Getting The Most From Your Hotel Stay – Some Tips For Travelers

You need to pack your luggage and arrange for a flight. Read on for tips that will help you out.

To help you make a good choice, you should check out hotel review websites like TripAdvisor online. These reviews can give you a customer’s perspective of the hotel you are planning on staying at. What people say about a hotel can help you figure out where you should be staying.

TIP! Be sure to read online review websites prior to booking a hotel. These sites will allow you to see previous guests’ experiences at the hotels you are considering.

Check online hotel reviews before booking your stay. These will give you read about real customers’ experiences with each hotel. What others say about their experiences at the hotels you’re thinking of booking can aid you make a wise decision.

Be sure to put all valuables, such as jewelry and electronics, in the hotel safe. You can put your iPad, GPS watch, and other small, costly items into the safe, and then head out for the day with peace of mind about their security.

TIP! Use the closet safe to protect your electronics. You can put your iPad, GPS watch, and other small, costly items into the safe, and then head out for the day with peace of mind about their security.

Use websites like Orbitz and Expedia to find a great prices. If you have a hotel loyalty program your a part of, make sure you input that data when checking out rates. You may also be eligible for other discounts through any memberships you have with organizations such as AAA or AARP.

Make sure you check with any organizations of which you are a member. Some of them may provide discounts on hotel stays. People often forget about these discounts, which can be 10% or more. This can result in significant savings, especially for longer stays. After a week has gone by it will add up to a free night almost!

TIP! Check with any membership programs for deals. There are times when an organization will give you great deals on the price of hotels.

Take advantage of online hotel searching for a hotel. These websites can help you quickly find great deals quickly.

Make use of online tools to find a hotel. These websites will help you find good deals quickly. In addition, these websites will provide a comparison of different hotel prices, which will allow you to find the best possible deals. They can also give you information on nearby attractions, too.

TIP! Take advantage of search tools online. Use these websites to your advantage! They display the average rates of hotels so that you can see if the deal you are getting is good.

Always look for online deals prior to booking your hotel room. This is why you should always do your research well online to find these discounts. Check out websites like SniqueAway, RueLaLaTravel, and SniqueAway.

When get to your hotel, inspect the room before unpacking. Is it clean? Do the sink, shower and toilet work properly? Is the room adequately stocked with towels and linens? If any issues are immediately prevalent, call the front desk that instant so they can address them or move you to another room.

TIP! When you arrive at your hotel, thoroughly check your room previous to unpacking. Is the room clean? Do you see any mold or mildew? Check the shower, toilet and sink to ensure they work properly.

Never make the assumption that all hotels are pet-friendly.

Be aware in advance of the check-in time. You don’t want to arrive early only to find out your room isn’t ready yet. Therefore, if you anticipate arriving early, call the hotel in advance and see if it is possible to check in early.

TIP! Part of trip planning is knowing what time check-in is at your hotel. If you don’t know when you can check in, you may find your room is not ready when you arrive at your hotel.

There are some things you should do before taking your pet on a trip. Be sure that the hotel will be friendly to pets.Be sure to have plenty of plastic bags with you so you can pick up your pet’s waste.

Plan your trip as far in advance as you can to ensure best rates. You can get some great discounts if your trip is booked several months into the future. Even high end hotels can offer you a substantial savings this way.

TIP! For the best hotel rates, plan your trip weeks or months ahead of time. Many hotels offer the best discounts if you book a few months in advance.

Book your appointment as early as possible. The best massage therapists are usually booked up for months ahead of time, so make your reservation early and book by name where possible.

Always see if your AAA membership can get you a discount on the hotel you intend to stay at. You would be surprised where hidden discounts may be lurking. You may save 5% or even more on nationwide hotels. This can add up in time!

TIP! Are you a AAA member? If so, hotels may provide you a discount. It may surprise you that AAA gives hotel discounts, but most of them do.

It may be wise to join a hotel loyalty programs that your favorite hotels offer.There are some great benefits you may be able to get.You can often earn free upgrades, late checkout time, or other great perks.

To keep from having an unwanted major expense on your hotel bill, ask about the cost of hotel transfers before booking them. If the rooms are cheap, the transfer could ruin the deal. Getting this information ahead of time will maximize your savings.

TIP! If you must make a hotel transfer, find out about the fees. Hotel transfer costs can be extremely large, especially in hotels that appear to offer an incredible deal on their room rates.

If you stay at the same hotels all the time, check to see if they offer membership to frequent stay programs. These programs give you rack up points. These points can be traded in for restaurant discounts, tickets to shows, spa deals and much, and much more.

Steer clear of long distance calls while in a hotel. If you don’t have a cell phone or the Internet, buy a calling card to keep with you during your trip. Some hotels now provide Skype via Wi-Fi. Use these connections to keep in touch instead of costly long distance calls.

TIP! Try not to make long distance calls from your hotel room. If you don’t have a cell phone or the Internet, buy a calling card to keep with you during your trip.

Be sure to avoid hotel transfers when booking a room.If you’re getting what appears to be a nice deal on the room, the transfer could ruin the deal. Asking about this ahead of time helps you maximize your overall savings.

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. If you arrive at your hotel and the pool is closed, your kids will be very disappointed.

TIP! If you are traveling with children, be sure the hotels you book have clean swimming pools that are up and running. Your kids and you will be very frustrated if the pool at your hotel is closed because of repairs when you arrive.

Get a AAA membership for hotel when you travel. Parents with young children will probably like the complimentary car set offered in some locations.

Is your room non-smoking or not? If you are not a smoker, you probably want to avoid staying in a smoking room. The smoke flows through the hotel and can stick to you. There are times when smokers light up in a non-smoking room. Instead of choosing a non-smoking room, you can actually find an entire non-smoking hotel if you really want to avoid nasty, secondhand smoke.

