
Based on checking the website Bookingcommunity.com, it presents itself as an online travel booking platform offering discounted hotel and travel rates to members or employees of various organizations.
The core proposition revolves around “unpublished rates” that are supposedly lower than those found on public online travel websites.
While the concept of group discounts isn’t inherently problematic, the lack of transparency regarding specific pricing without a demo or registration, coupled with the reliance on a “members-only” access model, warrants a cautious approach.
Here’s an overall review summary:
- Overall Legitimacy: Appears to be a legitimate business model, but its value hinges entirely on the actual savings provided and the ease of access.
- Transparency: Low. Specific rates are not publicly accessible. users must be part of a registered organization to view them.
- Pricing Clarity: Poor. No examples of actual “up to 70% off” savings are shown without registration.
- Ease of Use Pre-Registration: Limited. The website is primarily a lead generation tool for organizations, not direct consumers.
- Ethical Considerations: The business model itself doesn’t appear to directly violate Islamic ethical principles. however, the lack of transparent pricing before committing to a demo or organizational membership could be seen as a form of gharar excessive uncertainty if not clearly rectified during the demo process. It’s crucial for consumers to verify the actual savings promised against public rates to ensure the value proposition is real and not misleading.
- Recommendation: Proceed with caution. Organizations considering this service should conduct a thorough due diligence, including a detailed demo and comparison of promised rates against publicly available options, before committing. Individual users should also be wary of the “up to 70% off” claims without verifiable proof.
The site promotes “discount travel and hotel room rates” up to 70% lower than public online travel websites, specifically targeting members or employees of associations, organizations, universities, churches, and other groups.
The mechanism behind these “unpublished rates” is explained as a “members-only” user community, which exempts them from “rate parity” restrictions that bind public travel sites.
While this sounds appealing, the actual savings can only be verified after an organization implements the program and its members register.
The website’s primary function is to attract organizations to schedule a demo, making it difficult for individual consumers to assess its value directly.
Best Alternatives for Ethical Travel & Booking:
When it comes to travel, clarity, transparency, and ethical practices are key.
Here are some alternatives that offer more direct access to pricing and are widely recognized for their reliability:
- Expedia: A well-established online travel agency offering a vast selection of flights, hotels, car rentals, and vacation packages.
- Key Features: Comprehensive booking platform, package deals, rewards program.
- Average Price: Varies widely based on destination and travel dates.
- Pros: Wide selection, often good deals on packages, reliable customer support.
- Cons: Prices can fluctuate, some cancellation policies might be strict.
- Booking.com: Known for its extensive hotel inventory worldwide, offering various accommodation types from hotels to apartments.
- Key Features: Huge selection of properties, free cancellation options, Genius loyalty program.
- Average Price: Competitive, depends on property and location.
- Pros: User-friendly interface, diverse options, good for last-minute bookings.
- Cons: Can be overwhelming with choices, some non-refundable rates.
- Kayak: A metasearch engine that aggregates deals from hundreds of travel sites, helping users compare prices across different platforms.
- Key Features: Price comparison, flight/hotel alerts, flexible date search.
- Average Price: Shows the best available prices from various sources.
- Pros: Saves time by comparing many sites, good for finding the absolute lowest price.
- Cons: You still book through third-party sites, so customer service depends on the chosen provider.
- Google Flights: Google’s own flight search engine, offering a clean interface and powerful tools for finding the best airfares.
- Key Features: Price graph, explore destinations, price tracking.
- Average Price: Reflects real-time flight prices across airlines and OTAs.
- Pros: Intuitive, excellent for price trends and finding cheap flights, direct links to airline sites.
- Cons: Primarily flights, limited hotel options compared to dedicated booking sites.
- Airbnb: A platform for booking unique accommodations directly from hosts, ranging from single rooms to entire homes.
- Key Features: Unique stays, local experiences, flexible booking options.
- Average Price: Varies significantly based on location, property type, and host.
- Pros: More authentic experiences, often better for groups or longer stays, kitchen facilities available.
