The Skinny On Choosing The Best Hotels

Bad hotels are truly a nightmare. It is an expensive mistake to make. Below are some great tips to help make sure that you book a budget friendly hotel that’s great for your need.

Before making reservations at a hotel, check the online review sites. These sites will allow you to see previous guests’ experiences at the hotels you are considering. These reviews can aid you in your decision about whether to book the hotel.

TIP! Check online hotel reviews prior to booking your stay. This will give you valuable information about the recent experiences of people at each hotel.

Check online hotel reviews prior to booking your stay. These will give you some information from people that have stayed at that certain hotel. Factor former guests’ reviews into your final decision.

Compare prices at websites like Orbitz and Expedia to ensure that you receive the best available rate. If you are a member of a loyalty program, use that info when checking rates. Also, as an added bonus, you may get discounts from other companies such as AAA or AARP.

TIP! You can find a lot of great deals on hotels if you go online and check out some of the travel sites out there. If you are in a hotel loyalty program, put your information in.

Use Orbitz or Expedia to find a great deal. Always remember to give your loyalty program information to the clerk when you book your room or search for prices. You might also be entitled to additional discounts through your other organizations, such as AAA or AARP.

You can enjoy a romantic dinner in your room by calling room service. 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.

TIP! If you want a nice meal at night with your special someone, and you are too comfortable in your room to go out, order some food through room service. Room service can be expensive, but the luxury of being able to lounge about in your room in your jammies can make it worthwhile.

Consider ordering room service during your stay. Sure, it might cost a bit more, but it is completely worth it to be able to kick back and relax, while your food comes to you.

Make sure you put your valuables inside the safe in your hotel room. This safe will store your small important items, such as your iPad, iPod, GPS, jewelry, etc. By doing this, you can keep these items secure and enjoy your day without fretting about someone stealing them.

TIP! To keep your electronics safe when you are out of the hotel room, use the safe that you’ll find in your closet. Place all electronics there along with important documents, such as your passport or plane tickets.

Use your hotel room’s safe to keep your valuables secure. Place your iPad, GPS and other small electronics in the safe when you are not in your room.

Double-check your organizational memberships. Do they offer hotel discounts? Some discounts can be over ten percent! This can help you to save some cash, especially if you’re going to be staying for a few nights. This adds up to a night’s stay that is almost free.

TIP! If you belong to any organizations, find out if they get any discount from certain hotel chains. Many of them offer hotel discounts to members.

You can use hotel search tools on the Internet. 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. In addition, these websites will provide a comparison of different hotel prices, which will allow you to find the best possible deals. Finally, by using these websites, you can learn the best places and times to take a vacation.

Always look for online deals before booking a hotel room. Often, the person booking your room won’t tell you about discounts available online. This is why you should always do your research well online to find these hidden discounts. Look at Jetsetter, Enrovia and Hotels.com.

TIP! Always check for online deals prior to booking your hotel room. Often, the reservations clerk will not advise you that a better deal is available online.

Look for deals online. In a lot of cases, the person booking your room isn’t going to tell you about online discounts. That’s why doing a bit of research pays off, so you are aware of discounts and specials. Look at Jetsetter, RueLaLaTravel or similar websites for discounts.

Inspect the room before unpacking. Is it free of mildew and mold while being clean? Is everything in the bathroom working as it should? Are there enough linens and towels? If you see any issues, be sure to tell the front desk. This way, they can fix the problems or switch rooms for you.

TIP! Once you get to your hotel, do not unpack until you check the room. Is it without mildew and mold? Are the facilities operating correctly? Make sure you have the linens, bath supplies and towels that you will need.

Plan your trip in advance for the best rates. The earlier you book, the better rate you should get. You might only pay half price for premium hotels.

To benefit from the best prices at hotels, start planning your trips several weeks or even months in advance. If you book one or two months in advance, you can often receive a discount. You can expect savings up to fifty percent if you book months in advance.

TIP! To get a good price when you want a hotel room, get your trips planned quite a few weeks or so in advance. The earlier you book, the better rate you should get.

There are three things to do ahead of time if you want to bring your pet to a hotel with you. First, find out if the hotel allows pets. Pack a supply of plastic grocery bags with you – you will need to clean up any pet waste. And, ask if your room can away from guests.

Do not assume that each hotel welcomes pets. Be sure to call in advance and find out about their policies, regardless of website info. Make sure they specify what pet-friendly means since there may be certain restrictions on pet sizes and breeds that are allowed on the property.

TIP! If you are traveling with a pet, it is best to find a pet friendly hotel ahead of time. You should call ahead to double check, even if it was stated on the website that this is a pet friendly hotel.

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. Experience a truly special moment with a top masseur or masseuse by asking for your appointment well in advance.

There are three things you must do before bringing your pet along on your vacation. Find out if the hotel allows pets. Also, bring a lot of plastic sacks like ones from the grocery store so you can get your pet’s messes cleaned up. When you make a reservation you should see if you can stay near the back of the hallway to keep other guests away from your pets when they are making noises.

TIP! There are three things to do ahead of time if you want to bring your pet to a hotel with you. First, find out if the hotel allows pets.

To keep your running regimen up while you are traveling, pack your GPS watch and plenty of running clothes. When you wake up and feel like a jog, simply toss on your gear and head out. Running in a city allows you to see things other travelers miss.

Bring your running clothes with you on your trip. Head out early in the morning after donning your running gear. When you go running in a new city, you will get a free tour, up-close and personal.

