As the COVID pandemic subsided, restrictions on abroad were lifted. While the price of the Japanese yen has fallen, making visits to Japan less expensive for at least some foreign visitors, the favorable costs have been offset by emerging fuel costs, resulting in surcharges.
Thanks to the influx of users, booking sites such as Booking. com, Expedia, Agoda, Hotels. com, Trip. com, and others have been in high demand. Unfortunately, glaring disparities have emerged between Japan’s domestic reserve sites and overseas-based sites. . Playboy (Oct. 30) turned to analyst Kotaro Toriumi to help readers figure it out.
According to Toriumi, some travelers using overseas booking sites have run into problems. What kind of problems? Let’s look at a specific incident that occurred in Chiba Prefecture in August.
The client (nationality not specified) had booked a besso (cottage) in Chiba Prefecture. When he followed the orders and arrived, he discovered that there was an empty house there. There was indeed a besso for rent, but somewhere else, and besides, it was still ready to be occupied. The owner insisted that he hadn’t even registered the online facility yet.
Apparently, a scoundrel took the photo of the kiss, created a “non-existent hotel” and posted it on a foreign online page — an apparent case of fraud, if there is one.
There are some recognizable features that distinguish Japan’s domestic booking sites from foreign-based services. The questions that arise are: what is your business model?And secondly, why is it less expensive (in many cases) to use those services or book directly with hotels?
“Align knowledge with pricing, etc. , and you’ll be able to compare on your own,” Toriumi said. “These sites are convenient and attract a lot of users. Hotels that fail to attract enough visitors on their own have a formula whereby they pay fees in exchange for attracting visitors to hotel booking sites.
“As hotel booking sites compete on price, hotels are forced to lower their prices, so the rates presented on booking sites are cheaper. “
So what is the cause of the price disparities that are emerging?
“Foreign-based sites are making their own discounted sales, reducing fees by 10 to 20 percent,” Toriumi explained. “Prices can be decided through points such as time, when we decide it through the booking site’s own decision.
“As foreigners return to Japan, festivals are intensifying and foreign hotel booking sites have expanded their listings for Japan,” he added.
Toriumi noted that Japan’s domestic booking sites are subject to strict regulations, such as the Travel Industry Act, and will have to strictly adhere to them when setting directory prices. Auditors who encounter discrepancies can draw checks, and if they are not happy with their requests, they can request delisting. Another requirement is that lists of accommodation establishments can only be requested through the hoteliers themselves, as third parties are prohibited.
Whether you’re contacting an accommodation in Japan or abroad, if you’re unsure about something and need to be sure, you can turn to the tried-and-true method of phone confirmation. And by this we mean a voice phone, not a smartphone app.
Toriumi notes that the value differences between booking facilities and hotel corporations are narrowing, as many hotels have followed the formula of setting their “lowest imaginable room rate. “
“And, as normal customers, they can accumulate issues or credits in their account. At the very least, it’s a smart concept to check the websites of the hotels themselves, just to check costs and other conditions. “
To avoid disruption when making bookings on foreign sites, the first rule (and also the second rule) deserves to be “gather information”. Japanese travelers who are not comfortable with the formula are asked to take full advantage of strictly regulated domestic sites. As Miguel de Cervantes wrote: “Forewarned, forewarned; Being prepared is part of the battle. “
Use booking agencies to get an idea of the value, THEN contact the hotel directly to see if they can do more or match. Not always, but they do.
I discovered the same thing while searching for vacantes. Booking. com I would possibly say they don’t have a room, but a call to the hotel will reveal that they do have a room regardless.
I use Japanese sites to electronically book anything in the country. I noticed a lot of differences/inconsistencies. Sometimes, Japanese sites will show rooms available and at lower prices, while other sites will not list anything. It’s been that way for years.
Of course, it’s a must to double-check, but a phone call “In a Japanese establishment?”
That’s why foreign sites are popular because the other Japanese ones are all in Japanese and the translation is rarely perfect. Calling a hotel can be hit or miss, even with staff who speak English and are difficult to understand.
