How to Protect Self from Online Booking Scams while Booking Best Hotels in Indore?

The majority of people travel to break the monotony of their regular lives and rejuvenate their senses. But, many times, their plan to unwind and relax becomes their deadliest nightmare; curtsey- online booking scams. Whether you are booking an exotic resort in Goa or trying to reserve rooms at any of the best hotels in Indore, you could fall prey to these online hotel booking scams.

Beware of the scams

You all will agree that technology has simplified the overall process of traveling. Booking air tickets, booking a stay at the best hotels anywhere in the world, and planning an itinerary sitting at home has become a child’s play.

The best holiday experience is just a few clicks away. In the excitement of enjoying a holiday, we often forget the dark side of the technology. Where it has made it easy for us to book hotels and resorts in a blink of an eye, it has also opened many doors for scams and frauds.

It is possible by every means that you book one of the best 5-star hotels in Indore, turn up there with your entire family and get to know that you have no reservation there. So, it is very important to stay alert while booking hotels online. The same is applicable for airlines too.

Hotel booking scams: How do they work?

The scammers create fake hotel websites and promote them. As a result, these websites also rank high alongside real websites. This makes it difficult for travelers to spot a fake website from genuine ones.

The fake booking websites look exactly like genuine websites. The websites smartly use copyrighted images and trademarked logos. Most of the times, the websites have the same URLs as the real website. They are designed in a way to trick even regular travelers, let alone people who seldom travel. Most of the time, travelers never get to know that they have fallen in the trap of scammers until they reach the hotel.

The fraud websites charge the travelers a hefty booking amount and don’t make any reservation in the hotel on their behalf. Sometimes, they charge an inflated hotel room rate including commission.

How to protect yourself from these scams?

If you stay alert while booking a hotel, you will certainly be able to spot these fake websites. Here, we have mentioned some easy hacks to prevent yourself from the deadly spell of the hotel booking scams:

Plan ahead

Planning months ahead gives you the required time to search for a genuine booking website. You can compare the options, search for third-party booking websites, and wait for good and genuine deals.

Last-minute bookings make you susceptible to the risk of falling into the scam as you book in haste.

Book directly with the hotel

While making a booking at the hotel, you must ascertain that you are booking directly on the hotel’s official website. Though a fake website exactly looks like the real website, you can still distinguish it from the real one. The official website has “HTTPS” in its URL. Cross-check the URL as the fake website can have the name of the hotel.

If you are not sure whether or not you have visited the official website, you must call the hotel to confirm. Ask them to mail you the URL of their official website.

If you are booking with a reputed hotel chain in Indore, visit the chain’s official website to make the booking.

Trust a well-known third-party website

If you want to book your hotel stay via a third-party, you must trust a well-known name. There are many fraud third-party booking websites that always look for prey. You must stay cautious of them.

Never trust a new name; always look for already popular third-party booking websites. And, never skip the online reviews. Read what other travelers have to say about their experience with the website.

Search wisely

One of the worst mistakes that travelers commit while booking a hotel online is using wrong terms on the internet while searching for the hotels. Generally, travelers look for “cheap rates”, “best hotel deals”, “cheap hotel deals in Indore”, etc. These search terms direct travelers to scams.

You must always look for “best hotels in Indore” or “5-star hotels in Indore”, so as to not land on wrong pages.

Use your credit card to pay at the hotel

One of the safest ways to book a hotel stay online is via using a credit card instead of a debit card. This is because credit cards provide zero percent liability for fraudulent charges. There are several credit card companies that offer fraud protection. You won’t give the scammers access to the bank account.

Even if you discover that you have been tricked, you can demand a “chargeback” on your account and get your money refunded.

Understand the hotel’s refund policy

Before paying the charge with your credit card, you must read the fine print thoroughly. You must know whether they will charge you the moment you book the hotel or upon your arrival? Is the charge refundable?

Generally, the best hotels in Indore and even the third-party booking websites use the credit card just to secure your reservation and charge only after you stay at the hotel.

Make sure you know their cancellation and refund policies before booking the hotel.

Use loyalty programs to your benefit

The best hotels in Indore offer many perks to their loyal guests. If you join a loyalty program of your favorite hotel chain, you will have a secure account and you will always be able to enjoy a great stay at a lower fare.

You can easily book via the loyalty account giving no way to scams and frauds. Plus, you can earn loyalty points that can be used to derive bigger advantages on consecutive stays.

These easy ways will always protect you from online booking scams.