TIP! See if the hotel is non-smoking or smoking. If you are a nonsmoker, you may want to avoid hotels that offer smoking rooms.

Start by inspecting the bathroom if you need to make sure there are no bed bugs. This is the least likely to be. It is usually a good place for young children to wait for a couple minutes as well.

Some people choose not to use the bedspreads provided by the hotel staff for hygienic reasons. Although hotels will wash the sheets that lie underneath the bedspread, the bedspread itself is not typically washed. The bedspread can be laden with germs. Simply remove it from your bed.

TIP! For hygienic reasons, it might be best to avoid the provided bedspread in your room. Although the blankets and sheets are cleaned when guests check out, sometimes the bedspread on top will not be.

Check if your prospective hotel you’re looking to stay at is non-smoking or smoking. If you’re someone who doesn’t like cigarette smoke, then you should probably stay away from hotels that allow smoking. Smokers also sometimes smoke in rooms that the room they are not supposed to smoke in.

Be aware of your rights in the event that a hotel attempts to “walk” you. Occasionally, a hotel overbooks and your booked room is unavailable. As a result, hotels will attempt to escort you to another hotel. Try to avoid this scenario if you can, but if it becomes necessary to secure alternate accommodations, be sure that the room is at least comparable to the one at the hotel you booked, and get compensation for your travel expenses.

TIP! Be aware of your options in case a hotel “walks” you. Hotels routinely overbook, which means that you could find that there is no room available for you when you arrive at the hotel.

Find out what the hotel handles pets. These hotels might also suffer from odors sinking into the carpet and linens have absorbed them. Some hotels charge a nominal fee for pets, other do not. The fee charged may cover totally or partially the cost of the extra cleaning that needs to be done.

Do not take the linens with you when you check out of the hotel. As soft and luxurious as they are, the housekeepers will likely notice that things are missing, and you might get a bill from the hotel for them. If you really are in love with their linens, see if that hotel is willing to sell them to you.

TIP! Don’t decide you need new linens as you are sitting in your hotel room. Housekeeping will notice items are missing and you could get a bill.

Not every hotel chains do offer these and those that will often have a very limited supply. Talk about these issues as you make your reservations.

Try your best to score a free upgrade during your hotel stay. To do this, arrive at the hotel when you are supposed to check in. Many times the room you booked will not be clean yet, so they may offer you a better room for no additional charge.

TIP! If an upgrade is desirable, try a strategy that might get it free. An excellent method of achieving an upgrade is simply showing up for your room right on time.

Never check out earlier than your scheduled departure date unless it’s an emergency. The hotel may charge you a fee for your early departure fee. If you reserve a room for a set number of days but check out a day or two early, the hotel will lose money because they remove the room off the reservation list.

Always remember to tip. Remember that room service bills include a tip; however, the person who cleans your room will not receive a tip unless you provide it. Tipping guarantees that you’re respected and well liked during your hotel stay.

TIP! Your hotel stay may become even more pleasant if you are willing to tip appropriately. Remember that room service bills include a tip; however, the person who cleans your room will not receive a tip unless you provide it.

Don’t drink the bottled water! You will likely to be tired and thirsty when finally arriving to a hotel. You may decide to reach for that bottle of water beckoning on the mini-fridge. Hotels know this and charge more for that already exorbitantly priced bottled water. Check the hotel gym and see if they may have free water. A better idea is to bring your own bottled water.

Some rooms will have better views than others. If room prices are not affected by the view, try to request a room that has a better view. Your hotel experience can improve by these little things. Try asking for a room with a nicer view.

TIP! All hotel rooms are not created equal when it comes to the view. If the great view doesn’t cost more, see if you can get a room with a view.

You can often save money if you book a flight and hotel at the same time. A lot of travel websites provide significant savings for people who bundles things together.

A special occasion is a great time to book a hotel room. Many times hotels will upgrade your room or give you some complimentary items if it is a special occasion. You could even talk them into some free champagne for the night! Do not fabricate a story though, as that would not be ethical.

TIP! Try to book hotels for special occasions. You could get a perk because of the event in question.

You can get lower hotel rates when you don’t book during peak tourist seasons. This is when rates are at their highest. This will give you to get a real bargain.

You can find the best prices by looking at websites like Travelocity and Expedia. Hotels offer these sites special discounts because of the high volume of rooms that are booked this way. You may have to place a bid, while others give you the price up front.

TIP! Online travel websites often compare the best prices for different hotel chains, helping you find the best possible deals. Websites such as these sell so many hotel rooms that they receive big discounts that you cannot find elsewhere.

Tipping the staff will ensure you have a more pleasant stay. For instance, fees for room service often include the tip with the bill, however maid service does not. Tipping will ensure the staff respects you and well liked during your hotel stay.

Remember to leave a tip for the housekeeper before you leave your hotel room. You can justify not tipping other services as the bill usually includes these extras, but it is customary to tip room service maids. Unless you made sure your room was spick and span every single day, remember to tip your maid.

TIP! When checking out of a hotel, know that you should tip the housekeepers. Most other people that work there do not need a tip, but the maid is an exception.

Getting a good hotel booked will be a very important part of any trip. Whether you need to go away for business or you want to take a trip with your family, the hotel you choose is crucial. The next time you book a hotel, keep all of this information in mind.

Inquire about deals. They may not lower the price, but they might give you some extra perks for staying. You will never know if you don’t ask so don’t be afraid to ask.

TIP! To save money on your hotel stay, ask the employee booking your room if you can get a discount. The clerk may not be able to lower the price, but often they can throw in a freebie or two to keep you happy.