Booking hotels and rooms are tiresome, but sites that provide information around the clock make this task more accessible. This article will discuss an online booking platform called Orbitz Hotels. So let’s dive right in.
Origin:
Orbitz started as a competitor of Expedia in providing alternatives for visitors in America, mainly aiming at North America. But Expedia repurchased Orbitz Hotels in 2015. Expedia performed a complete overhaul of its website and reduced its functionality similar to their website. There are a few differences as well—all in all, we can say that Orbitz Hotel is a different skin of Expedia on the internet.
Loyalty Program:
The peculiarity of Orbitz is in their Loyalty program, in which they offer customers around 3% of booking fees. You will start as a silver member on their website, and by booking four nights in a year, they upgrade you to a gold membership. With this membership, you can enjoy complimentary breakfast and Wi-Fi in hotels. By booking 12 nights through their website or mobile app, they upgrade your membership to a platinum one where you can save $50 on seat upgrades on flights and potential hotel upgrades, room upgrades, and early check-in.
Booking and Pricing:
Orbitz does not charge a booking fee, but additional charges can be there while booking a flight, depending on the payment method. Pricing is a lot better than other platforms, and users can avail of special discounts, which are Orbitz-only. Still, most of the deals available on their website are similar to their parent company, Expedia. For better prices, you have to look harder on the internet. Most of their pricing is reasonable.
Availability:
Hotels displayed across various platforms of Expedia have an excellent availability status. Their hotels are mostly available in their home region, but the quality is also fine globally. You can trust the information that is available on their website.
Customer Accessibility:
Orbitz Hotels are available on their website and mobile apps in iOS and Android versions. Their target market is North America, so they have basic language options of English and Spanish.
Payment Options:
Orbitz offers a wide variety of payment options but does not support third-party payment platforms like Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Thriving in Competition:
Orbitz has a long-standing reputation in a market where such companies appear and disappear overnight. Expedia owns this company, one of the world’s biggest booking platforms. This fact shows that they have a reputation of second to none. Overall, Orbitz Hotels is a valuable addition to booking sites on the internet.
Customer Service:
Orbitz can be a complex site to contact, and it may take a little effort to find their phone number. They have made the process complicated to reduce their call center volume. Fortunately, their chatbot is efficient in handling tasks related to booking or canceling. Overall, not bad customer service.
Summary:
Booking through Orbitz can prove beneficial if you have a special deal when you think of booking. Otherwise, sticking to their parent company is much wiser.