- Cons: Consistency can vary between hosts, cleaning fees can add up.
- Hotels.com: A dedicated hotel booking site with a strong loyalty program every 10 nights, get 1 free.
- Key Features: Extensive hotel inventory, loyalty program, “Secret Prices” for members.
- Average Price: Competitive hotel rates.
- Pros: User-friendly, good rewards program, wide range of hotels.
- Cons: Sometimes better deals can be found on other sites, depends on the hotel.
- TripAdvisor: While primarily known for reviews, TripAdvisor also offers a powerful booking engine that compares prices from various partners.
- Key Features: Extensive user reviews, travel forums, price comparison for hotels and flights.
- Average Price: Shows competitive rates by comparing multiple sources.
- Pros: Excellent for research before booking, user-generated content provides valuable insights.
- Cons: Can be overwhelming with information, booking is often redirected to partner sites.
Find detailed reviews on Trustpilot, Reddit, and BBB.org, for software products you can also check Producthunt.
IMPORTANT: We have not personally tested this company’s services. This review is based solely on information provided by the company on their website. For independent, verified user experiences, please refer to trusted sources such as Trustpilot, Reddit, and BBB.org.
Bookingcommunity.com Review & First Look
Upon initial examination, Bookingcommunity.com presents itself as a specialized online travel platform, diverging from the typical consumer-facing models like Expedia or Booking.com.
Its core appeal lies in offering “unpublished hotel rates” that are reportedly significantly lower—up to 70%—than those available to the general public.
This exclusive access is reserved for members or employees of organizations that partner with BookingCommunity.
This strategy aims to bypass the “rate parity” agreements that prevent public travel sites from undercutting hotels’ direct published rates.
The site explicitly states its target audience: not individual travelers, but rather associations, universities, companies, churches, non-profit organizations, and other community groups looking to provide a unique benefit to their constituents.
The homepage emphasizes two key benefits: substantial savings for members/employees and a new revenue stream for the partnering organization.
The process for organizations seems straightforward: “no cost to implement” and BookingCommunity promises to handle the promotion.
For individual users, the registration is described as “fast and easy,” requiring only basic personal details.
The site claims over 800,000 participating hotels and resorts worldwide and 15,000+ destinations.
While these numbers sound impressive, without direct access to the booking portal as an unregistered individual, verifying these claims or the extent of the discounts is impossible. Inklarity.com Review
The emphasis is clearly on driving organizations to “Schedule a Demo Now,” making it a B2B business-to-business sales funnel rather than a direct-to-consumer platform.
What are “Unpublished Rates” and How Does Bookingcommunity.com Claim to Offer Them?
Bookingcommunity.com hinges its entire value proposition on “unpublished rates.” The site explains that these rates are not accessible to the public because they operate as a “members only” user community.
This allows them to sidestep what they call “rate parity” agreements, which are standard contracts between hotels and public online travel agencies OTAs that mandate consistent pricing across all public channels.
Essentially, hotels provide a “retail price” to ensure uniformity.
- The Concept: The idea is that a closed user group, like an internal corporate travel portal or a specific association’s benefit platform, can receive wholesale or negotiated rates that are not subject to public pricing restrictions.
- Why Hotels Agree: Hotels might agree to these unpublished rates to fill rooms during off-peak seasons, secure bulk bookings from large organizations, or build long-term relationships with specific corporate clients. These rates are typically confidential and not advertised to the general public to protect the hotel’s brand image and pricing strategy on public channels.
- Bookingcommunity.com’s Mechanism: Bookingcommunity.com claims to be this “secured platform” where these wholesale rates are offered. By requiring users to be registered members of a partner organization, they maintain the “closed user group” status, theoretically allowing them to offer discounts without violating hotel agreements.
- Verification: The critical challenge for any potential user or organization is verifying the authenticity and competitiveness of these “unpublished rates.” Without access to the booking engine, it’s impossible to compare these claims against actual market prices. This lack of transparency pre-demo is a significant point to consider.
