Due to the advanced technology enables people to do almost everything by just sitting in front of the computer. Online purchase and online payment have become the normal method for people to pay. However, even though it seems that online purchase and payment could apply to all kind of business, but there is a kind of business that both use and provide have to be very careful on the online service that they provide, YES we are talking about hotel online reservation service.
The reason that I have to mention is that for travelers have to be careful on the booking service is that this kind of business involve traveling, which sometimes is overseas travel, and this require definite confirmation and payment. Imagine that if you have booked for a room of a hotel but at the time you arrive, what a disaster if you can find that there is no room available for you. This is the main thing that you have to focus when do online hotel booking apart from other normal issues that you always have to be aware of such as payment security and the reliability of the website.
Provision of the picture of the hotels
This is a very common weakness of many hotel online booking website. According to the fact that it is quite really hard for the website to get the complete and most updated picture of the hotel especially if the website owner is not in the country where the hotel is located. What they can do best is to write to the hotel to ask for permission to use pictures of accommodation from its official website. However, it is very rare case to see the hotel giving the permission to do so, unless the website is already offer great volume of customers to the hotel. Therefore, it is quite essential for you when you have to book hotel online, make sure that you have visited the official website of the hotel to see what exactly it looks like as well as the location.
Room availability
This is also the great common weakness of hotel online system. Unlike any other online purchasing system, hotel booking requires 100% accuracy of room availability information provides to customer. There must be absolutely error free for the system other wise travelers have to be risk on not have room when they arrive and they may not have a chance to get another room in case they booked for high season period and the hotel is fully booked. I had many of experience of booking error on room availability information. Therefore, if possible, after you have complete the payment online, you may have to e-mail or call the hotel that you have completed the online booking. Give them your reservation reference number to ensure that there will be a room for you when you arrive.
In summary, there are also many issue that you have concern such as prices, transport etc, but these two issues are the most important that you have to be aware of.