There are countless hotels across the country, ranging from small, outdated shabby motels by the road to luxurious five-star establishments. Staying in a nice hotel can make your trip nice, and a bad one may ruin your trip. If you wish to get a great hotel, read this advice.
Before booking your hotel room, look to online review sites for in depth reviews from recent travelers. These types of sites let you read about real customers’ experiences with each hotel. The information provided by patrons of the hotel will help you make a good choice of where to stay.
Make sure you check out online review websites prior to making a reservation for a hotel. Here you can get first-hand reports of the experience people had staying at different hotels. What people say about their experiences at the hotels you’re thinking of booking can aid you in coming to the right decision.
Be sure to keep your valuables and electronics secure by locking them in your hotel room’s safe. You can use it to store your tablet and other expensive items to keep them secure.
Use travel websites, like Expedia and Priceline to find great hotel deals. If you are a member of a loyalty program, use that info when checking rates. Additionally, there may be other price breaks for you through various organizations, like AAA or other exclusive clubs.
Figuring out which hotel you want to book isn’t an easy process. Your budget comes first, but proximity to attractions is also important. Other amenities that people look for are a gym, pool, free local phone calls, free Wi-Fi, and free breakfast. Choose a hotel that meets all of your needs.
Room service can be a great way to have a private, comfortable meal. Although you will probably have to spend more money to do this, it’s usually worth the cost because you have the luxury of receiving excellent food without having to leave your hotel room.
Use online search tools for hotels. Any of those types of sites will help you get a great discount. They display the average rates of hotels so that you can see if the deal you are getting is good. They might even offer some decent entertainment venues that you should experience while you’re in the local area.
Make use of the various hotel search websites on the Internet. There are a lot of websites that have great deals and other useful tools to help you comparison shop to find the right hotel at the right price. They also list the average cost of a hotel room, allowing you to ensure you are receiving an acceptable deal. You can also find out about local amenities and things offered by the hotels.
Never book a hotel room before seeking out online deals. A lot of the time, when you book a room with someone, they’ll tell you there aren’t any online discounts. That’s why doing a bit of research pays off, so you are aware of discounts and specials. RueLaLaTravel, SniqueAway and Jetsetter are all good Internet sites to check with.
Before you book a hotel, look for deals online. It’s not uncommon for a hotel employee to not mention to you that it is possible to receive a great discount online. This is why you should look for discounts yourself. Look at Jetsetter, Enrovia and Hotels.com.
You should always start planning any serious trip months or weeks ahead of time. This will help you book early and get the best prices. If you can book a couple of months early, a lot of locations will give you a steeper discount. You may find yourself saving as much as half off of the room’s typical rates.
Ask when you’re able to check into the room. Some people end up waiting for their room to be available because they forget to check this critical detail. If you can’t help your arrival time being early, you can ask for an early check-in but it might cost a bit extra.
Think about these three things if you plan to bring a pet with you during your hotel stay. Ascertain that your hotel is really pet friendly. Be sure to have plenty of plastic bags on hand to make pet cleanup easy. You should also see if you can get a room near the end part of the hallway to make sure other guests don’t have to put up with pet noise.
Don’t make assumptions about pet policies of hotels. Even if a web listing says a hotel is pet friendly, call the hotel to verify. Also, find out if there are any size or breed restrictions.
If you want to book a good couples massage, you should not wait until the last minute. Often the best masseurs and masseuses at top resorts are booked by name, so if you do your planning early, you can make your experience sublime.
If you plan on taking a family pet with you to a hotel reservation, do three things in advance. First, ensure that the hotel actually allows pets. Make sure you have some plastic bags to get rid of pet messes. When you make a reservation you should see if you can stay near the back of the hallway to keep other guests away from your pets when they are making noises.
If you are a person who travels often, it is a good idea to sign up for hotel loyalty programs. There are many benefits you may be able to get. There are many great rewards even leading up to free stays as you gather up more loyalty points.
For members of AAA, hotels offer discounts that are exclusive to members. You could also get a surprise that you have an auto club membership that gives you hotel discounts. It’s possible you could save 5 percent or higher on hotels across the United States. These savings really add up.
