Are you overwhelmed just thinking about choosing a hotel room? There are numerous choices available; how can you possible choose between them? Rest easy! Check out the tips below to make your next hotel stay amazing.
Check online hotel reviews prior to booking your stay. These provide you with first-hand information about people’s recent experiences at each hotel. Their opinions can help you decide whether or not a certain hotel is the right one for you.
Find great prices at online travel sites like Orbitz and Expedia. Always remember to give your loyalty program information to the clerk when you book your room or search for prices. You may also be able to get good discounts due to AAA or AARP membership.
Take advantage of the safe you have in your room, especially if you have electronics with you. You can put just about anything in there, as long as it isn’t too big, and you won’t have to worry about it.
Room service is great for late meals. It might cost a little extra, but it’s definitely worth the bill. Nothing is more enjoyable than having food delivered to your room while you’re in your PJ’s.
There are things to think about when choosing a hotel. Price is always a big factor, but you also need a hotel that’s geographically proximate to your target destinations. A pool, a gym, a restaurant, free breakfast, free local calls and free Wi-Fi are other amenities that may be important to you. Try to get a room that fits your needs, then start shopping by price.
Take advantage of search tools online. These kinds of websites allow you to locate great deals fast. They also list the average cost of a hotel room, allowing you to ensure you are receiving an acceptable deal. Finally, you can also use these to help you learn what there is to do when you get to your destination.
Inspect the room before unpacking. Is the room clean? Do you see any mold or mildew? Are the facilities operating correctly? Have the staff provided all the necessary soap, shampoo, towels, etc. that you will be needing? If there are any obvious problems, report them to the front desk immediately so that they can be taken care of or you can be moved to a different room.
When can you check in? If you don’t know when you can check in, you may find your room is not ready when you arrive at your hotel. If you anticipate arriving early, check with the hotel to find out if your room will be ready.
Know your check-in time in advance. Sometimes there are people that don’t know when the room will be ready and so they aren’t sure of what to do with the extra time they have since they can’t check in. If you anticipate arriving early, check with the hotel to find out if your room will be ready.
In order to get the best prices for hotel stays, you will want to plan your trip several weeks or months beforehand. Most hotels have serious discounts for early booking customers. You might even be able to save up to 50 percent off at some very exclusive hotels.
To benefit from the best prices at hotels, start planning your trips several weeks or even months in advance. There are quite a few hotels that will reward booking your room a few months in advance with nice discounts. You can save up to 50 percent, even on elite hotel chains.
If you are an AAA member, check into your membership hotel discount. You may not have known that, but it’s true. You can save upwards of 5% on your hotel stays. This can add up on a long trip.
Do not assume that each hotel welcomes pets. Call them ahead of time to see if they are even if the website they’re on says yes. Be sure you know what pet-friendly means because there could be specific restrictions on sizes or certain breeds of dogs.
How much you’re going to pay for your hotel room will depend on when your room is booked. The price is subject to the laws of supply and demand like any other product. When possible, you can often get a good price if you book a room at the very last minute. This will usually ensure that you receive the best available price. Empty rooms earn no money, so the hotels often slash the prices.
If you’d like to bring Fido on your next trip, you must make some advance plans. Make sure the hotel is actually pet-friendly. Gather plastic grocery bags so you are able to clean up any pet messes. Also, request a room away from other guests so that your pet does not bother them.
To keep from having an unwanted major expense on your hotel bill, ask about the cost of hotel transfers before booking them. Particularly if you are getting a discount, the fee associated with the transfer may be high. Be sure and inquire about this beforehand so that you get your savings.
If you are an avid jogger, a GPS watch is a great investment so you can always find your way back to your hotel. Also, don’t forget your exercise clothes! When you wake up in the morning, throw on your gear and head out for a morning jog. Running in a city allows you to see things other travelers miss.
If you wish to get a lot out of a hotel stay, especially if you’re traveling for your business, get a membership program and join it like what the Marriott or Choice Hotels offers. This way, when you stay at a hotel, you can get points and then turn those points into free stuff that you can do with your family.
