Why is there an added booking fee when booking a holiday online (hotels)

[dizzybint]

I was browsing through some lovely holiday cottages in Scotland and wanted to book one in Dumfries.. but they asked for an extra booking fee... while some others say booking fee inc.. why is this and why am I paying for something that IM doing myself online.. Im not phoning or asking for someone to be there to take my booking... Its only £20 but then Ive another £20 for my wee dog...so its adding up..

[Jezer]

My take on this is that there is no such thing as free, generally speaking.

Everything is costed in somewhere and if there is no booking fee then it has already been costed into the rental, and perhaps the owner pays the booking company.

The only way to compare like with like is to look at the total price you pay and see how it compares.

[Stewart G. Griffin]

Generally, people look at the headline figure when comparing hotels, flights etc. So something with no booking fee may look more expensive at first glance than another option which loads on extra fees on top of the base price. Operators know this and get away with it whenever they can.

Airlines have been forced to be more transparent with their pricing, but hotels not so much.

They'll only start to play ball when regulators/legislation forces them to.

[dizzybint]

thanks for your answers,I just see it as another ripoff...