The Target Audience: Organizations and Their Members
Bookingcommunity.com is not for the casual individual traveler looking for a quick deal. It’s designed for a very specific B2B audience:
- Special Interest Business Organizations: Think industry associations, trade groups.
- Universities: For their faculty, students, and alumni.
- Special Interest Social Clubs: From hobby groups to exclusive communities.
- General Associations: Any membership-based organization.
- Companies: For employee benefits and corporate travel savings.
- Churches and Religious Groups: To provide value to their congregations.
- Nonprofit Organizations: As a way to offer a unique perk.
- Customer User Groups & Community Groups: Any structured group with members.
For these organizations, the platform offers several enticing benefits:
- No Cost to Implement: This is a major selling point, as it reduces financial barriers for organizations.
- New Revenue Stream: BookingCommunity offers a “revenue share program,” meaning organizations can earn income from their members’ bookings, adding a financial incentive beyond just providing a perk.
- Drive Membership: A unique benefit like significant travel discounts can be a powerful tool for attracting new members.
- Attract New Talent: For companies, it’s pitched as a unique employee benefit to enhance recruitment efforts.
- Increase Retention & Engagement: Keeping existing members or employees happy and engaged through valuable perks.
- Save Money on Corporate Travel: Organizations themselves can potentially save on their own business travel expenses.
The website heavily emphasizes scheduling a demo to learn more about these organizational benefits, highlighting their focus on establishing partnerships rather than direct consumer sales.
Bookingcommunity.com Cons
While Bookingcommunity.com presents an intriguing proposition, several significant cons become apparent upon reviewing its public-facing website.
These drawbacks primarily revolve around a lack of transparency and direct consumer access, making it difficult for an average user to assess its true value without a prior organizational affiliation.
Lack of Public Price Transparency
This is arguably the biggest drawback. Shipmo.co Review
Bookingcommunity.com’s entire model is built on exclusivity, meaning specific pricing or actual deals are not visible to the public.
- No Publicly Visible Rates: Unlike virtually every other online travel agency OTA, Bookingcommunity.com does not display any actual hotel rates, flight prices, or package deals on its public site. This makes it impossible for potential users or organizations to gauge the veracity of the “up to 70% lower” claims.
- Reliance on “Schedule a Demo”: The constant call to action is to “Schedule a Demo Now.” While this is standard for B2B sales, it creates a significant barrier to entry for simply understanding the product’s core offering—its pricing—before committing time to a presentation.
- Unverifiable Claims: The claims of “deeply discounted rates up to 70% off retail” compared to sites like Travelocity, Expedia, Priceline remain theoretical without a public-facing comparison tool or examples. Users are asked to trust these claims without immediate evidence.
- Uncertainty Gharar: From an ethical standpoint, particularly in Islamic finance, excessive gharar or uncertainty is discouraged. The lack of clear, upfront pricing examples creates significant uncertainty about the product’s actual value proposition, requiring blind trust until a demo or registration occurs.
Limited Direct Consumer Access
Bookingcommunity.com is not designed for individual travelers to sign up directly.
- Membership Required: Access to the discounted rates is strictly contingent on being a member or employee of an organization that has partnered with BookingCommunity. This immediately excludes the vast majority of individual travelers.
- No Individual Sign-Up: There’s no clear path for an individual to simply register and start browsing deals. The “Are you a member or employee of an organization offering access to BookingCommunity?” form is for registration after an organization has already partnered, not for general public access.
- Not a Public OTA: It cannot be compared to a traditional OTA like Expedia or Booking.com in terms of direct accessibility and ease of use for the general public. Its market is B2B, not B2C.
Reliance on Organizational Partnerships
The success and utility of Bookingcommunity.com for any individual hinge entirely on their organization’s decision to partner with the platform.
- Organizational Decision-Making: Individuals have no direct say in whether their employer, university, or association decides to implement this benefit.
- Dependent Value: The value proposition for an individual is entirely dependent on their organizational affiliation. If their organization doesn’t partner, the platform is effectively inaccessible to them.
