With hotels offering such a wide range of amenities, prices and locations, making a choice can be daunting. Therefore, it is crucial that you do some research in advance. Know your price range and what amenities are essential before you begin your search for a hotel room. Continue reading to find these and other great tips about booking a hotel and making your stay pleasant.
Look for a closet safe in your hotel room, and use it for any expensive electronics you may have brought with you. Valuables can be placed there with confidence, allowing you to enjoy your day without worries.
Before booking your hotel room, look to online review sites for in depth reviews from recent travelers. Reviews allow you to read about recent experiences at a hotel. What others say will help you make a wise decision.
Find out if any organization to which you belong offers good discounts. Some organizations will receive discounts for different reasons from different hotels. You may save ten percent or more. You end up with an even bigger savings if your hotel stay is going to be for multiple nights. This adds up to a night’s stay that is almost free.
Use travel websites to find the most competitive prices for hotel chains online. If you have a hotel loyalty program your a part of, be sure you enter this information while looking through rates. You might also have other discounts from a membership in the AARP or AAA.
Take advantage of online hotel searching tools. These sites allow you to find great deals quickly. Hotel search websites also let you see the regular rates of hotels, so you can compare and see whether a supposed deal is really a good one. Finally, they can also help you figure out when you want to go on your vacation and what you want to do there.
Consider the benefits of any organization memberships you have. Some may offer discounts on hotels. Some of these discounts can be pretty substantial, but many people don’t take advantage of them. On a multiple night stay, these savings can really add up. This can also net you a free hotel night.
Inspect the room before unpacking. It should be free of any mildew or mold. Are all bathroom fixtures in proper working order? Do you have all the towels and linens you need? If you have any questions or notice any problems with the room, immediately call the front desk and report them so that they may be handled. You may also asked to be transferred to a new room if the problem is serious, such as mold or mildew.
Check out your room ahead of unpacking. Is the room clean and free from mildew or mold? Does everything work? Have the staff provided all the necessary soap, shampoo, towels, etc. that you will be needing? If any issues are immediately prevalent, call the front desk that instant so they can address them or move you to another room.
In order to get the best hotel deals, always plan your trips weeks ahead of schedule, or even a few months. Many locations offer discounts if you are willing to book more than a month or two ahead of time. You may save 50 percent or more.
If you want to find the absolute rock bottom hotel prices, plan your trips weeks or months ahead of time. Many locations offer discounts if you are willing to book more than a month or two ahead of time. That saves you 50 percent or more frequently!
If you want to work on saving the environment, a green vacation is something to look into. Fortunately, many green hotels exist nowadays. Newer hotels are often certified green and designed and built using green standards. Older hotels may choose to take “green” standards seriously, which is a great thing. Finding hotels that are environmentally friendly can be as easy as asking your favorite travel agent.
Be sure to consult AAA to help you make excellent plans for your entire vacation. Many people are surprised to see hotel discounts included with their auto club membership. You may be able to save upwards of five percent at hotels nationwide. The savings can really add up nightly.
The cost of your hotel will vary depending on when you make your reservation. Availability is one factor that plays a part in cost. Try booking your hotel room within 24 hours of your stay. This will get you the best hotel rates. Hotels don’t earn money on empty rooms, so they are often willing to reduce the price.
If you are a runner, be sure to bring your running clothes and shoes. Get up early and dress for a jog in the early morning. It will give you a perspective that you’ll never get while riding in a car.
To make sure you don’t have an unexpected expense, ask about how much hotel transfers will cost. If you’re getting what appears to be a nice deal on the room, these types of hidden charges can sometimes surface. You should inquire about this before booking the hotel room.
If you are always staying at the same chain, find out about the programs they offer to frequent guests. Just like with a frequent flyer mile program, you can get points for staying a hotel. Use them for discounts, entertainment tickets and other things.