And hotels do it themselves by offering deep discounts on online sites while keeping the costs of their official sites at the top (in most cases).
There are many wonderful offers for tour packages: shipping and accommodation, but this is only valid for Japanese suppliers.
Book with the property. DM is a pleasure if you lack speaking skills.
Expedia and Book are good.
Calling a staff can be unpredictable, even with staff who speak English and are difficult to understand.
If part of the data you want to verify is that you can provide service in English, calling can also be an easy way to do so.
Expedia and Book are good.
Overburdened in the skies and useless.
Google, so criticized in the thread, works wonders for hotels (and especially flights). Just type in the location (or flights in any of the cities) and search, then it will ask you to enter the date and other details, and then it will display a list of hotels (flights). By opting for one, you will have the option to book electronically through other agents/sites, adding directly with the hotel (or airline).
I make an e-booking directly, if you see less expensive elsewhere, I just call and match. Also, it ends up gaining prestige in some GOOD hotel groups, now I get a room with a top point every time without fail in MO and FS. groups, as well as MANY other benefits in MO.
. . . Expedia is the worst. Absolutely. This plays from the beginning until the extras are shown later.
I just returned to Canada after a month in Japan. We deal directly with hotels without any problems. I got my confirmations via email without any problems. But I’ve been doing this for 12 years. Maybe just luck?I doubt it. As far as I’m concerned, booking sites are a joke, as are “rating” systems that advertise unsubstantiated reviews. Input waste, output waste.
I do not accept the facts in this sensationalist article as true.
Consumer (nationality specified)
Why didn’t the “consumer” be named?And why is the operator of the booking site named?
Apparently, a scoundrel
Well, who is this “scoundrel”?What is your calling and your opinion on the story?
It seems to me that it is as if a thread is being made. When the media hides that information, they can make up anything and get away with it.
I basically use booking. com and Jalan, founded in Japan, and I also visit the online sites of hotels. I make comparisons and rarely find significant differences in costs or packages. The only difference is that the availability of rooms in booking. com will be limited. and will show “out of stock” when available on Jalan.
The article simply seeks to advertise to the Japanese that they are nowhere near competing with foreigners in bookings made through foreign tourists.
Japanese e-booking sites, of course, accept 99% of bookings made through locals or other people living in Japan. But tourists prefer to book on ebooking. com, Agoda, Expedia, or other popular sites in their own country, as the language, value and payment distribution, and clarity are better.
If Japanese websites need to be competitive and attract more foreign visitors, they will first have to expand their language skills and not limit themselves to the Japanese language. The direct booking sites offered through many hotel sites are, of course, the safest, but they still tend to offer higher rates. And even if they say the visitor speaks English, good luck trying to call them directly and communicate on the phone in English!
I booked a hotel room with a foreign reservation in Morocco in a city.
When we arrived, the hotel closed for the season.
Another incident in the Philippines.
The length of the bed may be different for the same amount of time.
I booked a single room because I only stayed one night and left the next morning.
The width of the bed was the height of a child and I fell out of bed with every turn. A whole night!
One thing.
Photos of the hotel and rooms on foreign booking sites never look like the rooms in reality.
Upon check-in, at several locations, rooms and furnishings look dated, while photographs on the sites appear to be from the construction of the hotel.
When booking non-smoking rooms, I also noticed that in countries where smoking is carried out, it still smells like tobacco.
The hotel has a general rate. This is the highest rate they need to sell and that’s what you get when you walk in. The staff at the main table asked me to book online and I did so in the hotel lobby before saving. The BAR is the most productive rate you can get. . Perhaps online e-booking sites offer those rates.
One thing to look out for is the dark patterns used on those booking sites. Users of Apple products, for example, receive a higher value. Only one room remains. Increase value at the time of consultation.
I always used Hotels. com or and have never had any problems. However, I prefer not to carry a card with me at check-in.
I used to use Expedia years ago, but now I only make electronic bookings with the hotel. Phone or email.