You are going to need to book a hotel room sooner or later. Whether your trip is for business or pleasure, having a pleasant hotel to stay in is important. These tips will help.
Check online reviews before booking a room. This will give you valuable information about the recent experiences of people at each hotel. What people say about a hotel can help you figure out where you should be staying.
Find great prices at online travel sites like Orbitz and Expedia. If you are a member of a loyalty program, use that info when checking rates. Find out if you can get a discount for being an AAA or AARP member, too.
Room service can make your stay more enjoyable. While this could cost you a little more, it will be worth it because you can stay in your room and take care of the cravings you’re having.
Consider taking advantage of room service when the urge strikes for a late-night snack with your special someone. It might cost a little extra, but it’s definitely worth the bill. Nothing is more enjoyable than having food delivered to your room while you’re in your PJ’s.
Check with any membership programs for deals. Some of these organizations will offer you discounts on hotel prices. A lot of people don’t use these discounts, and you may save 10% or even more. This can result in significant savings, especially for longer stays. That’s almost an extra free night throughout an entire week.
To get the best hotel rooms, use a website online that will help with this. 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. They display the average rates of hotels so that you can see if the deal you are getting is good. They can also give you information on nearby attractions, too.
When you’re looking for the perfect hotel, there are a few different things you should always check for first. You should look at the price, but you should also look at the location that is most convenient for what you want to do. You may want free WiFi access, a convenient location, free long distance or a nice pool or gym. Look for a hotel that gives you a lot of the things you are looking for.
Prior to making a hotel reservation, do some research online in order to discover the best deals. Lots of times, when you book a room, they don’t tell you about online discounts. This is why you should look for discounts yourself. RueLaLaTravel, SniqueAway and Jetsetter are all good Internet sites to check with.
Take advantage of tools provided online when searching for a hotel. These websites will help you find good deals quickly. They can also allow you to look at the average rates of a hotel. You can also find out about local amenities and things offered by the hotels.
Prior to emptying out your suitcase, carefully look over your room. Is the room mildew-free and otherwise clean? Are the showers, sinks, toilets, etc. properly functioning? Are all the towels you’ll need present in the room? If you quickly note any problems, let the person at the front desk know so they can help you sort it out or give you a better room.
Be aware of when you can check into your room. People sometimes forget when they will be let into their rooms, showing up early only to learn that their room isn’t ready yet. Call the hotel desk and find out if your room has been prepared if you know that you’ll be arriving early.
Ask the hotel about their check-in time.. You don’t want to arrive early only to find out your room isn’t ready yet. Call the front desk to find out if it is alright for you to arrive before check-in.
Planning for a trip months or even just weeks in advance can often get you a better rate for your hotel room. Quite a few locations will give discounts if you choose to book a room a month or more in advance. Doing this could save you up to 50 percent off your room, and this holds true with the more elite brands as well.
If you want to get a low rate at your hotel, start planning early for your vacation. If you can book early, you may get a huge discount. You may save 50 percent or more.
Do not assume that each hotel welcomes pets. Always call to ask, even if it says pet-friendly online. Also, speak to them about what they’re meaning by pet-friendly because they may not allow specific breeds or certain sizes of pets.
Don’t make assumptions about pet policies of hotels. Even if a web listing says a hotel is pet friendly, call the hotel to verify. Also, speak to them about what they’re meaning by pet-friendly because they may not allow specific breeds or certain sizes of pets.
There are three things to do ahead of time if you want to bring your pet to a hotel with you. Be sure that the hotel really does allow pets. Gather plastic grocery bags so you are able to clean up any pet messes. See if you can stay in a room toward the end of a hall so your pet does not disturb guests.
If you want to arrange for a couples massage at your hotel, be sure to book the appointment right away. Frequently, the best massage people will be booked by name. This means that if you book early, you’ll have a better experience.
If you like running and frequently stay in hotel rooms, be sure and pack up a GPS watch, along with your favorite running clothes. If you want to jog early in the morning, don your gear and then go for it. Even jogging on pavement and alongside city avenues can provide you new perspective of any city that you visit.
Choose a green vacation if you care for the environment. Luckily, many hotels are around these days for you to choose from. There are plenty of hotels built today with strong environmental standards. Hotels that have been around for a while may employ a variety of eco-friendly practices. Talk to your travel agent if you prefer to stay at this type of hotel.
Do you use the same hotels on a regular basis? If so, check out their membership programs for frequent guests. You should be able to earn points every time you are visiting one of the hotels. They can amount to show tickets, free nights, spa deals, hotel restaurants discounts and much more.
