downsides of booking a hotel through 3rd party agents is that while they list hotels on their sites, they have no control over the standards and services of those hotels.
These 3rd party booking sites only give you access to the reservation deals and other services of the hotels.
The same is the case with booking through Algotels, too.
Therefore, Algotels, being a 3rd party agent, takes no responsibility if the hotel’s standards and services don’t meet your expectations or its services don’t align with what it advertises on Algotels’s site.
In case the hotel you’ve booked with is short of amenities, its staff doesn’t facilitate you, demands a resort fee at check-in, or you face any inconveniences during your stay, Algotels will neither be responsible for this nor will compensate you.
In short, you have to accept your hotel as it is because Algotels can do nothing for you if you’re not satisfied with the hotel’s services.
2. Reservation Issues
One of the major concerns raised by customers is that they face reservation issues when they book through Algotels.
Some of the customers report that when they make a reservation and reach the hotel, they’re told at check-in that their reservation was never made because Algotels hasn’t confirmed it with the hotel.
Even though they had a booking confirmation number and voucher, the respective hotel still couldn’t find any record of their booking.
Moreover, in some cases, customers’ reservations are cancelled by Algotels itself but its customer support doesn’t notify them of their booking cancellations.
So customers, when reach the hotel, are stuck in the middle between Algotels and their respective hotels because:
3. The Hotel Isn’t Liable To Help You Directly
It’s important to note that Algotels, like other online travel agencies, is the intermediary of your booking you make with a hotel through its site.
When you make a booking with a hotel, it’s Algotels who manages and handles your booking with that hotel you booked with, not the hotel itself.
That’s why the hotel isn’t liable to help you directly because you make your reservation through a 3rd party (Algotels), not directly with the hotel.
So if something goes wrong with your booking and you need help, you’ve to resolve your issue through Algotels, not directly with the hotel you’ve booked with.
To resolve an issue, you’ll have to first contact Algotels who’ll then carry your request to the respective hotel on your behalf, and when the hotel responds to Algotels, its customer support will deliver the hotel’s response to you.
So, when your reservation is either cancelled or not confirmed by Algotels, you’ve to resolve your reservation issue through Algotels.
Similarly, you can make changes and cancellations, obtain a refund, or resolve any other issues only through Algotels, not directly with the hotel.
In this way, it’s very complicated to resolve your issue through a 3rd party booking agent (Algotels).
But Algotels even further complicates resolving an issue because:
4. Algotels’s Customer Support Isn’t Good
What the majority of the customers dislike about Algotels is that its customer support isn’t good at resolving their issues.
So when your booking isn’t confirmed by Algotels, or it itself cancels your booking, then fixing the issue or getting a refund from its customer support might be a nightmare.
Similarly, it’s very frustrating for customers to make changes and cancellations to their bookings even within the deadline and allowed by the respective hotel.
Therefore, there’s a possibility that if you face any issue with your booking, it may not be resolved or may be resolved after causing you much frustration due to Algotels’s poor customer service.
There You have it!
So these are the 4 main things you should be aware of before booking through Algotels.
So, Should You Book Through Algotels?
It ultimately depends upon your personal comfort, preferences, and budget whether you book through it or stay away.
But if you’re worried about booking through Algotels because of the above-mentioned associated risks, I would say that it’s not always the case that customers face issues when they book through Algotels.
While it’s true that customers encounter problems when they book through Algotels, there are thousands of other customers who have a pleasant travel experience with Algotels.
The purpose of discussing these issues here is to make you aware of them before booking through Algotels.
So before you quit booking through Algotels due to the negative experiences of customers, also consider other customers who are happy and satisfied with Algotels.
Moreover, it’s not only Algotels but every 3rd party booking site merely acts as a middleman and has no control over the services of the hotels.
Now, as far as my personal recommendation is concerned, there’s no need to book through Algotels if it doesn’t offer you a booking significantly lower than booking directly with a hotel.
Most importantly, as it’s very complicated to resolve an issue with Algotels if something goes wrong, you should follow the below 7 tips while booking through its site to decrease the chances of getting stuck in a problem:
7 Tips To Follow While Booking Through Algotels
First and foremost, you should:
1. Look At The Multiple Photos Of The Hotel And Its Rooms
To get an idea about the hotel you’re going to book a room in, take a glance at its multiple photos and also the types of rooms it shows you in these photos.
After being satisfied with the photos, proceed to:
2. Check The Amenities
To know what will be included in your stay at the hotel and the services it’ll provide you, it’s important to check the amenities of the hotel.
It’s advised to not book a room if the hotel doesn’t have the basic amenities you need.
3. Read The Customer Reviews
Customers leave reviews about the hotels they stayed in. Don’t forget to read the reviews of the customers who have personally experienced the hotel you’re going to reserve a room in.
This will enable you to become familiar with the hotel’s positive and negative things and some other issues those customers faced during their stay at that hotel.
4. Choose The Room According To Your Budget
When you choose a hotel, multiple rooms with different prices are provided to you.
Reserve the one that seems good and affordable to you.
5. Beware Of The Room Policies
As discussed above, it’s very complicated to make changes, cancellations, and get a refund.
Therefore, read the room cancellation and amendment policies carefully before reserving it as Algotels isn’t liable to help you if you need changes and cancellation and the concerned hotel doesn’t allow it.
6. Enter Your Booking Details Accurately
Only a minor error in your booking details can lead to major problems as it’s nearly impossible to make changes or cancel your booking if you made an error during your booking.
Therefore, enter the dates, destinations, email addresses, and other important details accurately and then review them before proceeding to payment.
7. Confirm Your Booking With The Hotel
As mentioned above, Algotels sometimes doesn’t confirm its customers’ bookings even though they receive booking confirmation emails and vouchers.
Therefore, confirm your booking with the hotel you’ve booked through Algotels to avoid the risk of being stranded at the hotel if your booking isn’t confirmed by Algotels.
That is it!
So these are the 7 tips you should follow while making a booking through Algotels.
Conclusion
Algotels is a legit online booking site for hotel bookings as it’s owned by Holisto, an Israel-based company established in 2015.
However, its legitimacy isn’t enough to book through its site. You have to consider some other factors before booking, such as:
- Algotels, like other 3rd party booking sites, has no control over the standards and services of the hotels it lists.
- There’s a risk that your reservation might not be confirmed by Algotels with the hotel you’ve booked with.
- The respective hotel isn’t liable to help you directly and that’s why it might be complicated to resolve an issue if something goes wrong with your booking.
- And resolving an issue through Algotels might be further complicated due to its poor customer service.
Besides considering these issues, you should follow the above-mentioned 7 tips while booking a hotel stay through Algotels.
So this was all about what you’re looking for about Algotels.
If you still have any questions or want to add your personal experience with Algotels, feel free to let me know in the comment section below.
