So why does it have to be so secretive?
Hotels are usually reluctant to offer cheap hotel rooms in the open, as a cheap room rate visible to anyone can be damaging to the hotel’s brand. It might also lead to increased price competition between hotels in the area, where the different hotels try lower their prices in order to attract customers, which of course is not an ideal situation for the hotels.
It is also hard for the hotels to offer open discounts to just one Online Travel Agent (OTA), as other OTAs are eager to keep prices at the same level as their competitors.
When being able to sell their rooms without showing the hotel’s name it is thus easier for the hotel to offer bigger discounts, since the name and location of the hotel is only revealed to customers after the booking and transaction has been made.

Of course, as the hotels are willing to give what in some cases are really huge discounts to their customers there are of course some limitations set by the hotels in return. Most of the hotels choose to operate with a strong cancellation policy limited to the Secret Sale plan, which means that the chances are high you will have to pay the total amount of the booking even if you decide to cancel or are unable to show up at the hotel no matter the reason. Although this means that there is a higher risk for the customer it can be argued that it is fair to the hotel, that is willing to offer a stay at a significantly reduced price and thus minimum or no profit.

Also be aware that there of course might be a reason behind the hotel being willing to give such a significant discount in the first place. As you probably understand no hotel would be willing to give discounts if they were able to sell all their rooms at full price in the first place. Although the participation requirements from Agoda’s side ensure that the hotel holds a certain standard, the hotel might for instance be located at an inconvenient location. It might be low season, or the particular hotel might be losing customers to a competitor that recently opened in the area.
It might also be that the hotel simply want to fill up as many rooms as possible. Even during more popular times of the year some hotels are looking for a “plus alpha” increase in occupancy rate, as it is better for the hotel to sell an extra room at a discounted price than simply not being able to fill the room for that one night (hotel rooms come with a “best before” date, as today’s unsold rooms cannot be sold tomorrow).

If you’re adventurous and want to try something new it might be a fun way for you to book your hotel. Remember that there are the mentioned risks involved – but hey, that’s a part of being on an adventure!

Find your secret deal here