Sooner or later, you’re going to find yourself in need of a decent hotel room. Whether you want to stay in a hotel for business or personal reasons, you need to know what you’re looking for in one. These tips should give you a better understanding of what to look for when shopping for a hotel.
To help you make a good choice, you should check out hotel review websites like TripAdvisor online. Websites like TripAdvisor will give you some first-hand accounts of hotel experience from actual customers. Find out what actual customers say about the hotel and it can help you avoid a costly mistake.
When checking for good prices at hotels, refer to online travel sites like Orbitz and Expedia. If you are a member of a particular hotel’s loyalty program, remember to include that information when you are checking on rates. You might also have other discounts from a membership in the AARP or AAA.
Make use of the room safe to ensure the safety of your electronics when you are not in your room. You can place your costly items that are small into their safe, and then you won’t have to worry about these things as you go out.
Check with any membership programs for deals. Many of them offer hotel discounts to members. People don’t always remember to check out these discounts, which can often be 10% and higher. On a multiple night stay, these savings can really add up. This can rack up a free night over the entire course of a whole week.
There are tons of online search tools that help customers find satisfactory rates they can’t find elsewhere. Any of those types of sites will help you get a great discount. They also list the average cost of a hotel room, allowing you to ensure you are receiving an acceptable deal. These travel sites also list activities available in your area.
To get the best prices on hotel rooms, start your trip planning weeks, or even longer in advance. Quite a few locations will give discounts if you choose to book a room a month or more in advance. You can expect savings up to fifty percent if you book months in advance.
If you’re thinking of taking your pet to a hotel with you, there are some things you need to do first. Make sure it’s a pet-friendly hotel. In addition, you will need numerous plastic bags and cleaning supplies so that you can make sure you clean up any messes your pet makes. When making your reservation, ask for a room at the end of the hall to spare other guests your pet noise.
For members of AAA, hotels offer discounts that are exclusive to members. It may come as a surprise to find that an auto club membership offers hotel discounts, but that is the case. You can save 5%, 10% or more at quality hotels throughout the country. The savings can really add up nightly.
People who care about the environment may be more comfortable staying in a hotel that is eco-friendly. There are many hotels that feature green amenities. Some of the newer hotels were built with green standards in mind. Eco-friendly strategies are also now commonly adopted by many older hotels. You can ask a travel agent to pinpoint eco-friendly hotels, thus making sure your vacation doesn’t hurt the environment.
The amount you pay for the hotel room is determined by when you book it. Rooms are priced based on availability. Whenever you can, maker your room reservation no more than a day ahead of time. A late booking when the hotel is slow often results in a bargain. Hotels don’t like to have vacancies so they often provide better prices.
Making a long distance call from a hotel room should be avoided. Use the Internet, instead. You will probably find that your hotel has Wi-Fi and Skype. Use these connections to keep in touch instead of costly long distance calls.
Your children will be happy when you call the hotel to make sure their pool is open and working. 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.
See if the hotel is non-smoking or smoking. If you are a nonsmoker, you may want to avoid hotels that offer smoking rooms. Nonetheless, if there are smokers in the hotel, you may have problems with odors. It is not unheard of for those who smoke to stay in non-smoking rooms and proceed to smoke. If you want to avoid smelling like cigarettes when you leave, you may wish to consider a non-smoking hotel.
As you have already read, everyone will eventually need to stay at a hotel. Whether you are staying for business or pleasure, it’s important you do your homework. Use the tips you learn here and do a more research at specific hotel sites. Getting the right room can make your travel plans more enjoyable.