http://i0.wp.com/hippie-inheels.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/... 560w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />I haven’t downloaded a new app in about 6 months because my phone is so full of photos, but this is an app that I will actually be keeping on my phone. I was contacted by Lodgeo to do an app review and am so impressed by their app which compares all major booking site but lets you book through Lodgeo rather than get forwarded to third-party sites; making booking a breeze.
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When you start a new search you either search for a hotel or search for a “tonight” stay. If you’ve just popped into somewhere while traveling and haven’t booked ahead, you can just click “tonight”, select the amount of days and people, and see what’s around. You can use filters to get a place nearby and in your budget.
I wanted to search as if I were in London since I was just there and I knew the prices are pretty high in the city. First I searched without any filters to see what type of options popped up. Many apps focus on high-end properties but this was showed a wide variety without filters. Here were the first two pages.
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Next, I used the filters to find what I wanted. First I set the filters to under $150 USD, having WiFi and bar, and being within 10 miles from the city. The center photo below shows the top results. There were pages of results so I next used the “sort” feature to sort my results. You can see in the far right photo the results of sorted by “top ranked”. I was stoked to see a Novotel at $105. It’s a hotel I love.
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I chose the Novotel and went through as if I were checking out. You can click on each symbol to see their gym status, pet allowance, etc. Under “hotel information” they will give pertinent information. For Novotel it was that kids are 16 eat and stay for free (wtf, that’s insane, is that at every Novotel!?). I also checked out the ratings which were fabulous. It took less than a minute to choose this hotel.
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I went through to fully book and it was easy peasy, with no additional charges except tax added. I wanted to search what was open just near me tonight in Goa. I turned on my GPS and let it tell me. I spent so much time on this blog searching amazing hotels in Goa so know which ones are good and know the good rates. I filtered as you can see below: nothing over $290, nothing more than 15 miles away, and it needs a pool and a bar. Of the ones that came up I was shocked to see Shanti Morada, a luxury Portuguese villa near me for $128 per night, but they gave me a price of $243 for booking two nights.
http://i1.wp.com/hippie-inheels.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/... 560w" sizes="(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px" data-recalc-dims="1" />I wanted to check the price across other booking forms to compare. First I checked the hotels website directly, which showed 10,000 Rs. or $151 USD. So far so good.
http://i2.wp.com/hippie-inheels.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/... 560w" sizes="(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px" data-recalc-dims="1" />Next I looked where else the hotel was listed and found it on Expedia. I had to search for tomorrow, not today, as it said “this hotel only takes reservations a day in advance”. You can see that it came up as 8,500 Rs and was crossed out down to 8,041 Rs. In USD that means it was $128 (the price we found on Lodgeo) but is on sale for $122 which is 6 dollars cheaper.
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It was a day different, so the price is fairly comparable since a day change can give a rate change. As it gets closer to the weekend prices go up as well and I was searching for a Thursday on Expedia.
So, I wanted to put all my research and playing to use and make a booking next time I stayed somewhere. I had some friends in town who wanted stay at a hotel for a night and see a different area of Goa so they were going to book a room, and Ben and I book a room. I searched places under $50 and sorted it by popular rankings.
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These were the 3 I took a look at to compare. One is a villa near my house, one in Anjuna had a pool, and then Vaayu I already know really well. My friends mentioned they wanted to go stand-up paddleboarding and the perfect place for that was Vaayu Waterman’s Village.
It’s a hippie-haven in Ashwem and has a new cafe called Prana with really cool fresh food. The owners are from west coast US and make killer burritos. I’ve been here before for NYE parties and more but hadn’t actually come to stay. I went ahead and made the booking at a mere $16. I didn’t even price check it because I’d done my research before and trust the app by now that it’ll give me the lowest result.
http://i2.wp.com/hippie-inheels.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/... 560w" sizes="(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px" data-recalc-dims="1" />The booking process was easy and it technically went through booking.com without leaving the app. The room was pay when you get there but I still have to make an account and give my card details. When I checked my confirmation email it had the cancellation policy of booking.com. We had a killer stay at Vaayu and my friends had a blast doing SUP on the backwaters and ocean.
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http://i0.wp.com/hippie-inheels.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/... 560w" sizes="(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px" data-recalc-dims="1" />awesome rooms and food from Prana Cafe
http://i2.wp.com/hippie-inheels.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/... 560w" sizes="(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px" data-recalc-dims="1" />Overall, app is fast and easy to use. I read online they have a huge investment and have some head guy from booking.com on their board. It seems like this app is going to take off! I’ve had Kayak, Expedia, and more on my phone and deleted them but I’ll be keeping Lodgeo. I also love it keeps track of places you’ve looked into so you don’t forget.
Check out this YouTube video to learn a bit more:
Download for iPhone here or for Android here.
This post is sponsored by Lodgeo App, but written by me. All opinions on this review are my own and I highly suggest you try out this app!
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