Chapter 21: Hotel Booking

Open the Trip Planner (the round Trip button on the Contacts tab or the Samaj tab) and stay on the Book hotel tab. The other tab, Start trip, is the trip preview described in Chapter 20. You can also tap Book on a hotel card inside a trip, which opens the hotel search around that hotel.

No. Hotel booking works for places in India only. If you pick a place outside India you will see "Hotel booking is available for places in India only."

No. You fill in the place, the dates and the guests first, and the search runs once when you tap Find hotels. Nothing is searched before that.

You have three ways. Use whichever is easiest.

• Search by name: type a village, town, city or area and pick it from the list.
• Pick on map: tap the map to drop a pin where you want to stay, and drag the pin to fine-tune it. Tap Use this location when you are happy. The name of the nearby place is looked up and shown on the button.
• Or choose an area: pick a State and a District. Taluka is optional.

The most specific one. A pin beats a searched place, a searched place beats a taluka, and a taluka beats a district.

Around an exact place or pin it looks nearby. For a taluka it looks around 15 km, and for a whole district it looks around several points (the district's talukas) so that the list covers the district and not just one town. If few hotels appear, choose a taluka or pin the exact spot and search again.

Not yet. Choose a district to see hotels. The screen says "Choose a district to see hotels. Showing the top hotels of a whole state is coming soon."

Check your internet and tap Retry. If only the talukas fail to load, you will see "Could not load talukas. You can still search the whole district." You can go ahead without choosing a taluka.

Your check-in and check-out dates, the number of rooms, and the adults and children in each room (see 21.2).

It searches hotels for your place, dates and guests and opens the list. If you change your mind later, tap the search summary at the top of the list to edit it.

No. Searching and looking at hotels is free. You pay only when you book.

Tap the date line and choose check-in and check-out on the calendar. A new search starts with a date 7 days from today, 1 night, 1 room and 2 adults, so you only need to change what is different.

Up to one year from today.

Up to 30 nights in one booking. If you choose longer you will see "Stays are limited to 30 nights."

Up to 9 rooms and 9 guests in one booking, and up to 6 guests in one room. The app tells you when you reach a limit:

• "Up to 9 guests in one booking. Larger groups: send a group request."
• "Up to 9 rooms in one booking."
• "Up to 6 guests in one room. Add another room."

Tap Add another room. Each room has its own adults and children. Tap the remove icon on a room to remove it. You must keep at least one room.

Children are 0 to 11 years old. From 12 a guest counts as an adult. This is the usual rule in Indian hotels. It is the hotel's policy, not a law.

Add the child in the room, then choose the child's age. The list starts at "Under 1" and goes up to 11 years. Hotels use the age to work out the right price and bed.

When there are more than 2 guests but only one room, a tip appears, for example "about 2 rooms (2 guests per room) is usual". It is only a suggestion. You can keep one room if the room type allows it.

Tap "More than 9 guests? Send a group request". The team arranges rooms with the hotel and contacts you. The place and dates you filled in carry over. See Chapter 20, item 20.11.

Hotel suppliers treat 10 or more people under one booking as a group booking and may cancel a normal booking made for a group. The group request avoids that.

Yes. Tap the search summary or Edit search at the top of the list, change the details and tap Search hotels. The list is rebuilt for the new dates.

A header says "Showing hotels in" with your place, then a count such as "12 hotels found". Each hotel card shows its photo, name, star class, guest rating, how many room types it has, and the price.

The best matches, ten at a time. Tap "Show more hotels" at the bottom to see the next ones.

As the total for your whole stay. For stays of more than one night, the price per night appears below it. With more than one room the card also shows the number of rooms. All prices are in rupees.

The price you pay in KuhuChat is shown on the card. Some hotels also charge taxes or fees at the hotel. When that applies, the room shows a line such as "+ ₹300 taxes and fees payable at the hotel". That amount is not part of the price you pay in the app.

Price bands based on the cheapest room's price per night. Budget is under ₹1,500, Mid is ₹1,500 to ₹3,999, Premium is ₹4,000 to ₹8,999 and Luxury is ₹9,000 and above. Tap a band to show only hotels in it. You can pick more than one.

Tap one of the sort chips:

• Top rated (the default)
• Price: low to high
• Price: high to low

Tap the filter button and choose from:

• Refundable rooms only: hide rooms that cannot be cancelled for a refund.
• Guest rating (out of 10): choose Any, or a minimum rating.
• Star class: pick one or more of the star options.
• Must have: Free WiFi, Swimming pool, Air conditioning, Restaurant, Breakfast.

Then tap Show hotels. Tap Reset to clear the choices inside the filter sheet.

Yes. A small number on the button shows how many filters are active.

Stars (1 to 5) describe the hotel's class and facilities. The guest rating (out of 10) comes from guests' reviews. A 2-star hotel can still have a very high guest rating.

Bookings in the app have a maximum value (see 21.8). Rooms priced above that maximum are hidden so you only see rooms you can actually book.

The hotel information for this area has no star classes, so the star filter cannot be applied. Use the other filters, guest rating or price instead.

