Apart from generic locations, different hotel booking sites cover different cities and local areas. For budget travelling in 2026, it is important to find local stays and experiences. Booking transport and hotels together results in maximum value for your money. Instead of booking your attractions and hotels separately
In this post, we will be exploring reliable hotel booking sites for budget travellers and ways to save on these purchases.
MakeMyTrip
Best for: Deep coverage in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities
When looking for budget travel options, MakeMyTrip offers its largest listings of affordable hotels and guesthouses. Booking trains/buses along with local hotels can result in more value for budget travellers. This is why MakeMytrip rewards flexible travel plans, allowing you to better enjoy the trip. A major reason users find MakeMyTrip affordable is because they are focused on covering more local hotels offering local prices.
Highlights:
- Not the best option for travellers seeking international locations.
- Suited for students and backpackers who prioritise budget over luxury.
- Diverse offerings for Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
- Offers discounts and deals for hotels and transport.
Agoda
Best for: Tourist cities and business areas.
Agoda works best if you plan to visit popular attractions on a budget. Apart from listing hotels, Agoda also offers flights and hotel combos for a better value. By selecting the ‘Flight + Hotel’ combo, you can enter departure and return dates along with your hotel location. Just make sure to check the ‘Search for hotel in different cities or dates’ box. It is best to opt for daily use stays instead of overnight stays if you plan to check out the same day.
Highlights:
- Offers overnight stays and day use stays as an affordable alternative. The Day Use stays are 4 to 12-hour room rentals, allowing you to check in and check out on the same day.
- Offers homes and apartments for bigger families and longer stays.
- Not the best option for small-town stays.
- Top destinations in India include Goa, Bangalore, Mumbai, and Delhi, among others.
Booking.com
Best For: Hotels and unique stays, particularly in Europe
Apart from the variety of international locations, it also lists national destinations like Varanasi, Hyderabad, and Chennai. Compared to the international lists, it may cover limited low-cost hotels. Popular cities to visit using Booking.com include Dubai, Tokyo, Paris, and Singapore. Although these names keep changing, they are listed as popular destinations more frequently.
Highlights:
- Offers free hotel/travel cancellations from time to time(The cancellation policies vastly vary from hotel to hotel).
- Covers a large number of local hotels for international listings.
- A better alternative for budget international stays and activities.
- Apart from hotels and flights, it also offers tickets for museums, theme parks, and local attractions.
Goibibo
Best For: International and Domestic Listings
Their popular filters like ‘Couple Friendly’, ‘Free Breakfast’, and ‘Free Cancellation’ allow you to sort through available hotels and find your right fit. Sorting through different hotel chains becomes easy, especially if you have any specific needs in mind. Although the booking experience feels similar to MakeMyTrip, it is easier to check whether the hotels are couple-friendly. These highlights shown on listings help you save time finding hotels.
Highlights:
- Lists multiple property types like homestays, villas and apartments for big families
- Easy to check room amenities like heaters, living areas, balcony, smoking room, etc.
- The filters help you save time for travel planning.
OYO Rooms
Best For: Simple and affordable accommodations.
Similar to Goibibo, you check basic room amenities to sort through listings faster. They offer different collections for group travellers, near airport hotels, and local travellers for neighbourhood stays. You can find additional details like Wifi, TV, AC, and parking for your hotel on OYO. Overall, OYO Rooms is suited for users seeking simplicity and safe rooms in friendly neighbourhoods.
Highlights:
- Less comfort and more affordability-oriented hotels.
- Best choice for temporary stays.
- Offers Affordable hotels at prime locations
- Their flagship hotels are serviced by OYO.
Final Thoughts
No matter what platform you use for hotel bookings, the cancellation and refund policies mostly vary from hotel to hotel. This is because the hotel’s rates differ by property, dates, and other specifications. My recommendation would be Goibibo and MakeMyTrip for more domestic and international listings. Booking.com, on the other hand, is focused towards providing international listings, especially for Europe. If all you are looking for is simple accommodation, the its better to opt for OYO Rooms.