The price of a hotel room is often a mix of many factors. Rooms are priced based on availability. If possible, try to book your room 24 hours or less in advance. You’ll end up with a great deal this way. Hotels are often happy to slash prices on impending vacancies since they will get nothing if they can’t book the room.
If you run regularly, continue your routine when traveling by bringing running clothes and your GPS. When you wake up in the morning, throw on your gear and head out for a morning jog. Running down city streets or country roads can give you a fresh view of the place you are visiting.
Don’t call long distance in your hotel room. Use the Internet, instead. The hotel may even offer Skype calls via Wi-Fi. You can stay connected with people back home by using this instead of making expensive long distance calls from your hotel phone.
To keep from having an unwanted major expense on your hotel bill, ask about the cost of hotel transfers before booking them. Particularly when the room price is a big deal, the hidden fee of transfer often can be the difference. If you know this upfront, you can save more money.
When traveling with children, check with the hotel ahead of time to ascertain that the pool is usable. It will be a huge disappointment if you arrive at the hotel with the kids ready to swim and they are not able to do so.
To get optimal value from a hotel stay, especially if you find yourself traveling a lot for your business, sign up for membership programs such as those offered by Marriott or Choice Hotels. When you do, you get points every time you stay at a hotel.
If you’re a smoker, then make sure you get a hotel with a smoking room. If you’re not a smoker, you might want to skip a smoking hotel. Even if you stipulate that your room should be non-smoking, second hand smoke can still enter your room. Smokers also sometimes smoke in rooms that you are not supposed to smoke in. Choose a non-smoking hotel to a smoke smell on your clothes.
Steer clear of long distance calls while in a hotel. Use the Internet, instead. A lot of hotels offer wi-fi, making it possible for you to use Skype. This saves you a ton of money.
Be sure you understand your hotel’s smoking policy if you smoke. Some hotels offer smoking rooms. Ask to see if any of these are available. Some hotels charge large penalties if they find that smoking occured in a room not designated for it, so make sure you follow the hotel’s smoking rules.
Smoking Rooms
Always find out the pet policy at any hotel you stay at. When you are scared of animals or allergic, you won’t want to stay at pet-friendly hotels. They may have a hidden smell that the hotel tries to mask with a strong fragrance, which is also an irritant. Some hotels charge a nominal fee for pets, while others charge substantially more. The fee charged may not be adequate to cover the extra cleaning needed to completely remove the odors.
See if the hotel is non-smoking or smoking. If you are not a smoker, you might want to choose a hotel that does not have smoking rooms. Although certain hotels that allow smoking will provide guests with non-smoking rooms, smoke will still be in the air. Smokers often don’t care that their room is non-smoking, too. If you don’t want to smell like cigarettes after leaving your hotel room, you might want to look for a non-smoking hotel.
Don’t use the hotel bedspread if you can avoid it. Hotel sheets are laundered daily; however, bedspreads are not. This might mean the bedspread is carrying bacteria, germs, or bedbugs. Take the bedspread off of the bed.
It is not always possible to check-in early. Therefore, don’t show up hours in advance, or you may be sitting around waiting for a while. The hotel must clean each room prior to the next visitor taking it. Check with the front desk if you arrive early, but do not be angry if they can’t get you in early.
Resist the temptation to indulge in your hotel’s bottled water! You are very likely to be tired and thirsty when finally arriving to a hotel. It is tempting to simply grab that refreshing bottle of water conveniently available in the mini-fridge. Hotels are well aware of this and will charge you a hefty fee for that already exorbitantly priced bottled water. Sometimes you can get a free water bottle in the hotel gym. Or better yet, bring your own bottled water.
Most folks don’t do their research when they need to book a hotel. So do the few minutes of research to ensure you get a hotel that makes your trip an enjoyable experience. Everyone hates staying in bad hotels; therefore, make use of the great tips provided above in order to prevent you from booking an awful hotel.
Do not give in to the temptation to run off with hotel towels or sheets. It seems like a common thing people try to get away with, but the hotel will know when you do this and may charge you later for the missing items. It’s better to ask the hotel management if you can buy new ones of your own.
