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Using Tingo for Booking Hotels Online

It’s so easy to book a hotel room these days. Gone are the days when you had to get in touch with travel or hotel reservations agents on the phone to book your hotel in advance. Now, you can do your hotel booking online with just a few clicks. There are several hotel booking sites on the net that help make it easier for you to manage your booking concerns. One such site that stands out from the rest is Tingo.

Tingo gives clients the most benefit in terms of savings. Have you ever experienced paying for a hotel booking one day only to find out the following day that the room rate dropped? You end up feeling resentful, thinking about the money you could have saved if you booked the following day instead. However, things like this happen unannounced. You don’t really see a hotel website that has an announcement as to when they will give discounts for their room rates and how much.

Yet situations like this – of hotels dropping their room rates –happen often. Statistics show that in February 2013, there were 237 hotels in New York that dropped their rates, offering their rooms for an average of $40 less. During the same time frame, 136 hotels in San Francisco lowered their rates and gave their rooms for an average of $52 less. Even hotels in the romantic city of Paris were not exempt; room rate drops were experienced in 592 hotels, and the drop in prices averaged $23.

If you look at these figures, you will see that you can really save a lot of money for accommodation expenses when you travel. You will be able to save even more if you are traveling as a group and this is where Tingo comes in handy. The hotel booking site allows you to get a refund of the price difference should there be a price drop on the room that you booked. You get the refund in the form of free upgrades and sometimes, cash. Tingo makes it all so easy that you don’t have to lift a finger in order to get your refund.

The hotel booking website constantly monitors hotels’ room rates, and when they drop. It immediately rebooks your reservation so you can be charged the lower rate. However, you won’t get your refund right away. Tingo returns the money to your credit after your hotel stay.

Tingo is actually not the only site of its kind; there are similar hotel booking sites out there. However, what sets Tingo apart is the wide range of benefits it offers its clients. First, you are assured of getting a refund. Some hotel booking sites will secure your refund only if other people will book hotel rooms for the same days that you booked. Otherwise, you won’t get anything. Tingo books you for the lowest price offered by the hotel whether other people booked on the same days or not. Second, Tingo does not impose a limit on the amount that they will return. A similar site, Price Assurance, will give refunds but only up to $500. Clearly, Tingo gives you the best deal.

One of the best features of the hotel booking website is that it is integrated with TripAdvisor, one of the most popular travel websites. TripAdvisor has an extensive database of hotels, resorts, and famous tourist spots from all over the world, complete with descriptions, photos, and user reviews from people who have actually gone to or stayed in these places.

Tingo was launched on March 2012. It is owned by Smarter Travel Media, which is a subsidiary of TripAdvisor.

8 Tips to Improve Your Communication Skills

A lot of people have trouble communicating with other people because of poor communication skills. Problems such as finding it hard to understand and to explain things to others are two of the common areas of improvement. Poor communication can cause a lot of problems. Here are eight tips on how you can develop your communication skills:

• Speak with emotion – If you were to tell someone good news, make sure that you put a happy note on your voice instead of sounding depressed or mad. People might misinterpret what you are saying. Add a little life to your voice, depending on what is needed for the conversation.

• Improve your vocabulary – Some people have a hard time talking to other people because they cannot understand some of the words used in the conversation. The vocabulary is like an arsenal. A limited vocabulary means a limited range of bullets and thus a lack of firepower. A wide vocabulary on the other hand allows you to communicate better and in more varied situations. The best way to widen one’s vocabulary is through reading, reading and lots of reading. Doing so will not only improve your vocabulary, but will also expose you to other contexts and cultures. You can also play word games as this would help as well. If you hear a new word, write it down on a piece of paper or on a notepad and look for it in a dictionary later. Take note of the use of the word and when it can be appropriately used.

• Understand what you are saying – Before you say something or talk to someone, think before you say something. There is nothing worse than going around in circles then suddenly stopping to say- “What was I saying?” If you cannot understand it yourself then do not expect your listener to understand it either.

• Learn when and when not to talk – It is difficult to know and understand what the other person is saying when you keep interrupting him or her. The same thing goes if you say something and you are interrupted in the middle of it. Analyze the conversation first before you butt in or talk. That way, you will not miss any detail and you can understand everything that is shared to you.

