Which hotel booking platform, Agoda or Expedia, offers the best rates based on a review of 200,000 hotel searches?

Vacations can be fabulously relaxing.

But booking one is another story.

According to a report by Expedia Group, the typical traveler views 141 pages of travel content in the 45 days leading up to booking a trip.

According to the report, 80% of travelers visit an online travel agency (OTA) such as Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, and Priceline, whether they book on it or not.

But which one has the best prices?

Justin Albertynas, CEO of RatePunk, stated that their browser extension compares hotel prices from major hotel websites and hundreds of OTAs.

He informed CNBC Travel that the company analyzed over 198,000 user searches from January 1 to December 1, 2023, to determine which websites provide the cheapest hotel rates.

Lowest hotel rates in Asia and the Middle East

Agoda had the best rates 34% of the time, followed by Priceline (23%) and Booking.com's mobile site (16%) globally, according to a company study.

Agoda had the cheapest rates in Asia and the Middle East, according to RatePunk's regional data.

Nearly half of hotel searches in Asia were won by the Singapore-based company with the lowest rates.

Agoda has great prices, said Albertynas. "From our user bookings, we see that they usually start by discovering accommodations on big platforms like Booking.com or Expedia, but end up buying from Agoda."

According to Albertynas, Agoda's rates are approximately 10% to 15% lower than other travel booking sites, with occasional discounts of up to 20%. For expensive bookings, significant savings can be made. However, for a one-night stay in Asia at $50, the savings will be minimal.

Agoda is targeting Asia countries, said Albertynas.

Although Asia is a growing market, it is a sensitive market in terms of spending, according to him. He believes it is part of the strategy to acquire users.

Lowest hotel rates in Europe

Booking.com had slightly more than 40% of the best rates in Europe, while Agoda had the best rates 38% of the time.

In every region, Booking.com's mobile site offered better prices than its desktop counterpart, which could be accessed through mobile phones and tablets.

"Booking has the most significant amount of cheaper properties on mobile, not just for customers but also for providers," stated Albertynas.

According to Albertynas, desktop sites have higher customer acquisition costs because most desktop users discover websites through searches.

To acquire users through websites, businesses must pay for Google ads, bid on keywords, and reacquire users each time they book through the site. This is especially true for mobile or mobile app users, who require more retention to get them back.

Additionally, some hotels provide better prices for mobile users.

According to Albertynas, Booking.com offers three different rates: desktop, mobile, and a mobile app. From our data, we see that 80% of mobile and mobile app prices are similar. However, there are instances where we can find a cheaper rate on the app.

Lowest hotel rates in the U.S.

Priceline, owned by Booking Holdings, offers the cheapest rates for travelers heading to the United States, according to a study of nearly 40,000 searches.

Agoda only had the lowest rates in 13% of the searches.

In 2024, people traveling in the United States should monitor Booking.com, as advised by Albertynas.

Booking Holdings, specifically the Booking.com brand, is actively expanding into the US market. They plan to offer promotions and direct deals with hotel chains to provide competitive pricing.

Lowest rates in certain countries and cities

Examining RatePunk's data further unveiled that certain countries have websites with superior overall pricing.

• Hotels.com — in Maldives and Mexico
• Booking.com — in Italy
• Agoda — in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia
• Priceline — in France
• Expedia — in Brazil
• ZenHotels — in Spain

In certain cities, booking websites offered better hotel rates: Booking.com in New York, Priceline in Miami and Los Angeles, and Expedia in Honolulu.