Everyone needs to book a hotel room at some point. For both business and pleasure, it’s important to understand what you should seek in a good hotel. The following tips should be useful.
Prior to booking a hotel, refer to TripAdvisor and similar online travel review sites. These types of sites let you read about real customers’ experiences with each hotel. You can make a wise choice when you know what others think about a hotel.
If you want a meal at night, it is much more comfortable to enjoy room service. Room service generally costs more than ordering out; however, it is nice to be able to order a meal in the middle of the night if you so choose.
Use your hotel room’s safe to keep your valuables secure. Put all of your valuables and small electronics into the safe, such as your jewelry and iPad. They’ll be safe in there and you can leave the hotel room without worry.
The organizations that you are a member of might be of help. Some organizations offer discounts on hotels to their members. People often forget that they are eligible for these discounts, which may be for 10 percent or more off of your stay. If your stay will be for multiple nights, these discounts can save you lots of money. That can give you close to a completely free night when it adds up.
Take advantage of search tools online. You will typically find websites that provide deals on certain hotel chains. They also let you see what full price is, so you know you are saving money. Finally, you can also use these to help you learn what there is to do when you get to your destination.
Be sure you inspect the room you are given at check in before you start unpacking. Is the room mildew-free and otherwise clean? Does the plumbing work right? Make sure you have the linens, bath supplies and towels that you will need. This quick check can keep you from discovering a problem later, after you have unpacked and all other good rooms are taken. Tell the front desk immediately.
Ask the hotel about their check-in time.. If you don’t know you may end up waiting a long time. Ask for an early check-in time if absolutely necessary.
If you plan on taking a family pet with you to a hotel reservation, do three things in advance. Find out if the hotel allows pets. Be sure to have plenty of plastic bags on hand to make pet cleanup easy. Ask for a corner room since this can reduce the number of guests disturbed by a noisy pet.
If you like running and frequently stay in hotel rooms, be sure and pack up a GPS watch, along with your favorite running clothes. Get up early and dress for a jog in the early morning. Even if you have to run down roads or the streets in the city, you can learn a lot more about the city when you get finished.
If you stay at the same chain of hotels often, look into their membership programs for frequent guests. These are similar to frequent flyer programs, offering points each time you stay at a particular chain. These points can add up to hotel restaurant discounts, spa deals, free nights and much more.
Green Hotels
If you care about the environment, then you may be interested in taking a “green” vacation. Fortunately, many green hotels exist nowadays. Many new hotels are certified as green hotels. Older hotels may choose to take “green” standards seriously, which is a great thing. Speak with a travel agent to see if they can help you pick out hotels that care about the environment.
The price you are charged for your hotel room is partly dependent upon when you make the reservations. Hotels price rooms based on availability. If possible, don’t make your reservation more than a day in advance. This can net you a great deal. This is because the hotel will want to book rooms that are currently empty.
Find out about hotel transfer costs prior to booking a room to avoid hefty fees. If you’re getting what appears to be a nice deal on the room, these types of hidden charges can sometimes surface. Inquire before you book, so you aren’t hit with an unexpected price increase.
If you do a great deal of traveling, consider joining hotel chain loyalty programs. This allows you to earn points each time you book a room. You can use these points to purchase perks in the future.
Try not to make any long-distance calls from your hotel room. You can use the Internet to make these types of calls. You’ll often find hotels have free Wi-Fi, which allows for Skype calling long distance numbers for free. You can stay in touch with work or family without the high cost of a call from the phone in your room.
From time to time, you will need to reserve a hotel room. Before you make your reservation, you need to do some research first. So keep the above tips in mind to get a great hotel room with a price that makes it even more enjoyable.