31 July 2014

Booking on Agoda - Kuching, Malaysia

Hi everyone :) 

A few weeks ago I was planning for a trip to Kuching that was kind of last minute. I had gotten a friend to follow me so we both wanted to book everything fast - that is, flights and hotel. 

I have booked flights on AirAsia before, but never booked a hotel on Agoda. At first I thought Agoda was complicated to use, plus I didn't have credit card to pay for my booking. But after some research I decided to try it anyway and I turned out happy with my booking!

Firstly, just to note that Agoda does not have websites according to countries but only one main site. Some interesting features of Agoda is that you can view the room rates in various different currencies, book for another person as well as book using a credit or debit card.

First, type in your destination, with or without the hotel of choice, in the box shown. Choose your dates and nights of stay and click 'Search'. 


If you don't know the area you are going to well, Agoda will list down suggestions of places similar to the place you've typed in. 


The following page even has a list of matches to the area you've typed just so you can pick the exact location you want.


Once you've chosen your location, the list of hotels will appear. Apart from the usual details for booking such as room type and hotel rate, remember to check:

the room rating,
the total reviews,
location and 
hotel services.


All four of these are important for you to choose a decent hotel with a good package and location. Once you've made your choice, click on 'Book now'.

You will be directed to the list of hotel rooms or packages available. Here, it is important to look at the maximum occupancy allowed in a room and to click on the little blue question mark or 'Room info' in small print to find out more about the rooms. 



Click on the littel blue question mark or 'Room info' to view this pop up
Choose the number of rooms you want based on the maximum occupancy allowed, then click 'Book'.

To finalize your booking, you need to fill out only your name, email, phone number and country of passport. If you are booking for someone else, tick the box below 'Phone number' to indicate this. There is also a choice to make special requests, right before you confirm the booking.



Finally, you can choose to pay either by debit or credit card. If you are using a debit card, fill in 'Card Holder Name' with your full name. There is a little box to tick/untick if you want / do not want to know more about Agoda's offers. Your booking is complete :)


Lastly, you will receive an SMS on your payment and also an email confirmation (important!). Remember to call the hotel to double check on your booking once you're done.

Hope this helps with your next hotel booking!

Stay tuned for my blog on my March Japan trip :)