The internet has thousands of websites providing travel planning and accommodation to ensure tourists get the best deals from their services. You can find any type of accommodation from backpacker dorms to 5-star hotels, and you can also ask for car hires. The new demand for online booking has open floodgates for competition despite serving virtually the same type of service. Need help? Here in LOCCO, we’ll guide you on how to choose from popular accommodation booking sites in Malaysia by helping you compare their individual services to suit your tastes. In this article, I’ll focus on Airbnb, Booking.com and Trivago as these are the most common sites used for accommodation booking in Malaysia.

Airbnb

Airbnb is one of the largest accommodation rental services in the world. Just like in the rest of the world, you have an array of choices of accommodations to choose from. From a 2-bed apartment to a large villa, you will have spoilt choices. There’s a downside to it. You’ll be charged with booking fees depend on the duration and the type of property that you’re staying in. On top of that, like choosing a house to buy or to rent, you need to contact the owner of the property to ensure your stay and the services that the owner provides is like what is advertised on the website and the quality of your stay is assured. We wouldn’t want to make our readers angry because their apartment was not up to what has been advertised. Airbnb hosts and guests each make a profile featuring profile photos, verification options and personal descriptions. The blend of ratings and verified profiles leads to transparency of the identity of both the owner and the guest. Make sure your host is a real and sincere person, not a scam. Your data should be protected under the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 when providing details to the website. On top of that, you need to make sure that the property is accessible to the place you’re planning to go. That could be another hassle to think of later when you’ve already arrived. Despite that, Airbnb is infamous for some of the problems with the authorities around the world. However, tourists need not worry about their time being in Malaysia, as seldomly there are cases with respect to Airbnb as compared overseas. If there is one, don’t hesitate to report it. If you’re thinking of accommodation that doesn’t involve any of the added services that you don’t need, then Airbnb is best suited for you. Don’t forget your travel insurance should anything happen in your accommodation. It might help you when you don’t realize you need one.

Trivago

Yes, the accommodation comparison website that has Dahlia Shazwan on TV and YouTube ads, she’s Malaysia’s own Trivago girl. Enough with that…. Trivago compares hotel rates across different websites. From its simplified homepage, type in the location you intend to travel to. From there, the search engine will provide you the accommodations listed according to the algorithms and the website’s recommendations. Then, set the date of stay started from the day of your check-in and to the check-out date. Choose from a hotel to a simple hostel. You also can distinguish by setting the price range for rooms, hotel star ratings and customer ratings. From there, the website determines the cheapest rate for different hotels according to the websites they compare on the internet. The User Interface of the website is simple and allows ease of choices for the customer. Like Airbnb, they also charge you a booking fee depending on the type of accommodation, ratings, type of room etc. You also can choose to include certain amenities like Wi-Fi, free breakfast etc. However, the website only focused on discounts and deals. If you’re that simple, why not give Trivago a try. Or if you’re that meticulous, probably you should find it on other websites

Booking.com

Booking.com is an accommodation search engine founded in the Netherlands. Their services like Trivago are different than Airbnb as it also includes properties like hotels, apartments, and backpacking dormitories. Here’s what’s different than Trivago. You can have personalized options and selections when making choices. As compared to Trivago, it has a more detailed selection of accommodation you can choose. They also have an option for work trip deals that suits your needs rather than having all-in-one deals, but you don’t optimize it. You can choose from accommodations with the nearest public transport spot or hub to excellent valet service, what type of side activities provided in the accommodation, food and amenities and such. These personalized details are more suitable for the ones who like well-planned holidays than an impromptu one. They also provided detailed information about the accommodation to help you make an informed choice like type of payment, restaurants in the hotel, lounges, spas, etc. Just like any other services, they also have booking fees. To be assured, ask the website of the accommodation you booked to validate that you’re not being charged hidden or extra charges. The other stuff? Quite the same as other websites.

Our verdict? You decide. Do keep track of the tiniest of details that you may overlook like booking fees, assurance policies, cancellations, security, and safety. We wouldn’t want tourists felt cheated and we also want to assure you of an enjoyable stay in their accommodation. Tired of choosing so many deals, options and feel indifferent? Just book directly with the hotel of your choice. From LOCCO to you, may you have a memorable holiday in Malaysia.

By Hanif Omar Yazid