Never use the hotel phone for long distance calls. Use the Internet, instead. A lot of hotels have free Wi-Fi that you can use to connect with people. In this way, you can stay in touch with friends, relations and colleagues without racking up a big phone bill.
Think about going on a “green” vacation. Many hotels offer environmentally friendly standards today. Certain hotels provide green rooms, and in fact, some are even certified as green hotels. Hotels that have been around for a while may employ a variety of eco-friendly practices. Check online or ask a travel agent for help.
To keep the kids in your family happy when you are on the road, call ahead and make sure that the pools in each hotel are in working order. There is nothing worse than getting to a hotel with kids to find the pool is closed.
How much your hotel room will cost depends largely on the time you book. The prices are based partly on availability. If at all possible, do not book your room more than one day in advance. Doing so will ensure you get the best possible price on a hotel room. Hotels don’t like to have vacancies so they often provide better prices.
Before making a hotel reservation, learn the hotel’s policy on smoking. If you’re someone who doesn’t like cigarette smoke, you may want to find a different hotel. While you can book a non-smoking room, smoke can infiltrate your room and settle into your clothing. Sometimes a smoker will get a non smoking room and still smoke in it. Choose a non-smoking hotel to a smoke smell on your clothes.
Sign up for AAA to ensure easier hotel arrangements when traveling. The discounts at many hotel chains and deals on car rentals can more than pay for the AAA membership fees. If you are a parent of a young child, you may even be provided with a free car seat.
If you smoke, be aware of the hotel policy with regard to smoking. There are sometimes rooms designated for people who smoke. If the hotel has one, ask for this kind of room. There are hotels that will charge you quite a bit if they find out that you were lighting up in the room that wasn’t for smoking. This is why you should stick to the rules.
Check with the hotel to make sure the pools are ready to go if you are traveling with children. Nothing is more frustrating than to have kids nagging you about swimming, only to find that the pool is closed.
Always review the policy of whether or not the hotel allows pets. If you dislike or are allergic to pets, you should avoid hotels allowing them. These hotels could have weird odors because of smells getting into the linens and the floor. While some hotels charge fees for pets, they don’t always charge a lot. It does take extra effort and expense to take care of pets issues and some hotels do not take the time necessary.
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. You can leave your bags there while you investigate the remainder of the room for bedbugs. Have kids and/or pets wait for you in the bathroom while you look around.
It is usually not possible to check into your hotel early. So, you may have to sit for a while in the lobby or find a way to occupy yourself until checking in if you are going to be arriving early. Usually, hotels have your room cleaned prior to check-in time. You can inquire about checking in early, but do not expect that you’re going to be able to do it.
Understand the smoking rules in your hotel, especially if you smoke. Many hotels set aside certain rooms or wings for smoking guests. If this is the case, then you shouldn’t be shy when asking for this type of room. Some hotels charge a hefty penalty if they find any evidence that you were smoking in a non-smoking room, so be sure to adhere to the hotel’s rules with regard to smoking.
If possible, don’t check out earlier than intended. If you do, then you could be charged an extra departure fee for early checkout. Whenever you reserve a room, it isn’t available to anyone else and the hotel will lose money if you cancel. That is why you are charged a fee.
Checking in early may not be available. Plan your trip right or you might end up waiting in a hotel lobby. The room needs to be cleaned after the last guest leaves. You can see if your room is ready should you arrive early. However, do not count on it.
You may wish to use a different blanket than the comforter that is in your hotel room. Most hotels only wash the sheets on the bed; however, the bedspread is normally not washed. This bedspread could be a source of germs. Remove it from the bed before you use it.
As this article has shown, it’s quite easy to find a good hotel for a good price. Next time you need a hotel, look again to the suggestions found here. You are sure to find a good deal on a comfortable hotel.
If a hotel tries to “walk” you, know what your rights are. Occasionally, a hotel overbooks and your booked room is unavailable. This means that they will direct you to another hotel. Avoid this if possible, but if must go to another hotel, make sure you get a comparable or better room and the travel to there paid for.
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