In this age, traveling is no longer a luxury. With the right planning and budgeting, one can travel further than they can imagine. As a traveler fond of budget trips, I always put my experiences first before my accommodation. My motto was “forget luxury and high-end stays, my adventures are far better than any other hotel experience.”

Accommodation was the least of my priority, obviously. I would rather opt for a hostel to save money and be able to afford more local experiences. I don’t like being forced to stay (both in life and in love) when adventures are waiting for me.

But as I’m getting older, traveling slowly shifts from adventures to relaxation. However, I can’t let go of the budget-conscious lifestyle I’ve developed over time which is why Agoda’s newest feature was a godsend for someone like me.

What is Mix and Save?

Mix and Save is Agoda’s newest feature which allows customers to save up to 50 percent in their bookings, by combining the cheapest rooms available within the same hotel.

How does it work?

If you search between two to 14 nights stay at any of Agoda’s two million properties worldwide, Agoda will suggest the Mix and Save feature as an option to split your reservation into multiple bookings to help you maximize savings.

For example, I’m booking at Virginia’s Cave Villas in Santorini on November 17 to 27. It would have been expensive if I opted to take the Executive Villa with Outdoor Hot Tub for 11 days straight, costing PhP 9,453 per night. Agoda then suggests the Superior Cave Villa with Outdoor Hot Tub, a cheaper room that’s only available from November 24 to November 27, which costs PhP 7,136 per night.

It’s definitely going to make my accommodations cheaper, as long as I agree to be flexible and move. It might be an inconvenience to move to a different room, but who cares about inconvenience when you can get a cheaper room with a different style and decoration that would look good on social media.

What does it mean for hoteliers and the traveling landscape?

Agoda is the first major global online travel agent to make these “hack-rates” available. Chief Operating Officer Omri Morgenshtern believes this new feature will help partners optimize inventory and reflect Agoda’s commitment to offering the best possible price to customers.

It’s currently available on desktop, and Agoda is planning to enhance the offering in the future so users can enjoy Mix and Save deals on mobile.

Mix and Save is great news for travelers, but it might be a bit of a hassle for a hotel’s operations. Nonetheless, it’s a new feature and it’s still too early to tell if this is good or bad for the whole travel industry. For now, enjoy and take advantage of the better deals.