Hoshino Resorts reveal Agoda (subsidiary of Booking Holdings which also own Booking.com) engages in fraudulent resale of hotel rooms

[Taloona]

i was told by a few hotel staff in Australia, not to use agoda for australia bookings. because agoda will route it through another middleman then to the hotel. so if anything goes wrong, the troubleshooting part will go through 3 parties.

it was not mentioned who the middleman is

So many middlemen how they make money?

 

[Xeniel]

I used mastercard btw.

edit: the final amount charged is not what you see during the booking. There is no separate fx charge.

oops you're right seems like using my dbs mc has extra fx charge

actually when i checked my booking with uob visa cc 2 mths back, it's the actual amount on the invoice being deducted
when i cancelled and refunded it's also the same amount getting credited
no alibaba
seems like visa is the way to go

 

[Mebeater]

You are the one begging for "price match" and I'm the one who is ignorant?

Sorry I am not interested in cheapo tactics to act high class. Considered me ignorant then.

If saving $200 a night through BRG means I'm a cheapo then yeah I guess everyone except you are cheapos.

 

[PaprikaSG]

HQ in Singapore.

Sia sway Sinkie till max

 

[drkcynic]

If saving $200 a night through BRG means I'm a cheapo then yeah I guess everyone except you are cheapos.

I thought I told you the first time I don't go begging for discounts. Not everyone is like you.

 

[LPPLKPKB]

For Hoshino, you just book direct because the website is good and prices are the cheapest.

As for Agoda, I have used it for years, yet to have much issues, so far so good. I always compare Agoda with Expedia to get the cheaper rates.

 

[laksamaihum]

moi use agoda for flight + hotel combo always no issues and gets best rates, better than Expedia, trip.com

Expedia very mafan, tio flight not confirmed twice. ask online customer service why? they say ownself go contact airline to reschedule. smlj, then use their platform for what? since then boycotted Expedia liao

 

[titusilvering]

time to switch to booking.com.

luckily i always use agoda ... and it has been flawless
everytime also no problem.

Hotel staff tell me better use booking. Com because agoda if want change or cancellation almost impossible. Booking is the parent company easier for hotel to make changes

 

[swathe]

what are their tactics?

For example most sites offer $200 for a refundable room and breakfast included. Even from direct site.

Agoda will charge $198 for non refundable, $208 for refundable and $218 for refundable for breakfast.

Then you feel $218 plus a 10% credit card discount save you better than other site, they slap another 5% when they charge you.

 

[TitanSmall]

I used mastercard btw.

edit: the final amount charged is not what you see during the booking. There is no separate fx charge.

They got hidden charge if one uses the book now pay later and you are not paying in the domestic currency of the hotel you are booking iirc. Damn scheming one la...

https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/read-this-before-using-agoda-pay-later.6164036/

 

[twosix]

They got hidden charge if one uses the book now pay later and you are not paying in the domestic currency of the hotel you are booking iirc. Damn scheming one la...

https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/read-this-before-using-agoda-pay-later.6164036/

i always pay in the hotel's local currency. what is shown is what i got charged in my cc or when i pay at the hotel.

 

[TitanSmall]

i always pay in the hotel's local currency. what is shown is what i got charged in my cc or when i pay at the hotel.

yea thats the right way.. i stupid.. didnt know...

 

[swordspirit]

For example most sites offer $200 for a refundable room and breakfast included. Even from direct site.

Agoda will charge $198 for non refundable, $208 for refundable and $218 for refundable for breakfast.

Then you feel $218 plus a 10% credit card discount save you better than other site, they slap another 5% when they charge you.

This is a case thwere you dont know how things work. Anyway, nowadays, you should be looking at agoda with bank discount of 15% and above and to pay now instead of pay later to avoid that 5% fee.

 

[swordspirit]

i always pay in the hotel's local currency. what is shown is what i got charged in my cc or when i pay at the hotel.

nah, i always reflect the hotel prices in SGD (which is translated at spot rate if u check the ongoing fx rate) and pay in SGD using visa cards (unless it is non-refundable booking and i want to earn 4m using dbs women card).

