Who doesn’t enjoy affordable hotel reservations, cheap flights, good transportation, and fun activities? Agoda is one such platform that eases your queries and facilitates a smooth travel experience. But with the market flooded with many such options, it can get a bit tricky for an avid traveler to find a legitimate platform for better reservations and options. If you are someone who is questioning the authenticity of Agoda, then this article is for you. In this article, I have given a deep analysis of the platform and answered the basic question: Is Agoda legit?
Agoda is a popular name in online travel agencies. Ever since its launch in 2005, the company has expanded its business model and now caters to a worldwide audience. Despite being popular, the platform has gained negative feedback and landed in a couple of controversies, which have, in turn, affected the credibility and legitimacy of the platform. So, without further ado, let’s discuss the Agoda platform’s legitimacy and how it operates.
What is Agoda?
Agoda is a popular online travel agency that was founded in 2005 and is currently headquartered in Singapore. It is known to facilitate a smooth booking process for travelers, including hotels, vacation rentals, hostels, and even flights. On the platform, a traveler can book the services by providing location, destination, user details, preferred dates, and more.
It was acquired by Booking Holding and is currently associated with 5 legal entities, including Prague Royal Facility s.r.o., Agoda Services Company Limited, Agoda Company PTE. Limited, Agoda Information Technology Services India Private Limited, and Agoda International Private Limited.
Is Agoda Legit?
Yes, Agoda is safe and a legitimate platform. The company is headquartered in Singapore and is backed by Booking Holdings, which is a popular name in the online travel market.
It is a popular name across the world, and the platform is known for its reliability and competitive pricing. Each year, the platform witnesses new travelers on its platform from across the world who vouch for its credibility.
How Does Agoda Work?
Agoda is known for simplifying the booking process for travelers, and it operates and offers properties in over 200 territories. As a platform, it is user-friendly, and anyone can access it. To learn how it works, follow the given steps.
- Search for Accommodations: Head to the website and in a search box enter your destination and travel dates. You can adjust your preferences, including budget and amenities. Once you set your preferences, it’s search engine will optimize the data and display relevant results.
- Filter and Compare: Agoda offers filters that can tweak your preferences in sections like price, property type, and guest ratings for better options.
- Read Reviews: The reviews on the platform can further help you make an informed decision about your booking. Always read them before booking a hotel or a ticket on Agoda.
- Book and Confirm: Once you have chosen a property for yourself, complete the process of payment, and then you can secure a reservation.
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Pros and Cons of the Agoda Platform
Like every other platform, Agoda has both positive and negative attributes associated with it. In the below-mentioned list, I have explained the pros and cons of the platform.
Pros
- It works internationally in around 200 countries and territories, making it easier for travelers to access and reserve bookings across the world.
- It offers ambitious pricing on its platform.
- It has an excellent, user-friendly interface.
- The platform has extensive listings, thus serving travelers with different budgets.
- The “Best Price Guarantee” feature on the platform truly stands out among its competitors.
Cons
- Inconsistent customer support, Agoda has been criticized for its customer service on platforms like Reddit and Quora.
- The Cancellation policies vary by property.
- Occasional discrepancies in property details, Agoda travelers have complained that sometimes the actual property differs from the pictures on the website.
- Limited transparency on fees.
Features of the Agoda Platform
Agoda has a wide range of features that make it stand out among the rest of its competitors. I have listed the key features of the platform in the list given below.
1. Best Price Guarantee
Agoda has time and again established that the platform offers the best prices, and it beats lower prices found elsewhere. The platform claims that in case you find a better deal, you can submit a claim within 24 hours of booking.
2. Agoda Cash Rewards
Agoda’s key feature of cash rewards makes it lucrative for travelers to enjoy cash rewards that they can use for their future reservations. Cash rewards are the easiest way to enjoy your future trips.
3. Last-Minute Deals
Agoda has deals that offer last-minute discounts for spontaneous travelers. The offers like “Tonight’s Deals” make bookings an enticing and fun way to secure same-day bookings.
4. Multiple Payment Options
Agoda accepts a wide range of payment methods, including credit cards, PayPal, and even local payment options in certain countries.
Ratings and User Reviews of Agoda
Now that we have established that Agoda is a safe platform, I wanted to check out what other popular review websites have to say. The breakdown of that is mentioned below.
Trustpilot
Agoda gets an overall ranking of 1.3 stars from over 42,000 reviewers on Trustpilot, which is quite bad for the reputation that the company holds. Among the reviews, customers have complained about a manipulative experience and a lack of transparency while booking the hotels.
SiteJabber
Agoda has a rating of 2.3 stars from 4,428 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers have complained about the customer service, booking issues, poor room conditions, and much more.
Tracxn
Tracxn website rates Agoda as 31st among 1127 active competitors. The website is a lot kinder than the above-mentioned websites and establishes that Agoda, despite having tons of competitors in the market, still leads with countless bookings across the world and especially in Asia.
My Verdict: Is Agoda Legit?
Yes, Agoda is legit and a safe platform, if you ask me. But before booking any hotel on the platform, make sure you understand how the platform works, especially its cancellation and refund policies.
With so many negative reviews on different platforms, Agoda truly has to rebuild its image, and as a customer, it’s better to be safe than sorry. So, my advice would be, despite the credibility of the platform, to check out other alternatives as well before securing a booking on the platform.
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Wrapping Up
So, is Agoda legit? Yes, Agoda is a safe and legit platform. It is not a scam. You can easily secure a booking across countries on the Agoda app. However, the platform is not 100% perfect, and many customers have complained about their bad hotel booking experience on the platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Does Agoda refund your money?
Cancellation requests submitted on Agoda that are before the due date noted on your confirmation will normally be refunded 100% of the cost of their stay.
2. Does Agoda have hidden fees?
Agoda asks its customers to check the fine print section before booking a hotel on Agoda. This section often discloses hidden fees like resort fees, city taxes, and service charges.
3. Is Agoda booking guaranteed?
Agoda offers instantly confirmed bookings to customers, which means Agoda guarantees that a guest will be able to stay in the room at the property that they booked.