Short answer: comparison engines (metasearch) do not sell rooms. They show which booking sites and hotels sell them, at what price, and send you there. Use two of them, because their partner lists differ.
What a comparison engine does
- Queries many sellers for your dates and shows them side by side.
- Lets you filter by free cancellation, breakfast and total price.
- Earns a fee when you click through to a seller; the seller's price is the one you pay.
Where each one is strong
- KAYAK compares the widest set of agencies and hotel websites and has a flexible-date view.
- Tripadvisor puts prices next to reviews and traveller photos, useful when you do not know the hotel.
- HotelsCombined is hotel-only and clear on per-night versus total price.
- Wego includes regional sellers in the Gulf and Asia that global engines often miss.
Where they fall short
- Taxes and fees can be added only on the seller's site; always compare the total at checkout.
- Sorting by "recommended" is not sorting by price.
- Small hotels and direct-booking perks are sometimes missing; open the hotel's own site as well.
Five-minute method
- Search the same dates and guests on two engines.
- Sort by total price and filter for the cancellation terms you need.
- Open the two cheapest sellers and read the fine print.
- Open the hotel's own website for the same room.
- Book the lowest total with the conditions you actually need.
Hotel comparison engines
None of these sells the room. They show who does, and at what total price.
KAYAK
Searches hundreds of booking sites and hotel websites at once. Filter by free cancellation and total price.
Check pricesTripadvisor
Compares prices from booking partners next to traveller reviews and photos of the actual rooms.
Check pricesHotelsCombined
Hotel-only comparison with a clear per-night and total view across sites.
Check pricesWego
Middle-East based comparison with regional booking sites that global engines often miss.
Check prices