- Promotion Burden on BookingCommunity: While BookingCommunity claims they will “promote this valuable benefit” to an organization’s members, the initial awareness and buy-in still relies on the organization making the initial contact and committing to the partnership.
Potential for Overstated Savings
While the “up to 70% off” claim is enticing, without direct comparison, there’s always a risk of inflated percentages.
- “Up To” Caveat: The phrase “up to 70% lower” is common marketing language and typically means that only a small fraction of deals might reach that maximum discount, with most being significantly lower.
- Basis of Comparison: The comparison point is “any other public online travel website or hotel website.” It’s crucial to understand if this comparison is always against the highest possible public rate or an average. True value comes from consistent, verifiable savings.
- Hidden Fees/Taxes: As with any travel booking, the final price might include taxes and fees that could diminish the perceived “deep discount.” The website doesn’t provide clarity on how these are factored into the stated savings.
Limited Website Functionality for Public Users
The public-facing website serves primarily as a marketing brochure, not a functional booking platform.
- No Search Engine: There is no publicly accessible search bar or booking engine for hotels or flights.
- Information Scarcity: Beyond the marketing claims, there’s a lack of detailed information about the actual booking process, cancellation policies, customer support specifics beyond “customer support”, or user testimonials.
- User Interface Pre-Login: The public site is clean but minimal in terms of interactive features for an unregistered user. Its primary purpose is to capture leads from organizations.
In summary, while the concept of exclusive, deeply discounted travel rates for a closed user group is appealing, Bookingcommunity.com’s public presentation suffers from a significant lack of transparency and direct accessibility for individual consumers. The onus is on organizations to thoroughly vet the claims and the actual value proposition during a demo before offering it as a benefit.
Bookingcommunity.com Alternatives
Given the specific nature of Bookingcommunity.com, which targets organizations for their members’ travel benefits, direct like-for-like alternatives are specialized. However, if the goal is to provide discounted travel benefits or effective corporate travel management that aligns with ethical considerations, several categories of alternatives exist. The key is to look for transparency, verifiable savings, and ease of use.
For Organizations Seeking Member/Employee Benefits
-
Corporate Travel Management Platforms: These platforms are designed for businesses to manage their travel expenses, bookings, and policies. Many offer negotiated rates directly with airlines and hotels based on volume.
- Examples: SAP Concur, Egencia Expedia Group, TripActions now Navan.
- Key Features: Centralized booking, expense reporting, policy enforcement, negotiated rates, duty of care.
- Pros: Comprehensive control, often significant savings for high-volume travel, streamlined processes.
- Cons: Can be expensive for smaller organizations, requires setup and training, might not be suitable for individual member benefits outside of corporate travel.
- Ethical Consideration: Many of these are secular platforms. organizations would need to ensure their internal travel policies align with Islamic principles e.g., avoiding travel for impermissible purposes.
-
Affinity Programs with Major Travel Providers: Instead of a third-party aggregator, organizations can directly negotiate with large hotel chains e.g., Marriott, Hilton or airlines for group discounts or corporate rates for their members/employees. Extremeinn.com Review
- Examples: Direct corporate accounts with major hotel chains, airline corporate loyalty programs.
- Key Features: Direct access to branded properties, consistent quality, loyalty points.
- Pros: Builds direct relationships, potentially better rates for specific chains/airlines, simpler for users familiar with those brands.
- Cons: Limited to specific brands, requires direct negotiation, less comprehensive than an aggregator.
- Ethical Consideration: Direct agreements are generally transparent and permissible.
-
Employee Discount Programs with Travel Perks: Platforms that aggregate various discounts for employees, including travel.
- Examples: PerkSpot, Working Advantage.
- Key Features: Wide range of discounts not just travel, easy for employees to access, often free or low-cost for organizations.
- Pros: Comprehensive benefits package, simple to implement.
- Cons: Travel discounts might not be as deep as specialized platforms, less focused on travel.
