Booking experts reveal viral TikTok travel booking hacks, but do they actually work?
Booking experts reveal the viral TikTok travel booking hacks that actually work
Balancing travel and leisure budgets can be a struggle, but as social media becomes more sophisticated, so does the level of readily available content for people to absorb.
Everyday people are seeking the best travel, leisure and hospitality hacks as well as budgeting tips. Infact, over the last 30 days #travelhacks was viewed by 26 million people just in the UK, and 246 million worldwide on TikTok1. But is the advice credible and reliable?
Expert in travel tech and MD of hospitality EPOS systems, PowerEpos, Richard Goodall has delved into some of the most popular TikTok hacks in the hospitality industry to reveal if they really do the trick.
"A key issue for the hospitality and leisure sector is the lack of validated information people are currently being presented with on social media. It's always best to do your own research after listening to advice, even if you think it's someone you trust online. It's good to ask, are they a specialist in this sector? How much experience do they have in this field? Whilst it's great that people can share their personal experiences, more specific advice - especially financial, should be approached with caution." says Richard Goodall, MD of PowerEPOS.
Viral TikTok travel booking hacks - do they actually work?
1. "It's more expensive to book your hotel on Apple devices" - False
According to a TikTok influencer MaxklyMenko who has over 2.8 million followers, companies use their cookie tracking when you visit their website to understand what device you are using and leverage this to offer premiums to those who use affluent tech brands such as Apple.
"Whilst having an Apple device may put you in a more affluent consumer category, most travel companies do not have the means to create variable prices for different users entering their website. This would require an extremely high level technology which the average hotel system does not hold. If you want to ensure you get the best rate for your hotel, you should firstly consider booking directly, as hoteliers don't need to slice out a portion of their booking profit to travel shopping sites such as Expedia or Booking.com.
"Secondly, sign up to any rewards system the hotel offers. Hoteliers want to entice new customers by offering discounts to those who sign up to any loyalty schemes, you can often get either a discount on your room, or even an upgrade for the same price" says Richard Goodall.
2. "Hotels cost more when you book at night" - False
Actuallyitsbella has 18.6 Million followers, giving her a reasonable level of clout over TikTok watchers. In one of her videos she focuses on hotel secrets (without referencing sources), to claim that hotels cost substantially more when you try to book at night.
"Hotel prices always boil down to supply and demand. Prices vary based on seasonality and demand for rooms as a primary factor. People are booking hotels from all over the world, on different time clocks, so it is unrealistic for a hotel to vary its prices for particular times of a day, as that time depends on the country they are visiting from.
"We provide EPOS and POS systems for hoteliers, and their biggest priority is to fill their rooms and restaurant tables as early as possible. They are not as concerned about the hotel room being filled in four months' time, but the gaps for the week ahead.
"If you are hoping for a good bargain, it's actually better to consider booking a hotel last minute. The closer the booking is to the date of arrival the more likely the hotel is going to drop their prices to fill the room and ensure they don't suffer a loss." comments Goodall.
3. "Moving your hotel booking can save you hundreds in hotel cancellation fees" - True
@Therealmelaninking with 773.2K followers on TikTok shares a hotel secret which he says will out-manoeuvre most hotel policies and could save you hundreds, if not thousands.
"After booking a hotel you will have a short period of time to cancel before you are charged full cancellation fees on your booking. Some are within 7 days and others are as low as 24 hours. Although, it is usually free to move your hotel booking to another date without charge.
Therealmelaninking provides some useful insight and recommends moving your check-in date. He states you could theoretically move your hotel booking to a few weeks later and then call back the following day to cancel the booking within the grace period.
"Whilst this is a great tip and technically true, it all depends on your booking type. When making your original booking make sure to check the fine print to see if the hotel is offering any charges on booking amendments. Some offer no refund or amendments after payment, whilst others are more flexible at an extra cost." says Richard Goodall.
4. "You can get the best restaurant seat if you book far in advance"- True
Getting a good table at a good restaurant can be a challenge, especially if it is popular.
@Alysialoo, who used to work as a host in restaurants mentions in a TikTok video that one of the best ways to get a table is to book around 2 months in advance. She mentions it means a lot to restaurants when people make the effort to book in advance and especially if they are mentioning it's for a special occasion.
"Popular restaurants are no strangers to walk-ins, even if it is outside of their policy. This can be really infuriating to restaurant staff who are likely to be busy and do not have the time to deal with disappointed customers at the door.
"Booking as far in advance as possible is great for busy restaurants as they can plan ahead and take time to prepare for special requests. This sign of respect can land you one of the best tables in the house."
5. "Tickets to events are up to 90% cheaper if you book the same day"- True
Unlike hotel and restaurant bookings, last minute booking at concerts, theatres and sports games can work in your favour and save you big money.
"When booking tickets to large events, such as concerts or sports games it feels natural to look at securing a ticket as far in advance as possible. However, this isn't always the most economically friendly approach, as prices are likely to be at their highest point.
"As an event grows closer, arenas and stadiums want to ensure that they have filled every single seat. Although sometimes an event might not have sold too well, or there are lots of last minute cancellations to bookings - as @mirusponon explains in her viral TikTok. This means on the day of an event can see prices drop substantially for last minute sales, sometimes up to 90% on the original prices." comments Richard Goodall, MD of PowerEPOS
References
Tiktok #travelhacks insights: https://ads.tiktok.com/business/creativecenter/hashtag/travelhacks/pc/en?countryCode=GB&period=30
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash
