Lisbon Hotels: Book at the Website or via Booking.com

We have been booking thru booking for a number of years. LOL I am a Genus 3rd level still LOL. but in all seriousness we never had a problem. We really take advantage of their cancellation policy when we put together our vacation and later change things as we go along. We have noticed a price increase in hotels through the years but love the reviews and the information you get about the hotel and area around the hotel.

We agree with both of you. I prefer to use Booking for the same reasons (flexibility, cancellation policy and some savings on many of their selections because of status). I frequently "play around" with my itinerary and make changes. It is very convenient to have all my future bookings organized in one place that I can see and adjust at any time. I also like to keep an eye on recent reviews and pricing. Booking makes it very easy to switch hotels or re-book the same one if I see a lower price. We have used Booking for years and only had one small problem when a desk clerk stubbornly and oddly would not honor the price even when I had it in writing. The difference was only $10 so I did not even bother to pursue it.

BTW, it is also good to be aware that Booking is currently having a problem with fraud. Booking itself has not been hacked but a few hotels' reservations systems have been infiltrated. Imposters send out emails that look exactly like they came from the hotel through Booking's system. (Basically, they want you to click on a link and input your information or your reservation will be canceled.) I have upcoming reservations at about 20 different places right now and got suspicious emails purporting to be from two of them - one in Italy and one in France (not related to each other). I emailed the hotels directly and they assured me they had not sent these messages and that Booking is aware of the issue.

I've been using booking.com heavily since at least 2016, except for the stay-at-home pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. I've had no problems with the website after using it over 150 times. Up until this year I've found rate comparisons sometimes favored the hotel's website and sometimes favored booking.com. I've just completed seven hotel reservations for this September--six in Italy and one in Switzerland. For those hotels, as well as for several others I considered but did not choose, direct booking nearly always turned out a good bit cheaper. I suspect booking.com has changed its pricing model or its fee structure for the listed hotels this year, so I'd caution others to compare rates.

I haven't run into hotel websites that do not allow refundable reservations; I know that's a pretty common situation with apartments. I will not book a non-refundable room unless it's absolutely the only option because of a special event of some sort. It definitely is worth extra money to have a refundable reservation. Booking.com usually offers at least two options--refundable up until a few days before arrival or totally non-refundable. Be very careful to choose the one you want when reserving.

I've used booking in many countries. We've had success every time. Right now I'm in Portugal. I booked by Porto lodging via booking and my Lisbon lodging directly with the owner. The price was better and the cancellation policy was the same. I really like booking for the research portion. Reviews seem to be accurate.

I use a combination of the hotel’s website, Booking, and Expedia. Sometimes a hotel is listed on one booking site and not another. I’ve never had a problem.