- Ethical Consideration: Check the types of discounts offered to ensure they align with Islamic principles.
For Individuals Seeking Best Travel Deals without organizational affiliation
These are the more common consumer-facing options that offer transparency and direct access:
-
Expedia: Already mentioned in intro, but vital here A giant in online travel.
- Key Features: Flights, hotels, cars, packages. Loyalty program.
- Pros: Wide selection, competitive pricing, package deals often save money.
- Cons: Prices can fluctuate, cancellation policies vary.
-
Booking.com: Already mentioned Another leading platform for accommodations.
- Key Features: Huge hotel inventory, free cancellation on many bookings, user reviews.
- Pros: Very user-friendly, excellent filtering options, good for last-minute deals.
-
Kayak: Already mentioned A powerful metasearch engine.
- Key Features: Compares prices from hundreds of sites, price alerts, explore tool.
- Pros: Ensures you’re seeing the best available price from various sources.
- Cons: Does not handle bookings directly. redirects to other sites.
-
Google Flights / Google Hotels: Google’s direct travel search tools.
- Key Features: Intuitive interface, excellent price trend analysis, explore map.
- Pros: Very user-friendly, fast, often integrates with direct airline/hotel sites.
- Cons: Limited customer service as it’s a search engine, not a booking platform.
-
Airbnb: Already mentioned For unique stays.
- Key Features: Homes, apartments, unique accommodations. Experiences.
- Pros: Can offer more authentic experiences, often better for groups, kitchen access.
- Cons: Consistency can vary, cleaning fees can add up, less standardized than hotels.
-
Direct Hotel/Airline Websites: Booking directly with the hotel chain e.g., Marriott, Hilton or airline e.g., United Airlines, Delta Airlines can often yield benefits like loyalty points, better cancellation terms, or even exclusive promotions not found on OTAs.
- Pros: Best price guarantee sometimes, loyalty program benefits, direct customer service, clearer policies.
- Cons: Requires checking multiple sites, less comprehensive for multi-leg trips or packages.
- Ethical Consideration: Most direct bookings are straightforward transactions, permissible.
When evaluating any travel service, especially one promising “unpublished rates,” it’s crucial to prioritize transparency, verifiable savings, and clear terms and conditions to ensure an ethical and beneficial transaction.
How to Cancel Bookingcommunity.com Subscription
For individuals who are members of an organization partnered with Bookingcommunity.com, the process for canceling a subscription or access would primarily involve two scenarios: either the organization itself ceases its partnership with Bookingcommunity.com, or an individual member wishes to revoke their personal access. Unitedessays.com Review
Based on the public information available on Bookingcommunity.com’s homepage, there isn’t a direct “cancel my subscription” button or a publicly detailed process for individual users.
Individual User Cancellation
If you are an individual user registered through your organization, and you wish to stop using Bookingcommunity.com, here’s the likely approach:
- Contact Your Organization: The most direct and effective first step is to contact the administrator or HR department within your own organization the one that provided you access to Bookingcommunity.com. Since your access is tied to their partnership, they would be the primary point of contact for revoking your individual user privileges. They might have an internal process for managing employee/member benefits.
- Look for Account Settings if accessible: Once logged into the Bookingcommunity.com platform if you have an active login, navigate to your account settings or profile management section. Sometimes, these platforms offer options to deactivate or delete your account. However, given the B2B nature, this might not be readily available for individual users.
- Contact Bookingcommunity.com Support via your organization: If steps 1 and 2 are unsuccessful, or if your organization directs you, you might need to find a way to contact Bookingcommunity.com’s customer support. The website mentions “Customer support” under “User Benefits.” However, they might require you to route your request through your partnering organization for verification. It’s highly unlikely they would allow direct cancellation from an individual without confirming with the partnering organization.
- Data Deletion Request: In some regions e.g., under GDPR or CCPA, you might have a right to request the deletion of your personal data. If you wish for your data to be removed from Bookingcommunity.com’s systems, you would typically need to submit a formal request, often through their privacy policy contact or customer support channels.