Basically, pay what i see and provide flexibility to rebook (with full refund) if better promotion comes along.

 

[ShinnAsuka]

They got hidden charge if one uses the book now pay later and you are not paying in the domestic currency of the hotel you are booking iirc. Damn scheming one la...

https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/read-this-before-using-agoda-pay-later.6164036/

Thanks for the info. I just feel they should be transparent about it, and not guarantee the price

 

[TitanSmall]

Thanks for the info. I just feel they should be transparent about it, and not guarantee the price

haha.. i guess they can say.. its all in their T&C.. and iirc.. when confirming the booking.. there is a small indicator for the user to click.. then it will lead to a page that explained all the charges..

but even then.. the explanation also quite confusing.. maybe i stupid.. hahaha..

so now i try to use trip.com as much as possible...

 

[twosix]

nah, i always reflect the hotel prices in SGD (which is translated at spot rate if u check the ongoing fx rate) and pay in SGD using visa cards (unless it is non-refundable booking and i want to earn 4m using dbs women card).

Basically, pay what i see and provide flexibility to rebook (with full refund) if better promotion comes along.

If u pay in sgd there will probably be a fee, and also the credit card will also charge a dcc rate. Best to pay in their local currency.

 

[ineser]

Agoda sometimes give good rates/discounts combine with certain cc.

 

[Roid Rage]

Hoshino Resorts reveals the reality of "Agoda malicious resale"... The "damage" that was occurring behind the scenes of President Hoshino's unusual post​

Jun Sakurai, Group Director of Group Marketing at Hoshino Resorts, said:
Hoshino Resorts, which says that "more than five to ten problems occur per day" with Agoda.

(Mr. Sakurai), spoke to us about the actual problems and their causes.

"Hoshino Resorts does not have a contract with the online travel agency AGODA, but there have been frequent cases where people who made reservations through AGODA arrived and were unable to secure a room. Just the other day, a customer made a reservation through AGODA for a hotel that was closed for maintenance. There is some kind of problem with AGODA's system." (From a post by President Hoshino X)

According to Hoshino Resorts, they have been issuing warnings on their official website since the beginning of 2025, but there are no signs of improvement, and in fact, there is a possibility that the damage may get worse.

Agoda, headquartered in Singapore, began its services in 2005. In 2007, it was acquired by Booking.com's parent company Booking Holdings (then Priceline Group), and now Agoda and Booking.com are part of the same parent company.

Regarding problems with reservations made through Agoda, Sakurai points out that "these issues have been occurring frequently even before the COVID-19 pandemic."

The same problem has occurred through other foreign online accommodation booking sites, but there have been some cases where the problem has been improved since then. However, with regards to Agoda, "there is no sign of any improvement at all," says Sakurai.

Hoshino Resorts places importance on reservations made through its own website, and is also known for "narrowing down the number of travel agencies with which it partners and contracts," according to Sakurai.

Although the company has contracts with some OTAs (Online Travel Agents), it does not have a contract with Agoda for its domestic accommodations.

-machine translated from:
https://www.businessinsider.jp/article/2506-hoshinoresort-agoda-booking-trouble/

agoda is fishy. i believe they have a merchant-facing backend which allows hotels to charge you without your knowledge (with the card you saved on agoda but not deposit with hotel)

i kana before

lol but i still using agoda for my upcoming stay. cause it's just so convenient. few buttons and youre done. unlike hotel website need to register, login, choose through 1billion packages, add payment, checkout

 

[focus1974]

Hotel staff tell me better use booking. Com because agoda if want change or cancellation almost impossible. Booking is the parent company easier for hotel to make changes

but i've done cancellation in agoda multiple times.
when you book , agoda will have multiple prices on the rooms. Some have free cancellation till X dates. Some is no-cancellation once booked.

So usually, I will just pay for my choice hotel early on. .when there's a deal.
then i will monitor for any better deals (be it the current hotel or a new hotel) till the free-cancellation date.
If have, i will cancel the existing booking and then book the new deal.