• Clear your throat – Some people have a hard time understanding what you are saying maybe because they can’t hear you clearly. Whether it is talking through a mobile phone, a RingCentral conference phone, or talking to someone in person, it helps if you clear your throat before you start talking. This will make your voice sound better and clearer.

• Practicing is worth it – When you practice, you will hone your communication skills and you will also identify your weaknesses. Try practicing with a friend, a classmate or someone you know who has the time. You can even talk to yourself in front of the mirror.

• K.I.S.S – Keep it short and simple. If you have to give an example, use one that can clearly explain what you are trying to point out. Use concrete examples if there are any. Do not try to give too many examples because it will only confuse the person that you are talking to. Be direct to the point and do not beat around the bush.

• Set the pace – If you talk too fast, people might not understand your words. On the flip side, if you talk too slow, they might get irritated. When talking to your friends, your boss or someone else, make sure that you talk at a moderate speed. Talk the way you want another person to talk to you.

Benefits of E-Commerce Websites

Need to do some shopping? In the past, you would have to step out of your house to purchase the thing you want or need. The Internet, however, is changing all that.

Through e-commerce websites, Internet users are able to purchase different products through their computers, tablets, and even smartphones. No need to get dressed. No need to drive or commute. No need to deal with store attendants. You just pick what you want, add to cart, pay, and then wait for delivery.

And because more and more people are opting to do their shopping online, more and more businesses are also opting to take the e-commerce website route as well. And why no? E-commerce websites are pretty easy to set up. In this RingCentral small business blog post, the author talked about the factors you need to consider when building an e-commerce site.

Aside from the ease and simplicity in setting up e-commerce websites, businesses also get other benefits from doing so, like:

Easily build a national presence

You do not need to build a physical store in every state to build that national presence. With the vast reach of the Internet, all you need is an e-commerce website. Pair the website with a toll free number and you make your business accessible to everyone across the United States; the world even.

Less manpower requirements

Unlike physical stores, e-commerce websites do not need dedicated manpower. You can hire a few people to answer calls and emails; but those few hires would already cover customers from all over the country. The great thing about it is that the website works on its own. It can provide the details needed by the customer to make an informed decision, and it can process the payment once the decision to purchase has been made. No need for store clerks or cashiers. It is just the customer and the website interacting.

Less cost

Aside from the savings you get from the reduced labor requirement, you are also saving a lot on other office related costs. Because one, you do not have to pay rent. The most would be a storage area like a warehouse to store your goods if needed. With no physical office, utility bills should go down as well. You don’t really need office equipment that much either. All you need are your computer and your Internet connection.

Easy and affordable marketing

Another great thing about having an e-commerce website is that you have a lot of ways to market it without having to spend too much. First, you can optimize it so that it will appear on the first pages of major search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. You can also establish presence through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to build awareness about your site. There is also affiliate marketing, email advertising, and so on and so forth. You just have to know the different Internet marketing techniques available and apply it to your website.

Understanding Online Coupons

If you’re completely new to the concept of online shopping, then you might not realize that there are ways to get great deals apart from waiting for an online shop to announce a sale. One of the most common ways to get great value for money in this type of situation is to make use of online coupons.

They’re quite simple to use. However, if you have never used virtual coupons before, they may seem a bit daunting. Before you try them out, you may want to have a better understanding of how such coupons are supposed to work so you know whether or not they are actually working out for you. The main thing that you have to know, though, is that there are actually two main types of online coupons that you have to deal with:

Direct-to-Site Coupons

Direct-to-site coupons are basically links that automatically takes you to the online shop’s “discount isle” when you click them. More often than not, they come in the form of banner ads. Here’s an example of how it works – you see a great deal for a computer (25% off!) on a banner and click it. That action takes you to the site page offering the product, which likely still has the full price labeled there. But when you click on the item to add it to your online shopping cart, you will see that the store has automatically taken 25% off of your purchase.

Code-based Coupons

Code-based coupons are deals that provide you with a special code that you’re supposed to key in when you’re ready to pay for your online purchase. These coupon codes are commonly advertised in coupon sites or websites. Here’s how it works – you see a great deal for a smartphone and take note of the online shop, the product, and the code designated for it. You go to the online shop, search for the product, and add it to your cart. Upon checking out, just type the code into a designated field.

If you visit sites like RingCentral Coupons, you can see how well online coupons can work out. Many a RingCentral coupon code online has given business owners the chance to enjoy cloud-based enterprise phone systems. Who knows what perks other coupons can allow you to experience?