Important Note: Since Bookingcommunity.com is a benefit provided by an organization, individual users typically do not have a standalone “subscription” in the traditional sense like a Netflix subscription you pay for directly. Your access is contingent on your status within the partnering organization.
Organizational Partnership Cancellation
For an organization that has partnered with Bookingcommunity.com and wishes to discontinue the service, the cancellation process would likely involve:
- Reviewing the Partnership Agreement: The organization would need to consult the original contract or agreement signed with Bookingcommunity.com. This document would outline the terms for termination, notice periods, and any associated fees or obligations.
- Contacting Bookingcommunity.com Account Manager: The organization’s designated contact or account manager at Bookingcommunity.com would be the primary point of contact for initiating a cancellation.
- Notifying Members/Employees: The organization would need to inform its members or employees about the impending discontinuation of the Bookingcommunity.com benefit and advise them on any final booking deadlines or alternative travel benefit arrangements.
In summary, for individual users, cancelling access to Bookingcommunity.com is primarily managed through the organization that granted access. Direct cancellation by individuals may not be possible without involving the partnering entity. This highlights the B2B structure of the service.
Bookingcommunity.com Pricing
The most striking aspect of Bookingcommunity.com’s pricing model, as presented on its public website, is its absolute lack of public pricing details. This is a deliberate strategy, as the platform is not selling directly to individual consumers but rather to organizations. Therefore, the “pricing” discussed here refers to the cost for an organization to implement Bookingcommunity.com as a benefit for its members or employees.
Pricing for Organizations: “No Cost to Implement” and Revenue Share
Based on the homepage text, Bookingcommunity.com operates on a model that is free for the partnering organization to implement. This is explicitly stated multiple times:
- “No cost to implement”
- “Easy and free implementation!”
- “…all at absolutely no cost to the organization.”
This “no cost” model is a significant selling point for organizations, as it removes a major financial barrier to adopting a new member or employee benefit.
So, how does Bookingcommunity.com make money if it’s free for organizations? The website clearly states:
- “A new revenue stream for your organization! While the highly-discounted rates provide unmatched savings to your members or employees, the organization will also generate significant income through BookingCommunity’s revenue share program.”
This indicates a revenue share model. This means: Alexandramustakis.com Review
- Bookingcommunity.com earns a commission on the bookings made by the organization’s members/employees through their platform.
- A portion of this commission is then shared with the partnering organization. This creates a win-win scenario where the organization gains a free benefit to offer its members and also earns a passive income stream.
Implications of the Revenue Share Model
- Incentive for Organizations: The revenue share program provides a strong incentive for organizations to actively promote Bookingcommunity.com to their members. The more their members book, the more revenue the organization generates.
- Hidden Cost to Users? While the service is “free to use” for individual members, and the rates are claimed to be “up to 70% off,” it’s crucial to understand that Bookingcommunity.com and thus the organization receiving revenue share still makes money from each booking. This commission/revenue share is factored into the “unpublished rate.” The claim of “deeply discounted rates” implies that even with this commission, the price is significantly lower than public rates. The burden of proof for this value proposition lies with Bookingcommunity.com and should be thoroughly investigated by any prospective organizational partner during the demo phase.
- No Direct User Payment: Individual users do not pay a subscription fee or any direct cost to Bookingcommunity.com to access the deals. Their “payment” is effectively built into the booking price itself.
How to Get Pricing Information for Organizations
For any organization considering a partnership, the only way to get specific details about the revenue share percentages, commission structures, and a clear understanding of the financial arrangement is to:
- “Schedule a Demo Now.” This is the primary call to action on the website. During this demo, Bookingcommunity.com’s sales team would presumably provide a detailed breakdown of how the revenue share works, what typical earnings an organization might expect based on user activity, and any other contractual terms.
In conclusion, Bookingcommunity.com operates on a no-cost-to-implement model for organizations, generating its revenue and sharing it with partners through a revenue share program based on bookings made by members. This structure is designed to be highly appealing to organizations seeking to add value and a potential income stream without incurring upfront costs.
