If you aren’t one for hotel chains, then Hotels.com is perfect for looking for a place to rest your head for the night – and more. Since 2005, the website has been part of the Expedia group, but it originally started out as the HRN (Hotels Reservation Network) in 1991. At that time, it offered hotel bookings via a toll-free phone number to travelers in the United States. In 2002, it became the legit and sought-after Hotels.com, making a major change by allowing hotel bookings online. Over the next two years, it expanded rapidly by adding 29 websites. Since then, it’s also launched websites for South Africa, the Middle East, China, Japan, Australia, America, and Europe. In fact, Hotels.com even launched an app for both iOS and Android devices. Here’s a deep dive into exactly how legit the Hotels.com business is.
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Loyalty Program
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What makes Hotels.com so legit is its excellent loyalty program, which is one of the best in business. They load loyal customers with a whole lot of perks, such as discounts, free stays, and more. Moreover, members also get access to “Secret Prices,” which are rentals available at discounted rates offered at specific hotels. What’s more, members can also combine it with other deals and offers, thus enjoying higher discounts.
While the membership itself is free, your journey begins as a Basic member. As a Basic member, you’re rewarded with a stamp for each night that you spend at a hotel booked via Hotels.com. You become eligible for the next level, the Silver membership, when you’ve collected 10 stamps in a calendar year. You’re eligible for a Gold membership if you collect 30 more stamps in a calendar year as a Silver member. But the best bit about these memberships is the many additional perks like complimentary breakfast, spa vouchers, late check-out, etc.
Corporate Gift Cards
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Hotels.com gift cards are the perfect choice for employee rewards, corporate gifts, sales incentives, and so much more. When you purchase digital cards, they’re delivered to you within seconds. If you’re buying the gift cards on behalf of your corporate program? Then you’ll need to buy them via Hotel.com’s “Corporate Gift Cards Program.” Moreover, you need to order a minimum of 10 cards when ordering via this program.
Firstly, you need to register on the website to purchase Hotels.com corporate gift cards. Then, they’ll review the business or organization and why exactly you’re making the bulk gift card purchases. After that, you’ll get an e-mail when they approve your account. Plus, they’ll also provide detailed instructions on how to log in and buy from the ordering portal. After that, you need to choose gift card designs and types, then customize them by entering the quantity and denomination, and finally enter the delivery details.
Rewards Program
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Did you know that Hotels.com’s rewards program offers stamps – yes, actual stamps! That’s what makes Hotels.com so legit awesome. You can earn these stamps in two ways. One is via booking made using Hotels.com Rewards Visa Credit Cards, and the other is via bookings made directly through Hotels.com. Basically, you need to have 10 stamps to redeem a reward night. So, how to use this rewards program?
Anyone can join the rewards program for free by signing up at Hotels.com. Once that’s done, you can earn rewards on rooms you book via Hotels.com. For instance, for each night that you book via the website, you earn a stamp. Every stamp’s value is equal to the cost of the night at the hotel, and when you have 10 stamps, they’re averaged together to calculate the total value of your reward night. Then, the stamps that you earn are credited to your Hotels.com account within 72 hours of checkout.
Another neat way to earn stamps is via co-branded credit cards, so for every 500 USD that you spend via the card, you earn a stamp for every eligible property booked on the website. When you collect 10 stamps, you receive a reward night worth up to 110 USD.
While the reward program is mostly unrestricted, the following situations don’t earn stamps:
- Package deals offered by Hotels.com.
- Some bookings made using coupons, vouchers, and discount codes.
- Award nights.
Using Gift Cards With The Rewards Program
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Another factor that legit makes Hotels.com so amazing is that the gift card can be used along with member-only deals and promotions. So, bookings made via the gift card count toward any free reward nights that you earn with Hotels.com’s Rewards Program. Basically, you can earn a night credit toward 10 nights when you pay using this gift card. Hence, if you own a Hotels.com gift card and also happen to be a member of Hotels.com, then, with some careful planning, you could be spending the night at some of the best hotels in the world.
Do you want to know more about how to earn free nights? Read this detailed PointsGuy review for maximizing Hotels.com rewards.
Cancellation policy
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One of the brand’s bestselling points is that you can book immediately for locking low prices and cancel later on if need be. What’s more, you can do this for free for most reservations. Do you want to cancel your hotel reservations? Sign in and go to your bookings, or find your booking using the confirmation number and the last name on the reservation. Then, select “Cancel Booking” and follow the instructions that are listed.
Did you make a booking for a vacation rental? In that case, you need to find the information for the property manager in the details and reach out to them to cancel your reservation. How long it takes for you to get back the refund amount, and the exact amount itself, depends on the kind of booking and how you made the payment. If nothing else, you can always reach customer service in two ways, via the toll-free number to talk to a representative or chatting with a virtual assistant. Click on the Contact Us tab at the top right of the page for more information.
Using Hotels.com for bookings
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Finally, we come to the most important factor that makes Hotels.com so legit: the actual experience. It’s ideal for those looking for a unique or luxurious property and who don’t want to be loyal to major hotel chains. What’s more, you can earn returns of as much as 20% when you combine that with rewards and gift cards. You’ll also like that the Hotels.com Rewards allows you to use free nights at properties that usually have no avenue for free stays. These include everything from Four Seasons properties and on-property Disney Resorts to ski resorts and hotels with the best views in the world. Furthermore, booking via Hotels.com is also great if you have a once-in-a-lifetime stay at a hotel you’ll probably never use again.
Travelers who love the choice of flexibility and selection will like booking through Hotels.com as it has more than 500,000 property choices. Moreover, your choices aren’t limited to chain hotels, which is a huge plus as you can also stay at bed and breakfasts, guesthouses, and boutique hotels.
Check out more on how to book your stay on Hotels.com.
Is it worth it to use hotels.com?
Since it’s one of the oldest booking sites, it’s a reliable and trusted source for booking accommodation.
What is the benefit of the hotels.com app?
You can get instant access to special Member prices and save as much as 15% on thousands of hotels across the world.
