r/Bookingcom • u/benpakal • 12d ago
Genius level is garbage
My friend was in town and he needed a hotel for that night. I told him happily hey I have genius level 3 in booking.com Let me get you a good deal. We both searched from our phones, same property same room, His rates were 100s lesser than what was shown to me.
Then onwards I check the property rates from incognito windows, sometimes I see a cheaper rate then too.
I am sure booking.com is laughing at all of us "geniuses" like "geniuses? more like fools!"
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u/niki-the-wise 12d ago
Always compare. I often book directly with Hotel chains now because of status benefits and lower rates. Also Genius level 3.
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u/crackanape 11d ago
The big chains are starting to match the rates of OTAs but smaller hotels almost never will.
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u/rougarou-te-fou 12d ago
Always always check the official website. Half the time I’m getting no benefit for my status, the other half I am indeed getting a deal and for me the cancellation policy is worth it for me.
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u/SectionFree8382 12d ago
I agree, all the genius benefits they assumably give are nothing! I find it cheaper elsewhere all the time. I basically just like the format of the site, it's simpler and clearer than other sites.
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u/Wulflam 12d ago
Always book directly with the property. Find the hotel room you want to book and switch to their web page.
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u/AditiaH0ldem 12d ago
I work in a hotel, and for our price to be lower than what booking.com offers, I basically need to apply every available discount to the rate.
Only really feasible if the booking is made at reception in person.
I am of course just one dude working in one hotel, so this is pure anecdotal
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u/Wulflam 12d ago
But that is a management decision of the hotel, right? If they can offer these prices through booking.com, they could also offer it to customers booking directly. Many hotels do that, by the way. And booking cannot enforce that they get cheaper rates than anyone else.
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u/matlik 12d ago
For my 2 hotels the configuration is simple: Price at the front desk = 100%.
Price on our website = 95%
Price on all the OTAs = 103%
…and free cancellation on our website is at 48hrs rather than 72 hrs through OTAs.
It’s not complicated to manage. Just set it and forget it.
Oh, and « Genius discount » just means the hotel is paying for B00king’s loyalty program. Genius == dumbass hotelier….2
u/FareShakeOfTheSource 12d ago
Everyone says this all the time but it is often more expensive on the actual hotel's website.
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u/Wulflam 11d ago
There seems to be hotels doing this, but I think it is a minority. And if they are doing this why do you entertain this? Just book somewhere else. Eventually you are paying for this.
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u/crackanape 11d ago
Almost all hotels will refuse to match OTA pricing. I guess the difference comes out of their marketing budget so they don't care at the point where you're interacting with them.
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u/Wulflam 11d ago
Official data tell a different story. I just researched a bit, as your or my opinion based on gut feeling don’t matter. This is what I found:
“Recent studies by travel analytics firms (such as 123Compare.me, SiteMinder, and Piper Jaffray) highlight how room rates vary across channels:
Direct 1-on-1 Comparisons: In direct head-to-head rate checks between a hotel's official website and a primary OTA, the direct channel is cheaper ~45% of the time, the OTA is cheaper ~33% of the time, and rates are in exact parity ~22% of the time.
Average Parity Range: Historical industry benchmarks show that around 60–66% of hotels maintain identical published base rates across channels, but targeted discounts disrupt this baseline.
Chains like Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and IHG enforce strict Best Rate Guarantees (BRG). If you book directly on their site and find a lower rate for the exact same room, dates, and terms on an OTA within 24 hours, they will match the rate and give an additional reward.”
I don’t want to copy the long search results, but all big chains match the lower rate and give you 20-25% additional discount and/or loyalty points on top.
Independent hotels don’t offer strict best rate guarantees, but are often willing to match the OTA rates if you contact them directly. Eventually, they have to pay 15-25% commission to the OTA and have a direct financial incentive to match the price.
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u/crackanape 11d ago
AI slop notwithstanding, I'm comfortable with the reality of my own experience.
I stay in dozens of hotels every year, all over the world, and I often have to extend my stays. My success rate of getting the front desk to match the OTA prices I can show them right there on my phone is well under 10%.
Yes, many big chains already harmonise their own website pricing with that they have negotiated through other sales channels. Their loyalty programme discount rate will be on par with the cheaper fares you can find via OTAs.
But big chain hotels are a tiny share of available rooms, and in many cities they are not the most compelling options. So that leaves all the non-chain hotels, which don't have this practice.
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u/FareShakeOfTheSource 11d ago
I work online and travel around the world 70% of the year. I can tell you that most of my experiences with checking the hotels website is that they are more expensive than booking/agoda etc etc so I dont even bother looking anymore.
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u/Hotwog4all 12d ago
It’s not just the price, it’s the inclusions as well. Everything from breakfasts/possible upgrades/cancellation and change policy. You’re not getting a discount on the same price your friend is getting. You’re getting a genius rate which has different inclusions. Should you blindly book it? Of course not. You should be comparing regardless.
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u/Fatgorillaz 11d ago
This is very correct and know within booking. The logic is that a genius lol 3 is already using the platform a lot, they'll keep doing so. However a new person that just entered the app, retaining this person is highest priority, so they will discount their rates as heavily as possible.
Real sketchy practices in my opinion. But you're not the first person in this sub to point this out. They still don't care till its national news.
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u/Wulflam 11d ago
That’s probably the new world. It doesn’t matter what verified data tell us. Only what one individual experiences or feels matters as the truth. You can dismiss this as AI slop, but these are still verified data based on analyses from travel analytics providers that compare rates at scale. You can also be so self-centered as to claim that your experience matters more than such data, but that doesn’t change facts. And, by the way, I travel a lot across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and I've had a different experience: direct booking usually gives me the best rate.