Bookingcommunity.com vs. Public Online Travel Agencies OTAs
The fundamental difference lies in their business models and accessibility.
Business Model & Accessibility
- Bookingcommunity.com:
- Model: B2B Business-to-Business. Sells its service to organizations associations, companies, etc. who then provide access to their members/employees.
- Accessibility: Closed user group. Requires membership in a partnering organization. No public access to search or view rates.
- Value Proposition: Access to “unpublished rates” by bypassing “rate parity” agreements, claiming discounts “up to 70%” off public rates. Offers a revenue share for the partnering organization.
- Public OTAs Expedia, Booking.com, Priceline, etc.:
- Model: B2C Business-to-Consumer. Sells travel services directly to the general public.
- Accessibility: Open to everyone. Anyone can visit their website, search for flights/hotels, compare prices, and book immediately.
- Value Proposition: Convenience, wide selection from multiple providers, competitive public rates, package deals, loyalty programs, price guarantees on public rates.
Pricing & Transparency
* Pricing: No public pricing. Relies on "unpublished rates" that are claimed to be significantly lower. The actual discount percentage is not verifiable without a demo or registration through a partnered organization.
* Transparency: Low. Consumers cannot compare prices directly before accessing the platform.
- Public OTAs:
- Pricing: Publicly displayed rates for hotels, flights, etc. Users can compare prices across different OTAs and directly with airline/hotel websites.
- Transparency: High. You see the price upfront before committing to a booking. They compete directly on price and often offer “best price guarantees” for publicly available rates.
Selection & Inventory
- Bookingcommunity.com: Claims “over 800,000 participating hotels and resorts Worldwide” and “15,000+ destinations.” The actual range and availability of discounted inventory are not publicly verifiable.
- Public OTAs: Offer vast inventories of hotels, flights, car rentals, and activities from numerous providers globally. Their networks are extensive and well-established.
User Experience & Support
* Pre-Login UX: Primarily a lead generation site for organizations. No interactive search or booking functionalities for public users.
* In-Platform UX: Claims to have an "identical" booking process to popular travel websites once registered.
* Customer Support: Mentions "Customer support" as a user benefit, but specifics are not detailed on the public site.
* Pre-Login UX: Full-featured search engines, intuitive interfaces, comparison tools, user reviews.
* In-Platform UX: Highly refined and familiar booking processes.
* Customer Support: Established customer service departments, often 24/7, with various contact methods.
Ethical Considerations for consumers
- Bookingcommunity.com: The lack of upfront price transparency introduces an element of gharar uncertainty which is discouraged in Islamic financial dealings. While the underlying business model group discounts is sound, consumers must rely heavily on the claims of “deep discounts” without immediate proof. Organizations should conduct thorough due diligence to ensure the promised value is delivered.
- Public OTAs: Generally more transparent in their pricing and terms. The consumer sees the price and terms before committing. The ethical considerations here would primarily revolve around the specific content of travel e.g., avoiding travel to places associated with immoral activities if one has a choice.
Conclusion:
Bookingcommunity.com is a different beast from public OTAs. It’s not designed for direct consumer comparison shopping. Its appeal lies in its exclusive access to “unpublished rates” for members of specific organizations, coupled with a revenue-sharing model for those organizations. For individual consumers, public OTAs offer immediate transparency, vast selection, and direct access to competitive public rates. Organizations considering Bookingcommunity.com must conduct rigorous due diligence to verify the actual savings against public rates and ensure the promised value is real and consistent.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bookingcommunity.com?
Bookingcommunity.com is an online travel booking website that offers deeply discounted, “unpublished” hotel and travel rates exclusively to members or employees of partnering organizations, such as associations, companies, universities, and religious groups.
How does Bookingcommunity.com claim to offer such low rates?
Bookingcommunity.com claims it can offer lower rates because it operates as a “members-only” user community, allowing it to bypass “rate parity” agreements that restrict public online travel agencies from undercutting hotels’ published prices.
