Octopus Travel UK Review

I've used Octopus Travel plenty of times to make my Paris Hotel Reservations, as well as others around the World. Their hotel selection is wide, their prices are good, and I've always found their online booking service to be completely reliable.

When I wish to book a hotel, they are always my first port of call.

Click here to see their range of Paris hotels and prices.

Octopus operate a leading hotel reservations website and is fully ABTA bonded, which should give you total peace of mind, when you use them to book your Paris hotel. The company has been a specialist in the hotels booking industry for 30 years and offer a huge choice, with over 90,000 hotels worldwide. Moreover, they offer a wide range of hotels, from budget to luxury, from large chain hotels to boutique style hotels.

More specifically, they offer 760 Paris hotels.

Why do I book with Octopus Travel?

Here's a few reasons:

* Low prices, with a best price guarantee. They usually beat prices offered by the hotels directly

* Very good choice of hotels, of all types

* I've found them to be completely reliable

* The prices you see are the prices you pay - there are no booking fees or credit card charges

* You get independent hotel reviews from previous visitors, via TripAdvisor

Octopus Travel are a UK company, based in London, but their website is available in 41 countries, in local languages where appropriate. To see their information on your local website, just click on the drop down box at the very top right hand side of their site and select your own country. The hotel prices will be shown in your local currency.

Hotel Information

Here's some further information from their website.

Room Rates

All rates are displayed on a per night basis and based on double occupancy per room unless otherwise specified.

Breakfast

Many hotels offer breakfast within the price displayed. When you click on a specific hotel, it will clearly state "Room Only" or "Breakfast included."

Hotel Description

Each hotel has a description, a full list of facilities provided, and a local map, as well as a TripAdvisor rating and access to their traveller reviews.

Making a reservation

The website reservation process is very straightforward. You select your destination and enter your dates of travel, plus the number of guests (including children and infants) and the number of rooms required.

You can be more specific by using the “Advanced Search” facility, which allows you to select star rating, minimum TripAdvisor® rating, a specific hotel name and/or a maximum budget per night. When booking your Paris trip, you can specify one of 21 Paris locations, or all of Paris. I've noticed that the "Advanced Search" facility is sometimes available only after doing an initial search, depending which local Octopus site you are on.

When you’ve found a hotel you want to book, you must give the guest details and your credit/debit card details.

At the time of reservation you will be given the amount required to be paid immediately (e.g. full amount on booking, a non-refundable deposit, or to pay at the hotel on arrival)

Once the reservation has been confirmed, you will be sent an email confirmation and voucher. You will need to print the voucher out and present it to the hotel, when you arrive, as proof of your reservation.

You should be aware that there is a minimum age requirement to be able to book a room. It's usually 18, but it's 21 in the USA.

Pricing and Payment

The price you see is the total cost of the room(s) requested for the duration of your stay. Any meals you select will be included in the price. There are no additional credit/debit card fees.

Before you make a booking, it's worth noting that prices can change from day to day, depending on supply and demand, hotel availability and currency fluctuations.
But once a booking has been made and payment guarantee received, the price paid will not change.

However, you should note that your payment is for the room and any meals included. Use of all other facilities at the hotel such as minibar, pay-per-view TV, internet access, leisure facilities and car parking will be charged as extras. The hotels will usually ask for an imprint of your credit/debit card when you arrive, and will charge you for the extras when you check out. If you have not had any extras, make sure that they destroy the imprint, before you leave.

Octopus accept valid credit/debit cards, including Visa, MasterCard and American Express. On many hotels, you can also use PayPal to pay. When you reach the payment page during the booking process, you’ll see if PayPal is accepted.

For those bookings where payment is on arrival at the hotel, you will need to check the payment types accepted by the hotel in advance. Octopus will still require you to enter credit / debit card information, so that they can guarantee your reservation. Your credit card will not be charged until your arrival at the hotel.

Confirmation of Your Reservation

When you complete your booking, you will receive a booking reference number and a confirmation email and hotel voucher will be sent to your email address.

You can also create an online account, which will enable you to view your booking and itinerary online (also any previous bookings).

Octopus will book your room, but will not send your name to the hotel until 72 hours before your arrival date.

Cancellations

Each booking you place will have its own individual cancellation policy, which you’ll see displayed during the booking process. You should you review the cancellation terms before accepting the terms and conditions.

You can also review the cancellation conditions of your booking in your confirmation email or within the booking details under your “My Account” page.

At the Hotel

You absolutely must print out your hotel voucher, and take it with you, so that you can hand it to reception when you arrive at the hotel. The voucher is your proof of pre-payment; without it you may be asked to pay again.

Most hotels will ask for ID such as a passport when you check in, as well as a valid credit/debit card for any extras and incidentals.

Check in times will vary, but you may be able to check in before the normal time, if the hotel has your room available. If you plan to arrive late, you should let the hotel know. Octopus guarantees that any room(s) you book through their website will be held until 1a.m. the day after your scheduled check-in date.

To take advantage of great prices and a great selection of Paris hotels, click here

Octopus Travel offer regular deals for your Paris visit (as well as to many other cities Worldwide). We feature all the latest Paris offers from the company in our

"Why Visit Paris" Newsletter.

To keep updated with these offers, as well as news of all the latest Paris events, I recommend that you subscribe to our newsletter. In addition, you will receive a free copy of our 60 page ebook, "How To Get The Most Out Of Your Trip To Paris."

Get the full details here.