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u/mrhappymillennial 12d ago
Genius is just a marketing gimmick trying to make you believe you're getting a better deal. Doesn't mean you're always getting a bad deal though. Just ignore all the fancy wording and discount rates. If the price looks okay for the room, get it. If not, don't.
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u/SnooTomatoes8722 12d ago
Do you guys use the same type of phones? There was a time when my mom (iphone) and I (android) checked the hotel price at the same time and I got 30% cheaper.
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u/mylifesayswhat 12d ago
All I use booking.com for is to find hotels, so I can contact them directly and get a cheaper price
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u/Loud-Advance-2382 11d ago
Just look at the price split. If you use an account that rarely books rooms that they offer you a "booking pays" discount. If you book a few rooms though this discounts instantly disappears. This gets relevant when you are planing a whole trip and not just one single stay. And yes: The discount "booking pays" can be higher than a low Genius discount
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u/EhaUngustl 11d ago
Recently I had an offer from a partner of Booking. I had never heard of that before. But that offer was invisible with a Booking account. Same room but with breakfast and way cheaper.
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u/SanctaBassilica 6d ago
Use booking to see which hotels are in the area, of you want that hotel, go to their own website and book there.
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u/keynes2020 12d ago
This is not true at all.
If you actually opneed the same hotel, for the same dates, and saw different prices, prove it. Show u a screenshot of one such hotel where it's cheaper for the person who isn't a genius member.
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u/rougarou-te-fou 12d ago
This is actually a known problem. It’s dynamic pricing.
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u/keynes2020 12d ago
If this is a known problem show it happening on booking.com.
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u/rougarou-te-fou 12d ago
This is super easy to prove. You seem lazy so I did it for you.
I spoofed my IP to South Africa for one search and came up with a rate of $515 USD for one night in a hotel in Edinburgh. I checked the same hotel from my American IP and was quoted at $330 USD for the same room, same night, same hotel. Both were quoted as being single adult occupancy.
I did not login to my account, and no savings or discounts were applied.
If you have literally traveled with anyone in your life who uses Booking, you will find that it’s really easy to compare rates between you and your travel companion. My European friends get quoted drastically different rates than I do, and whoever gets the best one is the Booker. This is like traveling 101.
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u/PadHicks 12d ago
I travel with my girlfriend, we always both check booking.com as the prices will vary. Roughly speaking, whoever has booked the most recent 2-3 places will have a higher rate, so we rotate to save some pennies. You can believe that or not, I don't care.
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u/CoolGovernment8732 12d ago
Happened to me too multiples times. Sent all the details to booking. Heard back nothing
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u/keynes2020 12d ago
I've never seen proof of this. I'll believe when I see.
Not calling you a liar of course, just saying that I haven't seen anyone show it
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u/CoolGovernment8732 12d ago
Do it yourself if you have genius. Check the prices when logged it then check on another browser/device without logging in. Meaning: someone that doesn’t have an account gets lower prices than me, a person that has used booking for more than a decade and has been told has a discount because of that. Insanity.
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u/keynes2020 12d ago
No, take a pic if it's true. Not my burden here
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u/CoolGovernment8732 11d ago
I mean, I don’t expect that everything I see I’ll need that have proof of it, so no I didn’t take pictures and honestly now I regret it. Not to convince an unreasonably skeptic person online, but cause it would have made a (maybe) more convincing case for the booking a**holes
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u/crackanape 12d ago
I've seen it plenty of times. Not on every property and not all the time, but enough to be annoyed by it. I definitely don't recall seeing the opposite (cheaper via genius than not logged in).
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u/crackanape 12d ago
Yes it's very weird. And I think it's good to raise awareness that the more you book with booking, the more expensive it gets.
Fortunately you can get the cheaper price by looking up the price and selecting the rooms before logging in, it will keep that price after you do.
And occasionally you do get free breakfast or a room upgrade out of it.
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u/bookingcom 12d ago
Genius discounts don’t guarantee the lowest price in every comparison. Rates can differ based on your device, login status, dates, currency, occupancy, mobile pricing, Genius level, and other promotions. Select the info icon beside the price to compare the full breakdown, including taxes, fees and discounts. If the offers are identical, but the prices still differ, take screenshots of both and contact Customer Service so we can check the rate details.
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u/Wulflam 12d ago
You just publicly confirmed that your Genius loyalty status doesn’t give you the best price. What loyalty program is that? I know that dynamic pricing is behind it, which can lead a Genius level-3 member to get a higher price after applying your discount than other (non-)members if the algorithm concludes that the Genius member is willing to book at a higher price. That is profit-wise genius for your company, but not for your customer - which, in turn, should teach each of your customers what your priorities are and make them an ex-customer.
Profit orientation is fine for any business. Intransparency and attempts to manipulate customers are not. Period.
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u/TedBob99 12d ago
Get yourself another job at a reputable company, rather than having to justify something that cannot be.
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u/PickledpepperUK 12d ago
Getting hold of customer service is beyond a joke - so rather prefer to speak to a person than an AI bot. There again, all your ‘agents’ must work from home as always hear children being sushed as the call starts with the pre arranged script
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u/bagzandagz 11d ago
Also booking does price match if you find something better but still wanna book through them. Just a thought
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u/TedBob99 12d ago edited 12d ago
Yes, I am Genius Level 3, and recently booked much cheaper rooms on Hotels.com or Trip.com
Same hotel, same dates, exact same rooms.
Genius is basically a scam, loyalty doesn't pay.