Have you had the experience of booking a hotel and finding it to be deplorable when you arrive? This can put a damper on your vacation entirely. However, it doesn’t mean you should spend a small fortune on a four star hotel. For ways to find a great hotel for a reasonable price, continue reading.
Before booking your hotel room, look to online review sites for in depth reviews from recent travelers. Websites like TripAdvisor will give you some first-hand accounts of hotel experience from actual customers. Consider what they say to help you make your decision.
Use websites like Orbitz and Expedia for great prices. As you check your rates, don’t forget to include that you’re a loyalty program member. Don’t neglect to check for other discounts in which you may qualify, including AAA and AARP.
Check online for great hotel deals. Many times, the person you book your room with will not tell you that you can get a discount online. This leaves the job of finding discounts entirely up to you. Sites, such as Jetsetter, will let you know of any discounts available.
Know when check-in time is. People sometimes forget when they will be let into their rooms, showing up early only to learn that their room isn’t ready yet. Ask for an early check-in time if absolutely necessary.
Do not make the assumption that your pets are welcome at all hotels. Put a call into the front desk just to be sure, no matter what it says on their website. A hotel may be pet-friendly, but still has restrictions against certain breeds or animals. Find out ahead of time if your pet is acceptable.
Book any massage appointments you make early. Experience a truly special moment with a top masseur or masseuse by asking for your appointment well in advance.
If preserving the environment is of interest to you, you can chose a “green” vacation. There are several green hotels around. Newer hotels are sometimes built according to green standards. Older hotels might change practices to be more green. Request the help of the travel agent in identifying hotels that are environmentally friendly.
To get the most out of your hotel stays, particularly if you travel a great deal for business, join a membership program such as that offered by Choice Hotels or Marriott. These programs allow you to collect points that can be applied toward further travels.
To make reserving a hotel easy, use AAA. If you do a lot of traveling, the AAA membership can pay for itself, and you can also get deals on rental cars. It is definitely worth looking into.
Always avoid making long distance calls from your hotel room. Use your cell phone or the Internet. 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.
If you want to ensure happy kids while traveling, call the hotel ahead of time to check that the pools are open and in working order. It can prove rather frustrating when you check in to your room with the kids screaming “pool” only to find out it’s closed.
If you wish to see if a hotel room has bed bugs, check out the bathroom. Bedbugs are least likely to live here. When you determine there are not any in there, set your bags down and inspect the remainder of the premises. Kids and pets can safely wait there too.
Smoking Hotel
Inquire if the hotel is a non-smoking hotel. If you’re not a smoker, it may be wise to stay away from rooms that are for smoking. While it is possible to book a nonsmoking room, you can still be affected by the smoke from other areas. Sometimes a smoker will get a non smoking room and still smoke in it. If you don’t want to stink like a cigarette when you are leaving a non smoking hotel may be a good choice.
After reading this article, you will understand how to book an affordable hotel and enjoy your stay. You can easily find deals on hotels when you how how to look. All you have to do is remember the tips provided here.