Compared 5 hotels and apartments of different service levels. What is the difference?

Do you remember if there was such a “booking” in Russia? He took it and left, leaving the unplowed field of the tourism market by other companies. And they captured it in such a way that they might not come back!

Based on the results of 2023, the 5 most important level services have been identified on the Russian market: Ostrovok.ru, Yandex Travels, MTS Travel, 101 hotels And “Sutochno.ru”. If you don’t know some of them, that’s okay. This means that nothing has been booked for a very long time. Isn’t it time to rest?

I decided to look at these services and compare them. At the same time, calculate where it would be more profitable to place an order. As it turned out, everything is not so simple: the cheapest price is not a guarantee of economic protection.

Ostrovok.ru

What’s here: hotel reservations
Bonuses: loyalty program (discounts)
Website: Ostrovok.ru
Application: App Store, Google Play

The site is very reminiscent of both Booking and TripAdvisor at the same time, analysis is not difficult. This is an old project that received a strong boost with the departure of international companies from Russia. Some things look confidential, but overall everything works fine – except that when opening it for the first time it took about 20 seconds before the proprietary fonts were loaded.

The process of determining the level and level is simple, clear interface, there is nothing particularly to complain about.

There is a loyalty system on Ostrovka. The more bookings, the higher the maximum discount: from 10% to 40%. Nothing is added on top, except sometimes your bank may have a cashback promotion specifically with this service. Discounts apply only to those who have joined this system. Apparently they are a minority. For example, when I was looking for a reservation in Sochi (more on this a little later), less than 20% of the properties posted in the search results participated in the loyalty program.

Including the fact that Ostrovok is integrated into the process of ordering air tickets from Pobeda and Aeroflot, the service ranks first in popularity in Russia. If I were them, with such traffic, I wouldn’t do any cashbacks either 🤷‍♂️

“Yandex Travels”

What’s here: hotel reservations, plane and train tickets
Bonuses: yes, within the ecosystem
Website: Travel.yandex.ru
Application: App Store, Google Play

Yes, Yandex has its own level of service. Soon it will be easier to say what Yandex doesn’t have. It has been working for a couple of years and during this time it has become very popular.

The process of searching and ordering is no different from, let’s say, the traditional one – search, maps, everything is as it should be and as usual.

In the property cards, please note that Yandex Travel provides reviews of hotels directly from Yandex Maps. After all, it’s an ecosystem, that’s all. But in Yandex Maps you can write anything without ever having been to the establishment: both bad and good, especially if you are a competitor or, conversely, the owner. There is not enough tag that would confirm that this person really vacationed in hotels (like what Yandex does with customers on the Market).

I liked that they gave Yandex Plus cashback for the order. Unlike some of the other points on this list, although they can be used beyond this level. But points have their own “ceiling”: I didn’t find a single place for any time, date and direction for which more than 3,000 points would be awarded.

It is also important that to receive cashback you need to subscribe to Yandex itself. Plus, without it there will be no additional benefits in principle.

MTS Travel

What’s here: hotel reservations
Bonuses: yes, within the ecosystem
Website: mts.travel.ru
Application: App Store, Google Play

Regardless of the name, you can use MTS Travel by calling any operator. The interface is clear, there is no unnecessary stuff.

For a level they give several times more backback than on other popular cash platforms: up to 25%. And it does not have any maximum limit on the amount. Cashback can be spent both on the account of the next level and in other services of the MTS ecosystem – for example, buy a gadget in a store, display your phone on the meter to pay for mobile communications, and also use it in Kion, MTS Music and others services.

To use cashback, you need an MTS Premium subscription. The first month of subscription is free and can be used by subscribers of all mobile operators.

And although this service is for everyone, MTS customers will still have one undeniable advantage when ordering. What I mean? MTS subscribers receive free roaming in the country where the issued reservations are sent. The roaming period corresponds to the dates of visit and departure. We already wrote about this once; I have not seen anything like this in any major service of this level at the moment.

MTS Travel has the option of payment upon check-in, and the self-check-in service provides documentation. 24/7 support is available. In addition to registration and booking, the application has a “Journal” section with menu tips and activity settings. The “Promotional codes and promotions” section displays the service’s offers for discounts and cashback (for example, there is a discount for the first registration).

In short, there are many advantages, especially if you use MTS services. I think we have a lot of them here, this will be one of the two “live” payment methods for the App Store in 2024.

101 hotels

What’s here: booking hotels and inns
Bonuses: yes, only for next orders
Website: 101hotels.com
Application: App Store, Google Play

Until the end of 2023, I had never heard of this service. The interface looks much simpler than all others; the site was created 10 years ago.

For some reason, the selector jumps back and forth when the month changes. Some people don’t like the fact that the map opens in a separate window on the top floor of the hotel list, but it can be convenient. The density of information about what is in the search results, what is inside the card per centimeter of the screen is simply killer – each has its own, but, as for me, some were overloaded.

