Lucrative: Pay at Hotel Offer

One of the most lucrative offers that comes across while searching for cheap hotels rates is “ Pay at Hotel “ offer. However, sometimes such offers are actually not so lucrative as they sound. When you are very tempted by such an offer and your mind feels that “you have to go for it”, do recheck certain things to make sure that you are not at a loss.

Say you block a hotel room considering the “ pay at hotel offer” in HKD800/AU$142 NOW. However, since you are travelling after 2-3 months, you might end up paying much more due to the increase of the ROE. However, if you confirm a hotel from a travel agent/ consultant, you will not be required to pay extra than the payment as per the agreed amount. Just make sure you have the confirmation voucher. Sometimes a traveller might be in a win win situation if the rate of exchange goes down.

Even if you are paying by card, you are definitely paying extra. You would be charged a remittance fee and the exchange rate will be as per the Bank and not the online rate. Even if you pay cash in the local currency, the same is charged when you by foreign exchange from a bank or dealer. Usually, you will never get the foreign exchange as per the online rates. It is usually 1-2 units higher.

Mostly, in the “ Pay at Hotel” options, the taxes are not included in the published price. The taxes range from 10% to 20% of the basic amount. A travel agents’, booking has all taxes included, except for some countries while paying the city tax at the hotel is mandatory.

Next time you come across a “ Pay at Hotel offer”, please check the mentioned so that you do not end up at a loss. Also while confirming a booking with an online portal, please check the nature of complaints on the internet. There will be no complaint free booking portal, however, the nature of complaints will help you understand its quality and service commitment.

“ Pay at Hotel “ offers might work when you are travelling within your own country where exchange rates do not fluctuate. 

Beyond The Itinerary - Amazing Bars

If you are a party animal and is looking for some absolute moments during your holidays, here are a few places we would suggest you. Your usual holiday package may not include these places but the best travel agent who knows what you want and will definitely suggest you to make you feel special.

Sky Bar-Bangkok: What could be cooler than sipping up “a Sunset 63 (Absolut 100 vodka, Cointreau, pineapple and orange juice) suspended on a precipice over the city 820 feet in the air? One of the most popular destination for the Bangkok party hunters, Sky Bar is one of the highest roof top bar in the world. Situated above the 60th floor of the posh Bangkok Hotel, Lebua, the bar offers, spectacular views of the illuminated Bangkok. If you happen to visit Bangkok, this is a must “out of the itinerary” visit that you must try.

Al Sarab Rooftop Lounge – Dubai: Feel like the Lawrence of Arabia in this bar, which is a perfect spot to sip a glass of: Marakesh Blazer (Dates, Ron Zacapa Rum, Don Julio Reposado Tequila, Johnnie Walker Gold label, and Chocolate bitters.) The shisha adds to the flavor already created by the well placed cozy fireplaces, dimmed lanterns and the mellow sounds of the oud player. It’s simply- maddhhash

Rockbar-Bali: This is certainly a rock star among the bars of the land. A part of the Ayana resort & spa, this bar is situated 14 meters above the Indian Ocean giving the visitors a grand spectacle. Being short of the vocabulary to explain a visit would do justice. But, keeping mind, the bar is open only on Friday and Saturday.

Ayana’s Pool Bar-Bali: A place to party during the day. Pool Bar at the RIMBA’s is a unique & central feature. Have the signature cocktail with selection of sandwiches and salads without leaving the pool. Visitors may sit on the immersed bar stool or on the comfortable day beds and enjoy the moment. A fun place to be if you want to dip & sip.

Travel Agent's Guide : Selecting The Right Destination

Selecting the right and appropriate destination is the most important thing in a vacation. After a hard earned vacation, it is definitely not right when there is always a second thought that” it could have been better”. Nor would it be pleasing to hear from your family that it was very boring or they are not at all grateful to you for taking theme to a holiday. Even worse if the honeymoon is not as memorable as it was expected to be. To suggest the right destination a Online Travel Agents should know or should be told the likes & dislikes of the travellers. This will help them to short-list the type of destination. Clean beaches with pristine clean water kissing the shores may be NOT ACCEPTABLE to someone with a ‘ dislike ‘ or a fear of water. In fact, for them a beautiful desert safari or a short walk to the Glacier Region in New Zealand could be much more enthralling. A tour programme with trekking and too many “ moving around ” may not be “ amazing” to a  person who is otherwise busy and running around in tours. For such a person, a relaxing river cruise or  a lazy beach holiday could be more than “ amazing”.  A  vacation with the children could be “ awesome” to a place  with amazing theme parks, safaris or nature parks. Teenagers could find themselves enjoying in adventure activities like desert scooters, or riding jet speed boats or thrilling roller coasters. A good travel consultant must be able to read the thoughts and dreams of his client. Like one of my client told me that his fiancé was very much attracted to a particular scene from a Hollywood movie.  The first half of their 15 day honeymoon was planned in Krabi , Thailand. I had booked a Pool Villa with a Jacuzzi and magnificent view. They were given a grand welcome with garlands and flower bouquet, a sparkling bottle of wine was waiting for them in the room. A romantic candle lit dinner was organised in one of those days. Twice in  the stay period of 7 days, they were provided spa treatments in the hotel spa. When the dream sequence for the bride was created and they moved out of Krabi. After days of peace and leisure, an eventful week in Bangkok was waiting for them. We had booked for them seats in the  Bangkok Dinner Cruise on the Chao Phraya River, classical Thai dance with dinner and Calypso Cabaret. The days were provide with a trip to the safari park and city tour( different type)  by boat, Skytrain and tuk-tuk. Over the 10 years of my practise in the travel trade, I have had military veterans, who wanted to see the sites of WWII in Europe and the Nazi concentration camp; a renowned musician who visited Salzburg to get some original and rare compositions of Mozart; sexagenarian couples visiting small towns like Sevile, Valencia, the Tuscan region in Italy and French towns of Nice and Monte Carlo; and many more. In one of my feedback, I had got from my client, I had got his teenage sons to realise their dreams by getting them to visit Ferrari World from Dubai.