They state they offer wholesale rates to a closed user group.
Is Bookingcommunity.com a legitimate website?
Based on its publicly available information, Bookingcommunity.com presents a business model that is common in group travel or corporate benefits.
The legitimacy of its claims about “unpublished rates” and actual savings would need to be verified by organizations through a demo and direct comparisons. Vfemail.net Review
Can anyone sign up for Bookingcommunity.com?
No, Bookingcommunity.com is not open to the general public.
Access is restricted to members or employees of organizations that have established a partnership with BookingCommunity.
How do I become a member of Bookingcommunity.com?
You cannot directly “become a member” by signing up as an individual.
Your organization employer, association, university, etc. must first partner with BookingCommunity to offer this benefit.
If they are a partner, they will provide instructions on how to register.
What kind of discounts does Bookingcommunity.com claim to offer?
Bookingcommunity.com claims to offer discounts of “up to 70% lower than any other public online travel website or hotel website” at over 800,000 participating hotels and resorts worldwide.
Are the prices on Bookingcommunity.com transparent?
No, prices are not transparent on the public website.
You cannot view specific hotel rates or travel deals without being a registered user through a partnering organization.
The platform requires organizations to “Schedule a Demo Now” to learn more.
How does Bookingcommunity.com make money?
Bookingcommunity.com operates on a revenue share model. Studdit.com Review
While it’s “no cost to implement” for partnering organizations, BookingCommunity earns a commission on bookings made by members, and a portion of this commission is shared back with the partnering organization.
Is there a fee for organizations to partner with Bookingcommunity.com?
According to its website, there is “no cost to implement” the Bookingcommunity.com benefit for partnering organizations.
What are the benefits for organizations partnering with Bookingcommunity.com?
Benefits for organizations include no implementation cost, a new revenue stream from member bookings, increased member engagement and retention, and a unique benefit to attract new talent and drive membership.
What are the benefits for individual users of Bookingcommunity.com?
Individual users are promised free access to unpublished wholesale inventory for hotels, flights, and more, deeply discounted rates, and an easy and familiar booking process.
Does Bookingcommunity.com offer flights and car rentals, or just hotels?
The website states “Access to unpublished wholesale inventory for Hotels, Flights and more,” suggesting they offer more than just hotels, though hotels are heavily emphasized.
How many hotels does Bookingcommunity.com claim to have?
Bookingcommunity.com claims to have over 800,000 participating hotels and resorts worldwide.
How many destinations does Bookingcommunity.com cover?
Bookingcommunity.com states it covers 15,000+ destinations worldwide.
What is “rate parity” and how does Bookingcommunity.com avoid it?
“Rate parity” is a practice where hotel chains restrict public websites from undercutting their published rates.
Bookingcommunity.com claims to avoid this by being a “members only” closed user group, which is not subject to these public pricing restrictions.
How can I schedule a demo with Bookingcommunity.com for my organization?
You can schedule a demo by clicking on any of the “SCHEDULE A DEMO Now” buttons prominently displayed on the Bookingcommunity.com homepage and filling out the inquiry form. Pictureframe.tv Review
Can I cancel my Bookingcommunity.com individual user account?
Individual users typically do not have a direct cancellation process with Bookingcommunity.com.
Access is managed through your partnering organization.
You would likely need to contact your organization’s administrator or HR to revoke your access.
Does Bookingcommunity.com have a customer support team?
Yes, “Customer support” is listed as a benefit for users, but specific contact methods or hours are not publicly detailed on the homepage.
What kind of organizations typically partner with Bookingcommunity.com?
Bookingcommunity.com targets a wide range of organizations, including special interest business organizations, universities, social clubs, associations, companies, churches, religious groups, non-profit organizations, customer user groups, and community groups.
How does Bookingcommunity.com promote the benefit to an organization’s members?
Bookingcommunity.com states they will “even promote this valuable benefit to your members or employees” after an organization partners with them, indicating they assist with the rollout and awareness.
Leave a Reply