The Skinny On Choosing The Best Hotels

Have you heard others mention they didn’t like a hotel room they stayed in and it affected their vacation? The place you stay make a difference in your experience. You probably would like an affordable place with excellent service. The below article contains helpful advice on how to pick the best hotel room.

Prior to booking a hotel, refer to TripAdvisor and similar online travel review sites. Websites like TripAdvisor will give you some first-hand accounts of hotel experience from actual customers. Patron reviews can give you valuable information that will help you make a good choice.

TIP! Before you make reservations at a particular hotel, check its reviews on websites like TripAdvisor. These reviews can give you a customer’s perspective of the hotel you are planning on staying at.

There are plenty of websites that offer reviews for local hotels, for example TripAdvisor. Use these websites to review a hotel before you make the actual reservation. Online review websites will allow you to see previous guests’ experiences at the hotels you are considering. This can help you choose which hotel to stay at.

Use your hotel room’s safe to keep your valuables secure. Your small electronic devices can be left in the safe when you are out, so you will not have to worry about them.

TIP! Keep your electronics secure by using the hotel safe located in your hotel room. Anything of value can be securely locked in the safe, then you won’t have to worry about your valuables while out enjoying yourself for the day.

When checking for good prices at hotels, refer to online travel sites like Orbitz and Expedia. Join the loyalty program for any hotel chain that you love and believe you’ll stay with often. You may also qualify for discounts from other organizations you belong to such as AAA or AARP.

When picking a hotel, there is a lot to think about. Price is one consideration, but you may also want a hotel that is close to a certain destination. Amenities that help you choose a hotel are free breakfast, free Wi-Fi, exercise room, pool, and a restaurant on the premises. Look for a hotel that provides you with the amenities that are a priority to you.

TIP! You want to look at a number of different things when booking a hotel stay. Of course price is a big deal, but a hotel close to where you are head is a big consideration.

Use your hotel room’s safe to keep your valuables secure. 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.

Verify the check-in time at the hotel. If you don’t know you may end up waiting a long time. If you will be arriving before check-in, call the hotel in advance and see if you can check-in early.

TIP! Be aware of when you can check into your room. Many people show up before check-in time only to find out their room isn’t ready.

Look at organizations you’re part of for discounts. Some may offer discounts on hotels. The discounts could be 10% or even higher! This can add up to big savings, even more so if you will be staying for many nights. Over the course of a week it’s nearly a free night!

Don’t think every hotel is pet-friendly. Put a call into the front desk just to be sure, no matter what it says on their website. Make sure that you ask ahead what pet-friendly means to the hotel because this is a loose term that may still mean there are certain restrictions.

TIP! Don’t make assumptions about pet policies of hotels. Even if the website says they are pet-friendly, always call in advance to verify.

When can you check in? If you don’t know you may end up waiting a long time. If you find you will be arriving early, call the hotel in advance and find out if you will be allowed in.

Think about these three things if you plan to bring a pet with you during your hotel stay. Be sure that this hotel will be friendly to pets. In addition, take along some plastic bags to pick up your pet’s mess. See if you can stay in a room toward the end of a hall so your pet does not disturb guests.

TIP! If you want to take your pet along on a trip, take care of three tasks before you leave. First, find out if the hotel allows pets.

To make sure that you get a couple’s massage when you’re staying somewhere, get your appointment booked as early as you are able to. In order to get the best masseurs at these top hotels, you must plan early to ensure that you get a good experience.

If you want to keep up your running regimen on the road, make sure that your packing list includes lots of running clothes and a GPS watch. If you want to jog early in the morning, don your gear and then go for it. Whether you are running on roads or city streets, you will gain more knowledge about the city you are visiting while you run.

TIP! If you want to keep up the running regimen you have while traveling you should get your GPS watch packed with some running clothes. When you wake up in the morning, throw on your gear and head out for a morning jog.

See if you can get a hotel discount through AAA if you are a member. Did you know that this membership entitles you to hotel discounts? You could save 5% or even 10% on some rooms. Over multiple nights, that five percent will really add up.

The timing for your booking of a hotel room has much to do with what you pay. Rooms are priced based on availability. If you can, make your room reservations only a day in advance. In this way, you will get good rates. A room that’s empty won’t help the hotel, so generally they will get the price lowered.

TIP! How much you pay for a hotel room depends on when you book your room. Rooms in hotels are often priced based on their availability.

