Which app is better for booking hotels: Booking, Airbnb, or Decolar?

When I went to Bahia last year, I checked all three and Booking came out cheaper for me, but then I saw the same hotel listed higher there than on Decolar - it really depends on the hotel and the date, honestly. Airbnb is good if you want something more casual with a kitchen, but for an actual traditional hotel, Booking and Decolar usually have more options, and Decolar has that miles program that can pay off if you flew with Gol or TAP. My advice is to open all three, run the same search and compare; the customer service is basically the same on all of them, but Booking tends to be faster at responding if something goes wrong.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking one app will always be cheaper - prices vary way too much depending on the hotel and the date, so the best thing is to actually compare all three, because the same accommodation shows up with pretty different prices on each one. From what I see people complaining about online, Booking and Decolar usually have faster customer service if something goes wrong, but Airbnb is more worth it when you're looking for something more alternative or a whole apartment; my tip is to open all three, put in the same accommodation, and see which one comes out cheaper for your specific date.

All three are worth it, but I always check out the rating filters on each one before booking too - like, Booking lets you see specific reviews about cleanliness or service, which helps when you're in a rush. For Bahia next month it's definitely worth comparing all three like people said, because a good hotel can be cheap on one and expensive on another depending on the day, but if something comes up like a cancellation, Decolar and Booking tend to be less of a hassle than Airbnb.

People are right that prices vary a lot, but here's the thing: Airbnb tends to be pricier in Bahia specifically, because there's a lot of overpriced short-term rentals there. If you actually want a hotel (not an apartment rental), Booking and Decolar usually compete better, but the best way is to use a comparison site like Trivago or just open all three apps side by side and check the same place. As for customer service, Booking has historically been good at sorting things out if something goes wrong with a cancellation, so that's a point in its favor if you want peace of mind.

I think it's not really about which one is "better", but understanding that each app negotiates differently with hotels, so prices really vary a lot. What nobody mentioned is that it's worth checking the cancellation policy for each one before you book - because sometimes one app charges you a fee to cancel and another lets you do it for free, and that can make a difference to your wallet if your plans change. In your case, before deciding which app to use, I'd check the same hotels on all three and compare them directly.

But there's an important detail: their customer service is pretty different. Booking has that chat that works 24/7, Decolar also has decent support, but Airbnb is more of a hassle if something goes wrong because you're dealing with the host and not a big company. So if you want the peace of mind of having someone to call if something breaks in the middle of the night, Booking or Decolar come out ahead. For a quick trip to Bahia where you just want to get there and crash, what I'd really recommend is searching all three, writing down the prices of the hotels you liked, and then pick whichever has the best price at that specific moment - because the difference can be like 50, 100 reais depending on the day.