During the peak summer tourism season, a new type of purchasing method called "low-priced hotel booking" is seen by some consumers as a money saving trick. What is' hotel booking agency '? Is it really cost-effective or is there a hidden 'trap'? In April of this year, the Jing'an District People's Court in Shanghai tried a case of fraud committed under the guise of hotel booking agency. In December last year, the defendant Qi claimed through a social shopping platform that he could book five-star hotels at a low price. Ms. Chen booked a hotel in Tokyo, Japan through the defendant and paid the fee, but only found out after checking in that she had been deceived. Victim Ms. Chen: I gave the order number to the front desk. The front desk said that the room was indeed booked, but the money was not paid, and the price of the room was listed on the official website, not cheap. The police investigation found that Qi had defrauded 8 victims of a total of more than 44000 yuan in money. The court ruled that Qi committed contract fraud and sentenced him to one year and two months in prison. Judge Ge Ligang of the Criminal Trial Division of Jing'an District People's Court: The defendant did not sign a formal written contract with the victim, but the defendant and the victim chatted through WeChat, and through this WeChat payment method, the main elements of the contract are relatively complete, which meets the criteria for an oral contract. Similar to Ms. Chen's experience, Ms. Du from Jiangsu is also a victim of hotel booking agency. Ms. Du plans to go on a family trip on her child's birthday, but when she sees that her desired hotel costs nearly 3000 yuan per night, she can't help but hesitate. At this moment, she saw a product link on a second-hand trading platform that offered low-priced hotel booking services, and the price was only half of the selling price, so she started chatting with the seller. After Ms. Du sent her phone number to the seller, the seller quickly replied that they had already made a reservation and started urging for payment. Victim Ms. Du: He kept urging me, saying that you can rest assured, and then showed me all the room order numbers. He asked me to call the hotel and confirm if there was a room available, which means it was already booked. I called the hotel and they did indeed have it. After multiple confirmations, Ms. Du made the payment to the seller. But when Ms. Du's family checked in at the hotel, they found that the reserved room had been cancelled. According to the police, scammers have various fraudulent methods that are difficult to prevent. For users who purchase rooms for multiple days, only one night's fee will be paid when booking. After the victim checks into the hotel as scheduled, they will be notified by the hotel to pay the room fee, only to realize that they have been deceived. Information asymmetry scammers exploit consumer cognitive misconceptions. After reviewing several hotel booking fraud cases cracked by the police, it was found that the victims had all seen booking messages or made phone calls to the hotel to confirm. People may be confused: shouldn't hotels reserve rooms only after receiving a full deposit? How could a room be easily cancelled? Professor Gu Huimin from the School of Tourism Science at Beijing International Studies University: Why did the scammer only pay one day's room fee when in fact he only paid one day's deposit. When the consumer makes a reservation at the front desk, the hotel only requires them to provide their credit card number, and they may be asked to pay one day's room fee as a deposit. After the deposit is paid, the guest will settle the bill when you check out. This is an internationally accepted practice. So this is a scam that took advantage of a loophole in the hotel operation process. According to the understanding of ordinary people, if you book a room for 5 days, you need to pay 5 days' room fee in advance. However, according to the convention of the hotel industry, you can book multiple rooms for multiple days by paying only one day's deposit, and then settle the bill based on the actual check-in situation. The asymmetry in this information has allowed scammers to exploit loopholes. The police remind consumers to avoid making payments through other chat tools when purchasing hotels on second-hand platforms, and to click on 'receive' after the accommodation is over. Why can a booking agent book a room at a low price? There are a large number of hotel booking posts on the internet. Why can a booking agent book a cheap room? What is the 'secret' behind these low-priced rooms? The reporter searched for "hotel booking" on a second-hand trading platform and found that many businesses claimed to have negotiated prices with major hotels and could book rooms for customers at lower discounts. Professor Gu Huimin from the School of Tourism Science at Beijing International Studies University: Many hotel companies, in order to gain customer loyalty, will launch various customer loyalty programs, usually with price discounts of over 20%. According to experts, the main channels for obtaining hotel discounts are negotiated prices and membership points. All of these require the guest to use them personally and cannot be transferred, but friends or family members can be added as "cohabitants" and enjoy corresponding benefits. Hotel booking agents book discounted rooms through high-level membership benefits and then sell them on second-hand platforms at a markup. Chen Yinjiang, Deputy Secretary General of the Consumer Rights Protection Law Research Association of the China Law Society: When consumers choose this consumption mode, they do need to understand clearly in advance, which channel they obtained the preferential price through, and whether there are corresponding restrictions when using it. Saving money or taking risks? What are the risks of booking on behalf of others? Consumers may also have a question: can hotel booking be used during travel? Is this method illegal? Professor Gu Huimin from the School of Tourism Science at Beijing International Studies University: The government has not formulated corresponding rules to prohibit the act of booking on behalf of others, so currently it is not illegal. However, if the person booking on behalf of the company uses their own membership card and transfers it to customers who do not meet the conditions through commercial means, it constitutes a breach of contract with the company and does not follow the corresponding integrity. Experts believe that the act of booking hotels on behalf of others is not illegal in itself, but it constitutes a civil breach of contract, which violates the contractual relationship between the booking agent and the hotel. If consumers purchase hotel booking services, there will also be corresponding risks. The first risk is the inability to ensure occupancy, especially during peak seasons or when hotel occupancy rates are particularly high. Guests who book hotels through informal channels often find it difficult to ensure that they receive the booked room upon check-in due to not fully meeting the hotel's identity requirements. The second risk is the possibility of personal and property damage during check-in. Professor Gu Huimin from the School of Tourism Science at Beijing International Studies University: If the booker had told the front desk at the time that this was my friend. The front desk will recognize that the two of you are guests together. After checking in, the booker can go to the front desk to get their room card and enter the room. Thirdly, as hotel booking requires guests to provide personal privacy information such as their ID card, bank card number, and mobile phone number, there is also a possibility of personal information being stolen or leaked. Professor Gu Huimin from the School of Tourism Science at Beijing International Studies University: Personally, I think hotel booking is a gray area, and it's actually just a passing game. As a consumer, I don't think it's worth encouraging hotel stays in this way. Experts believe that the emergence of a large number of hotel booking services is a new problem in the development of the tourism industry. The platform should strengthen the management of information release, and at the same time, consumers should enhance their awareness of safety and integrity, forming a social atmosphere that values trustworthiness and rules. Hotel enterprises also need to improve management and operational efficiency through technological and management innovation, bringing more quality experiences to consumers. (New Society)