Offer Membership

Join the hotel’s membership program if you frequently stay there on business trips. When you do, you get points every time you stay at a hotel.

TIP! 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. The more points you get, the more free stays you can use for vacations.

If you often stay at the same hotel chain, check to see if they offer membership to frequent stay programs. Many hotels offer membership programs that allow you to earn points for each of your stays. Use them for discounts, entertainment tickets and other things.

Sign up as an AAA member to make hotel arrangements easier when you are traveling. AAA offers their members good discounts on hotels, car rental and other aspects of travel. In addition, free car seats are usually provided, which parents are certain to enjoy.

TIP! Sign up for AAA if you wish to get better hotel arrangements while you travel. People who are AAA members receive discounts at many hotel chains.

The price for any give hotel room is going to affected by how early you book the room. The price of a hotel room varies with availability. Try booking your hotel room within 24 hours of your stay. This will get you the very best rate on your hotel room. Empty rooms don’t earn a hotel any money, so they are willing to slash the price.

Try not to make any long-distance calls from your hotel room. Rather, use a web tool. Many hotels now offer Skype connections via Wi-Fi. Use these to keep up with loved ones or colleagues back home from the comfort of your hotel room instead of racking up costly phone calls from the nightstand.

TIP! Don’t make long distance calls on your hotel phone. Try using the Internet instead to stay in touch.

Discuss what a hotel transfer will cost you prior to actually booking anything. This is especially important if you run across an unbelievable deal. Be sure and inquire about this beforehand so that you get your savings.

When you look for bed bugs, start in the bathroom. Bedbugs are rarely seen in this room. That means you can store your luggage here as you inspect. It can be a temporary haven for children and pets.

TIP! If you wish to see if a hotel room has bed bugs, check out the bathroom. Bedbugs usually won’t stay here.

Membership Programs

Make sure to ask up front if the hotel you’ll be staying in allows smoking or does not. If you’re someone who doesn’t like cigarette smoke, you may want to find a different hotel. You may be able to get a non smoking rooms still, but you can get smoke in the air which will stick to you. Smokers often don’t care that their room is non-smoking, too. Too avoid exposure to the smell of cigarette smoke, it may be best to stay at a non-smoking hotel.

TIP! Before making a hotel reservation, learn the hotel’s policy on smoking. If you are a nonsmoker, you may want to avoid hotels that offer smoking rooms.

In order to enhance your hotel visits, especially when traveling for work, you should consider joining membership programs that hotels provide. Examples include membership programs provided by Marriott or Choice Hotels. This allows you to earn points each time you book a room. You can use these points to purchase perks in the future.

If you’re going to need to get a crib or a rollaway, you need to let the people at the hotel know before you arrive. Most hotels will supply these items on request, but they do have a limited supply. Additionally, there may be an extra fee for these items. Therefore, when booking a hotel room, make sure you ask about these things so that you are prepared.

TIP! When making your reservation, make sure to specify if you need a rollaway or a crib. Not every hotel offers these items, and the ones that do only have limited quantities.

Inspect your room for bed bugs, starting with the bathroom. You probably won’t find any bedbugs in the bathroom. It makes a safe place to keep your luggage when looking for bedbugs elsewhere in the room. Not to mention a great place for your children and pets too.

Be aware of your options in case a hotel “walks” you. Hotels sometimes over-book, and this can leave you without a room. In such cases, the hotel “walks” you, or sends you to another hotel. Getting there early can usually prevent this, but if you do get “walked,” make sure your accommodations are not being downgraded in any way.

TIP! When your hotel attempts to “walk” you, don’t stand for it! You might find that a room you booked isn’t available when you arrive because they overbooked. In this case the hotel has to send you to a different hotel.

You can find quality accommodations on the cheap if you know where to look. This article should help you locate bargain hotel rooms that don’t suffer a loss of quality. This doesn’t necessarily have to mean expensive, either. Keep in mind all that you learned here and you will reserve a great room at an affordable hotel.

Do not drink the bottled water in your room. You may be thirsty and tired when you arrive. The bottled water inside the mini fridge may tempt you. Hotels are aware of this fact, and that bottle will be much more expensive than a bottle anywhere else. Sometimes the gym at the hotel will provide free bottled water. Or, to be sure you save money, you can just pack a few water bottles from home.

TIP! Do not open the bottled water in your hotel room. Sure, you’re thirsty and hot.