Has anyone ever used Asia Web Direct booking? They have some great rates that I have not found anywhere else. Is it safe?

what is the website's address?

www.asiawebdirect.com

I've seen them when browsing rates and hotels. I checked their rates for Phuket and Khao Lak hotels this past Christmas. In our case, the hotels offered better rates on direct booking by e-mail negotiation.

But, I didn't do any bookings through them. I tend to book directlly to avoid prepayment and to get the exact room that I want and negotiate inclusions like tax, service and breakfast, transfers, spa discounts. Everything is negotiable for the asking in my experience. I am, however, not shy about asking for better rates and perks.

I was linked to asia direct through this site....

http://www.gothailand.com/hotels/phu...page=index.htm

I don't mind pre-paying if the rate is a deal, but I don't want to pay and then not have a room upon arrival. If I pre-pay through this site, I can stay at the hotels for about $30-40.00 cheaper, but I don't want to get taken.

Any thoughts?

Jenn, I did a bit of looking at the website. I have never used it, so can't tell you whether they are reliable. I have used www.sawasdee.com, and for the places I checked, the rates seems similar (or in one case, sawasdee was cheaper). You might compare rates with sawasdee.

I was looking at two specific places, the Kata Beach Resort and the Katathani and the difference is $25.00 per night at each place if I pay in advance versus using sawadee

To know for sure if the rate is good, be sure to check several booking agents, as well as the hotel directly. On our recent trip to Thailand we got the best rates booking directly.

Jenn, I wish I could give you specific feedback on this site, but I can't. I can say that I've used a number of different booking sites for Thailand over the years, and have never had a problem. I've also found that some sites (apparently this is one) have special deals at a few properties that are really good deals, and their other prices are about the same. If it were me, I'd probably just go ahead and book. Kim's suggestion to try to book directly with the resort is a good one. Sometimes they will match the price, sometimes not, but it's worth a try.

For aplace like Phuket, it will be very unlikely that the hotel will match an internet agent rate, as it is peak season and they do not need your business; the situation might be different in low season, but even then the hotel have contractual obligations.

Many websites can be that cheap because they work with operators who force the hotels to large discounts due to guaranteed booking volume.

Try to find a more well-known online agent like http://asiawebdirect.com, http://hotel-travel-thailand.com, http://sawasdee.com and everything will be fine.

Korat, have you dealt with asiawebdirect? You list it as one of the more well-known agents, and that's the one she is asking about.

Your talk about hotels being "forced" to take large discounts is a bit silly.

Thank you all for your insight. I think I am going to give it a try and hope that it turns out well. The site looks reputable and the deals are better than anywhere else, including direct booking. Wish me lots of luck!