There is nothing available for your place and dates. Tap Change dates or guests, try other dates, widen your area (choose the district instead of a taluka), or tap Clear filters if you had filters on.

Your filters are too narrow. Tap Clear filters.

Check your internet and tap Try again.

The list price is the price at the time of the search. Before you pay, the app checks the price again at checkout (see 21.5). If it changed, you are told.

Tap a hotel in the list. The details page opens with the photos at the top.

• Photos: swipe through the gallery. Tap a photo to see it full screen, and pinch to zoom.
• Name, star class and guest rating.
• Address and, when the hotel has one, a phone number.
• About this hotel: the hotel's description. Tap to read more.
• Facilities: the first ten, with "Show all" to see the rest.
• Good to know: important information from the hotel, such as check-in rules.
• Choose a room: every room type with its price.
• Guest reviews.

A section shows only when the hotel supplies that information. A hotel with little information still shows its name, address, rooms and prices.

The room name, a refundable or non-refundable tag, the meal plan if any (for example Breakfast included or Room only), beds, room size, how many guests it sleeps, a strip of room photos and the price. When you select a room, its amenities are listed too.

• Refundable: you can cancel for a full refund within the hotel's cancellation terms.
• Non-refundable: you cannot cancel for a full refund. If you cancel or do not arrive, charges apply.
• Partly refundable: some of the money comes back if you cancel.

Check the tag on every room before you choose. If a room has no tag, the hotel did not give its terms.

Some rooms have a higher usual price. When your price is lower, the old price appears crossed out with "Save ₹…" under your price.

Tap the room card. The selected room is highlighted and the price bar at the bottom changes to that room. Nothing is booked yet.

Yes. The room name is exactly what the hotel receives with your booking.

They are reviews of the hotel collected by our hotel supplier. Each review shows a score out of 10, the guest's name, country and type of traveller, a headline, and what the guest liked and disliked. KuhuChat does not edit them.

A few appear first. Tap "Show all" to read them all and "Show fewer reviews" to fold them again.

Reviews load separately from the rest of the page. If they fail, the page still works and you can still book. Go back and open the hotel again to retry.

Tap Book this room at the bottom. Checkout opens for that exact room (see 21.5).

Checkout opens and first confirms that the room is still available and locks its final price. A short loading screen shows while this happens. Then the guest details form opens.

Prices can change between the search and checkout. If it did, you see "Heads up: the price shifted X% since search. The amount above is the current, correct price." Check the new amount before you continue.

The cancellation or meal-plan terms were updated by the hotel since the search. You see "Heads up: the cancellation or meal-plan terms changed since search. Please review before paying." Read them before paying.

First name, last name, email and phone number of the main guest. Use the details of the person who will check in. Your email must look like an email address, otherwise you will see "Enter a valid email".

The form shows "Main guest (Room 1)" and then "Guest in each other room", with a first and last name for Room 2 onwards. The hotel needs one name per room. If a name is missing you will see "Please enter a guest name for each of the … rooms."

A box appears: "Non-refundable room". It explains that you cannot cancel for a full refund, and you must tick "I understand and accept that this booking is non-refundable" before you can continue. Without the tick you will see "Please tick the box to confirm this room is non-refundable."

Tap Continue to payment. A secure payment form opens inside the app. Enter your payment details there and pay.

No. Payment is handled by our hotel and payment partner on their secure form. KuhuChat does not see or store your card details.

Indian rupees (₹).

A screen says "Finalizing your booking" while the booking is completed with the hotel. Do not close the app or press back during this step. When it finishes, the booking confirmation opens (see 21.6).

Do not pay again. Close the screen, wait a few minutes and check for your confirmation. If the error says "Back to guest details", you can go back and try again only if you were not charged. If you were charged and have no confirmation, contact us from the Contact page on kuhuchat.com with the time and your phone number.

Checkout holds a rate for a limited time. Go back to the hotel, choose the room again and start checkout again.

Someone else booked it or the hotel changed it. Search again and choose another room.

You can have only one live booking for the same hotel on the same dates. Cancel the existing booking first if you want to book again.

You tapped twice or reopened a finished checkout. Wait for the confirmation. A single checkout can only turn into one booking.

Bookings are paused for a short while on our side. Try again later.

That stay is above the maximum value we allow in one booking (see 21.8). Choose a cheaper room or fewer rooms.

The price could not be checked for this room. Choose another room or another hotel.

Yes. Enter that person's name as the guest. Use an email you can read.

Yes. You are always signed in to KuhuChat, and the booking is tied to your account. Only you can cancel or change it.

The hotel name and address, your Booking ID and the booking status at the top, for example "Booking CONFIRMED". Below are buttons to call the hotel, open the hotel in Maps, fix guest details, change dates and cancel.

A code from the hotel itself that proves it has your booking. When the booking is first made, the screen says "Confirming with the hotel. This will update automatically the moment the confirmation code comes back, no need to refresh." The code appears by itself once the hotel sends it.

It is usually quick, but some hotels confirm manually and take longer. Leave the screen open or come back to it. You do not need to refresh.

