How I Booked Our Hotel Family Staycation Using the Traveloka App
3:03 PMThe past two weeks were a lot more tiring than the usual for our family. This is because my two younger children got sick one after the other. I knew and felt we all could do with some relaxation time. With my husband and I's work schedule and our children's school schedule to consider, we couldn't afford to go far nor spend more than necessary. It is with all these in mind that I decided to book our family hotel staycation using the Traveloka App.
Why use a hotel booking app when we can just book through the hotel site, right? Well for one, there's the convenience of visiting just one site to have access to information about thousands of accommodation possibilities. Another is having access to discounts and promotions which can be more cost-saving than those offered through respective hotel sites. Still another, is seeing unbiased reviews from travelers who have actually visited the hotels we may be considering. At the back of my mind, I cannot help but think that most businesses would not publish bad reviews on their own sites. Thus, my decision for now to try booking through Traveloka.
How to Book Hotels Through Traveloka
The first thing to do is to download the Traveloka app.
After getting a welcome message, you will be directed to the Traveloka site.
Click on the "Hotel" icon to start your search. You will be immediately be given choices near your area. These choices can be very useful for those who literally don't want to go far from home. Unfortunately, I found none in our area that fits our needs.
Don't forget to check as well on "Ongoing Promos" for the best deals.
Of course, you have the option to indicate your desired destination and duration of stay. Once these information plus the number of guests are filled in, you are given choices based on the room availability when you tap "Search". We decided to check options in Tagaytay and considered several. The place we must choose should have a room available for four on February 18. These were non-negotiable since I always travel with my family and this is the only remaining weekend we expect everyone of us is free. The coming weeks will be filled with school exam schedules and other activities related to graduation and moving up ceremonies of my two children.
Probably because of the date which is just several days after Valentine's Day, there were not very many options available based on our specifications. I can just imagine other families like us wanting to get a short break from the everyday grind of life. We finally settled on Days Hotel Tagaytay as we still have good memories of staying in Days Hotel Batangas several years ago.
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Once I've chosen the hotel and room, I was asked for my contact details and special request/s, if any. Aside from reliable Internet connection, our needs are very basic which is a safe, peaceful and clean accommodation plus facilities that are in excellent working condition. A courteous staff should be a given or else it is in my opinion that the absence of such, places a hotel in the wrong industry.
I chose to pay through Dragonpay via an over-the-counter payment at a BPI branch near our home. I got the payment instructions almost instantaneously through email. I received confirmation of my payment after about 5 minutes from bank validation.
The next email message I received was the hotel voucher from Traveloka. And just like that, our family staycation was set. The whole family waited for the weekend with great anticipation.
Our Stay at Days Hotel Tagaytay
Traveling to Tagaytay on a Saturday can be particularly challenging, traffic-wise. Everybody seemed to be on their way there, so the usual travel time of 30 minutes from our place doubled to an hour. Still bearable though. It was easy to find because of the signage, although the hotel itself is below street-level.
Our room was comfortable enough. It was clean, although the walls and carpet showed visible signs of wear and tear. The absence of a bidet in the bathroom is probably my major concern overall. Everything else was acceptable.
The view from our balcony was incredible especially when the sun was rising. Food was delicious. The hotel staff was very courteous and welcoming. I will be writing a separate review for Days Hotel Tagaytay very soon to provide readers more information on what can be expected if they choose to stay in the hotel.
My Say
I know that staying in a hotel for a vacation can be considered a luxury for many families like us. Given the busy schedules of family members and the high cost of everything nowadays, relaxing can indeed come with rigorous planning and at a price. That shouldn't be a reason however to forego it.
That said, it is a good thing that hotel booking apps like Traveloka are now available. By being able to see online the offerings and prices, families can plan accordingly. Having a family staycation is not impossible. We just have to save for it, give time to make it a reality and make use of deals and promos that will allow us to enjoy more but spend less.
25 comments
I also check Traveloka online if I'm looking for hotels or resorts but I haven't booked yet. I will download the app next time.
ReplyDeleteI love staycations! Days Hotel is not too far from my place in Dasma cavite. Seems this Traveloka app is really helpful, I'll check it out :))
ReplyDeleteI have been using Traveloka for sometime now, and have scored some real good rates. However, I personally think they should improve on including more photos of the room under the room details section, so that users will have an idea of how big the rooms are.
ReplyDeleteBeen hearing about this traveloka thing, and this is how you use it pala. It's good to take a break once in a while and relax with the family. I'm glad you were able to have a good one! :)
ReplyDeleteWe also used Traveloka App when we stayed at Bellevue Hotel last January for my husband's birthday celebration. What I don't like about booking there is when I choose the "over the counter" payment and they only give an hour to settle it or else it will be forfeited. Other sites offer 24 hours.
ReplyDeleteIs Traveloka better than Agoda?
ReplyDeleteDitto! Apps like Traveloka are a blessing to families like mine who want to stay in good hotels and accommodations without breaking the bank.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! Will try this app for our next staycation! :)
ReplyDeleteComing from the hotel industry, I still find booking with the hotel itself to be cheaper. But I do use traveloka and other 3rd party booking sites to compare rates and vheck reviews. When I get the cheapest, I call the hotel directly and let them know that I found a certain rate. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat makes this better than other booking app? But I think having the option to pay over the counter makes it safer if you don't want to use a credit card.
ReplyDeleteTraveloka!! I've been hearing about this app. Good to know that the app is easy to use, and glad you treated yourselves to a family vacation! :)
ReplyDeleteBooked a hotel using Traveloka as well. Love how convenient it can be. It is so easy to use and gives facts straight. I also love that it has no hidden charges and how easy payment option can be. I paid via 7 11 and my mom was amazed how one could pay hotel booking via a convenience store.
ReplyDeleteTraveloka is a good app. I used to check on this from time to time but still haven't booked one yet. Still planning where to head to next :)
ReplyDeleteIt's nice that there are plenty of options that offers different hotel discounts like Traveloka.
ReplyDeleteAre the prices cheaper compared to other hotel booking apps?
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried using Traveloka yet but I will do the next time we travel or do staycation.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Traveloka is a good app ah, I'll try that in our next staycation! :)
ReplyDeleteI know I'd be using such smartphone app when the time comes that we will be traveling as a family (and I can't wait!). I just wonder, what if you have vouchers (e.g. from Metrodeal), paano kaya makaka-book through Traveloka? Or is that even possible through the app? Hehe
ReplyDeleteI love hao convenient travel apps are. It's definitely a must for traveling these days.
ReplyDeleteStayed in Days Hotel few years back and yes, may signs of wear and tear na talaga. Anyway, haven't tried booking through Traveloka or any other booking apps. I still prefer calling or booking directly from the hotel.
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried using Traveloka been using Agoda ever since. Sure looks promising will try this and compare. (macy)
ReplyDeleteI am a sucker for staycations! Would check out the app. A but hesitant though because the last time we used agoda or trivago we thought we had a good deal but we just got the hotel'a normal price.
ReplyDeleteWe haven't tried Traveloka yet, but we've been hearing good reviews about this website. We'll check this out, too, because summer is near and the fambam is raring to travel. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI've been to Days Hotel. It's a nice hotel, but I don't remember if they had bidets back then haha. I guess not. Great to know your booking via Traveloka went well.
ReplyDeleteI've tried Traveloka and it's a nice app. They have great travel deals and it's pretty easy to use.
ReplyDeleteLet us know what you think