You are going to need to book a hotel room sooner or later. Whether you’re booking the room for business or for pleasure, you should know what you’re looking for in any given hotel. These tips should give you a better understanding of what to look for when shopping for a hotel.
Make sure you check with any organizations of which you are a member. Some organizations offer discounts on hotels to their members. These discounts are often neglected; however, they can save you upwards of ten percent. You end up with an even bigger savings if your hotel stay is going to be for multiple nights. It can add up to almost a free hotel night!
Put your electronics into the room’s safe. Put all of your valuables and small electronics into the safe, such as your jewelry and iPad. They’ll be safe in there and you can leave the hotel room without worry.
Prior to booking your hotel room, search the Internet for deals. In a lot of cases, the person booking your room isn’t going to tell you about online discounts. This is why it’s up to you to search for these discounts. Sites, such as Jetsetter, will let you know of any discounts available.
Double-check your organizational memberships. Some organizations offer discounts on hotels to their members. People don’t always remember to check out these discounts, which can often be 10% and higher. If you are planning to stay a few nights, this can really add up. It can add up to equal a free night!
Check your room when you arrive. Make sure there is no mold or mildew anywhere in the room. Do the plumbing fixtures function properly? Does your room feature the linens and towels you require? If you see any issues, be sure to tell the front desk. This way, they can fix the problems or switch rooms for you.
Verify the check-in time at the hotel. 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.
Be clear about check-in time at the hotel you have booked. Some people neglect asking what the check-in time is and get to the hotel when their room is still not ready. If you will be arriving before check-in, call the hotel in advance and see if you can check-in early.
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. That’s because the highest quality masseurs and masseuses are typically booked way in advance due to their good name. Therefore, by planning in advance, you can ensure you have the best possible experience during your massage.
To benefit from the best prices at hotels, start planning your trips several weeks or even months in advance. Some hotels have great discounts when you book a couple of months 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.
Use your AAA discount at hotels. Your membership in this auto club has just such a discount available to you. You can save up to an additional five percent at certain hotels throughout the country. This is a savings that can really add up over several nights.
If you are traveling with a pet, it is best to find a pet friendly hotel ahead of time. Call the hotel to verify, even if it says so on the website. Get the term “pet-friendly” defined, as well. The hotel may not allow large dogs or certain types of pets.
It is wise to join a hotel loyalty program if you travel frequently. These programs provide benefits to guests who book the same hotel regularly. You will be able to earn stuff like a free upgrade, an allowance to check out late, and even free stays when you get enough points.
If you travel often, it’s a great idea to enroll in a hotel’s loyalty program. They offer rewards to guests who book the same hotel chain frequently. You might earn a free upgrade, late checkout time, or other great perks.
If you tend to stay at the same hotel a lot, see about signing up for their frequent guest program. They provide you with points for every stay. They can amount to show tickets, free nights, spa deals, hotel restaurants discounts and much more.
If you tend to return to the same family of hotels for your vacation, consider joining their membership reward programs. Just like frequent flyer mile programs, these hotel programs offer you points for your stay. Over time, these points can really add up, allowing you to enjoy numerous upgrades, spa visits, restaurant discounts, and even free nights at the hotel.
The amount you pay for the hotel room is determined by when you book it. Availability sets pricing. If at all possible, do not book your room more than one day in advance. A late booking when the hotel is slow often results in a bargain. A room that’s empty loses money for the hotel; so, they usually cut the price.
You may wish to consider a “green” vacation if the environment is one of your concerns. Fortunately, there are many green hotels to choose from today. Green certification is something some of the newly built hotels are quite proud of promoting. Many older hotels will still be environmentally aware by utilizing some eco-friendly practices. Finding hotels that are environmentally friendly can be as easy as asking your favorite travel agent.
Before you decide to book, always find out if there are any hotel transfer fees so you won’t be surprised on your bill. In many situations in which the room’s price is a great deal, the undisclosed price of your transfer can frequently eat up the savings. Inquiring about this in advance will maximize any savings.
To avoid major expenses on your final hotel bill, be sure to ask the sales representative about the price of hotel transfers first. You don’t want to ruin the deal you are getting on your room by paying for an expensive transfer. You can increase the amount you save by simply finding this information out in advance.
Your children will be happy when you call the hotel to make sure their pool is open and working. Showing up at your hotel and finding out the pool isn’t in working order can ruin an otherwise great trip.
Never use the hotel phone for long distance calls. Use the Internet, instead. Many hotels will give you complimentary Skype connections on their Wi-Fi. Use these types of services to keep in contact with loved ones back home instead of having exorbitant charges added to your bill from the costly phone calls.
If you are inspecting a room for bed bugs, then the bathroom is the best place to start. This is the place where you are least likely to find them. It makes a safe place to keep your luggage when looking for bedbugs elsewhere in the room. If you have pets or children with you, ask them to wait in the bathroom too.
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. If you arrive at your hotel and the pool is closed, your kids will be very disappointed.
Always know the hotel smoking policy wherever you stay if you personally smoke. Many hotels have rooms designated for smokers. If you smoke, you should make a specific reservation for this type of room. Some hotels will levy a large fine if they can determine that you smoked in a room where smoking was not allowed, so make sure you understand and follow the hotel’s smoking policy.
When you first arrive, inspect your hotel room’s bathroom. This is where you are least likely to find bedbugs. That means your luggage will be safe there while you check out the other areas of the room. It’s also safe for pets and kids this way.
You should know that you generally aren’t going to be able to do an early check-in at a hotel. Plan your time accordingly unless you want to wait in the lobby for hours. Most hotels clean and prepare rooms at a certain time, so that they are ready for check-in. If you are early, don’t expect miracles.
Make sure to ask up front if the hotel you’ll be staying in allows smoking or does not. If you’re not a smoker, you might want to skip a smoking hotel. Even in a non-smoking room, the smoke from other rooms is in the air and might infiltrate your clothing. You may find that a smoker has been in your non-smoking room before you and ignored the rules. If you just can’t stand the smell of stale smoke, look for a hotel that doesn’t allow it at all.
When reserving your room, be sure to ask for a roll-away bed or crib if you will be in need of these extra sleeping accommodations. Not every hotel will give you this sort of thing, and the ones that do are in limited quantities. In addition, there is sometimes an extra charge for 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.
Learn about the smoking policies if you smoke. Some have smoking rooms. If so, you should avail yourself of this option. If they find you have smoked in a non-smoking area, they may charge you a fine.
Never actually check out before the departure date unless it’s an emergency. If you do, you may be charged a fee for early departure. When you make your reservation, the hotel can’t offer the room to someone else, so they lose money if you leave early. This is why they usually charge you an fee for early departure.
Look into the hotel policy with regard to pets. If you fear pets or have allergies to them, it may be best to make reservations at hotels that have a strict no pets policy. The hotels may have the smell of pet odors on the linens and floor. Some hotels have an extra fee for pets, and the charge is not much in some places. Some hotels use the paid fees to clean the hotel more thoroughly.
Most people visit a hotel at some point or another. Regardless of why you need to book a room, you should research your decision first. So keep the above tips in mind to get a great hotel room with a price that makes it even more enjoyable.
If a hotel tries to “walk” you, know what your rights are. Hotels routinely overbook, which means that you could find that there is no room available for you when you arrive at the hotel. The hotel will then “walk” you, or send you out to another hotel. Avoid having this happen if you can, but if you’re going to a different hotel, be sure that the deal is better than the place you were trying to get.