The timing of your room booking often determines the price you pay. Availability sets pricing. Try to always book your hotel room only a day in advance. Doing so will ensure you get the best possible price on a hotel room. Hotels don’t earn money on empty rooms, so they are often willing to reduce the price.
The cost of your hotel will vary depending on when you make your reservation. Hotels price rooms in part based on availability. Whenever you can, don’t book your hotel room until the last 24 hours. You may find the best prices this way. Empty rooms don’t earn the hotel money, so they’re happy to cut the price and reserve a room.
In order to avoid any surprise charges, inquire about hotel transfers prior to booking. Hidden transfer costs can really make a room not worth it. If you know this upfront, you can save more money.
If you are a frequent business traveler, establishments like Marriott and Choice Hotels offer attractive membership programs. This allows you to get more points with each stay that you can convert into free rooms and other benefits on your next family vacation.
Membership Programs
If you wish to see if a hotel room has bed bugs, check out the bathroom. This is where you are least likely to find bedbugs. That means that the bathroom is a great place to keep your bags while you check the rest of your accommodations for bedbugs. Put kids and pets in there, too.
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. Then you can accrue points, get extra perks, and save money.
Figure out if you want a hotel you can or cannot smoke in. If you are a non-smoker, you might want to stay away from hotels that offer smoking rooms. You can still get a room that’s non-smoking, but the smoke can flow in the air and get on all your clothes. There are times when smokers end up staying in non-smoking rooms, and smoking in them. To avoid the experience of breathing in smoke during your stay, try to stay in a hotel that doesn’t allow smoking.
Don’t make long distance calls on your hotel phone. Using the Internet is a better option. Skype connections are available in many hotels these days using Wi-Fi. You will be able to stay in touch with family and friends while you are away without the additional expense of costly phone calls.
If you book a room during a heavy occupancy period, don’t be surprised if you have a mandatory stay of a few days or more. The hotel might charge you a fee for early departure. You reserve a room when you book it, so if you leave early they lose money. To earn back this money they will lose, they charge you an additional departure fee.
If you want to ensure happy kids while traveling, call the hotel ahead of time to check that the pools are open and in working order. It can prove rather frustrating when you check in to your room with the kids screaming “pool” only to find out it’s closed.
You may wish to use a different blanket than the comforter that is in your hotel room. Sheets and blankets are washed regularly, while bedspreads usually aren’t. This bedspread could be a source of germs. Remove the blanket from the bed to have peace of mind.
If you want to inspect a hotel room for bed bugs, start with the bathroom. This room is usually free from bugs. You can leave your bags there while you investigate the remainder of the room for bedbugs. It is a good place for pets or children to wait for a couple minutes as well.
Don’t get that bottled water and open it! You may be thirsty and tired. This can tempt you to consume bottles of water from the mini-fridge. Hotels are aware of this, that bottle of water will be much more expensive than if you bought it elsewhere. Some hotels give free bottles of water to their guest in their gyms. An even better option is to pack your own bottled water for when you arrive.
Do you smoke? If so, it is important that you are aware of a hotel’s smoking policy in advance. Hotels normally have rooms set aside for smokers. If this is what you’re looking for, inquire about these rooms. Some hotels fine guests if they find that they smoked in a designated non-smoking room. This means that you must be sure to obey the hotel’s smoking rules.
You can save money when traveling by booking your hotel and flight together. Travel booking sites often provide significant discounts for combining your room and flight and perhaps even a rental car. You can make the most of this deal by comparing rates across several websites.
It’s not often possible to check in to a hotel room early. Plan your time accordingly unless you want to wait in the lobby for hours. Hotels need this time to clean and prepare your room. If you’re going to have to show up early, speak with the people at the front to see if you’re able to get into the room, but don’t think that it will happen.
If an upgrade is desirable, try a strategy that might get it free. You can be sure of this by being on time to accept your hotel booking. Sometimes, rooms aren’t ready when patrons arrive, and the hotels give them better rooms for no extra charge.
Clearly, we all have to stay in hotels at some time. Regardless of your reason, it is important that you do some preparation. This article has offered some good information on how to find a good hotel, so apply what you have learned.
A special occasion is a great time to book a hotel room. Hotels may throw in complimentary stuff if they know you are celebrating a milestone birthday or anniversary. You might be able to wrangle a free bottle of champagne or something similar. However, you should not be dishonest about it because that is not right.