TIP! Pack your GPS and running clothes while on vacation. If you want to jog early in the morning, don your gear and then go for it.

If you are someone who travels a lot, signing up for any hotel loyalty programs is probably a good idea. They offer perks to folks who frequent their hotel. There are many rewards given when you accumulate loyalty points such as free stays, free upgrades and later than usual check out times.

If you’re traveling with kids, be sure that you check on the pools to ensure they’re open and in service. There is nothing worse than having to tell your excited kids they cannot swim.

TIP! If you are planning on staying in a hotel room with your children, make sure you call the hotel in advance to ensure they provide a working pool or some other fun activities for your children to do. There aren’t many things that are as frustrating as going to your hotel with kids that really want to swim only to see that it has been closed.

Green Hotels

If you’re a smoker, then make sure you get a hotel with a smoking room. If you are a non-smoker, then you should probably stay away from hotels that allow smoking. You can still get a room that’s non-smoking, but the smoke can flow in the air and get on all your clothes. Sometimes, smokers rent non-smoking rooms because that is all that is available, and then they smoke in them anyway. If you don’t want to smell like cigarettes after leaving your hotel room, you might want to look for a non-smoking hotel.

TIP! Make sure to ask up front if the hotel allows smoking or does not. If you are not a smoker, you might want to choose a hotel that does not have smoking rooms.

If you are worried about the environment, consider taking a “green” vacation. The great thing is there are plenty of green hotels you can select from. Many new hotels are certified as green hotels. Also, older hotels often make several changes to become eco-friendly. You can ask a travel agent to pinpoint eco-friendly hotels, thus making sure your vacation doesn’t hurt the environment.

If your requirements include a roll-away bed or a crib, you should call ahead to reserve them. Some hotels do not provide these things, and the ones that do usually have limited quantities. Also, these things can cost extra. Talk about these issues as you reserve your room.

TIP! When making your reservation, make sure to specify if you need a rollaway or a crib. Some hotels don’t provide these things, and the ones that do usually have a limited amount.

How much your hotel room will cost depends largely on the time you book. Rooms are often priced in accordance with availability. Don’t book a room more than a day in advance. This will net you the best price when it comes to hotel rooms. This is because the hotel will want to book rooms that are currently empty.

It you’re able to, try not to check out until it’s time for you to depart. The hotel may charge a fee for early departure. When you reserve a room, the management of the hotel removes that room from the market, so if you leave early, the hotel loses some money. They charge a fee for early departure to help compensate for the lost revenue.

TIP! Do not check out prior to your agreed upon departure date if you can avoid it. The hotel could impose a fee if you check out early.

Join a membership program if you travel frequently. When you do, you get points every time you stay at a hotel.

Some people choose not to use the bedspreads provided by the hotel staff for hygienic reasons. Sheets are generally washed after guests leave the room, but the bedspread typically isn’t. It can carry a lot of germs. Simply remove it from your bed.

TIP! To be safe, avoid the top bedspread that is provided by the hotel. Hotel sheets are laundered daily; however, bedspreads are not.

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. Your kids and you will be very frustrated if the pool at your hotel is closed because of repairs when you arrive.

You have rights in the event where a hotel needs to “walk” you. Hotels sometimes overbook, which means you discover that your reservation is unavailable. In these situations, the hotel may try to book you at another hotel, or “walk” you. If you can’t avoid this make sure the room you get there is better or comparable and that they pay for the travel there.

TIP! Be aware of your rights in the event that a hotel attempts to “walk” you. This happens when the room you requested is unavailable because of overbooking on the part of the hotel.

Is your room non-smoking or not? If you’re not a smoker, it may be wise to stay away from rooms that are for smoking. Even non-smoking rooms can have smoke billow in from next door. Smokers don’t always respect the fact that the room they are renting is a non-smoking room. Choose a non-smoking hotel to a smoke smell on your clothes.

Don’t open that bottles water! Once you check-in and start to unwind, you will probably feel very thirsty. You can be tempted to casually open that bottled water beckoning on the mini-fridge. Hotels take advantage of guests by charging ridiculous amounts for bottled water. Some hotels offer complementary bottles of water in their gyms. If possible, bring your own bottled water.

TIP! Leave the bottled water alone in your hotel room! When you arrive at your hotel, you might be very thirsty. As a result, you likely want to purchase that bottle of water you see sitting on the counter.

Understand the smoking rules in your hotel, especially if you smoke. Many hotels set aside certain rooms or wings for smoking guests. So be sure to request one of these rooms. A few hotels will charge you in the event that they discover you’ve been smoking in their rooms where it’s prohibited, so abide by the smoking rules.

It is possible to save money on travel by getting a package deal on your flight and hotel. A lot of websites for travel will give you quite a bit of savings for you if you reserve a hotel and a rental car or flight together. To get the best deal, compare the rates between several airlines and hotels.

TIP! If you book your flight alongside your hotel, then you’ll get a much better bargain deal. Often travel websites provide greater discounts for package deals.

Nobody out there wants to get booked at a terrible hotel. Cheap prices aren’t worth bad experiences. It can ruin your whole vacation. The information you have read here can help you make the right choice. Once you find the right hotel, work on getting the best price.

If you are looking for an upgrade, try scoring one without having to pay a dime. You can be sure of this by being on time to accept your hotel booking. A lot of the times your room may not be ready yet so they’ll give you a deal on a different room that’s better for free.

TIP! If an upgrade is desirable, try a strategy that might get it free. The best way you can do this is to show up at the hotel exactly at your scheduled check in time.