In Reply to: Booking direct posted by Baliterry on Saturday, 16. April 2022 at 12:20 Bali Time:
Where possible and if you know the hotel then booking direct is generally fine....but not all hotel owners have ethics.
Personally I have had to use the multi national booking sites 'muscle' several times due to unscrupulous owners refusal for refunds and /or credits for myself and friends due to Volcano eruptions, twice and Covid19 once.
Many hotels also benefit from these booking agencies e.g. reviews, photos etc. and the customer can benefit from special deals and the ability to not pay upfront and to sometimes cancel up to 3 days before arrival.
I have also travelled quite a bit through Vietnam and Thailand, sometimes staying in 5-6 different hotels...did all my reviews, photos and booking for up to 8 people through Booking.Com and never had a problem...I certainly would not recommend paying up front in this situation ...you just don't know what may happen
So yes by all means if you know the area, hotel, etc. book direct...but if unsure, a booking agency just gives you that little bit of extra protection.