Choose a visa hotel reservation when your immediate goal is to document a planned stay without purchasing accommodation, and choose a refundable hotel rate when you want a room you may actually use while retaining a cancellation option. Both can produce genuine booking confirmations, but they solve different problems. The best choice depends on whether you are preparing a travel file or reserving the bed you intend to sleep in.
Imagine you are planning five nights in Amsterdam next spring. You have selected the travel dates but have not decided whether to stay near the canals or closer to the train station. You need an accommodation record for your travel documents now, while the final hotel choice can wait. Compare two routes: pay a service for a time-limited hotel reservation record, or book a flexible room rate with a hotel and manage its cancellation terms yourself.