Otherwise, the search, the selection and design process is normal, no worse or better than others in this collection, and no problems arise. There is a bonus program (1 bonus = 1 ruble), according to which you can pay up to 50% of the next level. But 1 year after accrual, bonuses expire. They are also not refundable in case of cancellation or no-show at the hotel.

The service you get is first and foremost not only with appearance, but also with low prices. Among the fives, this has on average the highest level of cost. But the cashback turns out to be the lowest. Let me warn you that there are a lot of complaints about technical support on the Internet – perhaps the service, due to its rapid growth, does not process requests and complaints.

“Sutochno.ru”

What’s here: booking apartments and suites
Bonuses: yes, only for next orders
Website: sutochno.ru
Application: App Store, Google Play

Sutochno.ru specializes primarily in renting out apartments and houses, this is an analogue of Airbnb.

The site is nice, although occasionally slow. Everything important in the search immediately opens: filters, accommodation options and a map. However, if you are looking for hotels, and not apartments, then you may not find the one you were looking at on other services – the level of the base is different from the others.

I see a large (>10) number of reviews for many apartments in Russia, which is commendable. There’s a same-day check-in filter option, a rating system for landlords, and a “Superhost” tag for listings that use methods and are often rated well by renters.

A cashback system also exists; it can be shared between accounts in the service. Despite the fact that cashback of up to 30% is promised, most bookings give no more than 5% of the amount, often limited by some restrictions (an example is shown below).

Despite the narrow focus, there are many interesting filters here, like “view from the window” or, for example, “housing for self-isolation.” But I didn’t like the fact that many properties, unlike those in other services here, require prepayment for the first day of stay at the door. Somehow not modern.

Comparison of level value by category

One of the key factors influencing where we want to book a hotel or hotel is the final cost. Each platform has its own conditions, some are better, some are worse. Therefore, a price run-up is inevitable in all possible directions.

In the option, I’ll take a classic travel destination for Russia – Sochi, he chose a mid-level hotel on the coast of the Sirius zone (Hotel Grace Abris, 4 stars). The choice was almost random, I was just vacationing not far from it in the summer. Reservations will be for 2 people, duration from June 1st to June 8th.

▪ Sutochno.ru: 85,644 rubles + 3,000 cash bonuses
▪ Ostrovok.ru: 82,570 rubles
▪ MTS Travel: 79,657 rubles + 11,948 cashbacks
▪ Yandex Travels: 78,624 rubles + 3,000 cash bonuses
▪ 101 hotels: 75,801 rubles + 2,392 cash bonuses

As you can see, the price difference between the two extremes is more than 10% of the cost of the level. Everywhere there is a restriction period, with the exception that MTS Travel has a set maximum period for this: until May 29, while for others it is either until May 18 or is not mentioned at all. Otherwise, the services have no differences.

As for cashback, in most cases it can only be spent on the level within the service where the order is made. Exceptions include Yandex Travel and MTS Travel. The first points can be used within all ecosystem services and Yandex services, and secondly, on MTS service ecosystems and partner services, including when paying for communication services.

Which service is better?

There can be two answers to the subtitle question.

If the maximum price today and now is critically important to you, the choice is not based on loyalty, but solely at random. Describes all these sites or applications, sets the direction, find the desired hotel and compare further what offers are available for the selected dates.

The general price level should be clear in comparison with: for Sutochno.ru and Ostrovok, on average, the cost is higher for the rest, for the rest – lower.

But if you ultimately want to find the most profitable offer, taking into account cashback and all the additional “goodies”, then the situation is different. Then from these five I can single out Yandex Travel to a lesser extent and MTS Travel to a greater extent. In the first case, I liked the cashback, which can be used not only within the service. However, he limited himself to 3,000 points for registration, even if 100 thousand rubles were paid for the hotel.

In the same case, MTS Travel gives a lot of bonuses: bABOUTThe best cashback and wide possibilities of its use, roaming, extended period correspond to the high level.

Otherwise, I myself noticed how, in just a couple of years, the level of opportunities and services in Russia and for residents of the Russian Federation turned from niche and parochial into a huge clearing. Even this assembly lists only a small part of such services. So Booking can continue to “walk” further.

PS I will share a life hack in connection with the gradual approach of spring. For some reason, in the country it is customary to book a vacation very much in advance, almost six months in advance. Some thoughts that you can save money this way. But this is not always the case. Very often it turns out that closer to the date there is a decrease in prices at the level. Approximately the same principle as with air tickets.

Therefore, if you are not interested in strict conditions and in a specific hotel, it makes sense to take your time – even by the beginning of summer you will not find accommodation options either for the same money that you are now asking for, or even cheaper.