Ditch Expensive Travel Agents With This Hotel Advice

Do you need to book a hotel soon? Are you interested in receiving some helpful advice for locating an excellent hotel? If you are, then you have just stumbled upon the perfect article for you. This article has helpful information you need to know prior to booking a hotel stay.

Prior to choosing and reserving a hotel room, check review sites online like TripAdvisor or Expedia. This lets you know what others’ experiences have been like. These reviews can help you decide which hotel you should select.

TIP! Before you pick out your hotel you’re going to reserve a spot at, check out review sites online like TripAdvisor. These provide you with first-hand information about people’s recent experiences at each hotel.

Do some research on travel websites before you book any hotel. Reviews allow you to read about recent experiences at a hotel. This can help you choose which hotel to stay at.

Consider the benefits of any organization memberships you have. Some may offer discounts on hotels. It is easy to forget about the discounts. That can save a lot of money, especially if you are staying for multiple nights. After a week has gone by it will add up to a free night almost!

TIP! Find out if any organization to which you belong offers good discounts. Some of them may provide discounts on hotel stays.

Room service is great for late meals. This will cost you a little extra, but the convenience it provides is worth it.

Use online hotel search tools. 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. Not only will they show the best deals, but they’ll also include extra information about the rooms, floor plans, and even reviews from other customers. The websites can also help you decide the best time to take a trip and where you can eat, shop or sight-see.

TIP! Take advantage of online hotel searching tools. These websites can help you get great deals quickly.

Always check for online deals prior to booking your hotel room. Hotels don’t usually advertise their lowest rates, so you may have to ask. You will have to learn how to find these great discounts yourself. Look at Jetsetter, RueLaLaTravel or similar websites for discounts.

Make certain you know when your check-in time is. If you show up too early for check-in, then your room may not be ready for you yet. If you will be arriving before check-in, call the hotel in advance and see if you can check-in early.

TIP! Know when you are able to check in and get your room. If you show up too early for check-in, then your room may not be ready for you yet.

Inspect your room before unpacking your bags. It should be free of any mildew or mold. Are all bathroom fixtures in proper working order? Are all the towels you’ll need present in the room? If you spot any problems, make the front desk aware immediately so they can take care of it or move you to a room that meets your needs.

Use your AAA discount at hotels. You may be surprised that your auto club membership includes hotel discounts, but it does. It can save you 5% or more on hotels all around the nation. This really adds up when you are staying for many nights.

TIP! If you belong to AAA, see what kinds of discounts the hotel offers. It may come as a surprise to find that an auto club membership offers hotel discounts, but that is the case.

Make sure that you know the check-in time for the hotel that you book. People sometimes forget when they will be let into their rooms, showing up early only to learn that their room isn’t ready yet. 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.

If you stay in a particular hotel chain, ask about their membership program. Similar to frequent flyer programs, hotels have programs that add points on to your account each time you stay with them. They add up to free nights, discounts at hotel restaurants, show tickets, spa deals and a whole lot more.

TIP! If you tend to return to the same family of hotels for your vacation, consider joining their membership reward programs. Just like with a frequent flyer mile program, you can get points for staying a hotel.

Plan your trip in advance for the best rates. If you chose to book a month or even two ahead of your arrival date, you can get great discounts. You can save up to 50 percent, even on elite hotel chains.

Try out a green vacation. Luckily, you can choose from quite a few green hotels these days. Many newer hotels are environmentally friendly. Other older hotels will just provide green options for you. Talk to your travel agent about what you want to do and let them seek out a few appropriate hotels.

TIP! Think about going on a “green” vacation. Luckily, you can choose from quite a few green hotels these days.

Don’t think every hotel is pet-friendly. Call the hotel in advance to ensure the hotel is pet friendly. Also, ask what their definition of pet-friendly is, as there may still be restrictions on size or breed of pet allowed at the hotel.

In order to avoid an unwanted expense on the hotel bill, inquire about any hotel transfer fees prior to booking them. If you’re getting what appears to be a nice deal on the room, these types of hidden charges can sometimes surface. Getting this information ahead of time will maximize your savings.

TIP! To avoid major expenses on your final hotel bill, be sure to ask the sales representative about the price of hotel transfers first. Many times, rooms seem to be a good deal, but there are hidden fees for this service.

If you and a loved one are wanting to go to a hotel and get massages, it is important that you book the appointment way in advance. Frequently, the best massage people will be booked by name. This means that if you book early, you’ll have a better experience.

Join a loyalty program to get deals on your stays. By joining a membership program, you earn points during every visit. These points can add up to free items over time.

TIP! Joining certain clubs that let you accrue points can help you reap major benefits from your regular hotel stays. These points can translate into some major perks when you’re vacationing.

Use your AAA discount at hotels. You might be surprised to learn that your membership to the auto club also includes discounts on hotels. You may save 5% or even more on nationwide hotels. The savings can really add up nightly.

A membership in AAA can make booking a hotel easier when you travel. The discounts at many hotel chains and deals on car rentals can more than pay for the AAA membership fees. Parents can also often enjoy a free car seat that comes with some rentals.

TIP! Being a member of AAA makes travel very easy. The AAA membership fee is well worth the discounts offered by many chains, and renting a car will also be easier.

Do you travel on a periodic basis and use the same hotel chain? If so, check out the loyalty programs provided by that hotel. These programs provide perks to those who stay at a particular chain regularly. These programs can assure you niceties such as the best prices, room upgrades, and special perks such as free meals or late checkouts.

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. Although certain hotels that allow smoking will provide guests with non-smoking rooms, smoke will still be in the air. You may find that a smoker has been in your non-smoking room before you and ignored the rules. Think about staying at a hotel that is totally nonsmoking if you don’t want to stink when you check out.

TIP! Check to see if your prospective hotel is non-smoking or smoking. If you’re not a smoker, you might want to skip a smoking hotel.

Vacation “green” if you are worried about the environment. There are a lot of eco-friendly hotels out there. Many new hotels are constructed to meet green standards, earning green certification. Hotels that have been around for a while may employ a variety of eco-friendly practices. Your travel agent can help to identify the environmentally friendly hotels.

If you smoke, learn the smoking policy of the hotel where you are staying. Some have smoking rooms. If your selected hotel does, ask for one. If you smoke in one of the hotel’s non-smoking room, you can be charged hefty fees.

TIP! If you smoke, learn the smoking policy of the hotel where you are staying. Some have rooms for smokers.

The cost of your hotel room largely depends on the dates on which you plan to stay there. Rooms prices are based on their availability. Whenever you can, don’t book your hotel room until the last 24 hours. This will get you the very best rate on your hotel room. A room that’s empty won’t help the hotel, so generally they will get the price lowered.

Be aware that you can’t normally check-in early at your hotel. Make your plans accordingly if you do not want to spend hours waiting in the lobby. Hotels need this time to clean and prepare your room. If you arrive earlier than your check-in time, you can always ask the front desk and see if they can let you in.

TIP! It’s not often possible to check in to a hotel room early. Plan your trip right or you might end up waiting in a hotel lobby.

Research is a must before you book a hotel room. The information you got here is going to help you a lot when you need a hotel room. Use the tips wisely and enjoy your trip!

If you are going to need a rollaway or crib, ask for this when making your reservation. Hotels don’t typically have a lot of these, so be sure to ask in advance. Also, you may face extra charges for the use of these items. You should discuss this with the hotel agent prior to booking so that you do not have an unexpected charge to your bill.

TIP! If you will be in need of a roll-away bed or a crib, be sure to let the hotel management know in advance. Your hotel may not have these things or may have only a few, so it is smart to reserve in advance.