Your booking and payment are recorded under your Booking ID. The hotel confirmation code is the hotel's own acknowledgement. If you want to be sure, use Call hotel and quote your Booking ID and name.

Tap Call hotel. The button shows the hotel's phone number and opens your phone dialler. The button appears only when the hotel has a phone number on file. If the dialler cannot open you will see "Could not open the phone dialer."

Tap Open in Maps. It opens the hotel's location in your maps app. If it cannot open you will see "Could not open maps."

• CONFIRMED: your booking is made.
• CANCELLED: the booking was cancelled with no charges.
• CANCELLED WITH CHARGES: the booking was cancelled but charges apply because the rate was non-refundable or past its free-cancellation time.
• BOOK ERROR: the booking could not be completed. Check with us before paying again.

Note your Booking ID, hotel name and hotel confirmation code from this screen and keep them safe. They are what the hotel and our team will ask for.

It closes the confirmation screen and takes you back. Your booking is not affected.

On the booking confirmation screen tap Cancel booking. A box asks "Cancel this booking?" and explains that if the booking is non-refundable or past its free-cancellation time, it will still be cancelled but you may not get a refund. Tap Cancel booking to go ahead or Keep booking to leave it as it is.

That depends on the room's own cancellation terms, which you saw on the room card and in Good to know. The result is shown right after you confirm:

• "Booking cancelled and refunded per the cancellation policy." The booking was refundable and the refund is on its way.
• "Booking cancelled. This rate was non-refundable, so charges apply." The booking is cancelled, but you are charged as the terms say.

The refund goes back through the payment method you used. How long it takes depends on your bank or card company.

The hotel's cancellation terms decide it. KuhuChat shows you the result and does not change it.

No. Once cancelled, the booking cannot be brought back. Search and book again if you change your mind, subject to availability and price.

Check your internet and tap Cancel booking again. If you cancelled earlier, the status already shows CANCELLED and nothing more happens.

No. Only the person who made the booking can cancel it.

The hotel's rules apply. Call the hotel with your Booking ID, since a late cancellation may carry charges.

On the confirmation screen tap "Fix guest name / email". Correct the First name, Last name or Email and tap Save. You will see "Guest details updated."

This option fixes the main guest's name and email, for example a typo. It does not change dates, rooms or other guests.

Hotels do not accept guest changes close to check-in, or after cancellation. Call the hotel with your Booking ID and ask them to correct the name at the desk.

On the confirmation screen tap Change dates and choose the new check-in and check-out dates on the calendar. The app looks for the same hotel on the new dates.

No. Looking up new dates changes nothing. Your original booking stays as it is, and stays charged, until you choose a new rate and confirm it.

A list titled "Choose a new rate" shows the available options with their prices. If the new dates have different cancellation or meal terms, the option says "Cancellation/meal terms differ from your current booking". Read this before you choose.

A new booking is created for the new dates and your old booking is cancelled automatically. The screen says "Dates updated. This is now booking …" with the new Booking ID. Use the new Booking ID from now on.

The new booking replaces the old one. The price difference and any charges depend on the old and new rates and their terms, which are shown on the option before you choose it.

This hotel has no rooms for those dates. Try other dates, or cancel and book a different hotel.

The same, for those exact dates. Try nearby dates.

Your original booking is still in place. Try again, or call the hotel.

Only the person who made it. A booking that is already cancelled cannot be changed. Dates can be changed only on a CONFIRMED booking.

Not on the confirmation screen. Cancel and book again, or call the hotel.

Yes. Bookings in the app have a maximum value so that nobody makes a very large payment by mistake. Currently the limit is ₹20,000 per room, with a ceiling of ₹60,000 for one booking, whatever the number of rooms. If you go over it the app tells you the exact limit.

Yes. A room that is not fully refundable can be booked only up to ₹10,000 in total.

They protect you while hotel booking is new in KuhuChat. For larger stays, send a group request or contact us.

No. They can be raised as the service grows. The app always shows the current limit.

Up to 9 rooms, 9 guests, 6 guests in one room and 30 nights (see 21.2).

No. A room is booked only after payment.

Yes. The booking is made with the hotel and stored against your account and your Booking ID. Note your Booking ID and hotel confirmation code in case you need to contact the hotel.

Booking can be switched off for a short time for maintenance. You will see "Hotel booking is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later." No money is taken when this message shows.

Make sure you have an internet connection, then close the Trip Planner and open it again.

The pin is outside India. Drop it inside India, or search by name.

Pick a smaller area (a taluka or a pin) or a nearby larger town, remove filters, and try other dates. Small villages often have only a few hotels.

Rooms above the maximum booking value are hidden (see 21.9). Choose fewer rooms, shorter stays or cheaper hotels.

Check your internet. A hotel may also have few photos on file.

Not every hotel has one in our records. Use the address and Open in Maps instead.

Check your internet, go back to the guest details and tap Continue to payment again. If it still does not open, close and reopen the app.

Contact us from the Contact page on kuhuchat.com with your phone number and both Booking IDs, if you have them. Only one booking can exist for the same hotel and dates, so we will look at it for you.

Send a group request (see 20.11).