If you often stay at the same hotel chain, check to see if they offer membership to frequent stay programs. 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.
Sign up as an AAA member to make hotel arrangements easier when you are traveling. Hotel and rental car discounts are available to AAA members. Parents with young children will appreciate the complimentary car set offered in some locations.
You may wish to consider a “green” vacation if the environment is one of your concerns. There are many hotels that feature green amenities. Many new hotels are constructed to meet green standards, earning green certification. Also, older hotels often make several changes to become eco-friendly. A good travel agent can help you find hotels that are environmentally friendly.
Call the hotel before you arrive to make sure the swimming pool is in working order. It can be extremely frustrating if you arrive at your hotel only to find out the pool is shut down for maintenance.
Inquire about hotel transfer costs before before booking. Particularly when the room price is a big deal, the hidden fee of transfer often can be the difference. Be sure and inquire about this beforehand so that you get your savings.
Make sure to ask up front if the hotel allows smoking or does not. If cigarette smoke bothers you, look for a hotel that doesn’t have smoking rooms. You can still get a room that’s non-smoking, but the smoke can flow in the air and get on all your clothes. Smokers don’t always respect the fact that the room they are renting is a non-smoking room. To avoid the experience of breathing in smoke during your stay, try to stay in a hotel that doesn’t allow smoking.
Avoid using the hotel phone to make long distance phone calls. Use the Internet, instead. Hotels usually have Wi-Fi, so you can call using Skype. You can stay connected with people back home by using this instead of making expensive long distance calls from your hotel phone.
Early Departure
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. There are few things as frustrating as showing up to a hotel, with your kids chomping at the bit to get in the pool, only to have it closed for repairs.
Do not check out early. This could result in a charge for early departure. Booking a hotel room means the hotel is going to take that specific room off of their market. If you wind up leaving early, then they’ll be losing money for every day that you don’t stay. Therefore, they have to make up for the loss by charging an early departure fee.
Determine what the policy on smoking is if you smoke. Certain hotels provide rooms that are specifically for people who smoke. If you smoke, you should make a specific reservation for this type of room. Certain hotels will charge you a steep fee if you get caught smoking in a room that is non-smoking. Be sure to follow the rules of the hotel.
You probably should avoid using the hotel’s bedspread for hygienic reasons. The top bedspread usually isn’t cleaned as often as the sheets or blankets underneath. For this reason, there’s no telling what might be on that bedspread. Remove the comforter from the bed.
It is not always possible to check-in early. Plan accordingly or you will find yourself waiting a long time to access your room. Before you can enjoy your room, hotels need to clean the room properly. If you do happen to arrive early, check with the desk to see if you can check in, but don’t expect that request to be honored.
Do not take the linens with you when you check out of the hotel. As much as you may like the towels, washcloths or pillows, housekeeping is likely to notice any missing items, and the hotel may send you a bill for them. However, you can ask the hotel if you can buy the linen from them directly for a much better price.
When reserving your room, be sure to ask for a roll-away bed or crib if you will be in need of these extra sleeping accommodations. Most hotels only have so many of these items to go around, and some hotels may not have any at all. Sometimes, there are also extra charges for items like these. You can always discuss the possibilities with the hotel clerk or manager on the phone before you book your room.
If you book your flight alongside your hotel, then you’ll get a much better bargain deal. It is not unusual for travel websites to provide large savings when a hotel is booked along with a rental car or a flight. You can make the most of this deal by comparing rates across several websites.
Don’t steal the hotel linens when you leave, no matter how tempting and comfortable they are. You may really like those towels, pillowcases and washcloths, but their absence will not go unnoticed. You will be billed for them. If you find you really like these items, then ask the hotel if you could purchase them instead.
Now that you have read this article, you have a good grasp on finding the right hotel. Take the time to research the situation and provide yourself with the time you need to make the right decision. Once you have the information you need on price and amenities, you will be well armed to select a great room for your stay.
You can get a cheaper price on a nice hotel if you book during their slow times of the year. Rooms typically cost the most during this time. Instead, try booking your rooms in the off season because hotels want to have as many rooms filled as possible. You can get a better rate during this time.
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