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-   -   Booking through huahin.20m.com by phone-att James (https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/booking-through-huahin-20m-com-by-phone-att-james-527974/)

tnnc May 10th, 2005 08:01 AM

Booking through huahin.20m.com by phone-att James
 
Have you ever made a reservation through huahin.20m.com by phone in Thailand? If so, do you have to give them a credit card payment over the phone and pay the full amount if the arrival date is just a few days later than the reserv. date?

rhkkmk May 10th, 2005 09:51 AM

i'm not james, but i have talked to them from bkk over the phone..they were very responsive at the time...my last res last year was on short notice (maybe 7-10 days before arrival) and they required full payment at time of reservation....remember they are a discount agency and want to get their share up front which is only reasonable....you are not allowed to pay at the hotel....late reservations run the risk of not having rooms available....i'm sure only a limited number are available at a discount...when i recently asked to have my rate reduced for my stay next week, as the rates had been reduced on the system, they had to first ask the hotel before agreeing to it....it was only 300 B a day but for many days, so it added up....it was granted after they heard back from the hotel...

JamesA May 10th, 2005 11:14 AM

Only online, they are part of the Sawadee set up which you can find for many areas but there are various sites where you can pick up more local information.

tnnc May 10th, 2005 05:28 PM

rhkkmk- when you booked by phone last year did you give a credit card over the phone? I don't mind paying in advance-just want to make sure I get the reserv. How do you get the vouchers if you're in thailand already?

JamesA May 10th, 2005 07:42 PM

Honestly I would just book online, I do it all the time, locally though I get any message about available/non available right on my cellphone, I always get the answer same day, I would just book online and then I just print out the confirmation, though sometimes I haven't even need it, 'twice' staff have shot off to Chiang Mai without the vital bit of paper and they actually had no problem at all. Your request and booking is done by your name and where you are from, I know certainly that goes thru. Even local I would stick with the online system and if you have a cellphone in Thailand you will get a text message for confirmation or if the place is full.

rhkkmk May 10th, 2005 07:48 PM

i did not book over the phone, i just called for some question about my res....

i booked from an internet cafe....i went back the next day for the voucher...it was in my e mail and i printed it out....i was never asked for the voucher...the res was for the marriott res and spa in bkk by the way.. the price was considerably cheaper than what the hotel would give me over the counter and all inclusive which the hotel does not offer...it makes a huge difference...

i would not have the breakfast if it were not included as i do not eat that much at that time of day...it is worth over $10 pp however as i remember...maybe two choices: 350B or 450B...i prefer to get a fresh roll in the bakkery on the first floor and drink bottled water...i do not drink coffee, but my wife does so breakfast really works out better all around, although there is a coffee set up in each room...

rhkkmk May 10th, 2005 07:49 PM

i would give my credit card over the phone if asked however...

tnnc May 11th, 2005 07:19 AM

To James and Bob-The reason I keep asking about booking by phone is that we're going to be in Roi Et, but not in the Amphur Muang, so I don't think there will be any internet cafes, and I won't have a laptop. Otherwise I would certainly book online. I just don't know how long we'll be staying there. I guess the best thing to do is book by phone from Roi Et. My brother-in-law has a cell phone so I will use that. Thanks for your help! By the way Bob, after reading your message I checked the rates for the Marriott, and the price is now 400baht less than what I was quoted, so I emailed the huahin site and am awaiting a response.

tnnc May 11th, 2005 07:22 AM

Bob- another question for you. Have you ever booked JW Marriott in Bangkok? I don't see them listed on the huahin site, but they are on asiavoyage24 which I'm thinking of using. Do you know if its a quick ride to the airport from there(at 3:30am) since its near the expressway?

rhkkmk May 11th, 2005 07:25 PM

we have stayed many times at the jw marriott...i have always booked on the marriott site for that...they have a very quick entrance from the hotel to the highway through a building across the street which saves lots of time but at 3AM it really doesn't matter...probably about 35 minutes ride...i like the hotel...marriott resort is only about 45 min or less at that time....its what we are doing using aac limo...

tnnc May 13th, 2005 06:56 PM

Bob, who did you write to get your rate reduced after seeing the rates go down on the site? I wrote to "Pui" whose name was on my reservation and she said we cannot get the lower rate(400baht/night) because we booked before 4/2/05. Any advice?

rhkkmk May 13th, 2005 07:26 PM

they did mention that date to me also...i just wrote to the person whose name appeared on the e mail, as you did....i was very surprised that they did it....they may have done mine because it represented 14 nites which does add up to quite a bit of money....maybe they have had lots of requests and have decided not to make adjustments....why not write to them and tell them that a friend recently had his rates reduced for the same reason....why have they singled you out not to have an adjustment....my res were made in jan or feb....

tnnc May 14th, 2005 06:13 PM

Thanks Bob- I did say exactly what you suggested. Our stay is only 4 nights, but its just the principal of the matter. I will try one more time.

rhkkmk May 15th, 2005 02:46 PM

i guess its actually the case of pricing....prices are not set...if a head of lettuce goes down in price since you bought it last week, do you ask the store for a discount or refund? no you just chock it up to merchandising....in the case of a hotel room, i would not have asked probably had i not been staying so many nites....thats why i was surprised that they reduced my rate...

KimJapan May 15th, 2005 03:28 PM

This may be a situation where using a booking agency may work to your disadvantage. Granted, I've only actually used one once, but I check their prices all the time. In 5 years, a booking agent has never beaten the rate I get directly from the hotel...in fact, in many places, the direct hotel rate has been cheaper by up to 30%, and still included breakfast and transfers.

An advantage to booking directly with the hotel, too, is that you don't prepay, so you aren't locked into a rate. If you find a cheaper rate after you've booked, you can just change your rate on your reservation. I've done just this countless times, as I tend to book rather early and rates do often go down before my trip...it's never been a problem to change the rate in any type of hotel, be it a 5 star like the Peninsula Bangkok or a small place in Bali. Not once has the hotel itself refused to match another rate I've found.

rhkkmk May 15th, 2005 06:50 PM

kim---i have never found a direct booking to be any where near to the price quoted by discounters...most thai pre-bookers also include tax service and breakfast which adds 17.7% to the price as well...
the one exception to this might be a last minute booking when they have rooms available...

KimJapan May 15th, 2005 10:49 PM

I always check the bookers...then contact the hotels directly by e-mail and ask them what they have to offer. The published rates are never close, I agree, but the negotiated rates are equal or better directly, 100% of the time in my experience, and booking well in advance. I've used this same method with Peninsula Bangkok (4 stays), Laem Set Inn (3 stays), Nagoya Hilton, Osaka Hilton (countless stays at those hiltons), Alam Sari (Bali, 2nd stay coming up). That's actual stays...I've also researched a lot of places that we never actually stayed at with the same result. I've never had a hotel not match or better a booker's terms and price. It's only logical...you book and pay the agent and the hotel gets most of what you pay and the booker gets a bit commission...or you book directly with the hotel and the hotel gets 100%...the hotel really wants you to book directly so when asked specifically to match a rate they will since they get more money that way in the end.


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