How to Use Booking.com to Find the Best Hotel Deals (and When to Book Direct!)

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you book through my links. I only recommend products and services I personally use and love. Thank you for supporting my work and helping me continue to share travel tips!

When planning a trip, one of the trickiest parts can be finding the perfect place to stay—somewhere comfortable, well-located, and within budget. There are so many booking platforms out there, but one I frequently turn to for my hotel searches is Booking.com. It’s an easy way to compare hotel options in one place, filter by location and price, and often secure a fully refundable rate.

However, there’s a little-known trick savvy travelers use: sometimes, you can actually get a better deal by booking directly with the hotel. In some cases, booking through a third-party site means missing out on hotel loyalty rewards, and if something goes wrong, it can make resolving the issue more difficult.

So, how do you know when to book through Booking.com versus when to go direct? Let’s break it down.

Why I Use Booking.com to Search for Hotels

1. All Your Options in One Place

Instead of bouncing between multiple hotel websites, Booking.com makes it easy to see all available hotels in an area. You can filter results by:✔️ Price range✔️ Guest ratings & reviews✔️ Location (including proximity to landmarks)✔️ Amenities like free breakfast, pools, or parking✔️ Refundable vs. non-refundable rates

Having all this information at a glance saves a ton of time and helps you quickly compare your best options.

2. Flexible Booking with Free Cancellations

One of the biggest perks of Booking.com is that they often offer fully refundable rates—something that’s especially important if you’re still finalizing your plans. Hotels may require a non-refundable deposit, but with Booking.com, you can filter for refundable options and keep your itinerary flexible.

3. Price Alerts & Loyalty Perks

Booking.com offers a Genius loyalty program, which sometimes gives you extra discounts or perks like free breakfast or room upgrades. Plus, you can set price alerts to track hotel prices over time and book when rates drop.

When to Book Directly with the Hotel

Even though Booking.com is great for searching, sometimes booking directly with the hotel can save you money. Many hotels offer lower rates on their own website or match any price you find on a third-party site.

But there are two more key reasons I often choose to book direct:

1. You Usually Won’t Earn Hotel Reward Points

If you’re booking through a major hotel chain (like Marriott, Hilton, or Hyatt) and you want to earn loyalty points or elite status perks, you almost always need to book directly with the hotel. Most hotel rewards programs do not give points or status benefits for stays booked through third-party sites like Booking.com.

💡 When it doesn’t matter: If it’s a small boutique hotel or a property you’ll likely never stay at again, missing out on points isn’t a big deal. But if you regularly stay with a hotel brand and are working toward free nights or elite benefits, always book direct!

2. Resolving Issues Can Be Harder

If something goes wrong with your reservation—like an overbooking issue, a room not being available, or needing to modify your stay—hotels will often redirect you back to Booking.com instead of handling it themselves. This can make the resolution process frustrating and slow.

When you book directly, you deal with the hotel directly, making it much easier to resolve issues like changes, cancellations, or special requests.

How to Use This Hack for the Best Deal

1️⃣ Use Booking.com to search and compare hotels in your destination.2️⃣ Check

the hotel’s direct website to see if they offer a cheaper rate or extra perks.3️⃣ Decide based on flexibility vs. price:

• If Booking.com offers a refundable rate and the hotel does not → book through Booking.com

• If the hotel’s direct site offers a lower price, better perks, or rewards points → book direct

• If prices are the same, book wherever you’re most comfortable

Final Thoughts: My Go-To Booking Strategy

I love using Booking.com as a starting point for hotel research because it saves time, shows all my options, and offers flexible cancellation policies. But when it comes time to book, I always double-check the hotel’s website to make sure I’m getting the best deal.

💬 Have you ever found a cheaper rate by booking directly with a hotel? Let me know in the comments!

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you book through my links. I only recommend products and services I personally use and love. Thank you for supporting my work and helping me continue to share travel tips!How to Use Booking.com to Find the Best Hotel Deals (and When to Book Direct!)