You know where you want to take a vacation. You have gotten excellent deals on plane tickets. Now it is time to make your hotel reservations. What is the best way to find a good hotel that is not too pricy? This article has the tips you need. You’ll get great advice so you can make a choice that’s right.
Before making reservations at a hotel, check the online review sites. These will give you some information from people that have stayed at that certain hotel. The information provided by patrons of the hotel will help you make a good choice of where to stay.
Use Orbitz or Expedia to find a great deal. As you check your rates, don’t forget to include that you’re a loyalty program member. You may also be eligible for deals that are offered to members of certain organizations, like AAA or AARP.
Make use of the room safe to ensure the safety of your electronics when you are not in your room. Place all electronics there along with important documents, such as your passport or plane tickets.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking all hotels will accept pets. Even if a web listing says a hotel is pet friendly, call the hotel to verify. Get the term “pet-friendly” defined, as well. The hotel may not allow large dogs or certain types of pets.
If you belong to the AAA, see what kinds of discounts the hotel offers. You may be surprised that your auto club membership includes hotel discounts, but it does. You can save more than five percent on hotels all over the country. The savings can really add up nightly.
If you are a daily runner, make sure you pack exercise clothes and a GPS watch. You can still enjoy your early morning jog while on vacation if you have your gear and the right room booked. Even if you’re running down the city streets of roads, it will give you a new perspective of the city that you’re visiting.
If you often stay at the same hotel chain, check to see if they offer membership to frequent stay programs. Similar to frequent flyer programs with an airline company, hotel programs will typically give you points for each visit. These points can be traded in for restaurant discounts, tickets to shows, free nights at the hotel, and much more.
Environmentally Friendly
If you care quite a bit about your environment, consider taking a “green” vacation. Green hotels can feature specialized recycling programs, may only use recyclable products and use environmentally friendly cleaning supplies. Newer hotels are sometimes built according to green standards. Older hotels can go green by making environmentally friendly choices in energy use. Speak with a travel agent to see if they can help you pick out hotels that care about the environment.
You should always find out how much hotel transfers will cost before you book a room. In many situations in which the room’s price is a great deal, the undisclosed price of your transfer can frequently eat up the savings. Ask about this beforehand to save more.
Become a AAA member if you want to make arranging hotel accommodations a bit simpler. AAA members not only get discounts at many hotel chains, it will also make it much easier to rent a car. Parents of younger children are likely to enjoy the free car seat provided in many locations.
Distance Calls
Never use the hotel phone for long distance calls. Instead, you should try the Internet. A lot of hotels offer Skype connections over Wi-Fi. This is much cheaper than paying for a bunch of long distance calls from your hotel room.
If you want your family to have a happy stay, call the hotel ahead and ensure that their swimming pools are available and in good working order. There aren’t many things that are as frustrating as going to your hotel with kids that really want to swim only to see that it has been closed.
If you want to inspect a hotel room for bed bugs, start with the bathroom. This is where you are least likely to find bedbugs. When you determine there are not any in there, set your bags down and inspect the remainder of the premises. Not to mention a great place for your children and pets too.
Find out what the policy on pets is. If you have pet allergies or the noise from pets bothers you, you might want to avoid these hotels. Also, pet friendly hotels may have lingering odors that have been absorbed by carpeting or linens. Certain hotels will charge guests extra for keeping pets in the room; however, many hotels’ extra charge is very little. It might not be adequate to the cost of cleaning demands.
If you are going to use a crib or even a rollaway bed, make sure you mention this at the time your reservation is made. Not every hotel features these options, and the ones that do only have a few. Certain hotels will even charge a fee for these things. Make your needs known at the time you place your reservation so that you do not have any unpleasant surprises.
Do not drink the bottled water that is offered in the rooms. Sure, you might be a little thirsty after checking into your new room. Opening the bottle in the mini-fridge is tempting. Hotels take advantage of guests by charging ridiculous amounts for bottled water. A number hotels offer free bottles of water in their gyms. Nonetheless, it is better to bring along a water filtration pitcher and reusable water bottle and filter your own water.
One of the most important aspects of planning a trip is getting the right hotel. Having a terrible hotel stay is one sure way to mess up any trip. So plan ahead so you don;t find yourself stuck at a horrible hotel. Follow the suggestions given above, and make reservations at the hotel that offers the features you want at a price that fits with your budget.