Most first time travelers to Thailand are always looking for cheap budget hotels in Bangkok. But what they are not aware of is that there are a wide range of affordable hotels in Bangkok in the 3 and 4 star range. Luxury hotels in Bangkok are even more affordable and are a fraction of the price you pay in most western countries. But which Internet hotel reservation website offers the best room rates in Bangkok is the question of the day.

There is an industry secret. Did you know that all Internet hotel reservation websites for Thailand charge roughly the same room rates? It's true. So what you should do is find a company that offers their customers incentives for making Bangkok hotel reservations through them.

Agoda.com is the name of a company that offers such benefits. You've probably already come across their website more than once or twice. Agoda is a part of the largest and most popular Internet travel agency called Priceline.com.

But Agoda's main focus is in the Asian hotel marketplace. Though you can still get great rates through Agoda for over 90,000 hotels throughout the world. But after using and recommending Agoda for hotels in Thailand for so long I've noticed they offer special rates and discounts especially for Bangkok.

Not only does Agoda offer low rates they also offer a rewards points program. It's free and really easy to join. Just make your first booking and that's it, you have joined. You can earn 4% - 7% worth of points of the room's price. These points can really add up quickly especially if you are a frequent traveler.

What are Agoda reward points good for?

The reward points are good for discounts on hotel reservations. For example spending $625 USD for a hotel stay will earn you 12,500 points. 12,500 points is the minimum threshold and is worth $25 USD. You can either accumulate your points for bigger discounts (which is what I do) or use it for a future hotel booking.

You can even earn 500 easy points just by submitting a hotel review after your stay. Agoda relies on real and honest reviews by guest who booked through them. It takes less than 5 minutes to write a review and Agoda will instantly reward you with 500 points.

The benefits don't just end there. Agoda.com has a best price guarantee. Within 48 hours of booking your room through Agoda and you find a better deal somewhere else (same travel dates and room type of course), they will either match or beat the price.

Since all hotel reservation websites offer roughly the same rates, it's best to use Agoda.com. With future earned rewards points you can easily get discounts and free nights.